Virginia Beach, VA

SoCal, Northern IL, Japan

Spain

Chorus, Key Club

One time as we were preparing to put on a show (The People vs. Maxine Lowe, maybe?) we discovered the dressing rooms down below the auditorium. There were costumes and props from fabulous shows Lane had put on years earlier, most likely South Pacific, judging from the old-style Navy white crackerjack uniforms. Who knew that 20 years later, the Navy would bring those uniforms back? Note: one must have a specific body type for those things to look attractive. I did not have that body type.

I joined the Navy and left for boot camp two days after graduation. Turned out to be a pretty good fit- I stayed for 20 years and along the way married a brilliant, sweet, funny, athletic cowboy from Montana, we had four amazing daughters, and now we're both retired from the Navy and teaching public school in Virginia Beach, VA. The girls are grown, we have four fantastic grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter, and we're looking at a second retirement in the next five years or so.

I like to spend time with my grandsons, they are my joy. My daughters are pretty great too. Oh, and I'm rather fond of my husband of 34 years. We...drive. Seriously, when things are bugging us, we get in the car and drive. Sometimes we stop and grab something eat right there in the middle of nowhere. We love goofy little historical sites, but mostly we just drive.

Well...I've already retired once, from the Navy. I'm looking forward to my *second* retirement in about two years, and at that point I plan to work enough to fund my travel jones.

"I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead." J. Buffet

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."

I've been married once, to the same guy, for 34 years. As a dual-military couple this is highly unusual. It's something we worked at and we're both proud of. And...for whatever reason, this site is leaving off my maiden name: Elaine Archambault. So....hey!

Meh....I was kind of a nobody in high school but as long as you're not selling insurance, knives, makeup or vacation packages (or anything similar), feel free to contact me at eelombardi@hotmail.com. Let's talk!

As a military family, we moved.... a LOT. Our children were born in Illinois (yes, I was once stationed at Great Lakes), Virginia, Hawaii, and Japan. We were stationed in Japan (Yokosuka) for six years. It took us a year or so to warm up to living there, but we're glad we stayed for a second tour. Our older daughters have different memories of living there, and our youngest was born there. She is, of course, a US citizen, but she doesn't have a birth certificate. Military dependents born overseas get a Consular Certificate of Birth Abroad, which is pretty cool.

Kids are grown now and have graced us with five grandchildren (so far). I teach at-risk students in my city's Alternative School; all of my students have been expelled from their neighborhood schools for varying types and numbers of infractions. While I love doing this, teaching just isn't fun any more. It's actually a pretty crappy job these days, and I don't recommend it. I'm looking forward to retiring from teaching in June 2022.