Home for The Holidays

Hey everyone, I just wanted to give you a little update on what has been happening lately. Friday the 17th of December was my last day of work until the new year. I don't think I have ever anticipated a Christmas break as much, in my entire school career as a student, as I did this year. I was so excited for the break for two reasons. The first was because after working for the last 4 months I really needed a good long break from those kids. The second was because Nathan would be coming home, for good. Nathan started his terminal leave on Saturday December 18th, after weeks of out processing and getting all of our stuff moved. Saturday, Nathan drove to Albuquerque, NM where he got a hotel and picked up his friend Ivan from the airport. Ivan and Nathan set out the next day and made an epic journey from Albuquerque, NM to Twin Falls, ID. It was a good thing because on Monday when they drove from Twin Falls to Tieton the road conditions really deteriorated, and the driving was slow and treacherous. Nathan made it safely to Tieton at about 1600 that evening. Ever since Nathan got home he has been busy setting up the Christmas tree, shopping for Christmas presents, working on a jigsaw puzzle, cooking, shoveling snow, and plowing the driveway with his dad. He is so happy to be back and I don't think it has really sunk in for any of us that he is really home, not just for the holidays.

Our First Thanksgiving!

Okay so it isn't really our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, but it is the first out of three where we ate a traditional Turkey dinner that we cooked! Anyway, Thanksgiving this year was a five day event. I flew down to Texas on Tuesday after school and arrived in Killeen at 0715 on Wednesday. Nathan was able to pick me up from the airport and then dropped me off at home were I tried to take a nap while he was at work. When Nathan got home from work we made a list and went shopping for all of the yummy things we wanted to make for Thanksgiving dinner. Well we started off with a plan to go shopping but we soon got sidetracked by paying rent, and dinner at Texas road house. We made it to HEB about 1700, this as a mistake. Shopping can be hectic on a normal day in Killeen but on the day before turkey day you might as well just stay home. HEB was PACKED, it was nearly impossible to maneuver a cart down any of the isles that we needed to go down since every one was pretty much shopping for the same thing. We finally made it out of the store and home where we hung out playing cards and dancing to our wedding reception music. Did I mention that our 2nd anniversary was on Monday the 22nd? Since our anniversary is pretty close to Thanksgiving we decided to make this trip an anniversary present to ourselves. Okay, sorry I got side tracked. We woke up on Thursday morning and just hung out, wrote a menu, and a cooking strategy. Once we decided to get started with cooking, we realized that we didn't have a meat thermometer. So we put the turkey in and hurried off to HEB around noon, all I have to say is it was like night and day at the store. It was pretty much empty and we were able to get in and out very fast. Once we got home we started working on all of our tasty sides. We had fruit salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, asparagus, gelled cranberry sauce, stuffing, and poppy seed muffins. Luckily we were able to time everything just about perfectly and our turkey was ready to carve while I set the table with all of the goodies. Nathan did an awesome job carving the turkey. The turkey was so juicy and delicious, it was the best thanksgiving dinner I have had in a long time. We had so much fun making it together and we were so thankful to be spending that time together. We had a pretty lazy thanksgiving evening and when we woke up on black Friday went for a walk out by Dana Point and then came home an had yummy omelets for breakfast. We spent most of the day shopping for a new computer because Nathans laptop went on the frits on Wednesday night. We finally decided on a computer and then worked on setting it up. After we did as much as we could, which wasn't much we had pizza for dinner and watched a movie and ate popcorn and candy at home. It was so nice to snuggle in our lovesac and watch a movie. The next day we got up had a yummy thanksgiving breakfast and finished setting up the computer. Then we went on a little trip down to the mall in Austin. We didn't really buy anything important, besides password (we are the undefeated champions!), we just enjoyed walking around the mall together holding hands and talking. Once we were done we headed home, where we changed into our fanciest duds and went out to dinner at Cheddars restaurant, one of our favorites. We ate a yummy dinner and then walked over to my favorite place to get desert and we had one last desert date at YO YO's. After dinner and dessert we went to HEB and picked up some candy and headed home for another night in the lovesac watching movies and eating popcorn and candy. Sunday we slept in and just enjoyed being together. I had to leave at 1640 and it was really hard to go to the airport and go through security knowing I would never be back to Killeen again and I had to leave Nathan there all alone. I will admit that I cried, and I know it is only for three weeks or so but it still stinks to be apart. I just can't wait for Nathan to get back to Washington.

Finally

If it isn't totally obvious due to our lack of blogs since September, we have been very busy lately. Well, at least Rebecca has been busy lately. She used to be the one who had the free time to write blogs, but now I have way more time than she does. She stays at school working until 8:00 pm sometimes and then goes straight home to make dinner and then she studies her physics until she goes to bed. I, on the other hand, have just been doing the same old Army stuff. I spent a few weeks in the field shooting howitzers and running ranges. As the Battalion Fire Direction Officer, I was charged with running Paladin certifications in October. I spent about three weeks in the field ensuring that the 1800 rounds we had to shoot were fired safely. Now I am preparing for Platoon Certifications happening at the end of the month and then after that I have one more field exercise and then I will be leaving the Army.

Rebecca is going to fly down to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with me. We are planning on camping for a couple nights if the weather cooperates. I can't wait to see her again. She left for Washington at the end of August (I think). And then I got o see her in October when I came home for a wedding and now it seems like it has been forever since I have seen her. I will be driving home on December 18th just in time for Christmas! I guess our lives haven't been too exciting lately, especially since we are apart. Hopefully we will have a lot more blogs once I get home and we can finally spend some more time together.

Section Certifications

On Kroger Pond

This weekend my sister and Davis came down to visit me. I met them for lunch in Selah. We ate at Kings Row, the local burger joint. After a yummy lunch we drove out to our old neighborhood to check things out. A lot of things have changed since we moved but the old neighborhood is still pretty familiar. Once we were done with our "walk" down memory lane, we went to the mall to do a little school clothes shopping. I am in the market for some professional/stylish/comfortable shoes. I don't know if there is such a thing for a decent price, but I hope I find some soon. My feet have been killing me after a day of classes. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything at the mall. Although I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised since we were shopping the Union Gap mall. Once we were done in town we headed out to the Kroger's house in Tieton. Davis was pretty excited to get out of the house and run around their yard and take a walk out by the pond. When we got to the pond Davis noticed that there was a canoe sitting on the bank and thought it would be pretty neat to get in it. Maria didn't bring his life vest so we figured he wouldn't get a ride. Instead we interested him in some trike and tractor riding. He was pretty stoked to ride Uncle Nathan's old trike and tractor and he didn't have to share with anyone. Nathan's brother Zak was in town from Vermont and was having a big BBQ with all his friends. Maria and I ate some yummy burgers and all the fixings. Davis on the other hand was too interested in the kitty (Patagonia) and what the big kids were doing outside. After all the grownups ate Davis was still pretty interested in taking a ride in the canoe. Rich was very nice, he found a life vest that fit Davis and even said he would row around the lake. Davis didn't want anyone but Rich to take him out on the pond. Maria was able to convince him to let her go out with them. Davis was grinning from ear to ear the entire time Rich was rowing around the pond. They even let Aunt Becky join in for a couple of laps. After all of the excitement it was amazing Davis even went to bed. After Davis went down for the night Maria and I went down to my room and worked on making it look a little nicer. On Sunday, Maria and I went to church and then came back and had breakfast. I didn't get any pictures but on Sunday before Davis' nap Rich took Davis on a three-wheeler ride from the house to the pond and then back out on the pond for a few laps. Davis even got to practice rowing. Maria and Davis headed home late Sunday night and I was sad to see them go. I had a lot of fun talking with Maria and just hanging out. I also had fun hearing all the new words Davis has started saying in the two and a half months since I last saw him. I am so glad to be closer to my family and I can't wait for all of my family to come visit for apple harvest again.

My Classroom

Wow, it is still so crazy to think that I have my own classroom. I took these pictures right before school started there isn't much in the way of decorations but it is a work in progress. The last two days have been great. I am not as stressed as I thought that I would be, which is a real blessing. I have been up to my ears in paperwork and for some reason I feel like that isn't going to change in the near future. Anyway, enough typing what you all really want to see are the pictures.

Only 180 Days Left!!

For those of you who don't know I am now a teacher at West Valley Junior High. I teach 7th grade science 5 periods a day. How this new job came about is quite a story, I will try to make it as short and sweet as possible. Two weeks ago on Monday August 16th Nathan woke up and decided that there was no time like the present to get out of the army. He felt that he needed to pursue his dreams rather than stay in the army. He has never wanted to make a career out of the army, so instead he intends to apprentice with his dad in the family apple orchard and then use the GI bill to pursue a degree in elementary education. This was quite the shock to me as he told me two minutes before he left for work with out much explanation at all. It took us until Tuesday night to make an actual "exit strategy". The strategy was that I would look for a teaching job and then Nathan would achieve his goals. That night my dad emailed me a job opening for the WVJH. They were looking for a science teacher, but in the qualifications it said that they were looking for someone with a mathematics endorsement. I read my dads email at about 0800 Wednesday morning and I figured that with my mathematics endorsement and minor in physics I was as good a candidate as any. That morning I worked feverishly to get my references secured and the forms mailed off. I then went and volunteered at the ASYMCA and then went strait home to work on the application, my resume, cover letter, and the answers to the hand written questions on the application. After a late night Nathan and I had a product we were proud of after it was proof read by his mom and my dad. Thursday morning I headed off to the post office and then to the local wrap and ship to have my application sent UPS overnight to the WVSD office. My application then arrived at the district office at 1030 local time and I knew that it was all in their hands. I then proceeded to stress for the next five days wondering if they would call me and what they would say. On Wednesday the 25th they called me while I was down at the ASYMCA cutting fabric and asked me if I could interview with them at 0930 Friday at the junior high. I told them I would let them know as soon as I found a flight. I then bought a one way ticket to Seattle and a bus ride to Yakima for the very next day. I spent the rest of the night running around like a chicken with my head cut off worrying and trying to pack everything I might need if they decided to hire me. Thursday morning at 0400 I got up and headed out to the airport and then traveled to Washington and arrived at 1400 in Yakima. Nathans mom picked me up from the airport and his parents did everything possible to help me prepare and relax for my upcoming interview. After a crummy nights sleep I woke up got ready and headed off to my interview, I was fairly relaxed as I knew I would do my best and if they hired me I would be happy and if they didn't I would be happy because then I could go back to Nathan. The interview went well and I was fairly relaxed through the entire thing. They told me that they would let me know later that day about their decision. I was happy that I would know so soon. I spent the next 5 hours waiting with my phone in my hand for the call. When it finally came the principal asked me to come down to talk with them. Once I raced down there he said that they needed more references and to find out what it would take to get my physics endorsement. I spent the next hour or so trying to find references that were available immediately. I was only able to find one personal reference who was home, Kay Kabush. Luckily she was willing to give a glowing reference on the spot. The principal then sent me home and told me they wouldn't know until Monday morning. I was devastated that I would have to spend the whole weekend in suspense and then potentially start school 1 day after I was hired. It was scary and stressful. My friend Jobie knew I was in town so she came over from Renton with her dog Piper to hang out for the weekend. Saturday morning after a night of hanging out in the orchard and roasting marshmallows over an open fire I got a call from the principal he wanted to offer me a job and he told me I should come down so we could talk and I could see my room. I have been feverishly preparing for the first day of school ever since and I was surprisingly relaxed today. I think all 5 of my classes went well and I am anxious to start teaching science instead of the boring but necessary first week junk.

Sew Fun

I like to sew and do crafts, but I don't own a sewing machine. I did however sign up as a volunteer for Operation Kid Comfort. Operation Kid Comfort is an organization that makes picture quilts for children under 6, who have a parent deployed from Fort Hood. It also provides a picture pillow sham for children over 6. I go to the Armed Services YMCA every Wednesday between 1000 and 1400. The first three weeks or so I just cut fabric, cut out pictures, ironed fabric, and put together quilt or pillow sham kits. Last week I put together my first quilt front, and this week I put together 2. I haven't learned how to do the quilting part yet but they tell me next week I am going to. Last week one of the ladies who volunteers there lent me her old sewing machine that she doesn't use anymore. They sent me home with the sewing machine, scrap fabric, junk thread, a seam ripper and told me to make something to practice my sewing skills. I decided to make an apron since I didn't own one. This is what I made.

I know it is pretty basic but I didn't have a pattern and I was just using random scraps that don't necessarily match, so it is a little quirky. It was definitely good practice so that next week I can bring home a quilt front and sew some at home. I did have a few problems with the machine but I think they were mostly user error. I broke a couple needles but I eventually figured out what the problem was. Anyway, I am excited to have something to do with my spare time and it is exciting to have a sewing machine. I hope that I actually get to use it and I don't get too busy doing other things. Either way I am happy that I now have an apron if I don't make anything else.

Sunrise Run

Nathan and I have been trying, with varying success, to get healthy. About three months ago we started running together every Saturday. Nathan likes to be able so sleep in on the weekends so we usually get up at 0800 and start running around 0830. Usually we run on post but we have ran at the Killeen Park and once or twice around our neighborhood. This Friday Nathan had Battalion Staff Duty which means he is the officer in charge if anything happens during the night. He also has to do two checks of the buildings, barracks, and motor pool. One check before midnight and one check after midnight. Instead of staying up and doing his after midnight checks at one or two in the morning he decided to get up at 0500. We went in to do his checks and then headed out to Dana Peak Park to go for our morning run. Dana Peak is right on a lake and has a great view of the sunrise. Nathan was able to see the sunrise on a PT run at the park on Friday and he wanted to take me out to see it. We got to the park at 0610 and since the sun doesn't rise until after 0650 we decided to run and then watch the sun rise as we stretched out. We went for a short run today. It was only 1.8 miles but it was very beautiful. Aside from the bugs flying into our mouths we saw a few herds of deer and a couple of bunnies. The best part about running before the sun rises is it was only 81 degrees out instead of 90 or 100. Unfortunately, it was a little overcast and we couldn't see the sun as it rose above the far hill. We have decided that it's worth it to get up early and run and then go back to bed if not for the view, then at least to beat the heat.

Fredericksburg Peaches

This last weekend was a three day weekend for Nathan and we decided to check out Fredericksburg, TX. Fredericksburg is a small German town about two hours away from Killeen. Nathan got off work by 1500 on Thursday and we hopped into the car and headed down to Fredericksburg. When we got there we went to the local farmers' market and tried some of their yummy peaches. After we tried some of the local fruits and veggies we headed down to Main Street and walked up and down it checking out some of the local stores. Unfortunately, we didn't get down there until 1730 and almost all of the stores were closed. We were pretty hot after walking the street and so we decided to head in to the A/C and get some dinner at the highly recommended Auslander Restaurant. Nathan had Opa's Sausage for dinner along with some potato cakes. I ate some unauthentic grilled chicken. After a yummy dinner we headed back to our hotel and took a dip in the pool to cool off. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. The next morning Nathan and I went and checked out the National Museum of the Pacific war. The Museum is HUGE and Nathan and I only scratched the surface but it was very interesting. We only checked out the main museum. We will have to go back and see the Admiral Nimitz Museum and the combat zone that has reenactments and guided tours. For those of you who don't know, Admiral Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg, TX. After spending a couple of hours at the museum Nathan and I headed off to the Marburger Orchards to pick some yummy peaches. We were surprised by how small the peach trees were but we were able to quickly pick a 1/2 bushel of peaches in no time. After getting all hot and sweaty from picking peaches we headed back to Killeen and made it home by 1500. The next morning Nathan and I went for our Saturday morning run and then I made some yummy peach crepes for breakfast. I got the recipe from my grandma and it was the first time Nathan ever had crepes. Since Nathan and I can't eat crepes for every meal I decided to try my hand at canning some of our peaches. Nathan was a huge help. He peeled the skin off of all the peaches after I boiled them and then he finished cutting the peaches once I started filling the jars. I was a little worried about how my peaches would turn out because there was some liquid leaking out. But, after the 24 hour cooling time all the lids have sealed so........ I hope it really did work. I had so much fun canning the peaches I think Nathan and I might try to do a few more cans or we might even dry or freeze some of the peaches.

South Dakota

This last Thursday I was able to travel to South Dakota to visit my grandparents. I have only visited them once in Miller, SD and that was 12 years ago on a family vacation. The first evening I was there my Grandpa took me fishing for the first time. The lake that my Grandpa fishes at only allows you to keep big mouth bass that are 15 inches or larger. I didn't catch anything that first night but the next morning we went fishing again and I caught two fish and so did my Grandpa. Neither of us caught anything we could keep but we still had a ton of fun fishing off the dock. After a full morning of fishing we went to the local drug store for some yummy ice cream at the soda fountain. Once we were refreshed we headed out to the county courthouse which is a historical building and it has some museum type stuff in it. We had fun touring the courthouse and riding the old elevator up to the attic and down to the basement. After the courthouse we went to the local farmers market. There were maybe four stands and only one of them sold any produce. I was a little disappointed since Miller is surrounded by farms, but we did buy some eggs and green beans from the Hutterite colony. We headed back to the house and my Grandpa and I headed back out to the lake for some last minute fishing and we ended up catching four more fish but we had to throw them all back. After a full day of exploring the town and fishing at the lake we topped the night off by playing some cribbage. On Saturday morning we had yummy crepes that my grandma made and played some games at the house. Once we played pass the pigs and cribbage we headed out to a dairy that was having on open house. We got there and had a yummy lunch of hamburgers, chips, cookies, and milk. The twist was we ate lunch in the cow barn. It was very interesting to be sitting there surrounded by cows just staring at you while you ate. After lunch we headed off to the milking parlor and watched them milk a few cows and learned about how they collect the milk, cool and store it. Once we were done at the dairy we headed down to the local senior center and played some card games with the folks there. I learned how to play a game called 500 and then I learned how to play a new version of Rummy. After playing a game or two at the center we headed out to the Hutterite Colony called Millerdale 16 miles outside of Miller. We met with a lady and she gave us a tour and answered all of our questions. Hutterites are sort of like the Amish or Mennonites but they live in a commune and they embrace technology. After the tour of the colony we went home and dropped my grandma off and headed off down to the lake. We caught a couple of fish. I only caught one little 4 inch bass and my grandpa caught a couple bass and one perch that was a keeper. We put it on the gill line but ended up throwing it back when we didn't catch any more keepers and wouldn't have had enough fish for all of us to eat. We had a very busy day but we were able to squeeze in one game of cribbage before we went to bed. On Sunday we went to church and then had a yummy brunch of crepes and my grandma's canned peaches. We then headed out to visit 4 cemeteries and the old family homesteads. We stopped at the place where my grandma grew up and she bottled some of the artisan well water that she grew up drinking. It looks like nice cool clear water but it has an acquired taste. We saw all the dead relatives and we even stumbled on a party at my grandma's nephew's house and we were able to say hello. I had a lot of fun seeing all the sights and listening to all the stories. On Monday we just hung out in the morning and then went to the drug store for some ice cream and then played cards at the senior center. After playing a couple of games and eating some cake and ice cream we headed home. My grandpa and I didn't stay too long though before we headed off to the lake one last time. This time we were able to hop on a boat with one of my grandpa's fishing partners and we trolled around the lake. We caught quite a few fish but the only keepers we caught were a carp and a crappie that I caught. All the bass we caught were too small. After fishing for a few hours we headed home and picked up Grandma and headed off to Dairy Queen for dinner. We finished the night off with a couple games of cribbage. I had so much fun hanging out with my grandparents playing games, touring the local attractions, and seeing all the family history. I was so glad that I was able to visit my grandparents and even though I missed Nathan they kept me so busy the week flew by. I can't wait to visit them again only next time I hope Nathan can come.

Rascal Flatts

This weekend Nathan and I had the opportunity to go up to Dallas and see Rascal Flatts in concert at Pizza Hut Park. We didn't even know about the concert until Friday morning when Nathan got an email on post about free tickets to the concert. He decided that he should jump on the opportunity to get the tickets even though we were already planning on going to Fredericksburg, TX to check out the town and pick peaches. Luckily when he got down to the ticket place they still had plenty of tickets. After he picked up the tickets he called and told me about it, and asked if I wanted to go. Of course, I wanted to go. I like Rascal Flatts' music and Maria and Skyler told me that they put on a really good show in concert. Since Dallas is over 3 hours away we decided that we would need to spend the night up there since the concert wouldn't be over until after 2300. We had a little trouble finding a hotel since it was so last minute but we were finally able to book a room at the Holiday Inn in Frisco which is the town in which the concert was held. Saturday morning we went running and then headed up to Dallas. We tried to check into our hotel early 2:40 but they said we had to wait until after 3pm. We headed off to the Stonebriar Mall to do some window shopping and just check out the mall. This mall is huge and then there is like a huge shopping area that surrounds it with tons of strip mall type shops. Nathan and I mainly just walked around the mall and then hit up the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was about 1800 when we headed back to our hotel to check in. Unfortunately, when we got there they told us that they had over booked the hotel and we would have to stay somewhere else on them. Wait. Did I say unfortunately? I meant fortunately their mistake meant we got free tickets to the concert and a free hotel room. SWEET! Okay, so the hotel we had to stay at was a little bit further away and not as nice but hey it was FREE. After checking in to our hotel we headed off to the concert. It was an outside concert in a soccer stadium, which sounds nice until you factor in how stinking hot it was and how humid it was. Nathan and I were pretty sweaty but once the sun went down and we got some Gatorade at the concession stand we were pretty comfortable. Chris Young, Kellie Pickler, and John Rich opened for Rascal Flatts, but their performances didn't hold a candle to Rascal Flatts. I really enjoyed the entire show and loved that I knew all the songs Rascal Flatts sang except for one new single they haven't released yet. I think next time I go to a concert I might bring some earplugs though because our ears were hurting by the end of the four hour concert. All in all for my first big concert experience I was really happy. It is so nice to be able to do something so spontaneous with Nathan and It's even nicer to be able to do it essentially for free.

1-82 FA Organizational Day

For the last 6 weeks, Nathan has been in charge of planning the battalion organizational day. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it is basically a day for the soldiers and their families to come together and enjoy sports, fun activities, food and some friendly competition. Nathan was tasked with this job while he was still in Bravo Battery. While doing his normal platoon leader duties, as well as filling in for the XO and 2nd PL, he had to weed through all the extravagant ideas that the colonel threw at him to make $7,000 work for a 700 person catered event. Nathan raised $2,200 of that money by auctioning off prime parking passes, days off, staff duty exemptions and pies to the face. Nathan has been working really hard to make sure that everything ran smoothly. Even though Nathan just started his FDO job on Monday, this was his first real tasking in his new position and he wanted to make a good impression. I must say he impressed me. Every one showed up at the Belton Lake Recreation Area (BLORA) at 0830 for the start of the festivities. After a battalion formation and a briefing by Nathan and the colonel, the battery and spouse competitions began. The Battery competitions consisted of volleyball, basketball, dragonball, tug of war, projectile relay and child soldier competitions. The spouse competitions consisted of timed unit patch identification, 3 legged race, wheelbarrow race and tug of war. There were only about 12 spouses who chose to compete. I did okay on the unit identification, with 5 0r 6 out of 9 identified. My partner and I dominated the 3 legged race. We were first by a good 10 meters (it was a 50m race). We got second in the wheelbarrow race, and we lost the tug of war ( the teams were quite lopsided). Overall, I placed 2nd in the spouse competition which I was pretty happy about. After we were done competing my partner and I headed up to the dunk tank to watch people get dunked and then over to the snow cone machine and pavilion to cool off. Once we were cool and rehydrated we headed down to watch the dragonball finals. Once the battery competitions were over we tried to dunk the battalion commander in the dunk tank and then headed up to eat a yummy lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, smoked sausage, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and pasta salad. After lunch we headed down by one of the large shade trees where they awarded trophies for the competitions, raffled off door prizes, Toyota raffled off a GPS, farewelled the Command Sargent Major, and the colonel cut the cake with a sword. I was very impressed with how smoothly everything went. We stayed on schedule almost to the minute and everyone really enjoyed themselves. LTC Brown was so happy with how the whole day went he gave Nathan a battalion coin for excellence. I really enjoyed myself but I didn't get to spend much time with Nathan because he was so busy making sure everything went as planned. Luckily, my 3 legged race partner's husband was just as busy as Nathan, other wise I would have been either really bored or in Nathan's way.

Army Achievement Medal

Today was Nathan's first day at his new job as the Battalion Fire Direction Officer (FDO). Being a part of battalion staff means that he gets to do PT with the colonel. The thing about LTC Brown is he loves to run and thinks nothing of running 8 miles or more for PT. Today He decided to do a combination of running and calisthenics. The exercises were really hard and the colonel was running really fast and yelling at everyone to keep up. Nathan was able to keep up the whole time and finished with the colonel. Everyone who was able to keep up was told to line up in front of batalion headquarters and were surprised when the colonel came out carrying a board of Army Achievement Medals. After the orders were read, the colonel pinned the medals on and shook everyones hand. I am so proud of Nathan and all that he does. I know it must suck to get up every morning to go to PT while I am still laying in bed all snuggly and comfy in our air conditioned place.

Deception at Deception Pass

This past week Nathan and I were able to head back to Washington for a surprise Perez Family reunion and a day in Seattle with his parents. On Wednesday the 7th we flew into Seattle and Nathan's parents picked us up from the airport and we headed down to the waterfront for some yummy lunch at Ivar's. We had a ton of fun talking, feeding the seagulls and looking out on the water. After lunch we headed up to the Woodland Park Zoo to enjoy the gorgeous weather and check out all the animals. I haven't been to that zoo since the third grade and it's probably been just as long for Nathan. We were able to see almost all the animals. I think the only ones we didn't see were a few snakes and the Ocelot. The best part was most were awake and enjoying the sun that is so rare in Seattle. After spending about 5 hours roaming the zoo we headed back down to the waterfront to have dinner at Anthony's on Pier 66 with Nathan's Aunt Judy and Uncle Michael. The food was delicious and we had an amazing view. We could see Mt. Rainer nestled between the sports stadiums and the ferries shuttling passengers across the sound. It was so nice to be able to spend time with Nathan's family we were just sad it was only for the day.
The next day, after some last minute shopping, we headed north to Deception Pass State Park. We arrived at the campground with enough time to set up all the tents and plan out the surprise. Everyone hid in this huge tent that my parents had gone in on with my sister and her husband. My sister was worried about making my dad suspicious by trying to get him to check out the tent but the instant my dad got out of the car he was headed strait for the tent to check it out and see the boys and Skyler who were "taking a nap." When he pulled back the flap we all yelled surprise. The look on his face was priceless as he saw his kids and grand kids sitting there in the tent. This is the first time ever that anyone has been able to surprise my dad. He always has some way of finding out what's going on or what present he is getting. After the surprise, we had so much fun spending the weekend hanging out at the beach with our niece and nephews, checking out the tide poles, playing catch with Tanner, eating yummy camp food, making s'mores, and just hanging out with everyone. It was so nice to be able to camp and enjoy the 70 degree weather. Nathan and I were especially excited to wear our sweatshirts at night when it cooled down into the 50s. After two nights of camping we headed back down to Seattle and after dropping the kids off with a sitter, all the adults had a great night hanging out talking and enjoying a yummy dinner at Elliot's. After dinner, Nathan and I had to head off to catch a red eye flight back to Texas and the heat and humidity. We had a great time visiting with our families and spending quality time together.

LoveSac Baby LoveSac

Nathan has been working really hard at work lately so his boss gave him Monday off. Nathan and I like to go to malls and just window shop. We have already hit up the malls in Austin so we decided to head up to Dallas. Dallas has tons of malls but we picked the Galleria mall. The cool part about this mall is that it has a hotel attached to it. We drove up Sunday afternoon and checked in to the Westin. Our room was on the 12th floor and had a nice view of west Dallas. The mall closed at 1800 so we barely had an hour to check out the mall and figure out were we wanted to eat dinner. We ate at The Grand Lux Cafe, which is in the CheeseCake Factory family of restaurants. The food was so yummy. On Monday we got up and ate a yummy breakfast and then started walking around the mall. This mall had lots of high end stores that we liked to go into and gawk at the prices. They had a lot of small boutiques and different stores and the one we really wanted to see was the LoveSac store. For those of you who don't know what a LoveSac is, it is basically like a bean bag with memory foam instead of beans. My parents and sister have LoveSacs and we love hanging out in them. We stopped by the LoveSac store and fell in love with the CitySac, which is just a slightly smaller verison of the one my parents and sister have. In the store the CitySac was paired with what they call a SquattoMan, which is basicaly for your feet but it is actually comfortable to sit on. We decided to get both of them after talking about the fact that we need more places to sit in our living room. When we finished shopping we headed home with our car full of LoveSac stuff. The trip home was quite interesting since there was a huge thunder storm in Dallas and then again in Killeen. Nathan drove while I sat in the passenger seat and stressed. We made it home safe and sound and promptly started rearranging our living room. we had a lot of fun moving the furniture around and getting the CitySac all set up. We absolutely love having the CitySac and the SquattoMan isn't bad either. We also really love the way our living room looks and can't wait for the weekend so we can hang out together watching movies or whatever in our CitySac.

Before:

After:

Nathan enjoying the CitySac before work

Photoshop Elements

On my birthday this year Nathan got me Photoshop Elements. For some reason I just let it sit on my dresser for the last two and a half months. Today I decieded to try my hand at fixing a picture of Nathan so his mom could put it in the news paper in Yakima,WA. I am pretty proud of myself. Let me know what you think.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Marriage Retreat

Back when Nathan was in Iraq, the brigade came out with a flier about a marriage retreat. It sounded pretty interesting and so I told Nathan we should go. When Nathan got home he told the Chaplin that we wanted to go, so we got signed up for a three day retreat to San Antonio. They changed the date on us two or three times but finally on Wednesday we headed down to the San Antonio Riverwalk for the retreat. The army took care of everything while we were down there. Our hotel, parking, and all meals were paid for, the only thing we had to do was drive down there. The first day all we had to do was check in and go to dinner at 1800 then a meeting from 1900-2000. Nathan had to go to PT in the morning but didn't have to go to work the rest of the day. We really enjoyed hanging out all day and having a nice leisurely drive down to San Antonio. When we checked into our hotel we were given a book, a packet of info, and I was given a beautiful red rose. Our room was the best we have ever had on the Riverwalk. It was on the third floor looking out over the river and we had a nice little balcony. After dinner and the class Nathan and I went out and had dessert on the Riverwalk and just talked. On Thursday we had breakfast and then three classes back to back and then went strait to lunch. When we finished lunch we had free time to practice what we learned in the sessions. Nathan and I spent it just hanging out, we went for a walk along the Riverwalk and then went swimming in the hotel pool to cool off, then we went back to our room and just relaxed until 1800 and dinner. Dinner was really nice, the food wasn't anything special but they did have a harpist playing for us while we dined. After dinner we had one more class until 2000, and then Nathan and I went for a walk to get dessert. We stopped to watch this guy play the bagpipes. Nathan and I were really impressed by the guy, every time we go to the Riverwalk he is up there playing at night. We didn't know all the songs he was playing but we knew a few and he was really friendly. After we watched him play we got some sherbet for dessert and then went back to our room. Today we had breakfast and then a debrief and we were released to go home. Nathan and I headed out around 1000 we stopped in Driftwood, TX at the Salt Lick for some yummy BBQ lunch. We have really enjoyed just spending time together hanging out. Nathan has been so busy lately we don't get much time to hang out just talking and doing nothing. It will be hard for me to see Nathan go back to work on Tuesday after 6 days of having him all to myself.

Captain Kroger

After three years of service Nathan has been promoted to the rank of Captain. We were actually pleasantly surprised to find out that he was being promoted so soon. After the list of people to be promoted came out we figured Nathan wouldn't be promoted until July or maybe August. Then early last week Nathan was told at work that he would be promoted on Thursday, which was then moved up to Tuesday. So, at 1100 today there was a ceremony in front of the Battalion headquarters and Nathan along with 8 or 9 other 1LT's were promoted. Last time Nathan was promoted I got to rip off the old rank and then put the new rank on and punch him. This time the Battalion Commander, LTC Brown, had that honor and I stood behind Nathan and pinned the new rank on his Stetson and then gave him a kiss. After everyone was pinned on the Colonel had them recite the oath of office again and gave a little speech. It is still crazy to see Nathan walking around with the captain bars on his chest but I am sure it will wear off eventually. Even though it seems crazy that he is a captain already, I know he has earned the respect and responsibility that goes along with the rank. I am so very proud of Nathan and all that he has done.

Cystic Fibrosis Auction and Dinner

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know about an awesome event that is happening on May 14th. If you live in the Bellevue, Wa area or if you think you might want to make a trip and attend this awesome event. This auction and dinner is in honor of my good friend Jolene who passed away almost four years ago from he life long struggle with Cystic Fibrosis. Her sister and family friends are putting this awesome event on and all proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I am not sure but I think that you could probably still get the $20 ticket price.

Salute Battery

Nathan got the opportunity to be in charge of the First Calvary Division Salute Battery. This is a ceremonial battery that shoots cannons at big ceremonies. Nathan was in charge of the battery for the whole month of April. There were four change of command ceremonies this month and the battery shot at all four of them. The first one and the biggest was the Division change of command. It was really neat to go see all the pomp and circumstance that is in an army change of command. They had the division band, the horse detachment, all four brigades, and even a Calvary charge. Nathan even got to present the last round fired to the departing general, Major General Daniel Bolger. Unfortunately I didn't know the timing of it and was unable to get the announcement on film. The second one that Nathan did was for Second Brigade Combat Team and that is what we have on film. I hope that you enjoy! I know it's hard to see but Nathan is the one in the middle of the three standing behind the gun line. His job is to point at the cannons when it is their turn to shoot. The soldier standing next to the gun points at his guys and thats how they know it's their turn to shoot. The guy kneeling next to Nathan is there mainly to help him keep time.

13 gun salute:

Presentation of last round fired:

Pictures from Division's Change of Command Ceremony:

March Madness

Sorry to all you sports fans this isn't about NCAA basketball. I just stole the catchy title. Anyway, the last two weeks of March have been pretty busy for us. First off, Nathan's parents came down to Killeen to visit us. Nathan had a four day weekend from the 18th - 21st so they decided to come spend some time with their boy. They flew into the Austin airport on the 16th and Nathan was able to get some time off work to drive down with me to pick them up. The next day I had a doctor appointment in the morning so the Krogers just hung out at home and then once I was done we met Nathan for a picnic lunch at work. After Nathan got done with work we had a yummy dinner of corned beef , potatoes, carrots, and parsnips in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Once we were all stuffed and our bags were packed, we headed off to Austin. We spent the night in Round Rock which is just outside of Austin and in the morning headed off to explore downtown Austin. We went to brunch at the Driskill, toured the state capital building, and then checked out the State History Museum. We had a lot of fun wandering around Austin, even though it was super crowded because of the South by South West Festival. After we walked all over town we hopped in the car and headed south to San Antonio. We stayed at the Drury Plaza Hotel which is right on the Riverwalk. We didn't even think about it when the Krogers booked their trip, but it was spring break so the Riverwalk was packed. We still enjoyed two days of wandering the Riverwalk, the Mercado, the Alamo, and the rest of downtown San Antonio. After a weekend of crowds and sightseeing we headed back to Killeen on Saturday night so we could just hang out and relax at home before Nathan had to head back to work on Monday morning. The Krogers just hung out with me at home and even though I am sure they were bored to death during the day they were awesome house guests and were always excited when Nathan came home even if it was 0730 in the morning. Sadly on the 23rd the Krogers had to head back to Washington. The rest of the week was pretty busy. I had a busy day on Wednesday with doctor appointments and meeting Nathan for lunch. Then Thursday I was even busier helping Nathan set up centerpieces for the 1-82 ball, then getting ready for and attending the 4 hr event. The next day was much more relaxing. Nathan had the day off for my birthday (okay that's not really why he had the day off but I can pretend) and we slept in until 0900 and Nathan made me a yummy breakfast of french toast and milk and he surprised me with a nice card on the table. After breakfast I opened my presents. Nathan got me Photoshop Elements and my parents got me a first-aid kit. After the excitement of opening presents, Nathan and I went out and picked up some baking supplies and had lunch at the DFAC upon my request. Once we were all stuffed from the tasty cafeteria food we headed home, took a nap and then baked some delicious cupcakes. I was surprised with another card from Nathan. We didn't get to taste the goods right away because we had to head off for some army business. We went to the 1-7 Hail and Farewell. For those of you who don't know what this is it is just a get together for officers and senior NCOs to acknowledge the new people and say thanks and goodbye to the ones who left or are leaving. Nathan left 1-7 back in August of 2009 while he was in Iraq so it was nice to go to the event and see all the people he served with for the year he spent with 1-7. Nathan received an awesome framed Squadron colors (the Squadron flag) that has a plaque with his name, rank, call sign and the dates he served with 1-7. It is really nice. I received a beautiful red rose and a plaque of appreciation. Once everyone was hailed and farewelled we headed home to frost and enjoy some super delicious cupcakes. I might be 26 now but I could barely blow out the whopping 6 candles on my cupcake, it was pretty pathetic. After our yummy dessert we headed off to watch How to Train Your Dragon in 2-D. On a side note, what is with all these movies coming out in 3-D? Who even enjoys 3-D movies? I know they are better than they used to be but seriously I just want to watch a movie with out weird glasses on and without a headache. Anyway, the movie was great. After the movie Nathan and I went home and went to bed and as I was getting ready for bed I was surprised with another card and it was the perfect end to a perfect birthday. This last week hasn't been too busy on my end of things but Nathan has been super busy at work. He has pt at 0600-0730 every morning and then with traffic he has just enough time to come home, shower, eat, get dressed and run back out the door. I meet him for a quick lunch everyday around noon and then I don't see him again until 1800 -1900 at night. Wednesday was the worst. He didn't make it home until 2110. Other than that I haven't been too busy. I have been tending to our garden, and I accepted the position of Bravo Battery FRG Treasurer. I hope that this next month brings us lots of fun and excitement.

Green Thumbs: Update

I am happy to inform you we have life! We have sprouts everywhere. The only thing that hasn't sprouted yet is the cilantro. I was worried about the carrots but yesterday I noticed some sprouts. I am not sure what happened with the cilantro but we will give it a little more time before we totally give up on them. I am so excited that we have plants growing, and we haven't killed the lettuce or the tomatoes yet. I can't wait to actually taste the fruits of our labor. I know we aren't out of the woods yet but at least we don't have the total kiss of death.

Feeling Presidential

Ever since our first stay at the Driskill hotel in Austin, we couldn't wait to go back. I started planning our return to the hotel while I was in Iraq. I thought that it would be the perfect place to go during the 3 days off that we got as soon as we got back to Ft. Hood. Due to the unpredictability of the fight schedule on the way home, we weren't willing to risk not making it in time. Our trip would have to wait. Finally, after our big trip to Washington and back, we had the perfect opportunity during a three day weekend.

We drove down to Austin in the early afternoon to find a good parking spot downtown. We walked around Austin for a little while before we could check into our room. When we showed up to the hotel, they told us that the room wouldn't be ready for a few more minutes. We had fun strolling around the amazing lobby just looking at all of the neat furniture and art. Eventually, the front desk called my phone and told me that there was a problem with our room. The jacuzzi tub was not working properly and we were told that if we liked, we could be upgraded to the LBJ Suite. We gladly obliged and went up to our room.

We couldn't believe how wonderful it was. Apparently LBJ liked the Driskill hotel and so they had that room decorated specifically for him. We had our own private hallway leading up to the huge wooden door with the American and Texas flag posted out front. The inside of our room was unbelievable. As you can see in the pictures, it had a huge bedroom with a wonderful bed and a great bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, a huge stained glass window and a walk in shower. The second room was a parlor-type room with a balcony and a bunch of places to sit and watch TV, which was set inside a very nice wooden cabinet type thing. After relishing in our amazing room for a while, we headed next door to a nice little restaurant and had a very quiet Thursday night dinner. After we ate, we walked back to our room and enjoyed our jacuzzi tub and the amazing weather out on our balcony overlooking downtown Austin. Although it was only one night, it was very relaxing and just what we both needed.

All moved in!

Ever since I got to Texas I have been picking up little things to decorate the house with. Mostly small things like shower curtains and towels although I did buy some dresser cubes from Target. Now that Nathan is home we have been decorating like crazy. Most of the things we picked up were bigger things like our new dining room table! We were so excited to pick this gem up! We were really sick of standing next to the counters in the kitchen to eat dinner. We also purchased a bed. We contemplated just getting a queen but my sister talked me into a king and we LOVE it! It is super comfy, huge, and perfect. Since we got our bed, we had a futon that we weren't using so we went down to Austin and bought a futon frame for our couch. We love it. It is so nice to have something to sit on and watch TV. Besides the big furniture, we also got a small appliance. My brand new Kitchen Aid mixer. I have been wanting one of these for so long and I finally got one. The one I got is the professional 600 series. It is awesome. It makes making bread so easy. I have already made pulla and Amish bread. Nathan loves having all the yummy homemade bread around. We also picked up a microwave from Jimmie and Alexis and we are so happy to have it. You know, you don't really realize how nice it is to have a microwave until you don't have one. We still have a few things we want to get but we did finally put up some pictures and we even got a rug for our bedroom. I think everything is coming together very nicely! It really feels like home!

Green Thumb and Outdoor Fun

Since Nathan and I are living in a duplex and we have a yard and a patio we decided that it would be fun to try out our green thumbs. We figured we would start out small with herbs, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and a tomato plant. We went to Lowe's Saturday and picked up some seeds, some small lettuce plants, a small tomato plant, gardening gloves, a trowel, and some soil. Luckily the previous tenants left us some planters so we didn't have to buy those. While we were at Lowe's Nathan also decided that he wanted to get a BBQ grill. He picked out a little portable charcoal grill, some charcoal briquettes, and all the essential BBQ tools. After shopping at Lowe's we went home and got planting. We planted two types of lettuce. The little plants we got and then some seeds. We used the little containers that the lettuce plants came in to plant our herbs. We planted chives, oregano, and basil in those and set them up inside like the package said, but we did plant some cilantro outside. I hope it works. We planted our little tomato plant all by itself in a nice big pot. We then planted our carrots and our radishes. I really hope that this all works out and Nathan and I really do have green thumbs and not the kiss of death. After an afternoon of planting we went to the store and bought some steak, asparagus, and corn on the cob and Nathan got to use his new grill. He had so much fun out there grilling away, and the food was delicious! It is so nice to have a yard and a patio. I am really glad we live where we do. Well that's all for now stay tuned for updates on those little plants!

Texas Or Bust: Part Two

!!!!!WARNING IT'S LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ever since Nathan left for Iraq he has been missing his baby, no not me, his car! I wasn't able to drive my truck and all of our junk down to Texas and Nathan's car at the same time. Don't worry Nathan doesn't have to live without his car forever, just a few weeks. On February 6th, Nathan's 30 days of leave started and we jetted off to Washington to pick up his car and to see friends and family.
To start things off we hung out with Nathan's Aunt Judy and cousin Eric. They picked us up from the airport and we had dinner. It was nice to see them and chat. It had been more than a year since they had seen Nathan. The next morning Judy took us to the airport and we flew to Yakima. Nathan's parents picked us up and we went to CostCo to get stuff for the BBQ that night. Nathan was so excited to get to his parent's house to see his car and go for a drive. Little did he know that he was in for a surprise. I got Nathan a welcome home/ birthday/ anniversary/ whatever else we missed present. I had some things that were wrong with his car fixed and I had fog lights installed. I was nervous the whole ride to their house because I wasn't sure he would notice and if he really even wanted it done. When we pulled into the driveway Nathan got a big grin on his face and just stared at his car. Rich stopped the car so he could look at it and I swear it took him fifteen seconds before he said " Are those.... did you put?" And I said yep those are fog lights! He was so surprised, it made it all worth it.
Later that night after Nathan got to drive his car and check out the new lights all his friends and some family friends came over for a welcome home BBQ. It was a lot of fun to see Nathan with all his friends. We spent the night hanging out talking, eating, shooting off fireworks, playing music, and playing games. After the party we spent the next day or so just hanging out with Rich and Karen.
On Tuesday February 9th we had the chance to stay the night at the same bed and breakfast that we stayed at on our wedding night. We even got the same room. It was so nice to have a night there just to ourselves. The breakfast was delicious and later that morning we walked around the property and watched the ducks in the pond. It was fun and very relaxing. After we checked out we had the chance to stop by and visit with my good friends Karine and Gail. It was so nice to see them because it has been way too long.
After hanging out with friends in the Selah/Yakima area we headed down to Ellensburg to hang out with Nathan's friends and say hi to the ROTC people. We had fun walking around campus and even bought a cool pen drawing of some of the buildings on campus to put between our diplomas. After the walk down memory lane we headed over to Charles and Jill's house where we had pizza and I played Guitar Hero while the boys played poker and hung out.
The next day we headed over to the west side to see my family as well as Jobie and Mike. We had a lot of fun at my sisters. We went to two valentines day parties and even made home made ice cream. After hanging out with my sister we had dinner with Jobie and Mike and then headed up to my parents'. Nathan and I had a ton of fun just hanging around playing games, hanging out with the boys, and watching the Olympics.
After a few days of having fun we finally decided to get started on our long drive home to Texas. This time we decided to take a route that neither of us have taken. We started our trip by driving down I-5 from Bellingham to Longview where we crossed over the Columbia and then headed over to Astoria. Once we got to Astoria we headed down the 101. Our first stop was Cannon Beach, it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed stretching our legs on the beach. Then we headed off to Tillamook, Oregon for a tour of the cheese factory. We got there just in time to enjoy some yummy ice cream and a quick tour before they closed for the night.
The next day we headed out to see the Redwoods. We drove through the Avenue of the Giants and tried to see the tree you drive through. Unfortunately it was closed so we didn't even get to see it. We did however get some awesome pictures with a painting of it. After a couple of days on the 101 we decided to get back on the interstate and headed off to I-5.
The next day we didn't do much but drive down I-5 until we crossed over onto I-10 near Pasadena. After a long day of driving and not much sightseeing we stopped in a smaller town outside of Pasadena and went to a Drive-in movie theater. It was so much fun and it was Nathan's first time. I had a ton of fun just because it was something we used to do a lot as a family when I was younger. We watched the movie Valentines Day and then headed out to make it just a little further for the night. In the morning we headed out to Joshua Tree National Park but we didn't go in because it looked kinda lame and we were feeling cheap and didn't want to pay. After that we drove almost all the way to Tuscan, AZ but stopped just before because the place looked nice and we didn't feel like driving anymore.
Okay, if any of you know Nathan, you know he was really disappointed when he moved to Texas and didn't see any saguaro cacti. For whatever reason he just pictured Texas with those cacti all over. Of course we all know they don't grow here so to make Nathan happy we stopped by the Saguaro National Park. We drove the 8 mile loop and got out and walked the nature trail. It was really neat to see all those cacti close up. I can't believe how big they are and how many arms some of them have. After seeing all that the park had to offer we headed off to Truth or Consequences, NM. We took the scenic route through Silver City, NM. It was a lot of fun and we went through grassland, shrub and brush, and then an actual forest where it snowed on us. Just before we got to Truth or Consequences we turned on I-25 and I notice that there was a man lying on the side of the road. It was crazy, I didn't know if he was sleeping or dead so I called 911 and told them. After I got off the phone with 911, Nathan and I turned around to see if they found the guy. They did and they had two ambulances and three cop cars. The guy was alive at least because we saw him up and walking. We will probably never know why he was laying there but I am still glad we called 911.
After all that excitement we got a hotel room and made an appointment for a private soak at this awesome hot spring. We had dinner at a little Italian restaurant and then walked around town for a little before we went to our 2100 soak. The temperature outside couldn't have been more perfect it was like 40 degrees out. Nathan and I hung out in the pool, then lied out and stared up at the stars and cooled off, and then hung out in the pool some more. We had so much fun just hanging out together for our hour long soak. The next day we headed out to Jimmie and Alexis' house in Alamogordo, NM.
We had so much fun hanging out with Jimmie, Alexis, and Catherine. We played games, we watched movies, we went to the zoo, the toy train depot, went sand sledding and went to watch a test on the high speed sled on Holoman Air Force Base. It was nice to see family and relax for a few days after driving for almost a week. Catherine loved having Uncle Nathan there, she even told her mom that she liked Uncle Nathan more then Alexis. Catherine is such a cutie. When we were getting ready to go home I told her we were going home. I asked her if she would miss us after we left. She said, " Then I will be sad." It was so sweet, but we needed to head home so we had to say goodbye to the Perez family. We decided to make the 13 hr drive in one day. I must say after being gone for almost 21 days it was so so so nice to be home and sleep in our own bed. It's crazy to say but Texas actually feels like home!

Home Sweet Home

Nathan is finally home from Iraq! I met him today on the 1st Calvary Division parade field! It was a beautiful day and I was so excited. Nathan's parents and my family were able to watch the ceremony online. It was amazingly short and simple. The buses pulled up, all the soldiers got off and then the buses pulled away and the soldiers marched forward. The chaplain said a short prayer and then they yelled charge which was the signal for us to run and meet our soldiers! I couldn't see Nathan, but he says he saw me the whole time. It was so amazing to jump into his arms knowing that he was home for good!

Texas

In February of last year I drove all of my junk back to Washington to be closer to family and friends while Nathan was deployed. I thought then that I would be way more excited when I got to drive all of our stuff back to Texas. To be honest I was less than thrilled to make the 2,224 mile trip hauling a 5x8 trailer at the pokey speed of 55. Luckily my little brother Chris didn't have much going on so he was able to make the drive with me and keep me awake. We picked up the trailer on Saturday January 9th, loaded it up and were out of town on Sunday by noon. We drove for 13 hrs the first day stopping in Tremonton, UT. The second day we drove 11 hrs to Longmont, CO. The third day we drove 12 hrs to Blackwell, OK. The fourth day we drove 9 hrs to Harker Heights, TX which is maybe 10 miles from our house. The reason we stopped there was I didn't want to have to unload the trailer that night, and I didn't want to have to either block anyone in or have to back up. Chris and I successfully unloaded all of our junk into the garage and I am in the process of cleaning all the rooms and unpacking. I was able to get the kitchen all unpacked but since our refrigerator/freezer smells like there are dead fish hiding in it I haven't bought any groceries. Nathan should be here in the next week so I can't wait to have the house all ready for him. I will be sure to post some pictures when we have the place all decorated and we are 100% moved in.

New Mexico New Year

This year my older brother Jimmie and his family were kind enough to let me spend the holidays with them. I arrived just in time for all the Christmas eve festivities. Every year Alexis makes an amazing traditional dinner of Swedish meatballs and pulla, lumpa, broccoli salad, green beans, and rice pudding with sweet soup. It is so delicious I swear I gain like ten pounds just thinking about all that homemade yummy goodness. Okay now that I am done drooling I can continue. After dinner we opened our customary one present, Catherine and I both got Christmas pajamas. Then it was off to bed..... okay Catherine went to bed and Santa and his elves slaved for an hour or so putting together an awesome play kitchen for the "little chef".

Once all the presents were out and the stockings were stuffed it was finally bed time. In the morning Catherine and I were woken up so we could check out our stockings and Catherine could see her play kitchen. I think she was really excited about the kitchen but not very excited to be woken up in the morning. After we had a breakfast it was time to open all the gifts. Catherine had fun getting presents for everyone and opening all of her loot, although she did get pretty tired near the end but who can blame her she had the most presents under the tree by far. I got everything on my list this year except one thing..... Nathan. It was so nice to spend Christmas with family but I definitely missed having him around.
After recovering from all the Christmas excitement we went sledding on Saturday up in the mountains near the small town of Cloudcroft, NM. It was really cold but a ton of fun. Catherine had more fun eating the snow then sledding but Jimmie, Alexis, and I had a lot of fun. I haven't been sledding in years, I forgot how much fun it could be and how little control you have on those flying saucers. After Catherine got too cold to sled we headed back to Cloudcroft and went window shopping and had a yummy lunch at a little restaurant.


Jimmie had to work part of the week leading up to the new year so Alexis, Catherine, and I just hung out. We went to the library to get some new books, went grocery shopping, made yummy dinners, and hung out around the house. I had a lot of fun with Catherine reading books, playing with puzzles, and of course playing with her new kitchen. Jimmie was able to get the 30th off so we headed up to a quirky little town called Truth or Consequence, NM. Yep, this town is named after a game show. It was named Hot Springs until 1950 and those hot springs are the reason we went. After checking out the Geronimo Museum and eating lunch at a cute little Italian restaurant we headed off to the hot springs. The town has 10 hot springs most are connected to hotels and most are indoors. We wanted to go to a outdoor public pool so we picked River Bend Hot Springs with pools located right on the banks of the Rio Grande. We had so much fun hanging out in the hot pools, Catherine thought that they were the greatest and loved "swimming" around the pools, which really consisted of walking on her toes across the bottom of the pool. The weather was perfect and the water was so relaxing. I can't wait to take Nathan to the Hot Springs, although we might try out one of the private pools.

To ring in the new year Jimmie, Alexis, and I pretty much just hung out and watched the ball drop on TV and drank some sparkling cider. That weekend we went to the Toy Train Depot in Alamogordo. It was really neat and Catherine LOVED all the trains.

We even got to go on a little train ride around the park near the Train Depot it was a lot of fun. We also went to the Alamogordo Zoo which was fun. We got to feed the swans, geese, and ducks, we saw a family of capibara, otters, a cougar, and tons of other animals. For such a small zoo, they really do have a lot of animals and for the most part you can see them out in their enclosures. Alexis and I also managed to paint their living room wall. I haven't painted anything in a really long time but it was a ton of fun and easier than I thought. It took us two nights to do but I think it looks great.

This past week we haven't done too much we have pretty much just hung around the house. Alexis and I went shopping and got some great deals on some super cute jeans and sweaters. We went on base and took Catherine to an indoor playground for kids under 5, and checked out what the BX had to offer which wasn't much although we did have fun playing with the hula hoops.
I am so glad that I came down to visit for the holidays. These last two weeks have been busy yet relaxing at the same time. I have had so much fun visiting with Jimmie and Alexis, and I absolutely adore Catherine and love just hanging out reading books and all the goofy things she says and does. I am sad to have to say good bye but at the same time I am excited about all the things that lay ahead.