California Dreamin'

It has been about a month since Alan got home and even though we are estatic that we are together forever without an expiration date, it has definitely taken some adjustment. For instance we rediscovered than I am a neurotic clothes folder, so Alan reluctantly has given up laundry priviledges. That has been about as hard for him to get used to as it is for me to come home from a 12 hour shift to dinner on the table. We got back from visiting Alan's family a few days ago, where we did what has quickly become the traditional LA trip - Gin's Sushi and sake, motorcycle rides, and plenty of family time. Alan's parents hosted a Welcome Home Party, Alan taught Lauren how to drive a manual transmission Mini Cooper, and the entire family had a blast at Brian and Ronit's lovely wedding at Rancho Los Lomas where we tore up the dance floor. We have a busy month ahead of us including going home to Virginia for massive wedding planning and to catch up with Melanie's family followed by a trip to Wisconsin to pick up our brand new puppy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Home Alan!

I have been waiting all year and my patience was rewarded on May 12th when my amazing fiance made it back from Afghanistan safe and sound. It was a crazy week leading up to his homecoming with many moments of frustration but I finally made it. I was so flustered on my way there, I was afraid I was going to be late. But I wasn't and had to wait...again. It was the longest thirty minutes of my life. The buses finally pulled up and the company walked across the lawn in formation. After the national anthem and an address from Colonel Segalla the company was dismissed. It seemed to take forever to search through all the men in camo to find my man and then when I did I nearly knocked him over. A part of me wishes we had stayed to take pictures but I know Alan was anxious to get home. We had all weekend together to catch up and visit with friends. Alan started the reintegration process on Monday and is getting ready to go on block leave in June. I couldn't be more proud of him and his accomplishments this year, he is my hero!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAWAII!!!

I got back from Hawaii all in one piece last week, I had the most incredible time thanks to Antonietta and her never ending energy.  We crammed more in one week than most people could in a month, here are just a few pictures of my visit...

Here are a few pictures of the Three Peaks a so called hike that ended up being more like a rock climb.  It took quite a few "fat boy breaks" but we made it all the way up and were treated to an amazing view of the island of Oahu.

The next hike we took on was the intimidating Stairway to Heaven, a series of ladders that was built by the Navy and then closed for being too dangerous.  It's a 4am wake up if you want to beat the security guard but it's worth it to see this incredible view!

A visit to Hawaii wouldn't be complete without a Luau, we saw traditional hula dancing and without a doubt the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.

Perhaps my favorite part of my trip was our scuba diving adventure, we saw beautiful fish, coral, and a huge turtle.

In classic Antonietta and Melanie fun we went horseback riding on the beach and then had coldstone, perhaps my most favorite thing to do with Antonietta :)

Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial

Finally what would a Hawaii trip be without surfing? It wasn't terrible for a first attempt, I managed to stand up a few times and had my fair share of wipeouts.  However the moral of the story has got to be when in doubt put on more SUNSCREEN!! 

Back in the groove

Oh my goodness, it has been forever since I have posted.  Although I really haven't been doing anything exciting enough to post.  Alan got back to Afghanistan and I got back to work, and my goodness have I been working hard.  At first it was difficult but then it felt great to get back to the routine.  When I'm in my routine the time goes by so much faster.  Time is going by so fast that I didn't even realize today was the first day of April which means...ALAN COMES HOME NEXT MONTH!!!

Snow in Texas!

I never thought it would happen but it snowed in Texas. It was huge beautiful flakes that made perfect snowman, overall I think we got about three inches, maybe even more. I think I was almost more excited to see snow again than the Texans were, I could almost imagine I was back in Virginia. I had to work that day but still had some time that evening to get out in it, take a few pictures, and to let Mia explore. This is her first snow since she's become an "outdoor kitty", she was so confused but it made for a good laugh.

Our Last Goodbye

This morning came with the sinking realization that the final minutes of our time together were ticking away.  Today was the last goodbye we will ever have to have but that only did so did so much to dull the heartache of having to once again take Alan to the airport and return to an empty house.  We got up early, got Alan packed, and sat down to breakfast of coffee and doughnuts only to realize it was daylight savings time.  Our last hour together was stolen just like that, although avoiding the long drawn out goodbye might have been a blessing in disguise.  So Mia and I camped out on the couch, caught up on American Idol and Lost, and felt sorry for ourselves.  Two more months of deployment is nothing compared to the ten that are behind us.  That is encouraging but simply to chipper of an outlook for me today.  Tomorrow is a new day and every sunrise means another day is behind us.  So bring on tomorrow, bring on work, bring on the daily grind, and bring on May 14th!!!

A years worth of "honey doos"

My husband to be is amazing!  Even though he was supposed to be relaxing we spent our last Saturday together doing our home's to do list that had gotten pretty long over the deployment.  Most of it was gardening which didn't go so well last season, mostly due to the incredible heat in Texas.  I'm still crossing my fingers that we will get to eat some homegrown vegetables this year.  If all goes well we have peppers, onions, jalapenos, and even blueberries to look forward to.  We also made a tiered herb planter, two window boxes, organized the garage by hanging the bike and putting up the pegboard, and finally got the American flag flying high.  Here are the pictures!