Bringing in the New Year!

This last year has brought so many blessings in our lives and one is moving to the beautiful East Coast. We have been here for almost two months and this is our first trip to the beach. We were excited to be able to go and explore. Since it is the off season we can take the dogs and walk along the water.
I would love to live in one of these houses, but not when a hurricane is in the forecast. But the view is just one of God's beautiful creations!

The dogs are suppose to be on their leashes the entire time, but we came across a portion where no one was walking by and we let them off and threw a stick around for them. It took some getting used to the waves coming in, but once they realized the water wouldn't hurt them they jumped around!

We had such a great time, and can't wait to go back. It is so nice to be so close to the beach and be able to go when ever the sun is shinning.

To bring in the new year we spent time with our new friends the Blosil's and the Waldron's. We had great food and played some great games together.

Here is to hopefully another GREAT year!

Merry Christmas!

Well this year has been a very great and crazy year. So instead of a Christmas card, which I really didn't have time to do this year, I thought I would put together this blog and I can email it to people to read. SO here is our year in a glance.

January- cold month in Prescott Valley- We watched our new puppy grow at my parents house, and 8 months till CJ leaves for boot camp.

February- We brought "Abby" (our new puppy) home to be with us.

March- CJ left the Good Samaritan to work at a green house till he left for boot camp.

April- One year in our house and I have to find a renter for the fall...

May- My last month of teaching here in Prescott Valley. My sister graduated from high school, I can't believe she is going to college next year!

June- My sister is 18 (where did the time go!), and I am teaching summer school till the end of the month. 3 months till CJ leaves.

July- CJ leaves the Green house so we can square things away before he leaves and we "start" packing. We took a much needed trip to CA to visit friends and my brother, who is now stationed in Nevada (yeah!). Oh and my BABY brother turns 17 AHHHH!

August- Oh one month till CJ leaves and we have to pack the entire house and move it into a storage unit! Ok whirl wind you have arrived and I am not to happy! We did find a renter to stay at the house and everything starts to work out. CJ and were lucky to get to visit my step sister after she gave birth to a beautiful boy! My nephew Brogan! At the end of the month I turned 25 and for a birthday present my husband left for boot camp :(

September- On the first day I was in a daze the entire day while CJ traveled to Great Lakes IL to start boot camp. This was a long month, I finished leaning out the house and moved into my parents house. It was filled with prayers for CJ and waiting for the letters to come in on Wednesdays.

October- Moved like Molasses- CJ graduated Boot camp on the 28th and my mom and I and my in-laws went to IL to watch him and spend a few days with him. Now we wait for final word to get our stuff moved.

November- Well CJ flew to Goose Creek SC to start the first week in Nuclear training, and we racked up a pretty big phone bill because we can. On the 10th CJ flies home and we spend one last night with both of our families. The day before we left CJ, his parents and I were involved in a small car accident in Prescott Valley, Nedra ended up with some bad whiplash, and the rest of us had some soarness the next day, thankfully no one was badly injured. On the 12th CJ and I were off with the two dogs a full 16 foot moving truck and a trailer with our car. We drove over 2100 miles to reach our new home in Goose Creek SC.

MY BROTHER WAS MARRIED! Welcome Jes to the family!

The rest of the month CJ and I unpacked and CJ began his classes!

Thanksgiving was a little lonely and hard to be away from family!

December is here and another year has gone by. We have made some huge changes to our lives but we are so thankful for our many blessing and the opportunity to travel and see new things in life!

We are glad to bring in a new year that will not be so crazy, CJ will finish A-school and start a 6 month power school. Hopefully we will finish unpacking any remaining boxes.

CJ and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope that the new year will bring many new adventures and memories that will last a life time!

When your not looking...

My dogs are my life, my children right now. We spend a lot of time together, so much that I know when they are sick or upset. I love watching them play and do well weird stuff...

Abby is quite the show dog, she loves cuddling and she has the cutest face and you just can't say no to her.

Well yesterday I found her and Gage on the couch... She was looking at my laptop, but when I stood in front of her she looked at me.

This morning I was decorating inside the house and came outside to see if she was ok and I found her basking in the sunlight. She loves the sun!

No Family Thanksgiving!

I was sure this year was going to be the worst holiday season EVER. It all started by missing my BROTHER's WEDDING! I pretty much cried myself to sleep... I felt so bad and I know everyone understands us not making it, but I still felt horrible.
Then this year is CJ and I's first year being without any family for the holidays. No one to visit and no one to see.
But the Senior Missionaries whose job is to look after the military families on base asked if we would like to join some other families who are in the same situation. I of course agreed but still felt like it would be sad not having any one around.
We are so thankful that this opportunity arose and we went. We had met a couple that live a couple doors down and we rode together, they were our family. We were also able to meet other families and start hopefully new and great relationships.
Thank you missionaries and members of the Crowfield Ward.

Our house is just a little house... but God knows where we live!

I have lived in many different homes and each one I have tried to make my home. When CJ and I were first married we lived in a two bedroom duplex, which is when I bought a sign that says "Our house is just a little house... but God knows where we live!" It reminds me everyday that no matter where we are God knows we are here and he is there to help. This move did not mean anything different. We got used to our house with four bedrooms and a fenced in back yard and tons of space. I miss it tons, but this little duplex will have to do.

We like the neighborhood, but how could you not like it we are on a base and I feel very protected.

Our duplex has two bedrooms and one bathroom. We also have a screened in porch and a small outside storage closet. I am enjoying making this house a home as well, we are starting to hang up pictures and boxes are getting unpacked (slowly).

I am enjoying the change and trying hard to find my way around the base and around town. I can't believe how much traffic backs up around here and all the rude drivers. I thought California was bad they have you beat out here!

Coming up on Thanksgiving it is hard not to be thinking about what you are thankful for, well I am thankful for my husband and his new career that will help us grow and give us new adventures!

Traveling Across the United States

For those of you who did not notice, CJ and I moved to South Carolina. It was an AMAZING adventure that we really don't want to do again.

We rented a Budget truck (don't use this company) and a tow hauler for the car and we packed up, threw the dogs in and drove 2100 miles to the Naval Weapons Station.

To start our trip I called and asked if the truck had a bench seat, I was told yes, but it was not so my poor doggies ended up in a whole between the seats. They were squished, but it was half the time they were both down there and the other half Gage was on someones lap. He freaked out about everything, rumble strips and windshield wipers. We gave him Benadryl, but it really didn't seem to work. He was a complete wreck. Abby on the other hand would lay down and fall asleep with no issues at all.

Along the way we saw so many interesting things and I only took pictures of a few. Along the way we tried to take pictures of all the welcome signs, but we missed New Mexico's and Georgia's and Oklahoma didn't have one! I know you really could care less, but I thought it was fun.

In New Mexico not much happened, it just took forever to get across the state. Oh we lost the gas cap in this state somewhere. Then at dusk we entered into Texas and stayed at some no name motel in Amarillo TX.This picture was outside of Amarillo TX, they claim it to be the tallest cross in this hemisphere. We also saw snow on the ground in TX.Like I said before no sign for Oklahoma. I was bummed. Our second night on the road we stayed in Little Rock Arkansas, It did not take very long to get across the state and thankfully nothing took place here either.
Tennessee was a short trip all of about 10 minutes. We had to change major highways here and we just missed downtown Memphis by a couple miles. We did drive over the Mississippi River here, the bridge was huge and daunting in a truck.

After Driving across 3 states we finally made it to Georgia, which brought the only rain we saw the entire time. We stayed just outside of Atlanta and relaxed to think we had only one more day to go. We missed the Georgia sign.

Finally we reached South Carolina! We had finally made it and we did it with only one issue, losing the gas cap.

This trip was quite an adventure and we tried hard to stay kind to each other instead of being negative towards each other. It seemed we were only pains to each other when we were trying to get to our hotel.

We are so thankful to be blessed with a great and safe trip! We could not have asked for a better uneventful travel!

Ode to Arizona

Arizona is my home state. I have lived in almost all the regions and have loved every minute. My life did not begin here, but it grew up here.

When I was 2 my parents moved back to AZ after being stationed in ENGLAND (where I was born)and we lived in Apache Junction for many years, till half way through kindergarten.

Then we moved to Show Low for about a year and met my step dad there.

We moved back to Apache Junction for another year. My mom managed Village Inn so we moved where they needed a manager.

Our last move was to Prescott Valley. Back then there was no movie theater, no Albertsons, pretty much the only thing as you drove in was the post office, Safeway and Better Built Window oh and Ace Hardware. All the roads around my house we dirt and we could play in the road all night long.

We had a neighborhood game of tag every night and hung out for hours at some ones house to cool off during the day.

I met great people here who have turned my life in different directions. I have so many good friends that I will miss.

here in PV is where we took the missionary lessons to convert to LDS, which in turn made me a better person.

I met my husband here and had my first teaching job here.

I love Arizona and will never forget all the fun. I won't forget the beautiful Sunsets and Sunrises.

I will miss the cactus landscapes ( um really I wont!) and the rock gardens (not!).

I will miss 100 degree weather (haha!) and the freak hail storms (nah!).

I will miss my family who mostly resides here.

I love Arizona, but I need a new adventure.

South Carolina or Bust!!!