Oh you know... just a nine month break from the blogging world.
Seems fitting my last post was on the newest member to our family, Asher. Then a small puppy. Unable to climb a single stair, puppy hiccups, little pink tummy and all.
Now.. almost a year old!

 

Such a big difference the past nine months have made! While we still have a puppy, a rather large puppy at that, he is on his way to full grown dog. Asher has provided a lot joy during 2013. We were also blessed enough to be able to visit Ga for Christmas, bring in the new years together, spend our four year anniversary together, run the Camp Pendleton Mud Run and so much more! 2013 will also be bringing us literally more than we know. In traditional Marine Corps fashion, we will be moving.. at some point in time.. to some place in the world. Where and when, unknown. On the recent horizon we have a road trip in the works, a re-enlistment, a summer of fun, and impending school semesters! More to come, in a period of time less than nine months :)

It's been awhile. I've been neglecting my poor blog.
Well, Travis is home from the field and working his butt off at work! I am still a bit swamped in school work but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! The first term of the semester is almost over. Three more weeks of accounting! Until my next accounting class that is.. But next term should be easier.
Last night we went to the beach to see the waves. The red tide is in the San Diego waters and at night when the algae is disturbed (waves) they glow a neon blue. So just for a moment as the wave starts to break it glows neon blue. It was very cool! None my photos turned out well but it was fun to see it. The neon waves were pretty against the black looking water.

This past weekend we took the in laws to Balboa Park and I just have to share some photos from the rose garden. The roses were just so beautiful! I can't wait to have a permanent in the ground garden one day!

This past weekend was amazing!
Travis and I went to Shelter Island in San Diego to attend a marriage retreat put on by the VA. I must admit I was a bit skeptical. You never know about the VA. But we had a wonderful weekend! The island and hotel were beautiful. The VA retreat, which was called From Warrior to Soul mate and based on the PAIRS foundation, was great. The Chaplin in charge did a wonderful job of presenting all the materials. I particularly enjoyed the wide variety of people that attended. The retreat was for veterans and their spouses. Well there were veterans of all kinds! There were couples that had been through many deployments, couples that just finished their first deployment. There was one couple who had just finished their fourteenth deployment!!! Fourteenth!! There was a nice mix of active duty, retired, medically retried, and all sorts of vets.
For anyone in the San Diego area looking for a nice weekend I would definitely recommend it. To be realistic, most military members are on a pretty tight schedule and taking a break to just enjoy time with your spouse is hard. There is always something to be doing for work. This was a wonderful opportunity to leave our house and just get away from all of our responsibilities so we could enjoy each other's company. We learned a few tools during the workshop that will in general make life easier. It was also a wonderful chance to talk to people we wouldn't normally talk to. We got to talk to all sorts of people who had been stationed all over the world, were retired or months away from retiring. You can learn so much from people who have been where you are going.
Here is the link to the VA's site about the retreat. (here).

Palm Islands hotel on Shelter Island

It was duck season! They were so cute!

View of San Diego from Shelter Island

  

Sail Boats

I've been one for sporadic writing. I have many hardly filled diaries laying around that I was once set on keeping and then forgot about months later.
I will try to keep this one more up to date and consistent.

Enjoying the sunshine from our backyard

This week has been a beautiful week. Besides the bit of rain we've had, it has been wonderfully sunny with a nice cool breeze. It's unfortunate that it takes a conscious choice to stop and take the time to appreciate and be thankful for the beauty in a simply wonderful day. When there is a world of worries and things to be discussed, taking a step back to relax can be just the thing we all need.