Fall

Fall is undoubtedly our favorite season. The temperature finally breaking and becoming cooler, the leaves changing color, and the warm apple cider gets us very excited. Not to mention the holidays that fall in the autumn season giving way to Christmas. There is something wonderful about fall in every place we've lived and each year we've made new discoveries. Longwood was a wonderful place for fall, finally getting used to the class schedule, the calm before the midterm storm, and the leaves on the walkway in front of the Cunninghams dorm. It was also the season that Adam and I found our love for canoeing, which has given way to the kayaks that now inhabit our side porch. In Fredericksburg fall was beautiful. The trees that lined the road into downtown would be lit up with white lights as we grew nearer the holiday season. And the hill coming down 17 onto route 1 showed huddles of fall colors around houses and a beautiful church steeple. Fall was incredibly different in Florida. Temperatures remained in the 80's and 90's well through Thanksgiving. Even though we wore sweaters for the holiday, we had the air conditioning on. The trees took ages to finally change and fall off the trees. And though we complained endlessly about the lack of fall, it was nice just how long the season lasted. And though I do not speak for Adam in this case, I didn't mind not being cold. Last fall, as we made our trip to California, we headed farther away from colorful trees, through the desert, and to an area full of palm trees. We looked for apartments and of course, chose the one that had a purple leaved tree hanging right over the deck that made us feel like we weren't so far away from Fall after all. I often miss the gorgeous mountains, topped with snow, the streets lined with palm trees, and the endless view of the Pacific. Most of the time I wish I was still in California, longing for the beautiful views, the shopping, and the opportunities we had while we were there. But, Fall has made Jacksonville a bit more bearable at the present time. Our neighborhood here on base is full of trees that have all changed color and dropped layers of leaves all over the yards. It's a wonderful oasis of leaves that we can see out all our windows and the temperature is just right. We also had a wonderful Halloween with our first real trick or treaters, and are getting ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving. Though Adam is on the boat training this week, we are fortunate to have another holiday season together. He will return Friday and not be gone again until January, after New Year's.
We are also fortunate to be right where we wanted to be. Adam is detached to the MEU, which was exactly what he wanted. And I am teaching again, something I've looked forward to as I entered each new school over the last two years just to attach a Substitute Teacher sticker on my shirt. Though we feel we have plenty to complain about in both cases; rules, people, and workoad, we also must remember to be thankful. And what better season to be reminded of this than as we near the Thanksgiving holiday and look out at the colorful scenery, drinking warm drinks, and enjoying each other's company.

It's pronounced "Rich-lands", not "Richlonds".

Yes, people in North Carolina are particular about how you say the names of their towns. For example, Topsail beach is not pronounced, "top sail". No, it's "topsil". And even though in South Carolina the town of Beaufort is prounounce "BYU-fert", here in NC, it's "BO-fort". There are also many y'alls and ain'ts thrown around on a daily basis. At least in my third grade classroom there are.

I have 21 wonderful 8 year olds who keep me on my toes. Today I asked them to write in their journals. They got out their journals and started drawing pictures. I said, "No, I wanted you to write words". So one smart-alec little boy wrote words. His name, cat, dog, girl. Just words. Despite the cleverness and sarcasm my students possess, common sense and maturity seem to lack. They are a little younger and less mature than the third graders I am used to, but they are definitely smart. I really have to keep them busy. I'm pretty sure they're the smartest third grade class. That's what I tell them anyway.

In other news, Adam has already started some training and will "chop" to the MEU on October 3. Which means he will switch over to an Osprey squadron and begin excercises to prepare for deployment on the Marine Expeditionary Unit deployment which has already been moved back to April/May. He will be gone quite often for the next few months though and will have a busy schedule since he will be working in Operations. That's basically schedule writing and it just includes a lot of long hours. Adam is excited though because this is the deployment he wanted to get on and he is going to learn a lot. He will have to start studying a lot more since they are really hard on Cobra and Huey pilots, but will get a lot more flight time in. This deployment is also exciting because some close friends are also going on it, including an old friend from college assigned to a different unit.

This weekend we are venturing up to VA for cousin Kristen's wedding and we will get to see my brother and his girlfriend! Also looking forward to seeing my whole side of the family for the second time this year. (That never happens!)

I'll post pictures of fun, weddings, and our fixed up yard soon!

New Beginnings

I know I have not updated in a little while. So much to tell! Adam has officially switched squadrons and is with the Warriors, a group that is coming back from Iraq in about two weeks. His previous squadron left this past Monday for Iraq and Afghanistan and has arrived safely. We won't get too attached to the Warriors because soon enough Adam will transfer to an Osprey squadron to deploy with a Marine Expeditionary Unit which begins training in October. The role of the Cobras will be to escort and assist the Ospreys wherever they are sent. This is exactly what he wanted and is happy to deploy with this MEU.

In other news, I am officially a third grade teacher at Richlands Elementary School! School starts August 26th and I am working on setting up my classroom and pulling everything out of storage from the last two years of being dragged around the country. I can't wait to meet my students and get back into teaching!


Aside from our day jobs, recently Adam and I attended a Cowboy Action Shoot with our friend Ken. Here in rural North Carolina, this is where men and women dress up in traditional cowboy gear and participate in rounds of shooting targets with pistols, rifles, and shotguns. My favorite part was dressing up, but we also met some really nice people and learned a lot about the culture in our area. It was pretty neat to watch everyone shooting and they even let Adam have a turn. Here are some pictures and video from our day:

Adam and Ken:
















A sample of the targets:
















Adam shooting:


















Ken's shoot:

Adam's shoot:

Going Green

Towards the end of April my great friend Kat and I attempted a trip to the Onslow County Farmers Market, the closest one around here. We wanted to find fresh produce that has been grown without pesticides and that has not wasted fuel and energy coming to us from all over the world. As the market is only open Tuesdays and Saturdays April through October, we got up early on a Tuesday morning to see if we could beat everyone else to the fine selection. We found it easily around 9am and besides the vendors selling plants, some broccoli, and little else, we were the only ones there. We briefly surveyed the situation and left discouraged. I have done much complaining that in California it was so easy to find good food and that there is nothing here. I could just take a seven minute trek to the market down the street, open every day, and grab delicious looking vegetables, homemade granola, and tons of other organic goodies. We have not been back to the Onslow Farmers Market. We have however gotten our hopes back up and have been scouring the area for fresh, local produce. It's just not as obvious here as it was in California. There, the farmers were successful and their produce was greatly desired in high demand. And of course, in the San Diego area, the climate is perfect for growing great crops year round.

I'm still trying to learn about growing food in my own garden and have so far only had successful herbs and peppers. So, Kat and I searched the eastern part of our area the other day and found green peppers, corn, cherries, blackberries, and sprite. Not the soda, the melon. Which I found out I am not allergic to and ate with great delight. The following day another friend of mine came blueberry picking with me, a summer tradition I picked up in Florida with my dear friend Peggy Ann who could pick bucket loads all season long. We also found seedless watermelon at $4 a piece and trekked to a small Mennonite grocery store for some fresh baked goods. The more I look and the more people I talk to, the more great food I find! Hopefully, I am getting us another step closer to being healthy and helping the planet.

Summer so far

My Summer Session II classes have not been too bad so far and Adam has not been flying much as he waits for his squadron to return, so our weekends have been less busy and have given us time for exploration. Fourth of July weekend Adam's parents had a beach house in Emerald Isle (about 45 minutes due east of Jacksonville) and we spent Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning there with them. The weather was nice, we ate good food, explored some of the coast, and watched fireworks on the beach.

This past weekend Adam and I explored on our own and went south to Snead's Ferry where we ate hot dogs and drank special recipe root beer at Dr. Rootbeer's Hall of Foam. It was a nice little dive with root beer memorabilia all over the walls and a nice staff. The special recipe root beer was excellent too. I have a feeling we'll be back.

Later that day my brother stopped to spend the night on his way to Charleston, SC for a Coast Guard Boarding Team School. This was especially exciting to me because due to distance, money, and schedules around the holiday's (ie. Greg not having off Christmas) I have not seen my brother since the week before I moved to Pensacola, two years ago. He got to see our house, check out the Cobras up at Adam's squadron, and swim in some warm water at the beach. I think that was his favorite part since Cape Cod summers only elicit 55 degree waters at the beach. Hopefully another visit will occur soon and maybe I'll make it up to see him in Cape Cod before he gets stationed elsewhere.

In other news, I am still waiting to hear about a teaching job, but am trying to be hopeful. Your prayers are always welcome. I am still enjoying being a nanny and watching this little boy grow up, but I want so much to be in the classroom again. And, as always, things are up the air with Adam, but at least we know that he will switch to another squadron on August 5th and will hopefully get back in the cockpit soon after that.

Thanks for reading!

In case you were wondering, I did get an A in my video class. I also got an A in graphic design. I also started two new classes on Monday. It's been non stop, but as long as I work a little every day, it all seems to get done. I love school so much I'm not sure I'll ever stop. I am definitely in the right profession for it!

Lately, I've had some time off work as the family I work for has been visiting family. I'm more than happy to go back next week, but the last two weeks have afforded me time to get some much needed gardening done and spend more time with Adam. I think he's very thankful that I've been home during his lunch break and have had more energy to cook. I've been trying out new recipes and using herbs from my garden. Yesterday's experiment was with lemon thyme. There's something so satisfying about using ingredients that you have grown yourself. I've already requested a green house and vegetable garden when Adam is retired and we're settled down. He said it could go next to his airplane hangar.

We have quite a while before that happens though. And there are many possibilities ahead of us. Right now we are just waiting for Adam's squadron to get back from Iraq so Adam can join them. Then it will be up in the air as to where and when he will be deploying. We won't have any official word for at least a few weeks. For now, we'll just enjoy this long holiday weekend!

Instructional Technology

So, most people know I'm in grad school, and that I am getting a Master's in Education, but you don't know all the cool things I get to learn about in my emphasis on Instructional Technology. Most of it is boring to anyone not involved in the curriculum, but I also learn things like making and editing videos. Such as the assignments required of one of my current classes. This video, directed and shot entirely by me:), and edited with much help from one of our friends, should give you a good idea of what my class has entailed this semester, and also , what Adam does on a daily basis. Hope you like it!

Vegetables!

I am very proud to announce that my vegetable plants are now producing real vegetables! I have been attempting to grow (in containers outside) green onions, radishes, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, hot peppers, and green beans.

So far I have hot peppers and jalapenos growing quite well. The green beans are still pretty tiny, but hopefully will be edible soon. The tomato plant is very tall and I'm waiting for it to pop some delicious red fruit out any day now. The green pepper plants smell strongly of green peppers, but don't seem to be growing too much yet. I'm also pretty sure the radishes and green onions are a lost cause, but it's still early in the growing season.

The highlight of my day today was using one of my home-grown hot peppers in tacos for lunch today. Adam gave it high compliments!

Here are some pictures:

Blessings

Well, I suppose the tone of most of my posts is busy. And, well, we are very busy. But it's a thankful busy. We are thankful for where we are, even if it's not a place we would choose. We are thankful for our situation, our work, and the life God has set up for us here in North Carolina.

Adam is so happy to be flying and working without being in training. He still has to study, and he is still required to fly graded flights, but at least now he has earned the title "Combat Capable Pilot". He is deployable, and will be, probably in February. He also has a ground job in the squadron. Each pilot has to also work in an office. Adam's office takes care of things like parties, squadron events, fundraisers, and sells t-shirts and patches. So, you know, he joined to Corps to be a party planner. Just kidding, but I like the job because then I get to help out.

I have been babysitting and taking classes. I really am enjoying both. My classes are really starting to get interesting and make me want to learn even more outside of class. I also have started an evening women's bible study with my friend Kat. We are so glad that it is working out and we have a group of ladies to meet with once a week.

Being back on the east coast, we have recently had much visiting with family. We drove up to Northern Virginia and stayed with Adam's parents. We also were there for my cousin Katie's wedding, which was great! I was so happy to see her again, and so much other family that I rarely see. The following weekend, Memorial Day, Adam's two brothers came and stayed with us. They got to see what life is like on base and the grand city of Jacksonville. Hopefully, we will soon get to visit with old friends and maybe even my brother. I haven't seen him in two years!

We are so happy to have work, have each other, and have God. We have gotten to link up with old friends and make new friends. We have a lot going on, and we like it that way. We are busy, but we are blessed!

Busy Spring!

We have gotten settled in North Carolina, and just in time for things to pick up. I feel I've been working non stop in my classes. I finished my Spring semester just days before starting the first Summer session. It's only been a week and a half, but I already enjoy the two classes and look forwarding to completing the assignments. Mostly, I look forward to learning graphic design concepts and video editing.

Adam, of course, has been checked into his squadron and started working right away. Many of his friends from California are here and they all have a pretty good time together at work. This month will be pretty hectic, the squadron is gone for pre-deployment work ups and Adam and a handful of guys are holding down the fort here at New River. Luckily, this means Adam will get some flying time in again as he hasn't flown since leaving California.

Besides taking classes, I have also started work as a nanny for an adorable 2 month old boy. The family is so nice and I feel very comfortable with them. I have also submitted application for teaching positions and am going to a job fair on June 7 for the county schools. I'm trying to be open to where God is leading me, I just don't know where that is yet.

We've also had time to play in the last few weeks. We have taken a few bike rides around the base, explored the marina just a short walk behind our house, and met up with old friends. We took a short trip to Virginia for my cousing Katie's wedding and Adam's two brothers visited this past weekend. We've been actively involved in Officer's Christian Fellowship here and have made some new friends.

We really enjoy living on base and are glad to be here. The house is old and was pretty dirty when we got it, but with some sprucing up and loving care it feels like home. I've taken to gardening which helps brighten up the place, and is a new adventure for me. I have vegetables growing outside my kitchen and flowers that are doing well on the front and side porches. While the Jacksonville area is not really a booming metropolis, and not a place we would normally choose to live, it's not so bad. It has everything we need and it sort of grows on you. We have so many friends here and are close to some nice places, including some nice beaches. We're just happy to be settled somewhere for a while.

Here are some recent pictures:

Our house:

My Vegetables!

Strawberry picking with Val and Baby Kristen:

Two Cross Country Trips in Six Months!

Adam and I recently toted ourselves back to the east coast to be stationed at MCAS New River in Jacksonville, NC. The trip back was amazing. Over six days we covered a lot of ground and visited some pretty cool places.

We left Tuesday, April 1st and drove to Las Vegas to visit cousins on the Palmer side of the family. (That would be my dad's younger brother Mark, his wife Janice, and their three kids Courtney, 18, Ashley, 14, and Ben, 13)

We spent the night at their house and had a great dinner with them. Courtney and her boyfriend were very interested in hearing about Adam's flight training, and Ben got to try on Adam's flight helmet. And, in the grand tradition of April Fool's Day, Ashley and I made smoothies with an extra ingredient for the boys, hot sauce!

Wednesday morning we headed down to Flagstaff for a visit to the Grand Canyon. The drive from Nevada into Arizona was gorgeous! We enjoyed the scenery, and even got to drive over the Hoover Dam. It was amazing to see such an amazing feat of architecture.

Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon we took a helicopter tour of the North Rim. I had never been in a helicopter before so I found it very exciting. Adam enjoyed it too, but probably wished to be at the controls the whole time. The tour was definitely a dream come true. We saw the amazing beauty of the Lord's creation.

After Arizona, we decided to drive as much as we could the next four days. We made it to Amarillo, TX Thursday, then all the way to Little Rock, AR on Friday. Oklahoma and Arkansas were long drives, but also very pretty. Saturday we drove to Knoxville, TN, but not without a fun stop in the middle.

Before we got to Knoxville we stopped in Memphis to visit Elvis Presley's Graceland! Cheesy, yes. But fun, also yes! It was my idea and Adam hesitantly played along. We toured the mansion and the grounds and learned a lot about Elvis. It was really cool and probably one of the most fun days of the trip.

Elvis had some pretty tacky taste....

But, he also had quite a few accomplishments....

The house and grounds were actually very pretty.

After so many long days of travel we were anxious to make it to Jacksonville. It took us nine hours from Knoxville, but was well worth the drive. The Great Smoky Mountains escorted us out of Tennessee and into North Carolina. Since there had been so much rain earlier that week and the night before, the clouds looked breathtaking over the mountains, and little waterfalls flowed from the cliffs around the interstate. What a wonderful treat to make the long day of driving not feel so bad. We were able to arrive in Jacksonville just in time for dinner Sunday night with our dear friends Sam and Kat, who graciously hosted us while we waited to find a house and to get our furniture delivered.

More about our house and the Jacksonville area to come....

East Coast Living

Hi everyone! This is a short update: Adam finished his training in California and we are now stationed at MCAS New River in Jacksonville, NC. We made it across country in 6 days, with some fun stops along the way. We are living with some friends for the next couple of days while we wait for our things to arrive. Luckily, we were able to get a house on base right away and we have started settling in here a little bit. Once we are in our house and our computer is set up we'll have pictures and a better update posted.

Warm Weather and Lots of Work

The weather has finally warmed up here in Sunny San Diego and the rainy season seems to be coming to a close. Not that we're complaining, since it hasn't been very cold or for very long, and the rainy season is about 6 weeks long. But it sure is nice to enjoy some 70 degree temperatures and plenty of sun while we are here. With all the rain, everything is so green and the flowers are so vibrant. We are trying to enjoy as much of it as we can.


Recently, Adam has been wrapping up his training and will finish this week. He has been very busy studying everything and being tested on everything. It is amazing all the information he has had to learn. We have been here for 5 1/2 months, but Adam has actually only been flying since January 4th. He has only been flying the Cobra for 11 weeks, but has done such a wonderful job. The guys at the squadron know he is a good pilot and a responsible, professional Marine. It won't be long until we are in real squadron and well into real Marine Corps life.

I have stopped working for the STAR program and am hoping to sub as much as possible in the next few weeks before we move. I really enjoyed working with the autistic children and I was really sad to have to leave that job. It's the first time I was able to work so closely with autism and the first time I used my sign language skills outside of a sign language class. (My students' parents are deaf and one of our goals was to teach her sign language so she could communicate better with them.) I also really liked the people that I worked with and have high hopes the program will continue to grow. With subbing paying more and giving me much more hours, I hope to have some big paychecks come in the in-between time of moving and not working. I have already put in my application to teach in Northa Carolina, and am praying to find a good school and a job quickly and easily. I am still stuck on third grade, but want to be open to teaching wherever I am led.

In-between all the working and preparing for our move, we have made it down to San Diego to go to the Air and Space Museum. Our friends Dan and Katy came with us. It was a great time. We weren't entirely impressed though. Most of their models are replicas, any planes that were real are on loan from Washington, D.C. or Pensacola, FL. We got a kick out of that.

Here are some of the antics from our fun day:

Exploring the Coast and Finishing Up

The last month has been very busy. Don't all the posts start out like that? Adam took another detachment, this time to El Centro, which is very close to Yuma, but still in California. He is now only a few flights away from finishing his training and we will be heading back east by the end of the month. We are hoping to see a few more places and a few more people before we head out. Recently, we went to Coronado Island which is across the bay from San Diego. It was beautiful! We also visited an old, quaint, western town called Julian, an hour east of here in the mountains. It was amazing to travel through the mountains in our SUV and think of the pioneers who blazed the trails in their covered wagons.

I am really happy to be back east with friends and in a location for more than six months. Most importantly, the ocean will be on the right side again! And Adam and I are excited for all the things we have coming up. But, I am really going to miss the beautiful scenery, the weather, and my job with STAR. Our time in Oceanside has really been a blessing and we are thankful for the experiences. It has really broadened our view and helped us grow and mature. God teaches us something new wherever we are.

Here are our recent pics:

We'll never get tired of views like this:

The famous Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island:

The view of the Pacific from the island:

Me and my student at STAR:

Superbowl Sunday

Adam and I are dressed to root on our favorite team!



And we recruited a mini fan:




Adam and Diego have a complicated relationship.


The happy family who watched the game with us:


Giants Rule, Patriots Drool.

Visits

The last two weeks have been busy ones for us. Adam went to Yuma, AZ with his squadron for training. He was gone for two weeks and got many flights in. Some days he was flying two flights, which says a lot about how well he studied and retained the information he needs to know. The highlight of his trip was firing the weapons on his "bird". On that flight he was able to have the helicopter record the weapons shoot. Of course it was the first thing he wanted to watch when I picked him up. He also was able to spend more time with the guys in his squadron and get to know them better, as these are guys he may be flying and deployed with.

While Adam was gone I visited my cousins in Palo Alto, CA. I flew up just for the MLK Jr. holiday weekend. My cousin Sara is from my mom's side of the family, and she is married to David. They have two boys, Isaac, 4 and Jake, 2. The first day Sara and I drove up to San Francisco and she showed me all the sights. We tasted tea in Chinatown, had pizza in North Beach, saw some fantastic views of the city, the Golden Gate bridge, and of course, fit in some shopping. On Sunday we went to the Redwood Forest and Santa Cruz. Despite the cold and rain, it was beautiful. And it was fun to hang out with the boys. That night, Sara and I spent some time in downtown Palo Alto. We had some great Italian food, and stopped by facebook for a picture. Before I left Monday, we did some more shopping and just spent time together. Isaac helped me pick out shoes and told me all about what he is learning at school. It was a fantastic weekend and I'm so happy I was able to visit during our short stay in California.

This past weekend as Adam got back from Yuma, our friends from Pensacola visited. PeggyAnn and PaulStephen are currently stationed at Port Hueneme, about three hours north of Oceanside. They stayed with us for the weekend while we visited San Diego and went to Sea World. It was worth it to see the whale show. It was amazing all the things they could do and just how smart they really are. There were still some incredibly cheesy parts, but it was still fun. We had a great time and are so thankful they came to visit.

Now it's back to the old grind. Before we know it our time in California will be up. We're enjoying it while we can!

Tasting Tea in Chinatown

Visit to San Francisco

Isaac and Me

Jake at the Redwood Forest

The trees are so tall!

Facebook

Passing the love of flight to the next generation:)

Pensacola Reunion at Sea World