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: