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

Visiting

In the last post we were getting ready to visit family for Christmas. So we did. We brought the nice San Diego weather with us too. It was fantastic. We jumped right into the new year with Adam standing duty 24 hours New Years Day. We're used to it now though, he has had the same duty once every two weeks since October. Good preparation I guess. In the midst of all that standing duty though, Adam has managed to be put on the schedule to fly. He is doing really well and having a good time. He and his squadron are currently in Yuma, AZ for two weeks for training. He should get a good chunk of training done out there. We're not sure when he will be finished...so I'm not even going to speculate. We're just enjoying the time out here and planning a super fun trip back east. While Adam is gone I have started my classes and am catching up on all the things I never get done when he is here. I've also been hanging out with my friend Amanda, whose husband is also in Yuma. We are enjoying some super girly time.

This weekend I am going to visit my cousins in San Jose. I'm really looking forward to the trip. I'm not very close to many of my cousins, but Sara is definitely one of my favorites. And her little boys are so cute. I'll have to take lots of pictures and share my trip when I get back. I'm so blessed that I the time and opportunity to go!

The next weekend our friends at Port Hueneme are coming to visit and we are going to do all the touristy San Diego things. I'm really looking forward to Sea World! And to seeing our friends! Yay!

Well, even without Adam around, I'm a busy girl. I have some homework to do!

Another December Update

The Christmas holiday is approaching and we will be flying back to Virginia to spend it with family and friends. We are looking forward to giving everyone their presents and hoping to see some snow (which probably won't happen). In January, Adam will start flying and will be taking a trip to Yuma, AZ with his squadron for about two weeks. He is sure to get some great flights in there and to have a good time. I will be starting two grad school classes around the same time and am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. The way the program is designed, it will still be a while before I graduate; probably another three years. However, it is so nice to know I am taking classes and working towards a degree, while still being able to work and be a wife.

We have really been enjoying Oceanside and exploring the area. Hopefully we can take some weekend trips before we have to leave. I have family in San Jose and in Las Vegas and we'd love to see them! We have also been fortunate to meet a couple through Officers Christian Fellowship who are trying to get a group started at Camp Pendleton. It is a slow start because so many people come and go so quickly here (like us) and so many others are deployed. But we have seen them every Sunday this month for the lighting of advent candles and fellowship. I meet with Megan, the wife, weekly for a bible study. It's been a great blessing to us out here. We have also met many other couples who will be moving back east around the same time as us. It's nice to know we'll all be in it together and can help each other out.

Not much else to report. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

California Style

Ok, Ok. I know. I'm not good at keeping our blog up to date. New Year's Resolution: Update blog regularly. But here I am now to fill you in on our recent happenings.

September 28th: Adam got his wings! He selected AH-1W Cobra Attack Helicopters. It was a great ceremony and we were both really proud!

October 8th: After a fantastic five day trip across country, we arrived in Oceanside, California at Camp Pendleton where Adam is learning to fly the Cobra. When he finishes his training here, we will move to North Carolina and finally be in a real squadron and done with training.

October 22: Wildfires sprung up all over San Diego County. Our first weeks in California were quite an experience for us. Luckily, our town was safe and all we got was smoke and ash. We have been glad to see the people who were affected by the fires have been taken care good care of.

December 15th: So far Adam has been working hard in his shop and standing duty, but has not started flying Cobras. After the holidays they will push him through his training. He's looking forward to getting back up the air, but he knows the work will be intense and challenging. I, Hilary, have been substitute teaching and working for STAR, a one0on-one program with autistic children. Substituting has been great, the schools in Oceanside are nice and I have gotten plenty of work. STAR is also fun and a different challenge for me. I hope to get some good experience and open up the door for autistic children to be mainstreamed into my classroom once I am teaching again.

Aside from all the working, we've also been exploring Southern California. We were able to spend some time in San Diego for the Marine Corps ball in November and with some friends stationed there with the Coast Guard. We've also done lots of driving around the mountains to enjoy the scenery. After a trip home for the holidays, we hope to take advantage of all California has to offer and also visit friends and family that live out here.

I'll update more later, but here are some recent pictures:

The Cobra:

Marine Corps Ball:

Firestorm 2007:

Pictures in Oceanside:

Winging and Waiting

Hey All! We found out last week that Adam will be getting his wings September 28th! Which means we'll be moving the week after. Of course, we don't know where yet, but we should know by Monday. We will find out not only where we will be moving, but also what helicopter Adam will fly. Of course, God is in control, but we have some ideas of where we'd like to go and what Adam would like to fly. Hopefully, this blog will be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. We'll let you know what Adam selects next week!