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: