Proud Wife

Adam has been deployed with the 22nd MEU for two months now. These are some recent photos from their visit in Greece, and of Adam flying off the boat. I miss him SO much, but at least he's having some fun.

April

April, as are most months in the Thomas household, was full. April Fool's Day marked the third anniversary of our dear friends Sam and Kat, and the hilarious, drama-filled, yet wonderful birth of their daughter, Ruth. In true April Fool's Day fashion, Ruth was supposed to be born on the 8th but the doctor's decided she needed to come early. March 31st early, and earlier than when her dad was due back from Afghanistan. Thus ensued the craziness of three girls taking care of Kat during 31 hours of labor, and then a c-section. I was blessed to be a part of it, and so glad to take care of Kat, who very rarely lets me take care of her. I also have been blessed with a beautiful, new, fake niece.

April was also the first full month, in the last five, that Adam was home and included his pre-deployment leave and my spring break. How lucky we are that they coincided and I could take a trip with him without leaving my students, and my paycheck. As soon as the bell rang April 10th, we left for Virginia and spent three days with Adam's parents, with a stop at my parent's house for Easter. Then we traveled back down to North Carolina, but this time towards the mountains. We spent a whole day on I-81, 77, and 40- through the mountains and valleys, past Virginia Tech, and into Asheville.

We chose Asheville, one, because we were intrigued by it when we drove through last year during our move to Jacksonville, and , two, because we wanted to hike and be outdoors. We had a good time at Chimney Rock Park, seeing the views from the top and hiking to a waterfall on a perfect 75 degree day. We spent some time in the small towns and drove a good portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at all the scenic points along the way as well as the Destination and Folk Art Centers. It was wonderful to be in the mountains, and I was excited to test my photography skills after having attended a workshop in March.

Back at home, I began the start of my planting season. This year I am armed with last year's defeats and successes as well as a variety of new knowledge of how to plant, grow, and harvest. I began at the farmer's market and found a fantastic assortment of herbs to grow in containers. I even discovered an herb I didn't know existed: Bertran, a cucumberish tasting leafy herb for salads. I also have planted green, jalapeno, and serrano peppers. I have two types of tomatoes I'm trying this year, and I have even planted a mix of lettuce in a raised bed. I also have started to replant in the front yard. I have a variety of bushes and perennials in the ground and a mix of annuals in containers on the front porch. I feel a bit like I have an eclectic mix, but am really enjoying the fun of planting and growing and trying everything.

The last weekend in April we spent with our wonderful friends Dan and Katy. We spent a day in Wilmington and a day in New Bern at Tryon Palace (a historic site, home of the governor in the colonial era). They've been friends since the beginning of our life in the Marine Corps, they've lived everywhere we've lived, and being with them feels like being with family. Another blessing.

Now we enter the last short period of time before the first of Adam's deployments. Unsure of how I really feel right now, I will stick with being joyful that I have Adam as a husband and glad that the time we spend apart just renews our relationship when we are together. He's been so helpful and wonderful to me as he watches me deal with the emotional roller coaster, the craziness of my job this year, and trying to fit grad school into the mix too. (By the way, I got an A in my class I just finished!)

Three Unimaginable Years

Three years ago today it was a beautiful 80 degree day in Quantico, Virginia where I married my best friend. I can't believe it's been three years! I could never imagine where our lives would take us, how far we would have come, and all the things we have learned along the way. I hope the next years hold just as much. I love you Adam!

February

This month brought Adam's fourth work up for the upcoming deployment, and the longest so far. He left early in the month and returns tomorrow for 13 days before leaving again, this time for only 15 days. It has been the most challenging work up because of the length and lack of communication, but as I prepare for Adam to come home tomorrow I am realizing just how quickly the time flew by, and I am thankful. If only all of the deployment could feel this way. My heart is full right now, but there are too many emotions to choose from.

Looking on the bright side, I have kept myself busy and have much to look forward to all year long. Here is this month in pictures:

Daffodils around the mailbox. They are a welcome burst of spring. I've spent a lot of Ferbruary planning my garden, reading through seed and garden supply catalogs, re-planning my garden, and have even done some planting.

Surprise baby shower for Kat! We knew we would never get her to show up, so we brought the party to her. Needless to say we caught her early in the morning and in her sweats! Many friends contributed to making it a special day.

Two of my favorite friends! These kids make me laugh so much. I have a habit of adopting everyone else's kids instead of having my own.

March promises to be an interesting and full month too. I hope everyone has plenty to look forward to!

Snow Day! and BFF's

It seems I have gotten my wish. Tomorrow school has been cancelled in anticipation of ice and SNOW!!!! I am quite excited about the prospect of seeing and playing in snow on the ground for the first time since 2005. (So listen storm clouds, you better produce some snow!) Adam should even get to see snow too since his squadron is in Blackstone, VA on a training mission. Unfortunately for him, the Marine Corps does not usually call snow days so the playing in the snow will be at a minimum.

I am looking forward to some freed up time, especially since I start a new semester tomorrow and haven't quite finished my fall coursework yet. I'm also looking forward to sleeping in since I did not sleep much this weekend. I visited with the Foemans, and Alexi came down too! There was lots of girl talk, eating, shopping and Starbucks. It was fun and refreshing. A perk of being back on the east coast is that I get to see friends and family a lot more. I've seen everyone so much more in the nine months that we've lived here, than in the two years we were away. I've missed my girls so much!

I do not like living in Jacksonville, but I decided to find at least one good thing about this place. So,here it is: Jacksonville has also really made me appreciate my friends and family and all the other places I've lived even more.

Stay warm everyone!

Winter

Winter is here and not really in full swing. It was 60 degrees today in Jacksonville. I am not complaining. I would like to see some snow though, therefore I am wishing for some colder temperatures. It seems a shame to not be cold and snowy. It also seems a shame for Adam to have to miss it all. (Look at me pretending it's actually going to snow here.)He will be in Virginia and then out on the USS Bataan for the next two-ish weeks, then most of February and March. He'll be home in between though, and maybe it'll snow then!

Today was the first day back to work for me after a two week Christmas break. We traveled home to see family for a week and then relaxed here for the rest of our time. We saw both families, Uncle Garrie, and cousins Nancy, Tim, Katie, and David. We spent time everywhere and with everyone we could. Back here, it was nice to be home, relaxing, reading, and spending time together instead of writing lesson plans and studying. Being back at work today feels like I never even had a break, but I have a feeling the time might fly by just like in the fall. We have such a big year coming up with lots of new things.

Thursday marks the beginning of a series of pre-deployment work ups for Adam until about April. Then, he will actually deploy in May. The Marine Corps can't and won't ever give exact dates about when they'll be gone and when they'll really be back, but hopefully he will be back for Christmas. We also don't actually know where he's going either, but hopefully they'll be safe and enjoy some of their time whether it's at neat ports or in the sandbox.

Now it's time to plan girl weekends and summer vacations! Anyone want to visit?

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.