Gumbo

Doug is so thrilled because last night Kathryn made her famous gumbo for us. She made the gumbo with wild duck, oysters, sausage, and shrimp. It was only my second time having the specialty but we both enjoyed getting to have some of Kathryn's gumbo. We also enjoyed an evening of exchanging gifts with the McKenzie family and Mema and Papa. Thank you for many wonderful gifts and a great dinner!

Addison Eve Riley Gallagher

Congratulations to my cousin Kari and husband Jason. They just welcomed baby girl Addison Eve to their family at 2:00am on December 23, 2009. Addison Eve is joining big sisters Emily (age 6), Piper (age 5) and brother Owen (age 2.5). We are so excited to have a new baby in the family and she is such a blessing at Christmas. Doug and I are really looking forward to meeting the lovely little girl when we are visiting family later this week.

Holiday Open House

Last evening the McKenzie's hosted a Christmas Open House. It was very fun to meet many of their long-time friends. I enjoyed hearing stories about when Douglas was "this tall." It was also great to put faces with names that I have heard about. All of the people were so friendly and very kind, it was wonderful to meet great family friends. Additionally, I was very excited that Noelle was able to make the drive up from Modesto for the evening. It was great to see her and get to visit for awhile. It was a wonderful evening and I am sure that fun was had by all.

Travelling Home

Well, we made it to Oroville!! Our trip was long to say the least. Saturday we had a long day that was full of adventure. We had gone over to Long Island for a Hummer/Toys for Tots event and didn't get home until after 8:00 in the evening. At that point we began our packing process and getting the house straightened away for us to leave for two weeks (last minute, yes). Around 9:00 the blizzard hit and snow started coming down. In no time we had several inches on the ground so we decided we would need to leave for the airport at 2:00am. Unbeknownst to us, our flights had already been cancelled at that point. So, realizing we would only sleep for an hour at best we decided to stay up for the night. When we left our house at 2:00am we already had a foot of snow on the ground. This storm was unusual because normally we don't get much snow since we are on the coast. However, the coast was hit very badly and the more inland we got the less snow there was. We drove the hummer to the airport which was nice because we were safe and able to get there just fine. The worst part of the drive was getting stuck behind snow plows going 10 mph. We arrived at the airport in Hartford at 5am still thinking we would be leaving at 6. Unfortunately, we found out our flight was cancelled as were all of the other morning flights. Although there wasn't a ton of snow in Hartford, all of the other east coast cities were badly hit so planes were delayed all over the place. Initially we were told we couldn't get on a flight until the 23rd at the earliest. However, we some how ended up with seats on a 3:00 flight. We were so excited when our plane finally left the airport at 6:30 pm. After a day of sitting in the airport and sleeping for a few minutes here and there, it was nice to finally know we would make it home. Although our day was long and tiring we are so glad to have finally made it and to be here in Oroville with family.

Holiday Pops!

Last evening was our trip to Boston to see the Boston Pops Holiday Concert. It was incredible! The concert hall was beautifully decorated for Christmas with many wreathes, bows, and lanterns. The music was beautiful and very festive - just what we needed to really get us in the holiday spirit. One of the best parts of the evening was the conductor. He was very lively and interacted with the audience a lot. He was 'conducting' our clapping etc. Halfway through the show they slipped an extra piece in which was the '12 Days of Christmas' but each verse was performed to a different classical tune. The last piece of the evening was a sing-a-long of about 6 different Christmas songs. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed our evening out in Boston.

General Update

Things have been pretty busy over here! The blog has gotten a little neglected so I thought I would post a general update. I have been sick for the past few weeks and am just now starting to get back to normal. It is nice to be feeling better - just in time for the holidays and lots of fun visiting our families. We are all done with Christmas shopping which feels great. With just a week left of work until we head to California both Doug and I are very excited. Additionally, the weather has turned here and we are starting to get snow and very cold days. So far we haven't had a whole lot of snow but it has been fun to see our yard blanketed in white. In other news - we are excited because our litter of puppies was born this week. There were seven puppies - all girls! Although it is too early to know for sure - we should be bringing a puppy home in February. The pictures we have seen so far are adorable and we are excited to be parents to a beautiful Tibetan Mastiff. Tonight we are heading in to Boston to go see the Boston Pops Holiday concert. We have had tickets since September so we are very excited to get in the holiday spirit. I will be sure to post more updates soon.

Christmas Tree

Yesterday Doug and I went and got our very first Christmas tree. It was very exciting to be getting a tree together for our new house. We didn't go cut it down ourselves but we did go to the lot and get a beautiful, very full tree. It is around 7 feet tall - we aren't sure what kind it is but it is a really full and gorgeous tree. Last night we had fun decorating it and putting lights up. We have very few decorations for the house but we did put out what we have. Also, last evening was the tree lighting and boat parade in Mystic. They did a lighting around 6:00 and following that they opened up the Mystic draw bridge and there was a parade of boats decorated with Christmas lights. Both sides of the river were lined with people and it was very full to be out and about and feel like we are residents here. We are so excited for holiday season and are really looking forward to our visits out west to see both our families.

Panini Press

We both want to give another big thank you to Mema and Papa for our amazing Panini Press! We opened it yesterday and have already used it twice since then. The sandwiches are quick and amazing. Last evening we made Reuben and this afternoon we had pressed turkey sandwiches. We can already tell that it will be well used!

Unpacking

Today we are spending the day sorting through all of our things that came from Washington. It is so exciting to finally have all of our wedding gifts in one place. Some things we completely forgot about so it is really a lot of fun to unpack everything. Today is actually a perfect day to spend around the house because we are having cold weather with rain and very strong winds. It is nice to be able to stay inside and get things done at the same time.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

In honor of Veteran's Day the Boston Symphony Orchestra was giving complementary tickets to all military service members. Several of Doug's friends were going to drive to Boston to watch a performance so we all went together. The music was absolutely amazing. We loved the music and it was a great atmosphere. We ended up with orchestra seating so we were very close to the musicians. We already had purchased tickets to see the Boston Pops in December so now we are even more excited!

New Job

Well - I have great news! Last Thursday I had an in-person job interview at the Eagleview Child Development Center as a follow up to a phone interview. The center is about 20 minutes away from us. The position is working with young children helping to advance their cognitive, emotional, and physical development. The interview went great and I did some "classroom" observation at the end. Each room has up to 8 children so there is a very low staff/child ratio. At the end of the interview process I was told she was going to call my references and would get back to me on Monday. Yesterday I got the call that they would like to offer me the job! It was great to hear that the position has been open for a few months but they were being very picky. I thought the decision over and called back this morning to accept the position. I am very excited to have gotten hired so quickly, and also in a position that is related to my major from Willamette. The experience will be great for my current graduate work as well. In addition to great training and certification programs they offer other benefits that include tuition reimbursement and several holidays. Although I won't need any of the healthcare benefits the rest are all things that I really plan to take advantage of. I am excited to gain some certifications from my experience which will be helpful in gaining future positions as well. Tomorrow is my first day which will just be spend doing paperwork and a little bit of training.

Picture of house

Moved in!

Well, we made it! We are all moved in to our new house and almost unpacked. Our things arrived on Monday and we just got internet connection today. Most boxes are all unpacked and we are getting used to our new house. Our next move (from Washington) should arrive within the week so that will give me a lot more to unpack. In the meantime I am working on keeping up-to-date with my class and also preparing for job interviews. Doug has started his new program and is enjoying it so far. The schedule is much better than the one in NY and he is done in the early afternoon.

Big Move

Well, it is finally time to get moved to Mystic. The packers came yesterday and in less than three hours had our entire apartment packed up and ready to go. This morning the movers came and have been loading everything. Our apartment is starting to look very empty and tonight will be us, the air mattress, a suitcase and our computer. We are so excited for tomorrow and can't wait to get all moved in to our new house. Luckily the movers are delivering our things either tomorrow or Friday. We also have big load including all of my things and all of our wedding gifts coming from Washington. It will be so nice to have everything in one place and be in our first house together.

NE Trip

We made it back safely from our week long vacation around the NE. Our trip was great! We saw family, friends, and lots of great historic places. I plan to give a brief over view of the entire trip and then I will add pictures and details from individual locations. We left home last Tuesday morning bright and early for our big adventure. For lunch we decided to stop in Philadelphia and get something quick to eat before heading over and seeing the Liberty Bell. I have to say that the liberty bell complex was very beautiful with all sorts of plants and landscaping. Fr0m Philadelphia we headed down towards Baltimore. Just before we arrived in Ellicott City (Doug's uncle Doug lives in Ellicott City, MD and we stayed with him) our check engine light came on. Luckily we were able to get the car to a shop in town and left it there over night. It was nice to see Uncle Doug, Mema & Papa after such a long day of traveling. On Wednesday we spent a lot of the day relaxing and waiting to hear more about the car. We ended up needing to get a loaner car as ours had more problems then we had expected. We did enjoy a nice walk into town with Mema & Papa. In the evening we saw some of the historic downtown and enjoyed dinner with Doug. Thursday morning was the big trip into DC. While in DC we saw three of the Smithsonian buildings (Natural History, American History, and the Air & Space Museum. We also wondered about the National Mall and saw the Capital, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument before leaving town. We ended up finishing in DC around 3PM so decided to head down to Charlottesville, VA to see Eri for dinner. Although the drive was long it was lovely to see all of the fall colors. Friday we decided to spend the day a little closer to Ellicott City and drove into Baltimore. I loved seeing the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. The area was very beautiful. The highlight of Baltimore for me was seeing the Barnes & Noble which was in an old Electric Building. Saturday we left for Niagara Falls and had a great drive through PA and NY. We crossed the border into Canada and stayed the night in a Radisson with a great view of the falls. Saturday evening we headed down to Fort Erie for a night tour through the fort. On Sunday we wondered around the falls and enjoyed the beautiful fall day before returning home. Overall we had a great trip! I will be sure to add more details and photos soon.

House in Mystic, CT

Doug and I are very excited because we signed a lease on a house in Mystic, CT. The house is very nice and was just built in 2008. The house is a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom with a great open living area downstairs. The backyard is fenced in which will be great for getting a dog. We are scheduled to move in on the 31st which is just in time for Doug to start work the next Monday. Mystic is a very cute town with lots of shops and great restaurants. It is nice for Doug because he will only be about ten minutes from base and commuting won't be bad.

A little break...

I guess it has been quite awhile since I have updated the blog! Sorry for the delay :). We haven't been busy, but we have been enjoying fall and our extra time together. Doug has been phone mustering every day so we have had plenty of time to relax and enjoy life. Our new favorite spot is the Malta Nature Preserve which is just down the road from us. The area is beautiful and we enjoy walking through the preserve a few times a week. It feels so nice to get some nature time, and seeing the leaves change over the past few weeks has been great. Everything is so beautiful here right now.
Additionally, fall quarter has started and I am back to school. Class is going fine and it is good to continue my progress. It is nice to have some sense of fulfillment as well.
Today there was a car show in downtown Ballston Spa. We walked just a block up the street and saw all sorts of cars. I think Doug was probably in heaven and enjoyed seeing some classics as well as some very new sports cars. I am not a big car person but it was fun to be out and about.
We are still working on finding somewhere to live in CT. Doug emailed with a current JO (Junior Officer) on the North Carolina and found out the boat is moving homeports much sooner than we had anticipated. It sounds as though we will be making the move sometime next summer/fall. Ultimately we will spend more of this sea tour in Hawaii then we will in Connecticut. Although it is a bit of a bummer we will be moving part way through the tour, and that we won't be able to buy a house after all, it will be nice to have a two-year "vacation" in Hawaii. With that in mind we are looking for a house to rent in the New London/Groton area. Most houses we have called about are either not available in time or have some other issue. This evening we called about a house that looks like it might work out. It is a new house in Mystic which is a very cute town. Hopefully this week we will get a chance to drive down and see the house.
I will be sure to post some more updates and photos from the past few weeks.

House Hunting Trip Two

This past Saturday we drove down to Groton for our house hunting adventure number two. Our main goal was to look at the base housing and see what we qualify for. The base houses are recently renovated but are much smaller than we were hoping for. We would both really like some space to breathe, as well as a house that isn't identical to every neighbor. Additionally, the base houses that we saw didn't really have yards at all so it would be impossible to get a dog while living there. At this point we have sort of ruled out base housing and are focusing more on either buying a house or renting a house in the area.

Final Oral Board

Well, he did it! Doug had his final oral board yesterday morning and is finished with with Nuclear Prototype School. The board lasted about three hours and he had lots of questions - but he did great and is relieved to have it all over with. This morning Doug went in to work to muster and they told him with the exception of a few things he needs to do for checking out, he can just muster by phone every day. Doug feels really relieved to have this done. We are both enjoying some extra free time and are now looking forward to making plans to get moved to Connecticut.

House Hunting in Connecticut

Doug's "weekend" fell on Thursday and Friday of this week. On Wednesday afternoon after Doug woke up from working a week of night shift, we drove over to Groton. We planned to stay on the base so we wouldn't have to drive over really early on Thursday morning to meet the Realtor. The drive over took longer than we anticipated with stopping for dinner and stopping to make several phone calls to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Luckily we made it to Groton around 8:30 so we had plenty of time to sleep and get ready to look at a lot of houses. On both Thursday and Friday we saw a few houses we both loved, a handful that we liked, and plenty that we weren't interested in at all. Since we were staying on base anyhow, Doug decided to stop by the navy housing office and see what information they could give us. The housing for officers is all new and we qualify for at least a 3-bedroom home. At this point we are leaning towards going with the base housing (it isn't actually located on the base in Groton, and is actually owned by a private company). Following Doug's Final Board we plan to devote more time to deciding for sure if we want to buy a house or if we think we will just go with the base housing.

My First Apple Pie

Well, fall is definitely here. Everything is beautiful and the weather is really starting to cool down. Last week we made a trip to an apple orchard. We have so many apples around I have been making apple sauce, and I made my first apple pie! I used Kathryn's recipe and the pie turned out to be delicious! I still have some kinks to work out because my crust didn't look quite perfect, but it tasted wonderful and I feel pretty good since it was my first pie ever.

Summer Quarter Complete

Today marks the end of my summer quarter of graduate work. I am excited to have this quarter complete and have sucessfully finished my first two classes. Between my visit from Alex and finishing work for my class, this has been a busy week and I haven't been updating the blog much. My plan is to start another class this next quarter. With the big move coming up, I will be looking at schools to transfer to in CT. More news to come.

Visit from Alex

My childhood friend Alex is here visiting right now. Alex arrived here on Tuesday evening and is staying until the 22nd. We are having a great time catching up and really enjoying our time together. It has been wonderful for me to have a friend around. Doug is busy at work getting ready for the final board next week, so he is relieved to see me so occupied. Today Alex and I headed over to Vermont for the day. It is definately fall in the northeast. The weather has been wonderful, nice and cool. Trees are beginning to change and are starting to look beautiful. I think that by the end of next week it will be very beautiful here. Updates have been slow as we have been busy having a lot of fun and enjoying fall.

USS North Carolina

The day has finally come! Doug has received his orders. Doug will be going to the USS North Carolina which is homeported in Groton/New London, CT. Although our first choice location was Washington, this will be a great adventure for Doug. The North Carolina is one of the newest submarines, having just been commissioned in 2008. The North Carolina is a Virignia Class fast attack submarine and will eventually be relocating to Hawaii. We are both excited to experience life in Connecticut and to make the best of this adventure.
Depending on when the North Carolina is moving to Hawaii, we may be looking at purchasing a home in Connecticut. Over the next few weeks we will have a lot of excitement. We are hoping to get a better idea how long we will be in CT, or if we will be leaving for Hawaii shortly. Based off of that we will have a better idea if we want to purchase a home. If so, we plan to visit the area next week so we can look at a few homes we have looked at online. One really great aspect of this is that we won't be staying in a hotel for the 12 weeks of submarine school, and we will only be moving once in the next few months.
So, information is as follows: Doug's final board is scheduled for the 28th of September. We will be leaving New York sometime if the few weeks after that and Doug will report to Submarine school starting November 2nd. Following submarine school, Doug will report to the North Carolina by the 2nd week in February.
There will be a lot of decisions to be made in the next few weeks, and lots of big changes for us in the next few months. Connecticut will bring a whole new adventure and life for us.

Quilt

My most recent project is working on a quilt called "My True Love Gave to Me." The quilt is lap-size and is very pretty with yellows, greens, and browns with a partridge in a pear tree in the center. I have enjoyed getting back into quilting as it has been over a year since I have done any quilting. I have finished the top of the quilt and am in the process of quilting it all together.

Birthday Weekend

Doug and I had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Thursday was my birthday and also Doug's last day of work for the weekend. Thursday evening we headed to Saratoga for dinner at The Olde Bryan Inn. The Inn has a great history that ties into the Revolutionary War so we loved reading about the history after having just been to the site of the Battle of Saratoga. Dinner was delicious - we both had prime rib - and it was a great start to the weekend.
Friday we headed up to Lake George to go to the Six Flags park. We enjoyed going on rides together and had a few good screams on the roller coasters. Being a fan of theme parks, it was a nice birthday treat.
On Sunday we decided to head to the Albany Area Scottish Festival. They had a lot of different events, great food, and all sorts of shops with Scottish goods. We shared a strawberry shortcake, found me a MacKenzie Plaid Scarf, and watched the caber tossing. The Scottish Festival was a great end to the weekend.

Saratoga Historic National Park

The weather in New York was absolutely gorgeous today. The sun was out, clear sky, fresh air! And, my favorite part - it wasn't humid at all! After a slow morning Doug and I decided we had to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. I have been wanting to go see the Saratoga Battlefields so we drove about half an hour through the countryside to Stillwater, NY. The Battle of Saratoga is considered the turning point in the American Revolution so I was really excited to see the area. We got to the National Park and went to the visitors center where we watched a twenty minute video on the history of the area. Following that we drove a nine mile loop through the battlefields that has ten different stopping points with monuments, cannons, and the one remaining building from the battle. I couldn't get over how wonderful the weather was and that it was the perfect day to visit the park. The fields were full of wild flowers and you could see for miles into the distance.

Vermont

Doug has this weekend off from work so we decided to head to Vermont for a day-trip. Bennington, Vermont is about an hour drive east of us. We took the scenic route and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. Everything was very green and lush. Just outside of Bennington is the Bennington Battlefield so we stopped to look around and take pictures. Once we got into Bennington we were pleasantly surprised. The town is very quaint and has many cute shops and beautiful historic buildings. The Moose Festival 2009 has been going on and local businesses decorate moose in front of the businesses. We saw a pirate moose, a cow moose, the Starry Night moose, and many more! After walking around town for awhile Doug and I stopped in the Madison Brewing Co. for some "pub grub" and some local brew. Before leaving town we also stopped in the local chocolate store for some afternoon treats. We headed out of town in search of the famous covered bridges. We found three of the beautiful historic bridges. I was so amazed by the covered bridges. I have always loved history and the east coast, and really felt like I was in the midst of it all when we saw the bridges. We also stopped by the Robert Frost Stone House which was very pretty. The house has been turned into a museum that has information about Frost's life in general but particularly the years he spent in Vermont. The Vermont countryside was gorgeous, the historic sites were awe-inspiring, and we both had an enjoyable afternoon.

Doug and the Pirate Moose


Starry Night Moose


Robert Frost's Stone House

Me in front of a covered bridge

FEW & 100% Exam

This week has been an eventful one for Doug. He had both his Final Evaluated Watch (FEW) and 100% exam this week. The 100% exam is spread out over two days and following the second day of the exam Doug had his FEW. He passed his FEW and feels great about his exam (he should hear how he did later this week). It is a relief to have both of these done and out of the way. Over the next few weeks he will have little odds and ends to complete while studying for his final Oral Board which is the last step before he qualifies at prototype. Although it was a tiring week it was a productive one. We are still waiting to hear about orders but Doug, especially, is feeling like there is an end in sight.

Montreal

This past weekend Erin, a friend of mine that Doug works with, asked me if I was interested in going up to Montreal with her. She was heading up Sunday morning and planning to come back Monday afternoon. I decided to tag along for the short "girls trip," as Doug was busy with work and preparing for his tests this week. I have been to British Columbia but never over to the French side of Canada. The border of Canada is around three hours north of Ballston Spa. The drive through the Adirondack Forest was very beautiful and we enjoyed the scenery on the drive north. The line to cross the border was only a few cars long so we were into Quebec in no time. Since French is the primary language in Quebec so were all of the road signs which made for a few wrong turns but we made it into Montreal pretty easily. We stayed at the Sheridan hotel right downtown which had beautiful views of the city. Our hotel was very nice and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to stay right in the thick of things. We decided to go out and about and try and find Old Montreal. It was very odd for me because I felt like I had left home and driven a few hours and ended up in Europe. Old buildings, cobblestone streets, and everyone speaking French made for a fun "holiday" as we called it. Since neither Erin or I speak any French we were relieved that nearly everyone was bilingual and most things were posted in both French and English (minus the road signs). We wandered around town for several hours poking into shops, looking at beautiful art, and even enjoyed my recent discovery - crepes. Monday morning we drove around Montreal to see more of the city than we could access on foot. We drove by the 1976 Olympic Stadium which was very exciting to see. We slowly made our way back towards the border, not crossing before we made a stop at the duty-free shop for Canadian Ice Wine and smoked salmon. As far as spontaneous trips go - this one was towards the top of the list. Although it would have been wonderful for Doug to go along, I did have fun and enjoyed Montreal.


1976 Olympic Stadium

View out our hotel window of Cathedrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde

View down a side street in Old Montreal

Crepes

"...sprinkled with sugar and eaten hot, they form an exquisite dish. They have a golden hue and are tempting to eat. Thin and transparent like muslin, their edges are trimmed to resemble fine lace. They are so light that after a good dinner, a man from Agen is still willing to sample three or four dozen of them! Crêpes form an integral part of every family celebration. Served with white wine, they take pride of place on all joyful occasions."

Anatole France, (Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault) French novelist, 'Le Temp'

This evening Doug and I drove into Saratoga to go to dinner at Ravenous. Ravenous is a cute little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves delicious crepes of all kinds. I have only previously had crepes once - at the McKenzie's house on Christmas - and have never had dinner crepes before. My crepes had ham and asparagus and were very tasty. It was fun to try a new restaurant and it was fun for me to try something new.

The crepes were so good, in fact, that I decided to come home and make some dessert crepes. I am happy to say my first crepes turned out great! See my first banana crepes below.

Visit from Mom

What a whirl-wind weekend! On Saturday morning Levi and I headed to water slide world for day-2 of swimming. We enjoyed floating around (my favorite) and going on some slides. We left in time to go home and change before driving down to Albany to pick my mom up from the train station. She had been in Boston for the past week taking a class for work and was able to extend the trip so she could come over to Ballston Spa for a few days. After we picked up my mom we had dinner and headed back to the apartment for the evening. It was great to see my mom and have a visit from family. Doug was working mids (7:30pm-7:30am) all week so although he didn't see my mom much it was nice for me to have a distraction from missing him. My mom, Levi, and I had a great visit which included, in no particular order:

1 drive to RPI to see where Jameson lived for the past 4 years
4 unnecessary trips through toll roads due to my wrong-turns
1 movie (Julie/Julia - very enjoyable! even compared to the book)
1 visit to Cracker Barrel - first for me & Levi
1 visit to Saratoga Springs
1 visit to Lake George
4 rounds of Monopoly
2 sudden thunderstorms
Countless quote-able comments from Levi

All in all we had a great time and it was wonderful to see some more family.


Work update: Doug had a 'practice' board and did great and got pointers on how to excel on his final board in a few weeks. He is scheduled to take his 100% Exam two days next week, directly followed by his Final Evaluated Watch. The Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) found out where they are headed but the Submarine Officers have yet to find out. We are hoping that news comes soon! It was hard to find out our friends know where they are going but we still have no clue. Keeping our fingers crossed!

First Class

Well, I did it! I completed my first graduate course. The class - Human Behavior and Development - officially ended today. It feels great to have that under my "belt" and am excited about my progress in the second class which is half way complete. Fall quarter begins at the end of September and I have a few decisions to make before then. I have applied to Seattle Pacific University to transfer into a M.Ed. program starting fall '10. They offer non-matriculated students who have applied for admission the opportunity to enroll in online courses. The first chance for me to do so would be beginning this fall. I am hoping that we have Doug's orders before I have to make my decision. If we are going to WA I will for sure enroll in SPU's online courses with the hopes of transfering into their program. If we do not get orders to go to WA I will continue the courses I am taking at CU and look for a program to transfer to wherever we end up going.

Work Update

Have I given an update recently? There hasn't been any information in a long time but we did get a little bit of news. It sounds like Doug's "official" graduation date is September 18th. There is no graduation ceremony so really that just means they want everyone in his class to finish before the 18th. Depending on when Doug takes his boards he could be finished several days before the 18th (that is my hope). However, what that means as far as orders or as far as moving to CT we still do not know. We should have orders before leaving NY (I hope they come around say - September 3rd - and give me a nice birthday present) but as far as when we are leaving NY we don't know. Doug and I have discussed the possibility that we will stay in NY until the next sub school which starts November 2nd. If that happens we don't know if Doug would actually work every day (doing what?) or if he would just muster. The other possibility is that we would leave NY shortly after the 18th and Doug would muster in CT every day. Only time will tell. Either way we are hoping that we will get the opportunity to take some leave and have our better-late-than-never honeymoon.

So, in conclusion:

Still no orders (that is the big question on our minds)
Not sure when we are going to CT
Doug should graduate from prototype on/around the 18th of September.

Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course

Today was the big day! Levi, Doug and I all piled into the hummer and headed up to Bolton Landing to the Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course. www.adirondackextreme.com They have five different courses that progress in difficulty as you go along. Each course has bridges to cross - sometimes swinging poles, tight-ropes, or barrels. They also have zip lines that take you from tree to tree (by far my favorite parts of the course). The course starts out at around 10 feet off the ground and gets up to around 60 feet above the ground. When we started out we were with a large group so we kept stopping to wait due to restrictions on how many people can be in what area at a time. Throughout the entire course you wear a harness and strap yourself to cables. It was amazing to go "flying through the trees" and see the progress we had made - a real feeling of accomplishment. Levi and I stopped after the third course while Doug completed all five. Levi attributed this to the fact that "Doug had all that navy training." For several hours of fun and adventure this was well worth the $$ and time.

Whistling Kettle, Giving Blood, & Adirondack Extreme

Before Doug left for work today we headed to Whistling Kettle to have lunch. It was a warm and muggy afternoon so it felt nice to go into the air conditioned restaurant and have specialty iced-tea.

This afternoon after Doug left for work Levi and I headed up the street to the blood drive. We both were able to give blood today. Afterwards Levi was a bit light-headed so we waited around for a bit until he was feeling better. We have both been feeling fine then. After giving blood we relaxed for a bit before heading out to go shopping and run a few errands.

Tomorrow is Doug's day off so the three of us are heading up to Bolton Landing to Adirondack Extreme, a high adventure course. We plan to spend a few hours on the ropes courses and different adventure activities they have. I will be sure to post about that tomorrow.

As a side note - I have completed my first graduate course and am really happy with my progress. My second class is 4 weeks into the 10 week class. I have a major assignment due this week (wish me luck) and two more major projects over the next 6 weeks. So far, so good. Since the first class has ended and I only have the one to focus on I should be just fine. With the hopes of moving back to Seattle (still no word) I am in the process of applying to Seattle Pacific University's school of education for their school counseling program. More news on that later.

Glass Working

This morning Doug, Levi, and I walked down the street to the glass working study that is part of the National Bottle Museum. We spent two hours learning how to work with class and got to practice making pendants. We all make our first pendant with the help of the instructor. For the second pendants we made the instructor left us to our own devices to see what we could come up. We all had a great time and came home with souvenirs.
Top row from left-right: My two , Doug's two
Bottom row: Levi's two

First Fridays & Ballston Spa Film Festival

Levi and I had a great evening out and about in Ballston Spa. We took advantage of the nice weather and took a walk around town before settling at The Whistling Kettle for some iced tea and treats. They were celebrating "First Fridays" by having a live bluegrass band play, providing us with some great entertainment. Luckily we arrived early and had a great table to relax and enjoy the music. After we finished up listening to the bluegrass band we headed down the street to the National Bottle Museum. Although it always seems intersting I had never made it inside until today. We got to see hundreds of handmade bottles in all shapes (violin shaped even), sizes, and colors (one that 'Saratogan' because the bluest shade of green bottle is only made in this area). After looking around the museum we headed over to their shop where one of the instructors was showing glass working techniques. He was so talented and fun to watch! That is another thing I have been meaing to do - take a glass working class - so I got us all signed up for bright and early tomorrow morning. Levi and I are both really excited and I can't wait to tell Doug what I got us all into! We ended the night with the 3rd Annual Ballston Spa Film Festival. The short films were made all around the world and ranged in type and quality. Today was a fun adventure for Levi and me.

Visit from Levi

My younger brother Levi just arrived in town this morning. He flew in from Seattle on a red-eye flight and made it in to Albany just fine. Doug and I drove down to pick him up and took him to lunch before Doug had to leave for work. It is great to have family visiting and we have a lot of fun things planned for the week. More to come on our adventures with Levi.

Glens Falls Golden Eagles vs Saratoga Phillies

With the sun out Doug and I have been trying to spend as much time outside as possible. Last night we drove up to Glens Falls to watch a minor league baseball game between the Glens Falls team and the Saratoga team. The game was the third in a play-off series between the two teams. Both teams are made up collegiate players from colleges around the country. We definitely enjoyed being outside and enjoying a warm evening watching a baseball game. Glens Falls won 2-1.

Water Slide World

Monday was the last day of our 4-day weekend and the sun decided to come out for the day. Doug and I took advantage of the sun and headed up to Lake George to Water Slide World. Although the park seems a bit "kiddy" it was actually really fun. We enjoyed being in the water and relaxing for a few hours. Doug and I went down a few slides each but enjoyed an hour or so floating in tubes around the "lazy river." We are hoping the sun will stay out for the rest of the month and we will be able to go back again.

White Water Rafting on the Hudson

Wanting to take full advantage of our long weekend we decided to go white water rafting on the Hudson today. Doug and I had made prior reservations so when we woke up to gloomy skies there was no going back. We left home just before 8:00 this morning to drive just over an hour northwest. We have both gone white water rafting before so we were excited and hoping for big rapids. A few clouds weren't about to stop us. Our group was finally in the water around 10:45 and had a 17 mile trip ahead of us. The scenery was beautiful! There was mist coming off the hills, flowers blooming, and everything was so green and lush. Around a third of the way through the trip (in time, not distance) the rain started. At first it was just sprinkling and Doug and I both laughed because the last time we had gone rafting (in Washington state) it rained the whole way. But, when it rains, it pours! Already being soaked from the rapids the rain didn't bother us much. We swam outside of the boat several different times, stopped for a snack mid-trip, and even got to jump off a cliff into the water. Towards the end of the trip the rain really started coming down. Couldn't have picked a rainier day to go rafting, but the water was warm and fun was had by all.

Kayaking Lake George

Saturday morning Doug and I woke up to beautiful weather. We have had a shortage of sunny days on the east coast this summer so it was a very pleasant surprise. I told Doug I was going to hurry and shower and before I finished he should come up with something to do in the sun. He did good. A friend of ours (the same one we went flying with) had recently gone Kayaking on Lake George and had a great time. So, we decided we'd give it a try too. The drive up to the lake was absolutely beautiful. Everything is green here as we have had so much rain, and with the sun shining it was just gorgeous. We ended up crossing over onto a little island off of Bolton Landing. The company we used was Lake George Kayak Co. and they were very friendly and had everything we needed for a fun trip. The water was a bit choppy so we did get a little wet. We saw lots of boaters, fishermen, and even some people parasailing while we were out. We kayaked around the main island and another smaller island before passing a beautiful resort and heading back to the starting point. When we arrived back we had a pleasant surprise - an "unspoken" 50% military discount! I do love military discounts :). Needless to say, we will for sure be going back for some more kayaking on Lake George.

Weekend Update

Well, it has been a while since I last posted. Last week was wonderful for Doug and I. The week started out by celebrating the one year anniversary of our engagement. So much has happened in the last year - the biggest of those (obviously) being our marriage. But, we have grown so much together. We have been reflecting on our relationship and our marriage. We are finally getting used to living with each other and really making sure we are communicating. Luckily, communication has always been a strong point in our relationship (has to be when you are long-distance for two years), so we haven't had a ton of work in that area. Doug and I like to check in and see how our "love tanks" are doing which may seem silly but is really helping us to meet each other's needs. Work schedule is a bit hectic but we are really making the best of our time. Last week Doug worked days all week which meant we had part of the afternoon and all evening every day to relax and spend much needed time together. Over the weekend we sort of had a three-day celebration of our engagement/three month anniversary. Thursday night we started off the fun with a trip to the movies to see "Public Enemies." I had been reading the book so it was fun for me to see everything in action. I still support books over movies but found the movie enjoyable. On Friday Doug and I decided to go out for Thai food and walk around Saratoga. The evening was beautiful and we walked around the park for a long time. The fun continued into Saturday when we decided to try out a new Mexican restaurant in Saratoga (our search for good Mexican may finally be over) and celebrate our three-month anniversary. We also spent time shopping in Saratoga, but the real highlight of the day was sitting together on 'our' bench at the park in Ballston Spa. The weather was wonderful and we had a really relaxing time just watching people, being in nature, and being together. Sunday we drove down to Connecticut of the Baptism of Logan, son of friends Mike & Jess. On the way home Doug got to go to Cabella's for the first time - you would have thought he was a kid in a toy store (he basically was). The weekend was a wonderful end to a great week. I have been feeling very isolated from family and close friends, and although I still miss everyone from home, it was a nice reminder that my best friend is here with me.

Surprise Outing

Doug woke me up yesterday morning saying that he had a surprise for me. I made several guesses but couldn't figure out what he had planned. He had researched online and found a blueberry farm near here that does u-pick. I was so excited to go blueberry picking; it is one of my favorite summertime activities and a tradition my brothers and I did every year for Luke's birthday. Although I missed going with my brothers it was exciting to go here and even more exciting because it was Doug's first time picking blueberries. I told him all the family jokes that we tell every year, like how Levi eats so many we should weigh him before and after to see how much we owe. Or, how every year we would take the wrong road and get lost, while joking about how we got lost every year. Needless to say, we didn't get lost, but we did have a wonderful time.

Power Outage

Doug and I had quite the surprise last night when we got home - the power was out. We found out that over 30,000 people in Saratoga County lost power during a thunder storm. We aren't sure what happened but there were a lot of sirens so we assume there was some sort of accident. With the power out we couldn't make dinner here so we decided to treat ourselves to dinner out. It was a bit of a surprise but we were ready with the camping lanterns just in case. Luckily, the power came back on around 10PM so we had power for the night.

Saratoga County Fair 2009

Doug and I spent the afternoon at the Saratoga County Fair which is located in Ballston Spa. We went with friends Melanie and Jess. Jess has an almost two-year-old daughter named Alex and a 2.5 month-old baby Logan. It was really fun to go to the fair with kids. We watched Jess and Alex go on a few rides, saw lots of animals, ate some good treats, and even saw a pig race! Who needs the rodeo when you can see pigs racing? The fair was a lot of fun and a nice way to spend the afternoon.

The McKenzies Visit

Doug and I had a wonderful visit with the McKenzie family. His parents and brother were able to fly out to New York to spend a few days visiting us as well as traveling down to New York City. The weather wasn't quite "summer weather" but we are used to it and they enjoyed a nice break from the heat of California. We ate lots of great food, spent some time in Saratoga Springs, and explored Lake George. The Lake George area was especially beautiful as everything is very green and still in bloom. We were so happy to see familiar faces, let alone family! It was a nice reminder of home for me and got me even more excited about potentially living on the west coast and even closer to family.

Independence Day

Growing up the fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I am nostalgic over parades, a park full of friends I hadn't seen since school ended, swimming in the river with my cousins, bbqs, and fireworks to top everything off. I knew that this year would be different if only because of living in a completely new place and having to come up with new traditions. Doug was scheduled to work 11:30am to 11:30pm so we didn't have any real plans. Doug went in a little late for work after going for a walk around town with me. Ballston Spa didn't have anything going on for the 4th so we were about the only people out. After Doug left for work I ended up doing classwork and relaxing. To my surprise (shock actually) Doug came home at 7:30 instead of midnight. We ended up getting to go to a friend's house for a BBQ and watched the fireworks in Saratoga. Our night ended with a trip to Virgil's - a very fun coffee house lined with shelves full of books and games with a policy of no electronics - with the goal of patrons "being here when they are here." Although our 4th wasn't full of my traditional favorites, it was full of nice surprises and fun new favorites.

Garlic Lime Porkchops & Cilantro Lime Rice

I had some cilantro in the refridgerator that needed to get used. So, I decided that tonight for dinner I am going to make a recipe that Noelle passed along. We are having garlic lime porkchops with cilantro lime rice. Both are favorites of mine after I first tried them. There is just enough zest to really make the flavor delicious and the lime and cilantro really add a lot. This dinner is relatively quick and pretty easy to make which makes it even better in my book.

Masters coursework

I thought I would give a short update on my masters coursework. Although I initially wasn't certain how I felt about the academic level of the coursework I am taking, I am really beginning to enjoy my class. The reading is enjoyable and interesting, I am learning something new, and mostly I am back in an academic mindset. I hadn't realized until now how much I really do enjoy learning when the subject is something I am passionate about and engaged with. It feels great to be intellectually stimulated and it also feels nice to be performing well at a graduate level. So far, so good.

Farmer's Market

The arrival of summer has brought along with it the beginning of the local farmer's market. Every Thursday and Saturday area farmers bring their products to the little park in downtown Ballston Spa. This is probably one of my favorite area events so far. I love the fresh produce and delicious fruits and vegetables. In additional to home grown produce there are items such as honey, baked pies, donuts, and granola. I am loving getting to walk down and pick out fresh food for afternoon snacks that make me feel like I am back in the northwest.

Schedule Change

Doug just found out that they will be adding the 5th crew back to the schedule at work. The rotation will now be 5 weeks long, with a four-day break at the end compared to a 4 week rotation with a three-day break at the end. The nice aspect of this change is that Doug will end up with more days off over time. His schedule will now be:

7 swings, 2 days off, 7 mids, 2 days off, 7 days, 2 days off, 4 "T-Week" (days), 4 days off.

Unfortunately this interferes with plans we had for the rest of the summer. We are adjusting to the change in plans. However, on the positive side Doug does get a longer break at the end of the rotation and will end up having days off that overlap with his friends in other sections.

Mishaps and Blunders

Note to self: Never accidentally signal to a military guard that you are in extreme duress. This should speak for itself.

Today I stopped by the base while running errands so that I could get Dept. of Defense stickers for the new car. This is my third time going on base without Doug so I am thinking that I am just fine and can handle the guard. I pull up to the gate house and casually hand the guard my ID card. The first guard (there are three standing there) says to me "I'm sorry - your card is upside down." So, I don't think anything of it and I flip it over and hand it back. The second guard now walks up and says to me, "Ma'm, are you under duress?" Oh shoot. It all comes back to me - the conversation where Doug clearly told me to NEVER do that unless I was having a problem. Meanwhile guard three is standing smirking at me (I guess they can't laugh while in uniform). Unfortunately for me, the guard didn't feel like letting me off the hook without some serious teasing. I guess I should just feel lucky that this isn't some sort of military offense that I just committed, and I got away with embarrassment alone.

I guess you could say that I learned my lesson and will no longer be signaling my duress to the guards.

Weekend Away: Land of Submarines and Anchors Galore

Doug and I just returned from our three-day weekend trip to Newport, RI and New London, CT. Originally we only planned to visit Newport so that we could see some of the historic sites we had missed before. I think secretly Doug was little hesitant to go back to the home of his Officer Candidate training, but I managed to drag him along with me. We left Ballston Spa on Thursday evening, stopping in MA for dinner along the way. It was nice to drive the new Jetta with its turbo engine and maneuverability.
On Friday we spent the day looking at beautiful mansions along the Newport coast. Some of the houses were unbelievable - 50,000+ sq. feet, ten bedroom, separate delivery entrances etc. Our plan once we win the lottery is to settle down in a cozy Newport mansion. We also visited the Navy War College Museum which was very interesting. We had just missed the graduation by a day, but passed several captains and naval officers from around the world. It was interesting to see all of the different uniforms from other countries (approximately 33 countries are represented in each class). We ended Friday with a shopping trip to the Navy Exchange - inexpensive + tax-free.
Saturday morning we decided to drive down the coast to visit the "Submarine Capital of the World." A few of Doug's friends who stayed in Charleston for Prototype are now at Sub School in New London so we were able to visit with them. It was a weird feeling to see them there because we realized that if the plant in Ballston Spa hadn't been put on hold we also would be in CT by now. Our evening was really enjoyable; we ate at a great seafood restaurant called Go Fish and strolled around Mystic, CT (made famous by the movie Mystic Pizza).
On Sunday we manged to get a tour of a Virginia Class submarine - the newest class of subs. It was fun for me to tour a sub that Doug could potential be stationed on, and really neat for Doug to see the newest boats. After touring the USS Virginia we stopped by the Nautilus for pictures and a quick walk through the submarine museum.
All in all we had a wonderful weekend away. It was a quick trip but a nice combination of where we have been and where we will be going.

Favorite Wedding Pictures

Now that we have received our wedding pictures (somewhere around 900) we wanted to post a few of our favorites.

Wedding Pictures

I received the wedding pictures from the photographer in the mail today. I have digital copies of several hundred pictures. It was so much fun to go through the pictures today and get to relive some of the excitement, anticipation, nerves and joy of the wedding day. Doug and I both loved looking at the pictures and getting to see some things that we hadn't noticed at the wedding (such as Luke pushing Levi Shull out of the way to catch the garter). The pictures are absolutely beautiful and really captured our wedding day. I am excited to go through the pictures and decide which to have printed. We already have picked a few that we hope to have printed for our house as well as many, many pictures that we know our families will love.

Trip to Newport, Rhode Island

Doug's next three-day break is this coming Friday-Sunday. We decided to make a trip to Newport, RI over the long weekend. Our plan is to leave here Thursday afternoon after Doug finishes work for the day and then trip to Newport. We are planning to tour some of the mansions, go on the cliff-walk, and enjoy fresh seafood. It will be fun for both of us to see Newport in the summer time. I am sure Doug will especially appreciate not having a biting wind or snow on the ground (as the last time he was there was for OCS in the winter).

Pictures of the Car

Here are a few pictures of our new car. It was raining so we didn't get very many pictures. I guess if you want to see the interior you will just have to come out and visit.

Crawfish Boil

This evening Doug and I went to a celebration for a lot of the officers that are two classes ahead of Doug. Most of them are completing their boards and completing this part of their training. To celebrate they ordered 90 pounds of crawfish to be delivered straight from Louisiana. Doug got to share some of his expertise in "how to eat crawfish." It was great to get out and have a little fun. Although, their might have been a bit of 'senior-itis' as Doug is now ready for his class to finish and have their own celebration.

New Car

Well, we made our first major purchase as a married couple. Doug and I just signed the paperwork for a really nice '04 VW Jetta. We searched quite a bit and found one that was in great condition and 'fully-loaded.' We made an offer that we were sure was way too low, but they accepted and we are now jetta owners. Doug and I are going back tomorrow to pick up the new car.
This is really great for us because now we can get around a lot more easily (in major cities a H2 doesn't really do that well). We are looking forward to having a vehicle with pretty good gas mileage as well. I will be sure to post pictures once we have the car in our hot little hands.

Online Class

I started my first master's class this weekend. So far, so good. The syllabus looks like the class will be really interesting. I am excited to be starting this adventure. It is a little nerve-wracking to be starting a master's program and be doing it online (so different than Willamette) but I am really very proud of myself as well. Wish me luck!

Car Shopping

Doug and I have been doing quite a bit of online-car shopping. We decided it would make things much easier to have a second car - something a little smaller that we can easily get around in. I would drive the car most of the time but it would be good for any trips we take or even just running errands. Yesterday Doug and I went out and test-drove a car! It was a lot of fun and something I have never done before. We are looking primarily at used Jettas. Wish us happy-hunting!

Fifty-Percent Exam

On Wednesday Doug took his fifty-percent exam. The test marks what should be their half-way point in the training program (we are hoping the second half doesn't take as long as the first half did). Doug passed and did quite well so I am really proud of him! It is also great because this means they are making some progress and hopefully will continue to progress through the program at a relatively normal rate. We are learning to be patient; we still won't know when he will graduate, or where we will be moving, for a few months. Until then it is nice to be in New York and get to spend as much time together as possible.

Online Coursework

With all of our moving around in the next few months it will be difficult for me to attend graduate school until we are settled down permanently. Due to the lack of available jobs in our area I have been looking for something to keep me busy. Starting June 6th I will be taking online coursework towards earning a Master of Science in Human Services with a specialization in School Counseling. Since online coursework is very different than classes at Willamette I am going to take things slowly and start out with one introductory class. If the first class goes fine I will be continuing with further coursework. If nothing else I will have something to keep me busy and give me more qualifications for future work.

Our Library

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves" ~Anna Quindlen

Most people who know Doug and I know that we both love to read. We spend plenty of time in bookstores walking around and enjoying being surrounded by books. It is our goal to one day have our own in-home library with book shelves on every wall. We now have a membership to Barnes and Noble (you can probably expect books for birthdays and Christmas) and just put together our third book shelf. Our most recent home renovation included sorting our books and organizing what books we have here in New York. So, in the spirit of being organized I gained some inspiration from Dewey Decimal and organized our books into science, military, non-fiction, fiction, reference, cooking, and "Other." I am excited for the arrival of my books to add the all important romance, sociology, and travel sections of the library.

Camping at Ausable Chasm

This past weekend Doug and I packed up the H2 and drove north to go camping in Ausable, New York. We were near Lake Champlain and enjoyed beautiful weather and gorgeous sites. It was great to use our new camping gear that we got as wedding gifts from my dad. We arrived Thursday night and set up camp and roasted marshmellows for smores. On Friday Doug and I hiked through the Chasm which was absolultely amazing. The sites were fantastic and unbelievable. Our first camping trip was a lot of fun and a great way to spend Memorial Day Weekend.

Graduation

This past weekend I flew back to Oregon to walk in my commencement ceremony from Willamette University. Doug was unable to go back with me due to work. However, Kathryn and Mema were able to fly up from California to watch me walk. While in Salem we had brunch at Delta Gamma with Kathryn, Mema, my mom, my dad & Bobbie, Josh, Luke and Levi. I completed the DG tradition by taking my book from upstairs (you put it there when you graduate) and took it downstairs (when you get married). Monday evening we had a small gathering up at my mom's house in Longview and got a chance to relax and celebrate a little more. It was a long weekend full of flying and driving but I loved seeing everyone and it was nice to finally get my diploma in hand!

Rainy Day

Today I am feeling so at home; I woke up to a downpour! It is raining cats and dogs here and I now realize that the weather really does do everything here too. Yesterday was 75 and beautiful and today is wet. Doug and I did get out a little bit so that we could run a few errands and spend an hour or so at the bookstore. I was excited because I was able to get some use out of my new rose rain slicker.

In general we really enjoyed having the almost three days off together after Doug worked for seven days. Things are calming down and we are both getting more accustomed to sharing with a roommate :).

Up, Up, & Away!

Today Doug and I joined Navy friend Joe Stockhausen on a flying adventure. Joe and Doug first met while interviewing in D.C. and completed O.C.S. together as well as living together in Charleston while completing Power School. They have thus far done the entire Navy experience together! Joe has been taking flying lessons for the past few months and recently earned his pilots license. We were the first passengers he has taken up! We had a great time flying together and got to pass over Saratoga Springs and see the race tracks, pass over Doug's work site, fly over beautiful Lake George, and fly by Mount Marcy - the tallest mountain in New York state. We also made a pit-stop in Glens Falls for lunch at a very cute airport diner. This was a first for both Doug and I as neither had been up in a small plane before. We both even got to take turns flying! The weather was wonderful, skies were clear and we may have just found a new hobby.