Promos and Weddings

Chad was inducted into the "Top 5." This is essentially the top 5% of the military personnel. He is now considered a Senior NCO (Person in command). He will sew on his new stripe hopefully in November or December, but he took a new job on Monday based on the fact that he will be a Master Sgt.

I was really excited to be able to attend a Military Ceremony (and doesn't my hubby look so handsome in his Blue's?) I guess I was just super excited to show my support and for Chad to know how proud I am of his accomplishments.

The NCO induction ceremony was on Thursday last week. Friday I got to see Mamma Mia with my good friend Jill. We went to the late show, and then Chad and I got the crazy idea that since it was cooler outside we should stain the deck when we got home. Keep in mind that we left the theater at 12:30 a.m. - I believe we finished the deck (or at least the first half) at 2:30 in the morning. I can definitely say it has been awhile since we have seen that time of day!

Needless to say - We slept in on Saturday! We then left for Des Moines. My friends Leah and Brian got married.

* A little side note -

I met Brian at daycare when we were maybe 6 months old, and we attended our first birthday party together (for Chris Finnegan).

Leah and I met during my second year at NIACC. We became close friends and eventually roommates for 2 years. I love my Leah Lou! Sadly, we don't get to see each other often.

It was great to see them tie the knot after dating for 7 years!

On a final note - I thought this picture was beautiful. We took it on our vacation this summer, but I still am amazed at the beauty of a sunset and a sunrise. Rainbows and rays of sun shining through clouds make me smile. I guess I am just thankful for all the small things that make each day so great!

Vacation... And the Best Part Was.....

Well - Even though we had a blast with my family, Chad and I both agree that the best part of the trip and one of the coolest things we have ever done... was swimming with the dolphins.

The pictures pretty much say it all. Pure Joy!!!

We had always seen pictures like this, but never imagined that we would be able to enjoy the experience.


We would do it again in a hearbeat and fully plan to take the kids with us next time. That will be really fun seeing them experience the dolphins ~

Vacation 08

Chad and I just returned from vacationing with my family. We finally got to enjoy the cruise we had purchased and planned for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. I have so many great pictures to share, but here are a few to get started with. I will have to post more when it is not so late!


OF COURSE ..... We had to have SAFETY FIRST! Here is Tristan, Annie, Me and Chad during our boat drill. I don't know why I am the only one looking happy.... maybe a scared smile???


The Happy Couple enjoying a relaxing moment on the sun deck!

Chad and I during the Captain's dinner. FYI - This picture was originally taken upside-down. (Reduces the red-eye - Wink, Wink)
My mom and dad on the shore of the Cayman Islands.

This was our first port of call. We enjoyed some shopping
and some snorkling on the beach.

Our 2nd port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. We had many photo opportunities with animals... all of which cost at least $5/picture. Chad and I went swimming with the dolphins on this day. Like I said - I will post more pictures tomorrow...

4th of July

Chad and I went to Clear Lake for the 4th of July. We spent the weekend with lots of family. It was good to see everyone again. I must admit that we would have enjoyed spending the holiday with the kids, but since they were gone, we just enjoyed our time together.


In order to understand how big the celebration is in Clear Lake you need to know a few things.
1. People started laying out/reserving parade spaces on Tuesday.... July 1.
2. Finding a parking space is next to impossible. We walked to and from the park not only for exercise, but because our parking space would have only been about 2 blocks from the house.
3. We went to the beach to reserve our fireworks viewing spot at 2:00 in the afternoon and the beach was already almost full.

Chad and I wandered the park and carnival for awhile but then went to enjoy time on the beach. (This may have been a bad choice as I went into full blown teacher mode when kids started running across blankets, littering in the lake, and .... this was the final straw.... kicking sand at people, and then denying it. I was the recipient of a nice portion of sand down my pants as a result of a 10 year old kicking sand at me... Grrr! The parents did NOTHING to discipline or even intervene when all of the above was occurring. I think in my frustration I said something along the lines of... "And you expect us to be able to teach them in the classroom when they have learned that this behavior is okay?")

We enjoyed the lake while we were waiting for the fireworks to start.
I love the lake and the beautiful sunsets. This picture makes me miss Clear Lake. We always have such a good time visiting and seeing family and friends again. Wish we could do it more often.
Finally, I had to put in one picture of the fireworks. They were amazing as usual. I am very thankful that it all went well and everyone was safe at the lake. One firework did get a little close to the beach, but I don't think anyone was seriously injured. However, I should add that just 30 minutes from Clear Lake another town had a major fireworks accident. The tubes tipped over and shot the fireworks directly into the crowd instead of up into the sky. Many people were injured and Tristan (Annie's boyfriend) was the dispatcher to receive the call. The quick response was key to helping the people survive. Please keep the people of Charles City in your prayers. They were also severely impacted by the flooding in June.
One final note.... Thank you to all the men and women who go to work each day to protect the freedoms we enjoy. As a spouse of an Active Duty Military person, I am proud of the work he does each and every day.