The other day I picked up our pottery after work.
We have been waiting (impatiently I might add..)
all week for them to be fired so we were pretty
excited when we heard they were ready.
Let us know what you think!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Painting our Hearts Out
This past week Dan and I went to Arts on Fire, a "paint your own pottery" place. About a month and a half ago I saw an episode on one of my favorite shows "Jon & Kate plus 8 (a show about a family with twins and sextuplets) about them taking their kids to a place like Arts on Fire. After watching that episode I had a HUGE craving to go to one as well. So my friend Mallory and I went about a month ago. I painted a plate as a wedding gift for Andrew & Cami. Ever since then I have been wanting to go back with Dan. I was a little worried he wouldn't really enjoy it but we want to start doing more stuff with each other that entails teaching one another about a hobby of ours. So painting we did go!
We each picked out plates to decorate to use each Sunday for dinner. Dan painted a "Cajun Basketball" theme on his, which consisted of an alligator sitting on top of a basketball (basically his two favorite things....lol) with a landscape like background and a sun in the corner with a goofy grin and sunglasses on. I painted a "Frog Kingdom" (who would have ever guessed....:)on mine, which consisted of a frog prince and princess with a castle in the background. It had "And they lived "HOP"ily ever after" written around the border. Both plates definitely fit our personalities!
I was surprised at how much fun Dan had painting his plate and how good he was at it. I helped him out a little but I think he discovered a little bit of artistic talent he never knew he had....don't think he will probably pursue that talent much other than when I drag him into doing craft projects with me...which knowing myself, that might happen quite often. Overall, it was a nice day. We have been so busy lately that it was nice to take time out of our Saturday to just relax and enjoy one an other's company without having to worry about anything other than painting our plates!
2 Years...CrAzY!!!!!
As I mentioned in the previous post we have officially been married two years now. It really doesn't seem like it was that long ago. Probably a big part of it is because Dan was getting ready to deploy on our first anniversary. So when he got home from deployment we were already halfway to our second. For our anniversary we had planned on going out of town for the weekend but had to postpone it due to Dan getting called in to work. We still had a nice dinner at home on Sunday and exchanged gifts and such. I have to say, the gift from my parents (more so my dad), pictured on the left, definitely sums up our marriage!:) Hee hee...not really but we both definitely enjoy teasing each other on occasion!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I've Been Tagged!!!! Thanks to Amber:)
Okay, so I was tagged by Amber to post 6 random facts about myself. I decided to use this tag as a way of filling everyone in on our current life. I have been thinking about doing that for quite sometime since I have several friends who now read my blog that I haven't talked to since before I even met Dan.
1. Dan & I met on a blind date January 2, 2006. Both of us were NOT excited about going on a blind date...but are glad we did! We definitely don't give testimonials on the pros of blind dating but if it works for you, great! It worked randomly for us (Dan's first blind date and my second). I will say it makes the difference who sets you up. Dan was asked about the date by his brother's best friend and my best friend asked me about it.
2. We were engaged just shy of 6 weeks of dating (I know crazy....) on Valentines. Dan went off to basic training for the Air Force at the end of April and returned just a mere few days before the wedding.
3. We were sealed in the Bountiful Temple, August 10, 2006 and just celebrated our 2 year anniversary a few weeks ago. We took a short weekend honeymoon to Vegas and moved a week later to our first Air Force station, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
4. We have been living in Louisiana now for two years and LOVE it! We do miss family at times but we definitely have a great life here and have made lots of forever friends. When we were waiting to find out where we would be stationed (much like waiting for a mission call) my mom and I kept on praying we would be near family (or near enough to have someone to run to in case of emergency). Our prayers were definitely answered, but not in the slightest way we expected. We thought we might end up near Utah or in Arizona by Dan's brother, but here we are in Louisiana only 3 HOURS AWAY from Dan's Dan and Stepmom (they moved here about 6 months after we did). Plus we also have the Deatons (my old neighbors from Utah) that we consider next to kin as well.
5. Dan works on base as a cook and goes to school part-time at night. He teasingly said he was given the job because he was a newlywed and the Air Force wanted him to learn how to cook for his wife. I think that is actually slightly true. Although he has had his challenges of downsizing a recipe for hundreds of people just for the two of us, he is a big help in the kitchen when I have down days. Oh yeah, that's another random tidbit from the past two years, I was diagnosed as a Diabetic about a year ago, therefore the down days. Dan enjoys his job but eventually would like to work at the gym helping plan races and other events on base. Is the Air Force a career for him? Who knows??? That is a big question lingering in our minds but we enjoy it for now and want to make the best of it! Dan has deployed once so far, last year he was in Kuwait from September until the end of January this year. It was hard having him gone (I spent a majority of the time in Utah with family) but we both grew a lot from the experience.
6. As for me, I work in Downtown Shreveport at a law firm. There are 12 attorneys here so there is plenty of work to keep me busy! I work as their billing clerk and occasionally fill in with help on the accounting side as well. It is a good job for now, I have made some great friends and enjoy what I do (well for the most part....). I have definitely learned a lot here and they have been extremely good to me. Heck, they let me take off 3 whole months while Dan was deployed! Not sure if I will stay working at law firms in general forever, possibly thinking about becoming a dietitian or something along those lines, but for now the law firm is the place I am supposed to be! As far as schooling goes, I finished up my associates degree this past year and put school on hold while Dan was deployed. I have signed up for a few continuing education classes at the local college this fall and will hopefully be starting shortly again on another degree of some sort.
Bonus Random Fact #7. Dan & I are both currently serving with the youth at church and we both love it! I am sure I have mentioned that before in some of the posts but wanted to mention it again because it is such a big part of our daily lives. Our callings have definitely been the number one thing that has helped us make friends and start a support group in Louisiana, a home a way from home, I guess you could call it.
Okay, now it's someone else's turn. I tag Lora, Mary, & Desirae!!!!! Tell me 6 things about yourself!
1. Dan & I met on a blind date January 2, 2006. Both of us were NOT excited about going on a blind date...but are glad we did! We definitely don't give testimonials on the pros of blind dating but if it works for you, great! It worked randomly for us (Dan's first blind date and my second). I will say it makes the difference who sets you up. Dan was asked about the date by his brother's best friend and my best friend asked me about it.
2. We were engaged just shy of 6 weeks of dating (I know crazy....) on Valentines. Dan went off to basic training for the Air Force at the end of April and returned just a mere few days before the wedding.
3. We were sealed in the Bountiful Temple, August 10, 2006 and just celebrated our 2 year anniversary a few weeks ago. We took a short weekend honeymoon to Vegas and moved a week later to our first Air Force station, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
4. We have been living in Louisiana now for two years and LOVE it! We do miss family at times but we definitely have a great life here and have made lots of forever friends. When we were waiting to find out where we would be stationed (much like waiting for a mission call) my mom and I kept on praying we would be near family (or near enough to have someone to run to in case of emergency). Our prayers were definitely answered, but not in the slightest way we expected. We thought we might end up near Utah or in Arizona by Dan's brother, but here we are in Louisiana only 3 HOURS AWAY from Dan's Dan and Stepmom (they moved here about 6 months after we did). Plus we also have the Deatons (my old neighbors from Utah) that we consider next to kin as well.
5. Dan works on base as a cook and goes to school part-time at night. He teasingly said he was given the job because he was a newlywed and the Air Force wanted him to learn how to cook for his wife. I think that is actually slightly true. Although he has had his challenges of downsizing a recipe for hundreds of people just for the two of us, he is a big help in the kitchen when I have down days. Oh yeah, that's another random tidbit from the past two years, I was diagnosed as a Diabetic about a year ago, therefore the down days. Dan enjoys his job but eventually would like to work at the gym helping plan races and other events on base. Is the Air Force a career for him? Who knows??? That is a big question lingering in our minds but we enjoy it for now and want to make the best of it! Dan has deployed once so far, last year he was in Kuwait from September until the end of January this year. It was hard having him gone (I spent a majority of the time in Utah with family) but we both grew a lot from the experience.
6. As for me, I work in Downtown Shreveport at a law firm. There are 12 attorneys here so there is plenty of work to keep me busy! I work as their billing clerk and occasionally fill in with help on the accounting side as well. It is a good job for now, I have made some great friends and enjoy what I do (well for the most part....). I have definitely learned a lot here and they have been extremely good to me. Heck, they let me take off 3 whole months while Dan was deployed! Not sure if I will stay working at law firms in general forever, possibly thinking about becoming a dietitian or something along those lines, but for now the law firm is the place I am supposed to be! As far as schooling goes, I finished up my associates degree this past year and put school on hold while Dan was deployed. I have signed up for a few continuing education classes at the local college this fall and will hopefully be starting shortly again on another degree of some sort.
Bonus Random Fact #7. Dan & I are both currently serving with the youth at church and we both love it! I am sure I have mentioned that before in some of the posts but wanted to mention it again because it is such a big part of our daily lives. Our callings have definitely been the number one thing that has helped us make friends and start a support group in Louisiana, a home a way from home, I guess you could call it.
Okay, now it's someone else's turn. I tag Lora, Mary, & Desirae!!!!! Tell me 6 things about yourself!
Pictures from Utah:)
Dan was excited about his new outfit
we bought for him to wear in Utah.
He was extremely surprised I thought
the idea of buying plaid shorts was
acceptable, and even more surprised
I liked them! FYI Dan, wearing plaid shorts
is NOT the same as wearing your
Hawaiian swimsuit on dates.
Dan, Jordan, & Rueb after a water war.
Andrew & Cami and Paul & Donna at the reception.
Dolores, Abby, & Aidan.
Donna, Angel, and I in our pretty little dresses.
My bro & I at the reception.
Bowling with Rueb.
Bowling again.
and again:)
Best part about bowling was our scores. I accidentally bowledfor my dad (F=fadduh) so he bowled
mine (S=Sierra). So I definitely ended up with a
better score that way! Heck I almost won the game!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Our Utah Trip
I am finally posting about Utah....I know I said I would do it a few weekends ago but life seems to be passing too quickly and I keep on getting more and more behind. Our home computer wasn't working for a few weeks and I was finally able to fix it this past weekend. So between having no home computer and being too busy to do it at work during my lunch, I just haven't posted for awhile:) So anyways, I figured I would at least try to do a few postings this morning. (minus pictures because I accidentally left my purse at home this morning, which has the camera in it...annoying to say the least!!!!!!!!!!)
Okay, so we went to Utah a few weeks ago for Andrew's, Dan's brother, wedding. We got there on a Saturday and became wedding plan/prep assistant's (for the most part....) for the weekend up until the wedding on Tuesday. It was a tiring weekend but we were glad to help and enjoyed being near family. The wedding was great, we enjoyed the day and were excited to be able to be a part of the wedding celebration. Donna, my mother-in-law, Angel and Kristen (two of my sister-in-laws), and I all enjoyed being able to dress up and FINALLY wear the dresses we all stressed over finding:) I enjoyed being all fancy and look forward to wearing my outfit again (yes again...I spent too much on it just to wear it once) at Angel's wedding in November. Overall, the wedding was a great day, tiring to say the least, but I always enjoy participating in weddings now just as much as I did as a little girl when I looked forward to and schemed about my own wedding someday.
After the wedding was over we made a hasty decision and changed Dan's flight plan to stay a few extra days. He originally was supposed to leave the morning after the wedding to head back home for work and school. But since we hadn't really had a chance to relax with family yet he decided to stay a few extra days. Wednesday we spent the morning with the Crandall family eating free breakfast at the Holiday Inn and that evening with the Jasmers playing killer bunnies...my new obsession! Kristen has been trying to convince me to learn the game for quite some time now and I have always cringed at the idea. Well this time when I was asked I finally gave in and joined the game and ended up falling in love with it. I bought the game shortly thereafter but haven't had a chance to play it since we got home...it is constantly on my mind though!
Thursday I was able to spend some one-on-one time with my mom and Dan spent the morning with his two younger brothers, while everyone else was at work. That night we spent time with my family. My mom and I put together a full Chinese dinner, chopsticks included. It was fun to just be able to spend time with my family, visiting, relaxing, laughing, etc...something I miss.
Dan left first thing Friday morning in order to make it back to Louisiana in time for class that night. His flight ended up being delayed enough that he missed the beginning of his class but it wasn't a big issue. I stayed a few extra days, enjoying time with both families. After going to church with my family and a quick dinner on Sunday I was scheduled to fly home...but my flight got cancelled. I really wasn't all that annoyed because I was sad to say goodbye and had a good excuse to visit longer. So my dad took work off on Monday and we schedule a daddy-daughter date. It was a great morning and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! We went up to Park City and he took me to lunch and we did a little shopping. That has always been a favorite place of mine to go because of all the memories as a child I have there.
As my dad and I arrived at the airport for my departure we waited in a long, long line for a long, long time for me to be checked in. When I got to the front I found out that my flight had been cancelled yet again...so I went home for another night with my family. My mom and brother were very surprised, to say the least, when I walked in the door that night!
By this point I was getting a little annoyed just because I knew I was missing work yet another day but I still won't complain, I enjoyed the extra time with family once again:) My brother was teasing me all night about me being just like the guy on the movie "Groundhog Day", where he keeps on living the same day over and over again. He kept on quoting lines from the movie and asking me if my life felt just like that....and actually it kinda did! But living the "Groundhog" life quickly ended the next morning when I FINALLY flew home to Shreveport after trying for 3 days with no avail. I was sad to say "see you soon" to my family once again but I think my husband was glad to have me home after my little adventure!
We spent the remainder of the week trying to catch up with our lives here in Louisiana and are back to being Cajun Crandalls again (for now at least....until Utah calls our name again this December for Mike's (Dan's brother) Homecoming).
Okay, so we went to Utah a few weeks ago for Andrew's, Dan's brother, wedding. We got there on a Saturday and became wedding plan/prep assistant's (for the most part....) for the weekend up until the wedding on Tuesday. It was a tiring weekend but we were glad to help and enjoyed being near family. The wedding was great, we enjoyed the day and were excited to be able to be a part of the wedding celebration. Donna, my mother-in-law, Angel and Kristen (two of my sister-in-laws), and I all enjoyed being able to dress up and FINALLY wear the dresses we all stressed over finding:) I enjoyed being all fancy and look forward to wearing my outfit again (yes again...I spent too much on it just to wear it once) at Angel's wedding in November. Overall, the wedding was a great day, tiring to say the least, but I always enjoy participating in weddings now just as much as I did as a little girl when I looked forward to and schemed about my own wedding someday.
After the wedding was over we made a hasty decision and changed Dan's flight plan to stay a few extra days. He originally was supposed to leave the morning after the wedding to head back home for work and school. But since we hadn't really had a chance to relax with family yet he decided to stay a few extra days. Wednesday we spent the morning with the Crandall family eating free breakfast at the Holiday Inn and that evening with the Jasmers playing killer bunnies...my new obsession! Kristen has been trying to convince me to learn the game for quite some time now and I have always cringed at the idea. Well this time when I was asked I finally gave in and joined the game and ended up falling in love with it. I bought the game shortly thereafter but haven't had a chance to play it since we got home...it is constantly on my mind though!
Thursday I was able to spend some one-on-one time with my mom and Dan spent the morning with his two younger brothers, while everyone else was at work. That night we spent time with my family. My mom and I put together a full Chinese dinner, chopsticks included. It was fun to just be able to spend time with my family, visiting, relaxing, laughing, etc...something I miss.
Dan left first thing Friday morning in order to make it back to Louisiana in time for class that night. His flight ended up being delayed enough that he missed the beginning of his class but it wasn't a big issue. I stayed a few extra days, enjoying time with both families. After going to church with my family and a quick dinner on Sunday I was scheduled to fly home...but my flight got cancelled. I really wasn't all that annoyed because I was sad to say goodbye and had a good excuse to visit longer. So my dad took work off on Monday and we schedule a daddy-daughter date. It was a great morning and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! We went up to Park City and he took me to lunch and we did a little shopping. That has always been a favorite place of mine to go because of all the memories as a child I have there.
As my dad and I arrived at the airport for my departure we waited in a long, long line for a long, long time for me to be checked in. When I got to the front I found out that my flight had been cancelled yet again...so I went home for another night with my family. My mom and brother were very surprised, to say the least, when I walked in the door that night!
By this point I was getting a little annoyed just because I knew I was missing work yet another day but I still won't complain, I enjoyed the extra time with family once again:) My brother was teasing me all night about me being just like the guy on the movie "Groundhog Day", where he keeps on living the same day over and over again. He kept on quoting lines from the movie and asking me if my life felt just like that....and actually it kinda did! But living the "Groundhog" life quickly ended the next morning when I FINALLY flew home to Shreveport after trying for 3 days with no avail. I was sad to say "see you soon" to my family once again but I think my husband was glad to have me home after my little adventure!
We spent the remainder of the week trying to catch up with our lives here in Louisiana and are back to being Cajun Crandalls again (for now at least....until Utah calls our name again this December for Mike's (Dan's brother) Homecoming).
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Back to reality......:)
Well for those that didn't know...we went to Utah for a week for Dan's brother's wedding (explanation for the lack of blogging...). It was great to spend time with family and friends for the week. It will probably take me several posts to catch everyone up on our life...so be patient with me! As for now I just wanted to let everyone know we didn't fall off the planet, just feels like it! Dan came home on Friday morning because he had to be back from school. I was supposed to return Sunday night but after SEVERAL cancelled flights I finally made it home Tuesday night (it was fun to be able to spend extra time with family but felt like I was on the movie "Groundhog Day"...kept on repeating the same day over and over again. Rueben kept on teasing me and saying lines from the movie all night Monday night after yet another cancelled flight). Yesterday at work was a really LONG day to say the least after being gone. From there we went straight to YM/YW. We took all the youth bowling on base. It was really fun. Now I am back to work again and the exhaustion seems to finally be hitting me....afraid if I even close my eyes for a second I might fall asleep:)
More posts to follow....hopefully I will be caught up with it all by the end of the weekend!
More posts to follow....hopefully I will be caught up with it all by the end of the weekend!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Yeah for Saturdays!
So I know I should be working right now but I really wanted to just send a short and probably random post. I am so excited that quite a bit of our family and friends are starting to join the blogging world! It is addicting, isn't it? I am hoping while we are in Utah this next week we will be able to let more of our family know about our site so we can keep better contact with them as well.
So anyways, the reason for my post. Last Saturday was Dan's first Saturday off of work that I can honestly remember in a long, long time. He has taken a few saturdays off here and there when we are going out of town but this last Saturday was officially his first Saturday off because of his new job! Dan has worked in the dining hall at Barksdale for the past two years and just recently switched over to the flight kitchen, which is a Monday-Friday, 4am-2pm schedule. We are really lucky and blessed to have been given such a great schedule, most Airman with the same ranking as him have to work the entire weekend and quite often the night shift.
Hopefully the schedule will at least last until Christmas because I LOVE having him home on the weekends and holidays. This year he had the 4th of July off and should have Thanksgiving and Christmas as well...it would be great to have him home and in the USA for the holidays!
Anyways, so this past Friday night we went to a late movie after Dan's school to celebrate the beginning of the weekend! No usually 4am Saturday wake up call for us....or so I thought. Dan is famous for liking to set an alarm even on his days off. It drives me nuts because I love waking up naturally and he loves setting his alarm. Dan gets up extra early to have time to get ready slowly and sit down for breakfast. Me, on the other hand, I sleep in as late as possible, hit the snooze about 10 times, and rush to get ready for the day. We are quite opposite in that regard! So anyway, I made Dan promise to not set ANY alarms for Saturday morning because I wanted to sleep in.
So at 4am his phone goes off (I figured he had just left his weekday alarm on by accident) and I was quite upset about it all. But since I was awake I decided I may as well go to the bathroom before I try to fall back asleep. When I came back in the room the light was on and he was all dressed and ready to go somewhere. With my eyes still half closed I tried to just ignore him and laid back down to go to sleep, not really thinking much of it other than the fact that I was annoyed about the whole situation. He comes over to me and tells me it is time to get dressed to go. I was like "Go where??? It is 4am! Time to sleep!". Anyway, so I reluctantly got dressed and decided to just go with the flow. Dan surprised me and took me out to breakfast! I have been wanting to go out to breakfast on a Saturday morning for a LONG TIME and just take the morning easy so it was a great surprise....I hadn't been dreaming about going at 4am though, more like 10am but I have realized since that the only way Dan could have probably surprised me is by taking me at that time. I am infamous for ruining his surprises because I can be way too observant....but he definitely surprised me this time!
So anyway, breakfast was yummy! We came back home and Dan decided to watch a movie, I told him he was crazy, and I fell right back asleep for several more hours:)
What a great way to start off a lazy Saturday.....well lazy probably isn't the right word because we did have a lot to do that day, but still, it was nice to start off the day with a slow start.
P.S. Okay, so I lied...this post definitely wasn't short but it was random!
So anyways, the reason for my post. Last Saturday was Dan's first Saturday off of work that I can honestly remember in a long, long time. He has taken a few saturdays off here and there when we are going out of town but this last Saturday was officially his first Saturday off because of his new job! Dan has worked in the dining hall at Barksdale for the past two years and just recently switched over to the flight kitchen, which is a Monday-Friday, 4am-2pm schedule. We are really lucky and blessed to have been given such a great schedule, most Airman with the same ranking as him have to work the entire weekend and quite often the night shift.
Hopefully the schedule will at least last until Christmas because I LOVE having him home on the weekends and holidays. This year he had the 4th of July off and should have Thanksgiving and Christmas as well...it would be great to have him home and in the USA for the holidays!
Anyways, so this past Friday night we went to a late movie after Dan's school to celebrate the beginning of the weekend! No usually 4am Saturday wake up call for us....or so I thought. Dan is famous for liking to set an alarm even on his days off. It drives me nuts because I love waking up naturally and he loves setting his alarm. Dan gets up extra early to have time to get ready slowly and sit down for breakfast. Me, on the other hand, I sleep in as late as possible, hit the snooze about 10 times, and rush to get ready for the day. We are quite opposite in that regard! So anyway, I made Dan promise to not set ANY alarms for Saturday morning because I wanted to sleep in.
So at 4am his phone goes off (I figured he had just left his weekday alarm on by accident) and I was quite upset about it all. But since I was awake I decided I may as well go to the bathroom before I try to fall back asleep. When I came back in the room the light was on and he was all dressed and ready to go somewhere. With my eyes still half closed I tried to just ignore him and laid back down to go to sleep, not really thinking much of it other than the fact that I was annoyed about the whole situation. He comes over to me and tells me it is time to get dressed to go. I was like "Go where??? It is 4am! Time to sleep!". Anyway, so I reluctantly got dressed and decided to just go with the flow. Dan surprised me and took me out to breakfast! I have been wanting to go out to breakfast on a Saturday morning for a LONG TIME and just take the morning easy so it was a great surprise....I hadn't been dreaming about going at 4am though, more like 10am but I have realized since that the only way Dan could have probably surprised me is by taking me at that time. I am infamous for ruining his surprises because I can be way too observant....but he definitely surprised me this time!
So anyway, breakfast was yummy! We came back home and Dan decided to watch a movie, I told him he was crazy, and I fell right back asleep for several more hours:)
What a great way to start off a lazy Saturday.....well lazy probably isn't the right word because we did have a lot to do that day, but still, it was nice to start off the day with a slow start.
P.S. Okay, so I lied...this post definitely wasn't short but it was random!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Yet another 5k..........
Dan ran a 5k on base this morning (or as close as the base seems to get to a 5k, it is actually about a ¼ mile short). I always enjoy watching him run, just wish I wasn’t the only person there to watch the races! There was actually quite a big turnout of runners to this one (several hundred), but they are still lacking on having an audience.
Dan did a really good job. He came in at 16:40, right behind Chief Cooley. As you may remember me saying before, anyone who beats the Chief gets one free day of leave. Last month at the base 5k Dan came in second as well, then at the firecracker run he beat Chief but it didn’t count because it was off base..so this month once again he didn’t get a free day either! Oh well! There is always next month…I am glad he just enjoys running as much as I enjoy watching the races.
Dan negotiating with Chief for a free day of leave....
not really but he did joke about it
Starting....
Finishing....
My hair looks a litle orange in the picture, I know. The sun was shining on it weird plus it has gotten bleached a bit from being out in the sun. Someone asked if we are not allowed to be touching on base. It is true, Dan can't hold my hand in uniformbut we can be closer than we are in the picture. The only reason we are so far away here is becuase he was too sweaty I wouldn't let him near me!
Airman of the Month
Yesterday I was able to go to Dan’s Commander’s Call on base where he received an award for being the Airman of the Month for July in his squadron. His squadron is currently the largest on base because they recently merged services and mission support together. It is now called the 2nd Force Support Squadron.
Anyways, so he had a lot of competition for this award compared to in the past when the squadron was half the size. Each month supervisors nominate several airman for this award. They then have to each dress in their “Blues” and go up in front of a board. They are judged on their appearance and dress as well as the questions they are asked during the interview. They must know the history of the air force, current events, etc.
Anyways, so he had a lot of competition for this award compared to in the past when the squadron was half the size. Each month supervisors nominate several airman for this award. They then have to each dress in their “Blues” and go up in front of a board. They are judged on their appearance and dress as well as the questions they are asked during the interview. They must know the history of the air force, current events, etc.
Dan was given the award by his new commander (which by the way…totally reminds me of Dan’s brother, Spencer…how he looks, acts, smiles…the whole bit. The picture is quite blury though so it is hard to tell). It was really neat to see Dan recognized for all his hard work. I am very proud of him!
His award
We tried taking a picture of the both of us at home
since we forgot to at the ceremony
but we weren't entirely successful:)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Girls Camp!
This past week I went to girls camp. For those of you who don’t know Dan and I are both currently working with the youth in the ward and we LOVE IT! So Dan was able to go to scout camp about a month ago (I will try to talk Dan into posting about that in the near future…) and I was able to go to a portion of girls camp.
Because the size of the church is so small here they only do Stake Girls Camp. We had three girls from our ward that attended as well as the young women’s president and I. It was a really great experience minus the awful bugs, heat, and humidity. Girls camp in Utah is way better for the single reason that there is no humidity so it actually cools down at night. Camping out in the wilderness for several days like that sure makes you grateful for all the conveniences of living in an air-conditioned building with a shower and toilet! Coming back to my comfortable bed was definitely my favorite part though:)
Despite all my complaints I was grateful to be able to go to camp with these girls. Most of the girls in the Stake are the only LDS at their school. So girls camp is the one time of the year where they get to be surrounded by friends of the same faith for several days. For many of them it gives them the strength to make it through the next school year until they can gather again. This year they mixed up all the leaders and girls in different tents. So all the girls I worked with were from different wards than I was. At first I was a little sad that I didn’t get to spend as much time with my girls as I would have liked but I saw how good of an experience it was for them. They were all able to make new friends and gain a stronger support system. My testimony was definitely strengthened by the example of these girls. I often find it difficult as an adult to be so different than most everyone I associate with on a daily basis. I can’t imagine the difficulties these girls face as youth. They are strong girls and I look up to them for the courage they have.
Jaclyn, Cady, Kayla, Sister Bates, & I
Bishop and his wife came up for testimony meeting...
Because the size of the church is so small here they only do Stake Girls Camp. We had three girls from our ward that attended as well as the young women’s president and I. It was a really great experience minus the awful bugs, heat, and humidity. Girls camp in Utah is way better for the single reason that there is no humidity so it actually cools down at night. Camping out in the wilderness for several days like that sure makes you grateful for all the conveniences of living in an air-conditioned building with a shower and toilet! Coming back to my comfortable bed was definitely my favorite part though:)
Despite all my complaints I was grateful to be able to go to camp with these girls. Most of the girls in the Stake are the only LDS at their school. So girls camp is the one time of the year where they get to be surrounded by friends of the same faith for several days. For many of them it gives them the strength to make it through the next school year until they can gather again. This year they mixed up all the leaders and girls in different tents. So all the girls I worked with were from different wards than I was. At first I was a little sad that I didn’t get to spend as much time with my girls as I would have liked but I saw how good of an experience it was for them. They were all able to make new friends and gain a stronger support system. My testimony was definitely strengthened by the example of these girls. I often find it difficult as an adult to be so different than most everyone I associate with on a daily basis. I can’t imagine the difficulties these girls face as youth. They are strong girls and I look up to them for the courage they have.
Jaclyn, Cady, Kayla, Sister Bates, & I 
Bishop and his wife came up for testimony meeting...you can easily tell who they are since they look
well groomed unlike us campers who hadn't taken
a shower in a few days....
Bowling
Okay so I am a little behind on updating our blog…..so I will see how far I can get today but no guarantees! So 2 weeks ago we went bowling with some of our really good friends, Jeremy and Mallory, for Family Home Evening…we had a great time despite our lack of bowling skills:) Dan was funny…he was bowling horribly up until the very end when he miraculously got several strikes in row. His score was 37 and then he jumped up to win the game with an 86. He was so proud of himself…you would have thought he won the bowling equivalent of the NBA championships or something:) Gotta love him….me on the other hand…my game just got worse as I went so I can’t say much.
Anyways, so we took pictures of the monumentous event of Dan winning the game…actually winning both games we played! The saddest part about the whole night is that none of our scores were that high….probably almost anyone else in the world could have beat us! But to Dan’s credit…he still did get first place, no matter the odds!
funny boy....gotta love 'em!
If you can't see that well...Dan is the second row down with an 86,
and me with a whoppin' 61!
Anyways, so we took pictures of the monumentous event of Dan winning the game…actually winning both games we played! The saddest part about the whole night is that none of our scores were that high….probably almost anyone else in the world could have beat us! But to Dan’s credit…he still did get first place, no matter the odds!
funny boy....gotta love 'em!
If you can't see that well...Dan is the second row down with an 86,and me with a whoppin' 61!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Random 4th of July Video
Here is a random video I took on the 4th....Dan might be a little embarrassed at his craziness but you will enjoy! It gave me a good laugh:)
Firework Finale! It's even better sideways! (or at least that is my excuse because I couldn't figure out how to turn it....)
Hot & Humid Fourth of July
After the race Dan's Dad, Donna, Angel, and Shawn came to visit. Us girls had a great time shopping while the boys enjoyed being competitive, like usual. The boys played mini golf, football, went to the batting cages, etc...while us girls spent all their money:) Well not quite...but we did do a lot of shopping!
Donna and I
That night we went out to eat and then to the Boardwalk (an outdoor mall)....which is similar to the Gateway in Utah for those that have been there, except the Boardwalk is along the Red River. We shopped a little and then watched the fireworks while eating caramel apples (a family tradition). Everyone sets out blankets and lawn chairs on the backside of the Boardwalk. The fireworks are lit on a boat on the river...so it is really neat to be sitting close to the river as you watch the fireworks. Overall, we had a great 4th of July and were grateful for the family members that came up to spend the day with us. I hope everyone enjoyed the 4th as well...wherever you may be!
Paul, Dan, and Pandi
Dan & I
Donna and I
Angel & Shawn
5k Firecracker Run
We started off our 4th of July bright and early this year with a 5k run...Dan enjoyed the running while I enjoyed cheering him on and taking lots of pictures. This was the first time Dan has ran a race off base since we met. So it was really neat to be able to experience that with him. There were about 4000 participants (the biggest race of the year in the Ark-La-Tex) compared to the usual 200 or so on base. The best part was that there were lots of people there watching the race, I am used to being the only one at the races on base. Plus, Dan really liked all the competition there was. A lot of times on base he is the fastest runner so he doesn't have someone there to compete with to improve his times.
The guy to the right of Dan is a commander over one of the squadrons on base. He offers a free day of leave for anyone that beats him at the monthly 5K's on base. Last month Dan came in second right behind him. This race though Dan beat him by several seconds....which was too bad since it was off base, no free day of leave:( I tried convincing Dan to teasingly ask for a day since he beat him, but Dan was too chicken.
Dan came in 18th place with a time of 18:07. I got Dan a GPS watch for his birthday that has become his new best friend. It tells him his time, current pace at any given second, his fastest pace, the distance, calories burned, etc. Well so for this race his average pace per mile was 5:49 and his fastest pace was 3:51, which he was quite proud of. Granted, he might have only been going that fast for even a second, but still he is proud he ran that fast:)
Dan came in 18th place with a time of 18:07. I got Dan a GPS watch for his birthday that has become his new best friend. It tells him his time, current pace at any given second, his fastest pace, the distance, calories burned, etc. Well so for this race his average pace per mile was 5:49 and his fastest pace was 3:51, which he was quite proud of. Granted, he might have only been going that fast for even a second, but still he is proud he ran that fast:)
Overall the race was a great start to celebrating our freedom and our Nation's birthday. I love being able to watch and support Dan and his races and this one was extremely special because of the day it was on. I couldn't help but get a little emotional as they started the race. I can be a boob sometimes on the 4th with being an Air Force wife an all. Sometimes I complain about the challenges the Air Force brings but on the 4th it seems to always hit me extremely strong how blessed I truly am to live in a free country. I am grateful for the service my husband gives to our country, as well as other members of our family, and the military as a whole. The 4th of July is definitely a day where the blessings of the military outweigh the sacrifices.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Your Gonna Miss These Days.......
So I am quite curious as to how many people are actually checking our blog.... especially since I really haven't done too much with it. Someday I would like to make it all fancy and such and hopefully post more often....but life doesn't seem to leave much time for that lately. Anyway....let me know if you are checking it! More motivation for me to find the time to update it. Although....I would like to have an up to date blog even just for Dan and I.
I haven't been the best at journal writing for quite some time now (except when Dan was deployed...I did great at it then). I seem to get busy with our every day life and often forget or feel like we don't have anything exciting going on...when in reality I know better than that. I love going back and reading old journals of mine or scrapbooks and seeing memories of things long forgotten. My sister in law, Kristen, was recently telling me about a new favorite country song of hers. I am not much into country so I have never actually heard the song but I LOVED the main line from it that she shared with me….”Your going to miss these days.”
I absolutely love that quote and I have been trying to use it to keep my life in balance. Some days I am sick of my job, sick of the Air Force, sick of Dan going to school, sick of missing family in Utah, or stressed about this or that, etc…but I know some day I am really going to miss my life here in Louisiana as a newlywed. I don’t want to look back and feel like I have wasted my time now wishing for what the future would bring. I want to live in the present and love the present…no matter what situation I am currently facing in life.
There are so many memories from my childhood, college, and even when we were first married that are long forgotten. I want to do better, so someday when our lives are totally different than what they are today…I have something to look back on and read to bring back fond memories….I want something for our future posterity to read as well, so they can know what our life was like. So thus, there is the very reason I have a goal of keeping an updated blog.
So here is my challenge to anyone reading this….if I forget to post in awhile…remind me to! I am already starting to get better at taking pictures (I took some of us bowling the other night that I need to post). Tonight we have a combined young men and young women boating activity….and this weekend Dan’s Dad, Paul, and his wife, Donna are coming to visit for the 4th of July. As well as her daughter, Angel, and fiancé, Shawn. So I SHOULD have plenty of pictures to post and things to write about!!!!!!
I haven't been the best at journal writing for quite some time now (except when Dan was deployed...I did great at it then). I seem to get busy with our every day life and often forget or feel like we don't have anything exciting going on...when in reality I know better than that. I love going back and reading old journals of mine or scrapbooks and seeing memories of things long forgotten. My sister in law, Kristen, was recently telling me about a new favorite country song of hers. I am not much into country so I have never actually heard the song but I LOVED the main line from it that she shared with me….”Your going to miss these days.”
I absolutely love that quote and I have been trying to use it to keep my life in balance. Some days I am sick of my job, sick of the Air Force, sick of Dan going to school, sick of missing family in Utah, or stressed about this or that, etc…but I know some day I am really going to miss my life here in Louisiana as a newlywed. I don’t want to look back and feel like I have wasted my time now wishing for what the future would bring. I want to live in the present and love the present…no matter what situation I am currently facing in life.
There are so many memories from my childhood, college, and even when we were first married that are long forgotten. I want to do better, so someday when our lives are totally different than what they are today…I have something to look back on and read to bring back fond memories….I want something for our future posterity to read as well, so they can know what our life was like. So thus, there is the very reason I have a goal of keeping an updated blog.
So here is my challenge to anyone reading this….if I forget to post in awhile…remind me to! I am already starting to get better at taking pictures (I took some of us bowling the other night that I need to post). Tonight we have a combined young men and young women boating activity….and this weekend Dan’s Dad, Paul, and his wife, Donna are coming to visit for the 4th of July. As well as her daughter, Angel, and fiancé, Shawn. So I SHOULD have plenty of pictures to post and things to write about!!!!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Aldergators and such....
After our few days of being beach bums in Florida we headed towards home with a short detour to New Orleans. We went to the French Quarters, which was fun, but tiring! We did lots of walking around, looking in shops, etc. Our favorite part of French Quarters was the French Market, which is like a flea market. There were tons of booths to look at with neat Mardi Gras souvenirs and such. We also went to the New Orleans Aquarium where we got to pet a shark and stingrays. One of the stingrays got a little riled when Dan went to pet it and it jumped out of the water at him. It was quite hilarious to see the look on Dan’s face!
Overall, we had a great week with Rueben. It was so nice to be able to spend so much time with him. He has grown so much since we got married. Moving away from family has been tough so I am extremely grateful for any opportunity we have to spend with them. We learned a lot about him this week and what a great young man he is becoming! He will be a great missionary. I look up to him a lot and I am grateful to have such a wonderful brother. My favorite part of the whole week by far, was just getting to talk and joke around with my brother. We had some great conversations and made great memories to look back on. Although it was sad to see him go, we look forward to what the future will bring.
After coming back home for a day we set on yet one more adventure….the Natchitoches Alligator Park. Dan is just like a little kid when it comes to alligators. They fascinate him in everyway. The boys even got a chance to hold an alligator as well as taste test some fried alligator, which has become a favorite of Dan’s since we moved to the south.
Overall, we had a great week with Rueben. It was so nice to be able to spend so much time with him. He has grown so much since we got married. Moving away from family has been tough so I am extremely grateful for any opportunity we have to spend with them. We learned a lot about him this week and what a great young man he is becoming! He will be a great missionary. I look up to him a lot and I am grateful to have such a wonderful brother. My favorite part of the whole week by far, was just getting to talk and joke around with my brother. We had some great conversations and made great memories to look back on. Although it was sad to see him go, we look forward to what the future will bring.
Florida Beach Bums
So this past week my parents suprised my brother by sending him to see us as a graduation present. Lucky him!:) We had a great week. We don't often get a chance to spend one on one time with my brother so this trip was extremely special for all of us.
The week started off with a few days at Pensacola Beach in Florida. Dan's Dad and Donna reserved a beach front condo for a week and invited us for part of the trip, as well as a few of Donna's kids. We had a great time! It was my first time as well as Ruebens to ever see the ocean. We were just like little kids! Rueben and I collected seashells, built a sand castle, etc. The boys also got to do a few adventurous things such as kayaking in the ocean while us girls floated are lazily in the water. Our favorite part by far were the jellyfish....YEAH RIGHT! There was a big storm the day we arrived in Florida and well the storm decided to bring in the jellyfish to join us on the vacation. The first day we were quite nervous around them (becuase I don't know about you but there isn't much fun in getting stung by a jellyfish) but by the end of the trip everyone was getting in the water constantly regardless of the jellyfish....To say the least, we loved our stay there...it was extremely relaxing and great to be able to spend so much time with family.
This picture was taken on the last day when I
was a little more brave around the jellyfish!
Rueben and I building our first Sand Castle...
Dan buried us in the sand....there was so much sand
in our swimming suit afterwards. It was ridiculous!
in our swimming suit afterwards. It was ridiculous!
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