August 2011

This past month was filled with some major changes, tons of family time, and travel, which made for a very exciting month!

For starters, I received a call in early August letting me know that I had been offered a position with the State of Arizona's Department of Economic Security as a Rehabilitation Counselor for Vocational Rehabilitation. This was such a relief as this is what I was doing back in North Carolina and I have been ready to take on a new challenge for a little while now. I will miss all of the kids that I worked with through ACTS, but am very excited to start back with Vocational Rehabilitation right after Labor Day! This opportunity came at the perfect time as I have been able to take some time off in between jobs to travel and visit family.

For instance, Bill and I were able to travel up to Kalispell, Montana for his family reunion earlier this month. Due to Bill's involvement with the military, he has not been able to make a family reunion for the past 10 years, so it was nice for him to have the opportunity to catch up with family and for me to finally meet my new extended family! We both had a great time at the Reunion as we were able to squeeze in quite a few adventurous activities during the few days that we were there.



The Family at Haymoon Ranch 2011



Bill and his Cousins

Flat Head River

The first full day that we were in Montana, we went on a family white water rafting trip, which was awesome! We rafted Flathead River and conquered the well known "Bone Crusher" rapid. Our rafting guide informed us that the movie "The River Wild" with Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep was filmed on this river, which I thought was pretty cool. The river itself was gorgeous and crystal clear, it made you want to go swimming. However, the water was 50 degrees, so that was a pretty big deterrent and motivator to stay in the boat! Even though we all managed to stay in the boat, we did all manage to get pretty wet! I was indoctrinated into the family as they made me sit on the bow of the boat, which was called "Riding the Bull" for the last rapid. I fortunately survived this escapade without hypothermia!

Also during the time that we were in Montana, we were able to visit Glacier National Park, which was breathtaking. We drove up to Logan's Pass, which offered a hiking trail. The trail offered lots of unique elements that included snow, mountain goats, and glacial lakes. Here are some of my favorite views and photos from this hike:



Goat on the Trail





Bill and I

Wallace Photo @ Logan's Pass



Hiker's through the snow





Our horses: Duke and Nick

 On our third and final day in Montana, Bill and I decided that we wanted to go horse back riding since there seemed to be no better or scenic place to try it! Bill and I also got Bill's brother, CJ, and his wife, Amber, to try it out with us. We chose to do the two hour trail, but it really ended up being an all day event by the time it was all said and done. We went through Swan Mountain Outfitters who did an excellent job. They took the time to pair us each up with a horse that seemed appropriate. That being said, I was paired up with Duke who was HUGE! I liked Duke, but he made me nervous, especially since he liked to walk along the edge of every cliff. Amber had a slight scare as her horse took off on a full speed gallop at one point! Either way, we all survived, but I think it is safe to say that we all experienced sore rear ends for a couple of days following our tour of the upper McDonald Creek.

The following day, we said our goodbye's, but we look forward to seeing everyone in 2013 for the next reunion! However, after leaving Haymoon Ranch, we still had one more stop. Bill decided to take the scenic route home and fly over his old stomping grounds. Thus, we flew over Power, Montana, (the town he was born in), his old house, and his Grandmother's Homestead. It was a pretty neat flight and we got some awesome pictures!

The Plains of Montana

Power, Montana

Close up of Power, Montana

Bill's Old House

Bill's Grandmother's Homestead

Once we arrived home from Montana, I had one day to turn around and pack back up to head home to New York for a few days. Unfortunately, due to the Fall WTI course quickly approaching, Bill was unable to make it home with me. My trip home was much like Montana in the way that it was a busy week and I could have used more time there! I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!

During my time home, my mom organized a neighborhood/family group to attend the Kenny Chesney concert since he was in town during the time that I was home. Therefore, we used the concert as an excuse to drink champagne and celebrate my cousin Stef's 21st Birthday and my upcoming Wedding Ceremony in Hawaii! As usual, Kenny put on a great show and we got to enjoy Billy Currington as an opening act who is also a great entertainer! Overall, it was a great time and I got to catch up with my cousins, neighbors, and an old friend from high school!

Some favorite photos from the concert:


On our way!

The cousins with our moms!

I'm not sure what Kristi said, but WOW this picture cracks me up!

Following the Kenny Chesney concert, I got to see much more of my cousins and additional family members as we traveled to Old Forge, NY, which is located right in the Adirondack Mountains for my cousin Rick's wedding. I definitely enjoyed being in the cooler temperature climate and being back around trees! I miss all of the greenery that you definately don't get in the desert as well as the lakes and water!

The wedding guests all stayed in the Northwood Resort, which were comprised of little cabins located right on Fourth Lake. My parents, brother and girlfriend, and I went up on Friday so we could make take advantage of the area before the wedding on Saturday.

Once in Old Forge, we went to lunch at a local spot called Daikers, which was pretty good and overlooked the lake. Then my brother, Cody, and his girlfriend, Kristina, and I decided to hike Bald Mountain. I have to give Kristina credit as she completed the whole hike in sandals and there were some tough parts to get around! Overall, it wasn't too long of a hike, but it did encompass some rock surface to climb over. Fortunately, we were rewarded with gorgeous lake views at the top! We also later rewarded ourself with some karaoke and drinks later that evening!!

Myself, Cody, and Kristina

Saturday was a perfect day for a wedding! I have to say, Rick and Katie couldn't have gotten any luckier considering Hurricane Irene was threatening to make her way up the coast! It was sunny and warm all day and their wedding was beautiful. The ceremony was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church right on the lake. In fact, we had to take pontoon boats and/or a shuttle to the ceremony since there was such limited parking. It was the cutest church I have ever seen. It kind of reminded me of the Church in a Walk to Remember (I love that movie!).



St. Peter's by the Lake

  

Introducing Mr and Mrs Pappert, Congratulations!

Following the ceremony, we all pontooned it right back over to Northwoods Resort where the reception was held. Again, I can't say enough good things about the wedding as it was a great time and I couldn't be happier for both Rick and Katie!

Like I said previously, Rick and Katie couldn't have gotten any luckier with the weather they had for the day of their wedding as we ended up driving back to Rochester in hurricane conditions early Sunday morning!! Unfortunately, I later heard that their honeymoon had to be cancelled due to flights being cancelled in the major airports so I hope that they can manage to fit a honeymoon in later this year sometime! Best of luck!

It has been a full month for sure! On top of our travel, Bill and I were also able to catch up with Bill's brother, Mike, and his family as they were out here earlier in the month since Mike was out here for military training. We got to help them celebrate our niece, Avery's, 2nd birthday, which was a fun time. She is getting big so fast!

Also, we have continued to try and stay in shape. Actually, I was doing pretty good with working out daily to get ready for the Triathalon I signed up for in November, but have been kind of slacking the past two weeks. I need to get us both back on track since I have also convinced Bill to do the Triathalon with me in November :) Also, we have both signed up for the New Year's Eve Rock N Roll Half Marathon being held in Palm Desert in December (You guessed it, on New Year's Eve!).

Hopefully, since we are done traveling for a little while we can focus on getting back on some sort of routine! I will also be making a point of enjoying my last couple of days off before starting my new job next week!! Until next time...

July 2011

As hoped for, July proved to be a more low key month for Bill and I as we were able to spend a little more time in Yuma. However, we still made sure to take advantage of the long weekend over the Fourth of July holiday and travel to Catalina Island...



Pulling into Catalina

We did encounter a small hiccup in our Catalina plans as we were scheduled to take off early in the morning and arrive by early to mid afternoon. Unfortunately, we had some engine trouble with the airplane and weren't able to take off at all. I have to admit, I was pretty bummed since we had a non-refundable scuba trip scheduled the next day and I had been dying to see what Catalina was all about! Fortunately, Bill and I were both able to keep it positive and did some quick research. Before we knew it, we had two tickets booked for the last ferry of the day leaving Long Beach, CA. At this point, since we had plenty of time to get to Long Beach, CA we decided to officially start our vacation by taking our time and enjoying the 4.5 hour ride to the ferry docks. Despite our previous luck, we made it to Long Beach just in time to catch an even earlier ferry ride over to the Island!

Once in Catalina, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat at a Mexican Restaurant and settle into the Seaport Village Inn, which was located right in the town of Avalon. The Seaport Village Inn was kind of a dive, but suited our needs perfectly since the whole reason we were going to Catalina was to explore the great outdoors!

The next day, we woke up bright and early and scurried down to the Catalina Dive and Snorkel Shop to make our reservation on time. We were introduced Dan, our SCUBA guide/instructor, who briefly reviewed our gear, the rules, and regulations of SCUBA. This was an interesting experience for sure! Dan was about 80 years old and had been diving longer than both Bill or I have even been around.  While we both admired his ability to be so active, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous at first. If you have any knowledge of SCUBA Diving then you know there are some serious health risks involved! All in all, he was a great guide and we feel fortunate that we were assigned to him as he made sure we had a great underwater experience!

With the Jacque Cousteu Plaque

Dan took us to the Jacque Cousteau Plaque, which was about 35-40 ft down. Jacque Cousteau was a French Naval Officer who is famously known for developing the "Aqua Lung" or more commonly known as the first Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (the SCUBA tank).



Bill feeding the fish...

We also got to explore Catalina's Underwater Dive Park located right in front of the Avalon Casino. This dive park is a large attraction for diver's all over the world and nation. It was full of kelp and sealife! Dan showed us how to feed the fish with a sea urchin. I opted out of this event as fish give me the heeby jeebies, but Bill did great and got swarmed with fish!

Following our dive, Dan took us back to the shop and let us take our snorkels and snorkel around in Lover's Cove for awhile longer. We enjoyed this, but it was not nearly as exciting as the dive! We hope to schedule another dive when we go to Hawaii later this year!

I think the most surprising element of SCUBA diving is how much it physically exhausts you. After any dive I have ever done, I have always felt the need to take a nap (especially if you are in cold water). Therefore, after we wrapped up our morning adventure, Bill and I headed back to the Seaport Village Inn to rest for a bit and then checked out the city of Avalon.



In front of the Avalon Casino


Avalon was a cute little town, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as I thought it might be. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed our time in Catalina, but I think Catalina's most unique feature is the terrain. It was very desertish, but yet very mountainous. Even more interesting is the fact that there are Buffalo that roam around on the Island, or so I am told.



In the Wrigley Monument

Our second day, Bill and I took a hike, and by that I mean a 12 mile hike! We unfortunately did not see any of these mysterious Buffalo, but I do believe that they are there since there are companies that give tours and all:) The hike was still awesome! We visited the Wrigley Monument (Yes, as in the gum) and the Bontantical Gardens about half way through our hike. The founder of the Wrigley Gum Company played a large part in preserving the Island's plant and animal inhabitants.

The hike was hot, but well worth the views as we hiked along the high ridge line. It was definitely a different perspective from above!

Avalon from afar

Following our long hike, we enjoyed a nice dinner over looking the harbour and then headed to Luau Larry's to celebrate Independence Day with some drinks!! They even gave me a cool hat, which only cost me a hangover the next day:) 

Happy 4th of July!

As with all good things, they must come to an end. Therefore, the next day we had to say goodbye to Catalina! On a positive note, we got to take with us some good memories and a case of posion ivy. Yes, somehow I contracted posion ivy during our hike and it only took 2 weeks to clear up!!

Bill and I both returned to work the next day. For Bill, it was nice for him to be back "in the office" since he had been in Coronado and 29 Palms for the whole month of June. For me, I also had to return to the office, but it was definitely a little different than I had expected. On July 1st, the budget had passed for the State of Arizona in regards to the funding that we receive to keep our company in business. Unfortunately, ACTS was affected significantly by this cut along with several other Mental Health/Behavioral Health Agencies in the area. As a result, lay offs were in order. Fortunately, I was spared my job, but it was difficult to see co-workers leave. Hopefully, this is the last we see for awhile, but rumor has it there could be more in the future. We will just have to wait and see....

Also during this month, Bill and I were able to have some professional photo's taken. We went through Kim Garcia Photography, who did an excellent job!! Kim was great to work with and gave us exactly what we wanted. Here were a couple of our favorites:)

Well, no sooner did Bill get comfortable being home, he had to leave again! This time he was scheduled to do some fleet support in North Carolina for a week and half (but got to come home early). I have to admit, I was a little jealous that he got to go back to NC and I didn't!! However, I do look forward to making it back for a visit eventually and catching up with everyone! Fortunately, during Bill's time out East he was able to find some time to visit with his brother, Mike, who has recently returned from deployment and his family. We look forward to their visit next month :)

During the time that Bill was in NC, I decided to step up my fitness level a bit. I had been kind of slacking since the San Diego Half Marathon, but now it is time to get serious! I have just signed up for the Blue Water Triathalon in Parker, Arizona in November. I have opted to do the long event, which I think is a 1k swim, 53K bike, and an 8k run. In my efforts to get in shape, I have recently joined the Master's swim team and briefly tried out the bike club. The bike club didn't work out so well considering they were all men and left me on the border of Mexico all by myself!  Hopefully, I will rack up the miles on my own or find some girlfriends to ride with...

Other than that, we continue to do well and are enjoying the summer! I think the heat is the worst it'll get and we are getting used to it!! However, we are looking forward to traveling north next month and escaping it for a bit!

June 2011

June has been one CRAZY month!  Both of our jobs required quite a bit of travel, which did not leave a lot of time in Yuma. This was a blessing considering the temperatures are rising very quickly down here in the Southwest. It has already tipped 114 degrees and boy is it a DRY heat! Your face feels like it is going to fall off the second you step out the door. I have been told by many that this isn’t even the worst of it, so we will see (I really don’t know how it can get any hotter…but apparently it can!) I am sure we are both in for it :)

The Start Line
30,000 people participated
in the Half & Full

The first weekend of June, Bill and I traveled to San Diego since I was participating in the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  I LOVE the Rock N Roll series as they do an awesome job hosting these types of events --they had bands playing at every mile.  It was a great time! Also, we had beautiful weather for the event and I ran a personal best of 1:47.15. This placed me 302^nd out of 11,568 women and 86^th in my female age group division of 2,600. I was extremely happy with my race results considering the run actually felt pretty painful and I thought I might die around mile 10! The highlight of my race was seeing Ali and Roberto from the previous Bachelorette Season as they were the ones who yelled “Go” at the start line.  I am already looking forward to the next race, which I haven’t selected yet, but I am hoping that Bill will be able to find some time in his crazy work schedule to prepare for the next as well!

Also during my half marathon weekend, I got to help Bill settle in over on Coronado Island as he was scheduled to attend TACP school, which went through all of June. Rough place to be stationed for a month, huh?! I can’t complain, because I got to visit him every weekend after that :)




View of San Diego from Cornado





Bill and his New Trek (No, this is NOT our Mini Van!)

During our time in Coronado/San Diego, we got to fit in quite a bit of fun. Bill went ahead and bought a mountain bike as he is getting into the sport of Mountain Biking, which seems to be pretty popular out this way given the terrain. I also brought my road bike up and we were able to tour the city of San Diego by bike as we took a 30 mile ride one day. There was a trail that went from Grand Strand, Coronado all the way around and into downtown San Diego.  Once we got downtown, we decided it would be best to take the Ferry back over to Coronado…our legs were a little tired! Fortunately, it was a great ride and we both felt pretty accomplished after this!

Bill & Flipper 2011

We were also able to visit Sea World for a day. Our timing was impeccable as we got to watch most all of the featured shows with relatively little wait. We watched the whale show, which was incredible and the sea lions that were hilarious. For those of you that know me real well, then you  already know that the dolphins were my favorite! Bill was a real trooper; he waited in line with me for over an hour so we could pet the dolphins for all of 5 minutes.  Let me tell you, he sure was impressed, I mean Look at that smile on his face!!!

Braves vs Padres

Our last weekend in San Diego/Coronado, we were able to stroll along Seaport Village, which is the water front of San Diego. We shopped around for a bit and then took a hiatus on a park bench with some fine cigars. We made small talk with a guy named Al on the bench next to us and eventually the three of us made our way over to the Padres game. Unfortunately, the Padres took a beating from the Braves, but all in all, it was a good time and we made a new friend!

Aside from all of the touristy attractions, Bill and I were able to just enjoy each other’s company and the uniqueness of Coronado during these past few weekends. We hope to make it back sometime in the future, especially since we never actually got a chance to check out the Hotel Del Coronado, -- which is only the most historic and beautiful building on the island! 

Hotel Del Coronado


I feel fortunate to have had a job that was flexible enough to allow me to spend all the time that I did with Bill in Coronado. However, that flexibility did come with a price of course!! During the time that I was not in Coronado this month, I was going on other trips with my kids from work. We took them to the Beach here in San Diego, Ice Skating in Scottsdale, and Roller Skating in Phoenix. Needless to say, my inner child was out in full force!! We have one more trip outing that I am coordinating to an Old Mining Town this coming week....Wish me luck!!

Though we have had a great month, I know that both Bill and I are looking to a more low key July!!

May 2011

I can't believe it is already time for an update! The month of May started out with adventure and it ended with adventure!



Heather and I with some Florence Jailbirds!

 To recap, the first weekend in May, Bill officially wrapped up WTI with the official Graduation for the students. During this time, a girlfriend and I traveled to Florence, Arizona to compete in the Warrior Dash. Florence is among  one of Arizona's oldest founded towns and is nothing spectacular. In fact, it is known as the place where "the residents don't leave" as it's claim to fame are the prisons that are located here. However, outside of the prisons, it also accommodates wide open land, which only fosters the perfect place to hold an obstacle course and mud race!



Post Race

Both Heather and I did very well in our respective age groups. I placed 2nd in my age group out approximately 950 people and 4th overall for female.

Heather placed 13th in her age group out of approximately 670 people and 63rd overall for female.

We were certainly pleased with our results considering there were literally a couple of thousand females competing in the event and approximately 7,000 men and women competing in the event as a whole.

Following our finish, we enjoyed checking out the crazy costumes (my personal favorite was Colonel Sanders, pictured below--he even had a bucket of chicken that he was running with)  and our post race beer!

Colonel Sanders in the Mud Pit



Also, during this month, Bill and I were able to spend one of our weekends in Phoenix, Az visiting Bill's best friend, Sean,  from high school and his wife Alison. It had been seven years since the two had seen each other, so it was a nice reunion as we celebrated the event with margaritas by the pool and a dinner at an upscale seafood restaurant. I sure do miss my crabcakes, and we sure do look forward to our next visit with Sean and Alison!

We would also like to welcome home Bill's brother, Mike, as he has finally returned  from his 9 month deployment aboard the 26th MEU after leaving unexectedly early last August to assist with the Pakistan Earthquake relief efforts.We are glad that he has been reunited with his family and is home safe and sound. We look forward to catching up with him at some point once the dust settles...

Lastly, Bill and I were able to travel to the Grand Canyon over this past holiday weekend. We had an incredible time and there are no words to describe this natural wonder!!

Bill and I at Grand Canyon

We stayed in the small town of Tusayan, which was located just two miles outside of Grand Canyon National Park. It was an interesting little town as you could drive through it in less than a mile and was dedicated soley to the tourism of the Grand Canyon.



Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point

 Bill and I woke up early on Saturday morning and hiked a full 7 miles before we even got to the actual Grand Canyon. We were grateful to learn that once we got our park passes that we would get to utilize the shuttle services that the park offered!! We spent most of Saturday hiking the South Rim and looking out over the numerous scenic overlooks that were available. I was impressed with the fact that even though the Colorado River is responsible for the formation of the Grand Canyon, it was unable to be seen from the top of the Canyon. However, as Bill and I were walking along the South Rim, we learned of the Bright Angel Trail.

The Bright Angel Trail is the most highly trafficked trail of the Grand Canyon as it offers many options to hikers. For instance, it allows for day hikes and it also pushes on to the North Rim with opportunities for camping and restoration along the way. Since Bill and I did not bring camping gear, we chose to hike the longest day hike recommended, which was Plateau Point. Plateau Point hike was 12 miles round trip that reached an overlook facing the Colorado River. Though it sounds like a long hike, it was well worth the views!!



A view from Plateau Point



1/2 way down Bright Angel Trail

 It was recommended that one allow for 8-12 hours to complete this hike, but Bill and I were able to complete this hike in 6 hours and 45 minutes. We will be paying for this over the next few days...haha. This was a much different hike than most as we got to decend first versus climbing first. Therefore, we had to keep in mind that going down was optional and climbing back up was mandatory! Needless to say, the first 6 miles were a breeze, it was when we had to turn around and ascend over 3,000 feet of elevation to get back to the top that was painful! By the time we reached the top, we were ready to be done, but like I said the views were worth it and it was an awesome challenge!! Bill and I have both decided that we would love to go back sometime and bring our camping gear so we could make it to Phantom Ranch and/or do another overnight hike.

Following our long two days of hiking, Bill and I rewarded ourselves with a nice dinner at El  

      Tovar Restaurant overlooking the Canyon. It was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend and month!




El Tovar


Up next is the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon next weekend.....!



April 2011

Overall, April has been a pretty low key month....


Easter Sunday 2011

 Even though Bill and I have been in Yuma for a couple of months now, I finally feel like we have settled into some sort of routine that works for us and things are becoming more familiar, which has been great! Sometimes, I think that it is difficult to realize you're still adjusting until you look back and process all of the changes that have happened in a very short amount of time-- like new jobs, new people, and new geography:) Sometimes, it feels like we have been here forever already when we really haven't! Fortunately, for both of us, all changes have been and continue to result in positive professional and personal growth.

My job continues to be great in the sense that I am afforded the opportunity to learn something new everyday in regards to the Behavioral Health/Mental Health field.  More importantly, it has given me the opportunity to work with children AND their families, which has been challenging and rewarding. Working with these families has given me an overall sense of appreciation for growing up and having the family that I do! During this particular month, I was able to take a group of 30 kids to Mission Beach located in San Diego, CA for one of our trip outings. That was alot of fun as it was some of the kids' first trip to the beach! They loved it and even got to see some dolphins swimming in the waves! I think that this has been the best outing to date and look forward to assisting with future trips.

Bill will be wrapping up WTI this weekend, which is GREAT news (for me, haha)!! In all actuality, WTI was NOT that bad in regards to Bill being gone all the time. Maybe it was because my job keeps me pretty busy... OR maybe because nothing compares to the work ups and deployment we were preparing for last year! Actually, I feel bad for saying that because I know that Bill loves what he does and I am proud of him for what he does. BUT, I can't deny the fact that I am looking forward to having our full weekends back so we can execute some of the official plans that we have made for the upcoming year!

And, we sure do we have some plans!!! A couple of Sunday's ago, we vegged out with some Papa John's Pizza and mapped out the rest of the year in regards to our "adventures". We really wanted to hike Half Dome located in Yosemite National Park over Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, we missed the memo that you have to get a permit to hike the cables, which are available only 60 days in advance. Well, apparently, they sold out within minutes of being available. SO, we have made a change of plans and are planning on hiking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon over the holiday weekend, which I think will be equally as awesome!! I am really looking forward to it!

I am even more excited for our Fourth of July plans that we have booked to Catalina Island, which is located just 26 miles off the coast of California. It is supposedly a very popular scuba diving destination, which would be awesome to do. I haven't been diving since my check out dive in college, which was in 37 degree water temps with 0 visability! Hopefully, if we get around to diving, it will be much warmer and we would be able to see if we were going to be shark bait before it was too late! Even if we don't, I think it will be a great trip! For you Bachelorette Fans, Catalina Island is where Roberto and Ali got engaged! :)

Other adventures that we have planned for the year include a family reunion in Montana and a family wedding back in New York during the later half of August! And of course, our Hawaii destination wedding in November, which is already set!:) I am looking forward to the upcoming months!


Mom and Dad


Speaking of family and holidays, we were fortunate to have my parents out to visit over the Easter Weekend. We enjoyed Beer Margarita's by the pool concocted by Bill himself. We were also able to show my parents around town including a tour of the Prison, Quarter Master Depot, and the rolling Sand Dunes. It was a nice treat for them to come out and enjoy the beautiful weather considering it has been a cold and miserable winter back home in Rochester! We enjoyed their company and were sad to see them go!! Hopefully, they will make future trips out!

Dad and I



Center of the World
Felicity, CA

 On a more random note, Bill and I were able to visit the "Center of the World" over the past month, which is apparently located just outside of Yuma. Who knew?! Actually, it was kind of hokie, but the official "Center of the World" is located in Felicity, California -- 10 minutes from Yuma. If you're like me, I am thinking you want to know how that specific point became the "Center of the World". Well, its a short story really --some French guy wanted to establish a town and to do so he wanted to claim SOMETHING to make it grow. Well, since nobody had yet claimed the "Center of the World", he did and that is how it came to be. Disappointing, I know!! No scientific evidence whatsoever!! On a positive note, if you visit, you will get an official certfiicate and get to make a wish when you stand on the exact center. Happy touring! PS...it still remains the ONLY establishment in Felicity, CA....that town still has ALOT more growing to do!!


Stairs from the Eiffel Tower also located at the Center of the World Landmark

Lastly, we continue to stay in shape, which is an essential stress reliever for me. I have continued my running, but I am embarrassed to say I STILL have yet to get out on my new Road Bike!! I finally have all my gear in, but I think that I ended up with a wrong combination of shoes and peddles, so I am still working on that!! However, I am participating in the Warrior Dash this upcoming weekend in Florence, AZ --which should be a good time!! Wish me luck!! :)

Until next time.....

March Madness



Irish, Shod, and Silas

This past month has definitely been an interesting one, especially with family members in all parts of the world! I am glad to say that my brother, Shod, his wife (Irish), and son (Silas) are all safe despite the record breaking Earthquake and Tsunami they experienced earlier this month in Japan. Shod was actually deployed out on his ship, the U.S.S. John McCain, when this happened and stated that he could feel the quake in the ocean and witnessed oil riggs exploding on the mainland. He was scheduled to pull into the port the day this happened and was immediately sent back out to sea to participate in relief efforts without the opportunity to see his family first. Fortunately, they have all just been reunited as of today! I would like to commend Irish on her strength and courage to get through this difficult time on her own with a baby!! Thank you for being such a strong support for Shod and keeping my nephew safe!





Home!







Oil Riggs from the Ship







Bill's brother, Mike, is currently deployed on the 26th MEU and has been a main player in all of the Libya Action that has been going on. We continue to keep him in our thoughts and prayers and look forward to his safe return to the United States within the next couple of months!

Bill

As for Bill, WTI kicked off March 13th, which means he has spent alot of time preparing his classes for the students who have come from all over the country to participate in the 6 week course. He taught his first class yesterday, which went well! I think he is relieved to have that first one completed and under his belt. At this point, the academic phase is almost over and they will be moving into the flight phase soon, which means alot of flying over the next three weeks--the fun part so-to-speak!

As for me, I continue to work with ACTS as a Dedicated Case Manager. However, there was a vacancy for a therapist position that I applied for, but the position froze before they could hire anyone. I continue to hold out hope that this will re-open in the future. In the meantime, ACTS has decided that they will still assign a few clients to me for therapy anyway, which I am excited about as I hope this is the first step to transitioning full time into this position. Overall, I am enjoying my position  as a case manager as we get to do alot of neat things with the kids. For instance, I took 9 kids to the MCAS Airshow over the past weekend for prejob development. It was harder to keep them entertained than I thought, but I think they enjoyed it:) Over the next week, I will get to take my probation kids to the Balboa Science Center and am also taking a group of kids hiking out at Lake Cayamuca (don't ask me how to pronounce this!). It is always rewarding to expose kids to different activites that they may not have had the opportunity to do before.


Trek 1200



Other than work, Bill and I have both been working on our fitness. In fact, I finally went ahead and bought an entry level road bike for Triathalons! I have yet to ride it as I need some lessons on riding with the clip in shoes! Fortunately, I have some pretty knowledgeable individuals helping me out here and I should be riding in no time. I have my first Triathalon scoped out in Encinitas on May 15th. Other races that I am preparing for are the Warrior Dash, which is a mud race/obstacle course on May 1st in Florence, AZ. I did this race last year and it was the best time ever! Here is a preview of what the Warrior Dash is all about:

                                                                                                            http://www.warriordash.com/.

Warrior Dash 2010
Moutain City, GA

I have also just signed up for the San Diego Rock n' Roll Half Marathon on June 5th, which I am excited to run! The last half marathon  I did was the Kentucky Derby Half with Bill in 2009. In addition to the Kentucky Derby Half, I have done the Wilmington Battleship Half in 2008. Both races I think I could have prepared more for, so I am hoping and thinking that I will be better prepared for the San Diego Half !! Mile 8 is always a killer when you aren't fully prepared!:) Hopefully, additional training will result in breaking 1 hour 50 minutes. So it looks like the month of April will be spent running (and hopefully biking)!! I look forward to when Bill is wrapped up with WTI so that we can pick out a race or two to run together! We always have alot of things we want to do, but never enough time:) We are still working on our upcoming hiking plans over Memorial Day and will keep you posted!!





February Fun

Usually, February tends to be my least favorite month of the whole year because it is usually the coldest, which causes all outdoor activity to cease. However, this year, that has not been the case! Though it has been a rough Winter for most of you back home in NY, NC, and TX, Yuma has been a consistent balmy 65-70 degrees and sunny! Don't be too jealous, because I am sure that in the middle of July we will be wishing for sub zero temperatures! I will also admit that we did have one frost that did freeze and kill all the lettuce crop around here, but that definitely hasn't been enough to keep us indoors or other good things from happening this month!

In regards to good things happening, we would first like to congratulate Matt and Beth for the newest addition to their family: Lilian Marie Wallace born earlier this month right in the middle of the big Dallas snowstorm. That makes for a total of 7 nieces and nephews for Bill and I! Hopefully, we can meet her soon!

 

Captain Howie

Also, speaking of family, Bill and I were FINALLY able to take some time and plan our family wedding ceremony in Hawaii!! We will be getting married (again) on Waimanelo Beach/Angel Bay on November 23rd, 2011 conducted by Captain Howie. Haha. It took some convincing on my part to get Bill to go along with Captain Howie as he seemed to come straight from the 1960's era. However, after researching some of the testimonials, making some phone calls, and promising Bill that I would not allow Captain Howie to wear a tie dye t-shirt on our special day, he was on board as well. Following our ceremony, we have booked a reception dinner followed by drinks out on the town of Waikiki! We are excited to finally do things right and celebrate with our immediate families in a tropical island paradise!

Here is a preview of Captain Howie AND Angel Bay: http://vimeo.com/12862785

Muggins Pk Sunset

 In regards to other adventures this month, Bill and I were able to explore Muggins Peak located right here in the Yuma area. This was a spontaneous decision, which caused us to get a late start. We got to the peak around 3pm and I don't think that either of us had a real intention of completing the whole hike considering the guide indicated that it would take at least a couple of hours to complete and we knew that sunset would be upon us soon. However, Bill and I like to challenge ourselves and we kept hiking and hiking until we were all the way around the other side of the peak. We eventually strayed off the trail only to find ourselves now going up and OVER the peak, where we eventually met back up with the trail. It was a fun hike as we were racing against daylight and got to exercise our teamwork skills to get us back to the truck before dark! We also go to see some amazing views from the top!



Sedona, AZ

Our other BIG adventure was Sedona, AZ, which Bill had planned for our Valentine's Day weekend. I had no idea what Sedona was all about, but all I can say is that after visiting, it was probably one of the most unique places that I have EVER visited. I fell in love immediately and would go back any day if I had the chance. The red rock, landscape, and trails were amazing! We landed in Sedona early on a Saturday morning, bought a hiking guide, and picked out the most strenuous trail we could find, which was Bear Mountain.   

Only 1/3 up Bear Mountain!

Bear Mountain seemed pretty reasonable upon first glance, but once we started up the trail we realized there there was alot more to it than our first impression. Everytime we got to the top (or what we thought was the top), we realized we had another summit to reach. This happened about three times. By the time we really reached the top, we were at 6,434 ft above sea level. The first summit that we had reached looked like an anthill at our feet! Once at the top, Bill and I found a cliff to sit on and enjoy our victory with some water and power bars. As we sat there, it was awesome to see small airplanes taking tours of the canyon and know that we were sitting higher than they were flying. It was even more satisfying knowing that we hiked to those heights with our own two feet. We also got to sit above the canyon birds and literally hear them soaring through the air since it was so quiet up there --it was very serene. Overall, this hike took us about 2 hours to climb to the top and about an hour to descend.

The View

The end of West Fork Trail

Our second day, we still chose to hike a lengthy trail, but one that was much less strenuous ( I was kind of sore after the previous day)! We hiked West Fork Trail, known as Sedona's most romantic trail. However, this trail is more famously known as the inspiration for Zane Grey's book Call of the Canyon, which became Sedona's first Western and was also made into a motion picture utilizing the natural beauty of this particular area. The trail was about 6 miles long and had it's own uniqueness. It had lots of streams that we had to cross, Bill's foot took a dip on one of the crossings. He wasn't too comfortable after this considering this trail was much cooler than Bear Mountain. In fact, most of the trail was ice/snow, which meant the water must have been pretty cold! I took a couple of falls myself and by the end of the trip, Bill and I decided that it is time to invest in some good hiking boots! Especially, since I also slipped and fell at the summit of Bear Mountain, which scared me pretty good as I thought I was going right over the edge! Fortunately, we both made it back in one piece!

West Fork Trail

This trip has only reaffirmed our desire to continue hiking. We love the exercise and we love being close to the natural beauty that surrounds us! In the future, we have already decided that we want to try out Yosemite's Half Dome Hike in May, we will let you know how that goes when we get around to it. That should be a pretty intense hike though!!!  Also, we definitely plan on the Grand Canyon at some point this summer!  

Crossing the Stream

Until then, we will both keep busy with our jobs. As we approach March, I know that my time with Bill will become less and less right on up through May as WTI approaches. However, I am slowly coming back around to my own roots and trying to get back into good shape. I have had some recent motivation to try biking and have started looking into picking up a bike so I can try a triathalon (something I should have done LONG ago, while I was in great shape!!). However, there seems to be no better time to start than now!!

Lastly, as we approach the end of February, we are happy to have Bill's parents out here visiting us for a few weeks. We have had a nice time chatting and catching up over the past couple of days. They have also been a great help in assisting us to get settled in our new home as Bill and I still have some odds and ends that we still haven't had a chance to get around to. We look forward to the rest of their visit and hope the weather continues to be great for their visit!