January 2012

Happy 2012!! We hope that you and your family were able to ring in the New Year with some celebration, friends, and good Champagne. We also hope that January has brought you a good start to the rest of the year!

January was scheduled to be a pretty busy month for Bill in regards to work. Therefore, Bill and I took advantage of the the long weekend over the New Year holiday and drove up to Flagstaff, AZ. This was a much needed trip as it allowed Bill and I to spend some quality time with one another before the pace of the New Year picked up.

Flagstaff is about a 5-6 hour drive north from Yuma, so there was quite a bit of difference in temperature. There WAS snow on the ground, so it was nice to spend some of the winter holidays with a little bit of chill in the air (I never thought I would say that!!).

We drove up on New Year's Eve and got there a couple hours before dinner. We stayed at The Little America Hotel which was an older hotel, but one of the cutest I have ever seen. They had redone it with almost a french/antique feel. Hard to explain, but I would definitely recommend staying here if ever in the Flagstaff area. They put on a fantastic dinner followed by a New Year's Eve party with a Jazz/Blues band. Now, granted, we happened to be just about the youngest couple to attend by far, but it was nice to catch up and share a drink, or two, or maybe several with one another :)

getting into the spirit...

Obviously, we were getting close to midnight

Since we only had a short time in Flagstaff, we got up pretty early the following day and set off to explore. We checked out a couple of places on Trip Advisor and got some good recommendations in regards to top attractions in the area. With that being said, our first stop was Walnut Canyon.

Walnut Canyon is known for the remaining cliff dwellings that were occupied by the Sinagua (meaning Without Water) Indian Tribe more than 800 years ago. These cliff dwellings were occupied for a little over 100 years, but eventually the people of this land moved on. It is believed that they moved onto neighboring villages and eventually integrated into the Hopi Indian culture. Though this was a relatively quick tour, we got to tour some of the cave dwellings, which gave us the opportunity to see how these people may have lived way back when. Let me tell you, I probably wouldn't have survived very long, it looked pretty uncomfortable! However, it seemed they had it down to a science with sectioned off rooms for sleeping, fires, and etc.

Here are some of the shots we took:

Our second stop was the Sunset Crater Volcano. Who knew there were volcanos in Arizona?? I am not too sure of the actual year that this Volcano erupted, but I do know that the eruption caused the land to become very fertile afterward, which later attracted the Sinagua Tribes to occupy the cave dwellings in Walnut Canyon and for another tribe by the name of Wupatki to make its presence. They returned to farm on these lands. 

While visiting Sunset Crater Volcano, Bill and I were able to hike up a cinder cone, which gave way for some fantastic views of the nearby San Francisco Peaks and the volcano itself.

Bill with San Francisco Peaks

Walking around the top

We also got to hike around some of the lava beds at the base, which also gave us a good view of the Volcano.

Sunset Crater Volcano

The Lava Beds

Once we finished our tour of the lava beds, we hopped back in the truck and took a scenic drive through the desert. We have both agreed that the Northern Desert is much prettier than the Southern Desert. It was much more colorful and what you "imagine" the desert to look like, in my opinion. Lots of reds and oranges.

Here is some of our drive out to the "middle of no where":

the vast desert

The Never Ending Road

We did eventually come across an old Wupatki Pueblo and got to tour that as well....

Pueblo

inside looking out

By the time we came across the Pueblo and eventually made our way out of the desert, we were beat. We grabbed some dinner at The Cottage Restaurant, which was very quaint and had received rave reviews. After visiting, I would concur. Another great recommendation if you are ever in the Flagstaff area. They served me my first tamale:)

The Yankee

As much as I hate it when trips end, the following day we had to pack up and head back to Yuma to get on with the rest of the New Year, which will be a fast one no doubt! The day after our return, Bill had to pack up and head to Camp Pendleton. He has been out there pretty much all month converting from the old Huey to the new Huey, also known as the "Yankee". Fortunately, I have been able to make it out to Camp Pendleton a couple of the weekends, which has also allowed us to catch up with some of good friends stationed out that way. Bill was also able to come home over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend as well, which has broken up the amount of time he has been gone this month.


During his quick trip home, we got to take advantage of some of the area surrounding us and we took a quick hike through the Kofa National Park or Reserve. We wanted to hike Castle Dome, but didn't due to lack of time. We hope to make it back out there at some point before our time in Yuma is up.


Bill challenged us both to hike up a nice steep cliff side....

We made it though!! Here are the views from the top:

At this point, Bill has completed most of his conversion to the Yankee. However, he still remains out of town quite a bit as he is trying to complete all of the necessary flights needed to officially finish the conversion. This week he remains in 29 Palms....

As for my job, it continues to go very well.  The pace has started to pick up a little bit, which makes me happy because I like to be productive when I go to work. Though, I can't deny enjoying a relaxed work environment! 

As we reach the end of the month, I am happy to say I have officially started running again. All's it took was a new pair of running shoes! Also, I look forward to running a couple of races this spring. There are a couple of events up in Lake Havasu that have caught my eye. We'll see where that goes.

For now, I will just enjoy getting back in shape and some "me" time as I look forward to Bill coming home to stick around for awhile:) 

December -- Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012!

December went by wayyy too quick! So quick that we didn't even have time to put up Christmas decorations, not even a tree....

Bill actually had to leave the very next day upon returning from our Hawaii trip in order to head up to a work conference in Las Vegas, which went right on through the first week of December. The purpose of this trip was to rewrite, edit, and update some of the military publications that are currently in use. By the sounds of it, this seemed to be a very tedious task and I think that Bill was ready to come home after that. Unfortunately, he did not win big while in Vegas, which only means that he will have to return and take me with him next time :)

Even though we just got back from our Hawaiian Wedding Ceremony last month, Bill and I were able to celebrate our "official" one year anniversary on December 10th!!  It is hard to believe we have been married for a whole year already. Even a year later, I am still trying to figure out how I got to be so lucky and am overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude. I feel so blessed that I get that I get to share my life with and be married to my best friend. I love you, Bill, and look forward to spending many more fun filled years together, even though you can be a piece of work sometimes -- you can't be right ALLL the time you know!!! ;)

Bill and I

For our one year anniversary, Bill took me to the

ballet in Phoenix. We met up with our friends, Sean and Alison, who took us out for a celebratory dinner at a fabulous steakhouse before the show. After dinner, we headed downtown to Symphony Hall where we watched the Nutcracker. It was my first time to the ballet and the first time I had actually seen the Nutcracker as well. It was a unique experience that I really enjoyed. It definitely got us into the holiday spirit, which made up for our lack of decorations back at home. Following the show, we grabbed some drinks before calling it a night.

Some of us had a few more than others....;)

Sean & Bill
December 2011

We always have a fantastic time with Sean and Alison and we look forward to our next trip with them!

Sean, Alison, Myself, and Bill
December 2011

Also, this month we spent some time attending holiday outings with the Huey Shop. We made it out to see Ron White, also known as "Tater Salad" who put on a show out at the Quechan Casino here in Yuma. He was HILARIOUS, but very crass. I would definitely go see him again and I look forward to catching a few more comedy shows in the future as I would LOVE to see Chelsea Handler someday. Maybe when I make that trip to Vegas!

Dinner at Market Place

We also attended an ugly sweater dinner at the Market Place Wine and Bistro one evening. Clearly, only a select few chose to participate...haha.

The holidays are always tough when living so far from both sets of parents. This year, we were supposed to travel back to New York to spend the holidays with my family. Unfortunately, due to lack of vacation time and all of our travels in November, we were unable to make it back to my parent's house this year. Though I missed our traditional holiday festivities, we were still able to spend some time with family and friends here, which made for a great holiday nonetheless.

Bill's brother, CJ, is a pilot for Southwest and had to fly during the holiday, which put him in San Diego over Christmas Eve. With San Diego being so close, Bill and I made a quick trip with the airplane and spent the night in San Diego with him. We stayed downtown and grabbed some dinner at The Palms Steakhouse located right in the Gas Lamp Quarter District. This was an excellent choice and afforded me the opportunity to have some Christmas Crab Cakes. If you can't make it home for the holidays, there really is no better place to be stuck than in sunny and seventy degree San Diego...

We got to land right downtown, which made us a small fish in a big pond. Here are some shots from the approach:

San Diego



Final Approach


 Christmas Day was a beautiful day to fly. Here are some shots that we took leaving San Diego and approaching Yuma....

San Diego Skyline

Coronado
You can see the Hotel Del

North Island

Tijuana, MX

The Mexican Border!

More of the border....

Our House!!
(The one without the car in the driveway)

Christmas Day we said our goodbyes to CJ so that he could get back to TX and so that we could get back to Yuma to have Christmas lunch/dinner with our friends; the Kovals. Jen cooked herself silly making ham, carrots, corn, and some delicious cheesecake. I can't say it enough, but we feel so fortunate to have Mark, Jen, Landon, and Laylah out here with us! They make Yuma feel just a little more like home even though we don't get together nearly enough. Maybe once the Bachelor starts in January!

With all of that being said, there was little time for much else this past month. As a result, Bill and I have definitely fallen off the workout wagon. I don't think I have done anything fitness related since  before Hawaii and now feel like a blob. Therefore, for the benefit of both our aging bodies, we have decided to forgo the Phoenix Half Marathon next month. How I thought that it was a good idea to schedule a race like that following the holiday season is beyond me. I am sad about skipping this race, but look forward to getting back in shape along with everyone else starting January 1st, which leaves us one last weekend to be lazy!

In order to make the most of it, we will be spending our New Year's weekend in Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff is located in Northern Arizona, so it will be a little chilly up there and we might even see snow! That'll be a first for us since leaving NC. We are pretty excited to explore the Northern Arizona Region and hope to ring in the New Year with some hiking and sightseeing.

As I reflect on this past year, I am grateful for all of the great experiences that 2011 held for us. I hope that 2011 was just as magical for you as it was for us and we wish everyone another prosperous and healthy New Year as we welcome 2012!!

November 2011

What a memorable month! November 2011 will sure be a hard month to forget!!

Bill and I traveled to Parker, AZ on November 5th & 6th so that I could compete in the 11th Annual Blue Water Casino Triathlon. This was a much smaller triathlon compared to the Mission Bay Tri that I competed in last month, but awesome nonetheless!

Pre-Swim

I competed in the shorter distant event, which consisted of an out and back swim in the crystal clear waters of the Colorado River. The water was a balmy 74 degrees, but the 47 degree air temps made for a chilly start. The swim was followed by a two loop bike route that went around the casino and through a neighboring campground. This was a tough course as it was speckled with speed bumps that made it difficult to gain alot of speed. I lost a water bottle during this portion of the race as I hit one of these speed bumps head on at the bottom of a hill. Lastly, the race wrapped up with an uphill run out and around the casino once again.

Overall, I did relatively well. I was the first person out of the water for both men and women, placed 1st in my age group, and 3rd overall for women. In addition, I was joined by others from the Yuma area who competed in the event and placed high in their respective age groups as well. It was nice to be part of a group that represented Yuma so well!



Finished!

 Aside from competing in the race, it was a nice opportunity to get out of Yuma for a bit and spend some quality time with Bill as he had just wrapped up another WTI course the week prior. Also, it was nice to have his support as it is always nice to have someone cheering you on. We look forward to the next race on the schedule, which is the PF Chang Half Marathon in January that we will both be participating in, but have yet to train for!! I had high hopes of picking up the miles after the Bluewater Triathlon, but life got in the way... :)

The following weekend, we hosted a Huey Shop Potluck at our home. This turned out to be a fabulous event as it was a nice way to celebrate the successful completetion of another WTI and catch up with members of the shop and their wives. Bill and I cooked vats of turkey and buffalo chili. This turned into a chili cook off between Bill and myself since I originally told Bill that buffalo chili would be gross and not well received. Well, as it turns out buffalo chili is awesome, and Bill showed me up with his magnificant chili cooking skills :) We look forward to growing as a shop and can't wait for the next event!



Mark, Jen, Myself, and Bill
Marine Ball 2010 - Jacksonville, NC

 We  would also like to congratulate our friends, The Koval Family, on their newest addition to their family! Mark, Jen, and Landon welcomed a beautiful baby girl earlier this month! Mark and Jen have been long time friends of ours who were stationed in NC with us and have recently moved out to Yuma as of this summer. We are glad to have them out here with us! I have to say that the USMC Birthday Ball was just not as fun without you this year, Jen! I missed you, but am so happy for you guys! We will make up for it next year!


Marine Ball 2011 --Yuma AZ

Speaking of the USMC Birthday Ball, 2011 marked the 236th Birthday of the US Marine Corps. Bill and I attended of course, but we made it a much shorter evening than we have in recent years. We grabbed a few cocktails before dinner and stayed through the ceremony, but left shortly thereafter. Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to see Bill break it down to the Chicken Dance or the Macarena this year :) We would have stayed longer, but we had to get prepared for our big trip to HAWAII as we left the very next day!!

We had smooth travels to Hawaii and got to spend 8 days/nights in a tropical paradise!! We stayed on the island of Oahu and stayed right at the military hotel, The Hale Koa, which was located right down in Waikiki. The Hale Koa was magnificant as it was right on the beach with several pools, a couple of restaurants/bars, beautiful landscape, and close to everything!

The first full day that we were there, Bill and I woke up bright and early and headed on over to tour Pearl Harbour. We were glad that we got up early to visit the site because at 8:30am the parking lot was almost nearly full! We lucked out and got tickets to the 9:30am historic documetary followed by a trip out to see the USS Arizona Memorial. This monument was beautiful and very profound. It was amazing to see that there is still oil leaking from the depths of this sunken ship 70 years later. it was also sad to think of the amount of life lost during this momentous event in history. In addition to touring the USS Arizona, we also bought tickets to the Aviation Museum, which was right up Bill's alley. There was so much to see at Pearl Harbour that you could probably spend a whole day there.

USS Arizona

On the Memorial

Following our tour of the Aviation Museum, Bill and I took a very scenic self guided tour around the whole Island of Oahu. We made it up to the North Shore where we stopped to get some world class shaved ice at Matsumoto and visit the famous surf break, Pipeline, which happened to be flatter than a pancake. It was a beautiful drive either way. We drove by the Dole Plantation and got to see the pineapple fields. The landscape of Hawaii was just breathtaking; it was SO GREEN, especially compared to the desert.

Pipeline (I think..haha)

Also during our time in Hawaii, we got to take advantage of some of the landmarks that were close by. For instance, we got to hike to the top of Diamond Head, which is one of the more famous volcanic features of Hawaii. This landmark has had served many purposes over the years, which included acting as the host to the first US military reserve established in the Hawaiian Islands back in 1909. Diamond Head was also notably used for a filming location to the popular HBO series, LOST. Lastly, Diamond Head is probably most utilized for observation as the top offers incredible views of the Waikiki shoreline and Pacific Ocean.

At the Top of Diamond Head

We also got to catch up with an old swimming pal of mine as her and her husband are stationed out there. We got to share some good food, drinks, and Hula Pie (haha) while reminiscing some of the old age group swimming days. It also gave me the opportunity to get some tips from her for future triathlons as she is an amazing athlete and future Iron Woman!! Keep up the good work Lectie!!:)

Swimming!

Bill and I also got to enjoy some splendid beach time as we waited for our families to arrive. The whole purpose of our trip was to bring our families together and to officially celebrate and renew our marriage vows with them present. Therefore, we feel very fortunate and grateful that everyone on both sides of our families were able to make the trip out, especially since we have family in all parts of the United States and World including Texas, New York, North Carolina, and Japan. Bill and I even got to meet our newest niece, nephew, and sister-in law for the first time!

Our Family Wedding Ceremony took place on November 23rd at 3:15pm on Angel Bay Beach. It turned out perfect and we couldn't have asked for a better day, even though it was quite windy! Bill and I spent the day with Captain Howie as we got ready and had professional photos taken. We felt fortunate to have my brother, Shod, present as he was able to capture quite a bit of the actual ceremony through his own photography skills. Here are some of our favorites:

My favorite picture!

Mid Ceremony

Re-Married:)

Silas and I

Everybody!

Following our wedding ceremony, we shared cocktails at a placed called House Without A Key that overlooked the ocean and gave way to a beautiful sunset while we waited for our dinner reservation. After a few strong Mai Tais we headed over to the Orchid Restaurant, which was located in the Halekulani Hotel. They put on a fabulous dinner and cake cutting ceremony. We could not have asked for better service, food, or family to share it with! I don't think that Bill and I could be any happier with how everything turned out and how special everything was!

With my brothers; Shod & Cody

House Without A Key



Cake Cutting with Diamond Head in the background

During the rest of our time in Hawaii, Bill and I got to do additional hiking as a group of us headed out to hike out to some waterfalls. This was a pretty muddy trek, but the trails were awesome and the water falls were worth the hike out. Here are some pictures from that mini adventure:

The Group looking kind of tired....

Also, in lieu of the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner we got to attend a Luau with everyone. We loved the show and food! I think our favorite part of the show was when they broke out the fire....

Silas LOVED the Hula Girls.....

Sadly, our trip came to an end too quickly!! However, our trip home was not too quick! We ended up missing our flight home due to changes in the itinerary that we were unaware of. Therefore, we ended up spending an obscene amount of time flying from Honolulu to Maui, Maui to LA, and LA to Yuma. We are glad to finally be back home and getting back into our grind...well, I can at least. Bill had to turn around and leave for a week long conference in Vegas the next day!! Hopefully, Vegas doesn't get the best of him this week:)

Anyway, we hope that everyone had safe travels and a wonderful holiday as well!! We look forward to a low key December and Christmas. Have a safe and joyous Holiday Season and Merry Christmas!!