Our Caribbean Celebration

For our two-year anniversary, Shaun and I decided to scour the internet for a really great deal on a cruise, one of the items that was still on our "Florida Bucket List" to do before we move. Thanks in large part to his bargain-finding prowess, Shaun landed us a 4-night cruise for a steal. We decided to stretch the vacation just a little bit longer and drove down to Tampa for a weekend with one of my bridesmaids, Ashley. Unfortunately our camera must have declared strike because in all of our adventures with Ashley that weekend, I only have one picture of the two of us. But here's some of the highlights from our trip down:

We drove down to Tampa the long, scenic way on Highway 98, but with the Gulf constantly at our side, I'd say it was worth it.

With Ashley, we spent lots of quality time relaxing at her pool, going out to dinner, and helping her with her big move to Sarasota. (Only a true friend would let you stay at her apartment days before moving! Thank you again, Ashley!)

But Saturday we spent the day at Busch Gardens, riding roller coasters, feeding kangaroos, and watching those amazing tigers. We also saw a Cirque du Soleil show called Jungle Fantasy. Here's some photos I found online, since I didn't remember to bring my own camera. :(

The sole evidence we have of going to see Ashley.

On the way to Port Canaveral, we stopped in Lakeland to see Shaun's great aunt and uncle and their daughter (Shaun's 2nd cousin? I never know how cousins work.). They had a great brunch made and we really enjoyed visiting with them. Just more proof that I married into a great family!

Our home away from home for 4 nights!

I was expecting it to be small, but geez, it was small!

About to pull away from the port.

Dinner the first night, which just so happened to be May 30th, our anniversary!

We were serenaded with the "Happy Anniversary" song and presented with a celebratory tiramisu after dinner. It was the first song of the cruise in our dining room. We heard many "Happy Birthday"s and "Happy Anniversary"s as the vacation went on, but we were the first! :)

Hooray for 2 full years of wedded bliss!

School's Out!

May 20th I said good-bye to 16 of my favorite second graders for the last time. Hugs and high fives went all around -- we all survived it! It was a great first year teaching, full of challenges and rewarding moments. One of which came 20 minutes after having put the kids on the bus. The father of the quietest, shyest girl in my room called the office to get in touch with me because the little girl was "so distraught that she'd never see [me] again." I talked to her for a couple minutes and reassured her that she'd see me again. Moments like that made all the challenges from this year worth it.

Cleaning out my classroom was bittersweet, but brought some great closure. How different it looked on my first day! I won't be returning to Tyndall Elementary next year and I know I'll miss it, but I'm confident there's something great still in store....
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After our inservice days, myself and nine other wonderful Tyndall ladies drove out to Rosemary Beach, FL (about an hour away) and rented a condo for a couple of days. We spent the next 48 hours unwinding and enjoying frozen margaritas the beach. I even brought along my favorite dessert -- a chocolate peanut butter cup torte! It was a great way to finish out the school year, with the ladies who all helped me in so many ways this year. But RoseMary, Susanne, and Psyche, we missed having you there too!

Gorgeous condo neighborhood!

We ate dinner out two nights. This was us at Crabby Steve's on the beach. It was so yummy, and really well priced for being right on the water!

Grits A Ya-Ya -- a meal I ordered at Great Southern Cafe.

Smoked gouda grits with spiced grilled shrimp, bacon, spinach, and portabella mushrooms topped with a haystack of sweet potato strands.

Not only are they adorable, these homes have some amazing views!

One night we watched a FAST wedding on the beach. From the bride's walk down the boardwalk to the family portraits and tearing down the chairs? Six minutes. No lie.

Thank you, ladies, for including me in all of the fun this year! It's been so great being a part of this supportive team!

Counting Down

My friend Lisa, whom you saw here, is always wowing me with her cute, creative crafts that she makes. From colorful tissue paper Easter centerpieces to the custom wedding and birth announcements she designs, I am always impressed.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I told Lisa that I only had 30 days left with my class before summer break. We excitedly started making plans about how we can spend afternoons together once my days were freed up -- shopping, gym trips, beach trips, lunch dates, you name it! I came home from work that Monday and was greeted with a cute creation of Lisa's on our front door.





I was so excited! Each flower had a number 1-30 with a Starburst candy taped to it. Needless to say, the countdown has continued next to our front door, and that little sugar pick-me-up has helped me get through the last four weeks. (How is it that teachers get more excited for summer than students?!)

And look, Lisa! We're now down to only 9 days left! Woo hoo!!!

Tyndall's Air Show

Tyndall Air Force Base hosted the Gulf Coast Salute, an air show on March 26th and 27th. (I know, I know... I am so incredibly behind in blogging!) We went with some of our good friends who are stationed at Tyndall with us -- Denis and Lisa. We brought lawn chairs and enjoyed watching the stunts and performances by all of the amazing aircraft. Our favorite was the finale -- the Thunderbirds! (How can you not love watching them?)

Me, pressing all sorts of buttons in an E-9!

Lisa and I sitting in a C-17 -- It's huge!

A real, live hovercraft! Shaun tried to ask the guy some questions about how fast it could go and such, but was answered with "I can't disclose that information." Sweet!
This plane landed on top of the truck as it was driving down the runway. It took a couple of tries because of the wind, but it was cool.






A man rigged his school bus to shoot 75-foot flames out the back of it. Not only that, but it reached speeds of 350 MPH.

This is one of the tricks that the Thunderbirds do, when they seemingly fly two of the planes right at each other and then swerve right at the last moment to graze past each other.

And last, but not least, the United States Air Force's Thunderbirds!

Much To Be Thankful For

Before we head to Colorado for Christmas, I figure it's about time to post pictures from Thanksgiving... sheesh.

We have so much to be thankful for. Here's just a small sample of my blessings:

First off, I am so thankful for family. God allowed me to be born into a fabulous one, but then I was twice blessed when He placed me into a wonderful second family too! Shaun and I went to our friends' wedding in Atlanta the weekend before Thanksgiving, where we spent time with my in-laws before they drove down for Thanksgiving with us.

Dan, Donna, Collin, Amber and Shaun at the wedding

It goes without mention that I am also incredibly thankful for my stud of a husband. Donna took this picture of Shaun outside of our commissary. That picture to the left of him is Shaun, the CGO (company grade officer) of the quarter for the whole base!


I'm thankful for new beginnings and fresh starts. Our dining room set was given to us as a hand-me-down from some dear family friends, but unfortunately the fabric had several worn spots where the stuffing was peeking through. Donna, a former Home Economics teacher, did a magical renovation to our chairs while she was here. She reupholstered our chairs in a gorgeous new cranberry and cream paisley pattern... What a difference it made!

Shaun and Donna hard at work on the chairs

Living in Florida, we've got a great appreciation for the sunshine and warm weather. We took Dan and Donna to one of our favorite beach restaurants, Toucans, for lunch one day. It was fun to stroll the beach afterward!

----Then, there was Thanksgiving----

Our morning started with a family run around our neighborhood, followed by a lot of good bonding time in the kitchen! :) The run helped us to be thankful for our health and strength God gives our bodies. The food was just another reminder of God's provision in our lives and His grace we receive daily. Though we don't have pictures of the run, we have several of the feast preparations!

Dan did the duty of testing the turkey giblets.

Donna and I with the turkey!

Mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, ginger-rum carrots, cranberry sauce, and deviled eggs... Mmm!

Our 2nd Thanksgiving together (with the same last name)!

So colorful! :)

Turkey and wild mushroom stuffing-filled acorn squash

Showing off the spread with Dan and Donna!

I'm thankful for our wonderful friends too. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with some of our friends. They're from Canada, so it was fun to compare traditions with them and show them an American-style Thanksgiving.

With the Fathers -- Mark, Sally, and Kaede

The table!

All in all, we have much to be thankful for. It was so great to spend time with family for the holiday, and it makes us even more anxious to get back to Colorado for Christmas!

Thanks for the visit, Dan and Donna! We love you guys!!

500 Cookies

Back in October, Tyndall Air Force Base's facebook page had over 500 fans, so they offered a competition -- do anything you can think of with the number 500, make a video, and get as many people as you can to "like" your video on their page. If you got the most votes, you won $500. What better idea than to make 500 chocolate chip cookies and pass out plates of them to meet your neighbors on base?

However, 500 cookies is no small feat, so I asked my friend Lisa to help out. Together we made over 550 cookies (because you can't just let the rest of your dough go to waste!) and then proceeded to go door-to-door, passing out friendship on a plate!


We fought hard to get votes over the next couple of weeks, but unfortunately we were beat out by a video with two adorable children... it's hard to beat that. But it came down to the last 20 minutes of voting, and we gave it a good fight. If you were one of the people who voted for us, thank you for your support! We definitely felt loved -- over 580 votes!

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We spent over 4 hours baking these suckers!
Our kitchen was very warm that morning!

These were only my batches... the video link shows all 500+ cookies at once!