On the Up and Up

I'm entering the UTMB PT class in the fall of 2009.

Kyle will be stationed in Port Arthur beginning this summer.

Praise Jesus!

He'll have a 90 minute one-way commute, but he's happy, so we're happy.

Yayyyyyy!

Stay tuned for return-to-the-Great-State date :)

Overdue Like a Library Book

So... a quick update for anyone who hasn't given up hope on this blog despite the 47 days since my last post.

Kyle has spent the past month in Florida on his ship. They went down on Feb. 9th and were supposed to have been back only a week later, but instead, everything quit working, and they stayed there till this past Thursday. But he's back now, safe and sound. So we're both happy :)

After arriving on Thursday, his ship found out Friday that they'll be going to dry dock in Charleston! Since everything broke (and has been broken for a long time before), they're going to take the ship to a yard to fix it; that's dry dock. It's going to take 7 months, and it's going to be in Charleston! Yay! Granted, Kyle will be leaving in the middle of dry dock this summer to transfer to his next station, but in the meantime, he'll be here at home :)

Not much else qualifies as big news here in Chucktown.... We buzzed Spur today, and he looks more like a poodle than ever (psh), but super cute nonetheless. Our trivia team did not win the 10-week trivia tournament, but a new one is starting this week. We're ready.

Hope all's well in The Great State... and Down Under... and wherever you may be.

Happy Wilson? :)

So, I'm pretty sure that an extensive update is warranted.  Lots has happened in the past month-and-a-half, and I'll do my best to recount it all.  Addenda may be necessary.

First of all: Christmas!  Kyle and I had a wonderful Christmas season this year.  We - and Spur - drove halfway across the country to spend our Christmas in good ol' warm Texas.  It was wonderful!  Since I had quit my job, Kyle was able to get an extra week of leave approved, so we were able to spend the new year in Portland, too!  It was very likely one of the best Christmases either of us has had, and I think it's because we had twice the family to celebrate with :)

To bring in the new year, Kyle and I played Risk with Cullen (our gift to him for Christmas) and then watched Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve for the Eastern, Central, and Mountain time zones.  It was a wild time.

After the drive back to Charleston, Kyle went back to work at his ship, and I went to work trying to fit our new gifts into our already snug apartment.  Thank you notes followed (I hope we got everyone!), so now the paying-job hunt begins!  I am hoping for a part-time job... maybe a cashier at the Piggly Wiggly (and maybe I'll get the chance to win a date with Tad Hamilton ;)).  There are also a few physical therapy clinics in town that I've discovered since my initial job hunt, so I'll go apply there as well.

A week ago, Kyle and I went to a bar downtown, Mad River, for Trivia Night, which is every Tuesday night.  Our team won, and we won $50!  ...It was split 6 ways, but it still cut our bill by more than half :)  Tonight we'll be looking to get as lucky.  It's a lot of fun, and I wish I could share it with more of you! 

This past weekend, Kyle and I attended a pro-life rally in the state's capital, Columbia, SC.  We went as chaperones for our youth group because the Diocese of Charleston (which is actually the whole state of SC) was having a youth-pro-life-celebration before the actual rally, which was held on the steps of the Capitol building.  It was purposely held the Saturday before Inauguration Day, and we prayed for our new president.  The previous governor, as well as a number of state legislators, and even the attorney general were all there!  The attorney general and previous governor even spoke.  South Carolina has enacted almost 10 pieces of legislation guarding the sanctity of life, and the abortion rate in South Carolina has dropped 50% in the last 15 years!  It was very refreshing to see publicly elected officials there in support of life and to publicly announce their Christian faith!  The attorney general even said that we can't expect our economy or our government to be strong until our churches are strong, and that it's up to all the church-goers to strengthen our churches, pray for our government, and raise our voices.  It was inspiring to say the least.  The sermon at mass that evening (back in Charleston) was given by a priest who was at the rally, too, and it was great to hear his reflections on the event.

While we were gone, Spur was dogsat by Alex and his girlfriend, Caitlin... who I'm still not sure hasn't actually stolen Spur and left us with a replica.  They went walking downtown, and he got to eat on a cafe's patio, play in the park in front of the old Citadel, and he even had goodies from the Doggie Bakery!  After such a fun day with the "cool aunt and uncle", life back at our place is going to take some time to settle back into.  Speaking of Spur, his manhood is going to be snipped in a couple weeks.  Yikes.  Can't say I'm sorry though, considering how aggressive he's been getting lately.  Kyle and I have the scars on our hands to prove it.

The weather here has been fuh-reeeeeezing.  I'm not made for weather like this.  It's pretty rough.  Today there might even be snow or sleet!  I don't know what to make of this.

Tonight Kyle and I will be trying our luck again at Mad River.  Yay!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

It's snowing in Austin, and the Spurs just won in double overtime. What's going on in South Carolina?

...

Turkey Day 2008

It seems it's time for an update on here! Lots has happened in the last three weeks.

- Spur is growing. He got his first bath. His great-Aunt Betty also sent him a care package full of toys, half of which are already littered around the living room floor in the form of stuffing. He can go up stairs now, but still not down them; he like chasing leaves that have fallen off of trees; and his affinity for strangers and other (bigger) dogs has earned him his share of new friends and also poundings.

- Youth Group is going well! The Beach Retreat was a couple weeks ago, but we didn't make it because I was sick, so Kyle made me stay in bed and rest (against my wishes, but he was quite persistent) ;)

- On Monday, Kyle was promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)! There was a ceremony on his ship for all the promoted Ensigns, so I took a long lunch to be able to go. Two chiefs put on his new shoulder boards, and I got to put on his new cap. I'm so proud!

- Speaking of work, mine has been going steadily downhill. My resignation letter is written, and all that has to be done now is turn it in. I'm looking forward to putting more time towards our home and perhaps being a part-time employee somewhere (I think cashiering at Piggly Wiggly would be fun... "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" style.) :)

- Thanksgiving in Charleston was a great one this year, although we did miss our families. We bought a dinner at Piggly Wiggly... a whole turkey, gravy, green beans, rolls, dressing... the whole shebang. I made some mashed sweet potatoes, and three of Kyle's shipmates/friends came over. Since we had purchased our Thanksgiving meal, we asked that they either bring a few bucks or a dish. I was pleasantly surprised by their spinach casserole, butternut squash, and Martha Stewart dressing. The skies were clear and blue and sunny, and the temperature couldn't have gotten higher than 65. After a late lunch, we went out to throw the football, and Spur turned out to be a stellar monkey in the middle ;) Once the cold (and another dog flattening our football) drove us back inside, we spent the night cheering on the Longhorns while playing Risk until 1am.

- And while we're on the topic, the Longhorns played as stellarly against the Aggies as could have been done, but it didn't seem to me to be quite stylistic enough to earn the style points needed to come out on top of this three-way-tie-BCS-debacle. Seriously. What the heck.

- Now, as Black Friday comes to an end, Tax-Free- Firearm- Weekend in South Carolina is just beginning. Today, I became the proud new owner of a pink Smith & Wesson "Lady Smith".38 special. It'll only be a matter of time before I spin it around my forefinger like an old western pro. :)

Three more week until Kyle and I are headed home, and we can't wait to see everyone! A South Texas Christmas will be the perfect break from this cold that we've been waiting for.

Spur!

So... we got a dog. I had brought it up in passing a week or two ago. We thought it was a good idea, then we talked ourselves out of it (as recently as two days ago), but here we are! He's a "Cavapoo": half Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and half poodle. He won't get larger than 15 pounds. After soliciting names from our junior highers at youth group tonight (all the finalists actually came from our volunteer peers: Humphrey, Tobit, and Frances), we decide on Spur. Because we like the Spurs, we're Texan, he was a semi-spur-of-the-moment purchase, and he's spunky... like a spur?

Kyle's determined to make him a hunting dog.

I think he and his cousin Maddie will get along peachy keen.

After bringing him home, we (almost immediately) had to go to youth group, so we put him in his kennel (his breeder had been crate-training him, so we were continuing the habit). When we got home, this was the scene. Think he likes the crate training? Haha!

What a cutie!

He liked my bubble gum :)

Spurrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Things Spur likes: socks (more than real toys), feet, our dining table chairs, chewing, our Bevo rug, and cavorting.
Things Spur doesn't like: his leash, newspaper in the kennel, tile floors, and cracks in the sidewalk.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Well, eff.



I guess we'll be stocking canned food and ammo for the next three months.