These West Coast Kids are Going East

We found out where we are moving. It's far away...

Sean will be stationed with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune 

in Jacksonville, North Carolina

Click the link to read about: 2nd Marine Division 
Sean will follow those guys around, do what they do, look just like 'em, and save their sorry selves when necessary...
They would quite literally die without him... you're welcome jarheads.
 You'd think the Marines would have their own medics, seeing how they are always knee deep in drama but for some reason (unknown, to me.) they don't, so they borrow the Corpsman of the Navy occasionally... and by occasionally, I mean all the time...
I am so dang proud of Sean, he is awesome at what he does, and the Marines are very lucky that he will be fighting beside them.

This is where Jacksonville is: 

 and here is North Carolina: 

(just in case you didn't pay attention in elementary school or you're senile and forgot.)

Division isn't the job we wanted him to end up with but we are optimistic anyway, and excited for a new adventure. We know that Heavenly Father is guiding and directing our lives, and that He also has His hand in this new chapter that is beginning for us. 

Sean is thankful for the opportunity to serve our country and proud to be beside all the great men and women who fight to protect our nation and our freedom. 

I am thankful for a husband with incredible integrity and a willingness to do whatever his service entails.  

We are thankful for all the support that we get from our amazing family and friends. 

We are also very excited for the chance to say the word "y'all" as much as we want!
The very thought of possibly picking up a southern accent just makes my heart skip a beat :)  

Palm Canyon Trail

Since Sean didn't have to work today, we decided to drive to Borrego Springs and hike the Palm Canyon Trail. The trail is three miles and winds up through a canyon to an oasis in the middle of the desert. It was awesome! The hike was really easy (which is good, because it was way hot out there!) The scenery was gorgeous. We saw a million lizards, and some birds, a frog, and a few big horned sheep. The oasis was really cool, there was a small waterfall at it and a creek too. The trees were all really close together, so it was almost like a fort inside of them. We took 102 pictures but didn't get any of us... We were bummed we forgot to and almost (and by almost, I really mean the idea was only mentioned jokingly) hiked back up to get some shots of our lovely selves, but our laziness won that battle (again, not a battle because we were never actually going to go back) .... So, here are some pictures of the scenery...which are almost as good to look at as we are: 

These are pictures from the start of the trail

The creek... 

The first view of the oasis

Pictures from the inside of the oasis

The waterfall and looking back down the canyon

 

Geocaching with my Valentine

My Valentine had some flowers delivered to our house for me on Friday... a huge box of them (like in the movies!) Isn't he the best?! 

On Saturday we went to dinner with the Coxs at Claim Jumper, it was really fun and tasty too! we didn't take any pictures, of course...

Sunday, after church we went geocaching around Mission Bay and made dinner together (oh, how sweet!)

One of the caches were searching for said "look for the pelican skeleton"... we found it. eww! 

(The cache was in the bush underneath)

another cache was right by the bay... not a bad view huh?

I think I will pick the same Valentine next year too... he was a good one!!

yes, my hair is out of control... it was pretty windy on the bay... 

We had a good weekend... and it's not over yet, Sean doesn't have to work Monday (yay, for President's Day!) 

Operation: Relocation, update

On Friday the 5th we went to check if we got any of our five choices that we put in for orders.
We didn't get any of them... not a single one.

The detailer (aka "bearer of bad news guy") gave us an opportunity to call and request a few more choices over the phone on the next Friday. He said he could give us an "informal" yes/no right then, so we wouldn't have to wait for the application process this go-around because we didn't have time to do that. If the orders we asked for were denied we would no longer have any choices and would just go where they want us to. So, we looked, prayed, and stewed over the list of orders that came out on Thursday the 11th and came up with a list of three options that would be the best for us.... All of that was absolutely pointless.
Again, we didn't get any of our choices!

Now? We wait. Until next Friday, of course (it's always a waiting game with the military) 
To see where they (whoever that is...) will be sending us.

Let's pray that it's somewhere good and Sean won't be doing a crazy job that keeps him away from home a lot.....

Bonfire

Last night we had bonfire at Mission Bay with the Coxs and the Wests. The Coxs still had their Christmas tree so we had a burning party. It was awesome. (We do bonfires a lot with those guys and figured it was time we got some pictures of the fun.)

Wendy got some free wood from craigslist, it was a little damp and Sean and David had to cut it up with hand saws.We lit the tree on fire and it burned in about 30 seconds or less. It was insane! We were counting on it starting the wood on fire but it didn't last long enough... it was seriously so fast!

So the guys tried a few times to get the fire going and gave up saying it wouldn't start with out kindling or fuel... some boy scouts huh?!

Wendy and I said we would do it. The guys laughed and sat in the chairs while mocking at us... "if they couldn't light it then we definitely wouldn't be able to!"

Punks.

We had to show the guys up now. The pressure was on... we were determined to get that fire started! And we did. That's right ladies and gentlemen... The girls got it going. We don't mess around.

This is what a dead Christmas tree looks like when burning.

Here are some pictures of the fire (built by girls...)

The ladies:

Melissa

and Wendy

our fire:

That is a pretty good looking fire, you must admit.

Here are some random pictures (that aren't interesting but we want to document) of the tree (pre-burning), the guys cutting the wood, and everyone who was there.

I timed Sean cutting through this piece... I think he ended up breaking it apart. cheater.

David is funny. Check out the tree. It's so dead

Thru the Mind's Eye

Check this blog out for photos of the day and other such eye pleasers that will make you stare in awe!

Landscape photography courtesy of the guy who gives me butterflies.

(I may be a little bias but I think you will agree with me on the talent of this person...)

www.thruthemindseye.blogspot.com

Go there. You'll like it.

Holiness to the Lord

Tonight: Temple Night.

We are thankful to have a temple only 10 minutes away. I am thankful to have a husband that will go there with me.

The lights were (for some reason) especially pretty tonight to me, so I got a couple of pictures with my phone.

"I urge all who have not yet received these greatest of all blessings within the walls of the temple to do whatever may be necessary to qualify to receive them. To those who have received these blessings, I invite you to prepare yourselves to savor again the experience of being within the sacred premises of the holy temples of God and have the visions of life eternal open again to your hearts, minds, and souls."

-James E. Faust

IKEA

We finally got all of the pieces to our bedroom set! I love it!! We have been trying to get the last piece (the dresser) for months now. We would check the "as is" section of Ikea all the time waiting for it to be at a discount price, and I would check craigslist everyday hoping to find it on there too.

About a week ago we sold our old dresser ... our clothes have been stacked on the floor since then. So last night we decided we were just going to give in and buy the dresser at full price since we weren't getting anywhere with the "as is" or craigslist mumbo-jumbo (and we were both about to have a mental breakdown with the clothes in piles on the floor!)

We got to Ikea, (feeling defeated) and as we walked past the "as is" section we glanced over, mostly out of habit... and what did we see? That's right! The dresser we wanted. Two(2!) of them actually! How sweet is that?!

So we picked which one we wanted (it was 15% off... so was the other one.) and saw that it had some damage on the back, which would never be seen because it would be against the wall. But We asked the employee about it because the "as is" tag didn't say there was any damage, just missing packaging (and because I am a cheap skate!) He gave us an extra 5% off for the damage. That's 20% discounted baby! We were pumped.

What are the odds, seriously?? The day we finally caved and went to buy the dumb thing...

So the moral of the story:

when you are trying to be thrifty... just give up.

This is what the inside of the drawers look like, and also

the inside of the nightstands... A little ray of sunshine! :)

We also got a new bookshelf from Ikea with some of our Christmas money. I love this one because it can be stood up tall or laid down short. We chose short, obviously.

We sold our other one because it could only be tall... one option bookshelves get kicked to the curb around here! (or sold on craigslist to a very nice family that just so happens to be filthy rich... I think it's doing ok.)

AND last, but certainly not least... our nice little splash of color for the living room... the blue rug. Cute huh? I love it.

We got this in September, (I think) and it has been filling us with cheer ever since.

Our grumpy (understatement!!) downstairs neighbor likes it too because it cuts back the noise from the mini people that come over to our house and also fill us with cheer... but sometimes (ok always) stomp around on these hardwood floors that echo profusely.

Thanks rug! You're cool.

I promise to vacuum you soon.