Na'lins

This past weekend Mike and I spent in New Orleans. Mike's birthday was on Monday the 19 and since I had to work we decided to take off on Friday and spend a few days out of town. We have been saying we were gonna go to New Orleans since we moved to Pensacola over a year ago, and we finally made. We had a blast!!

We took a ride on the St. Charles Street Car, which is the oldest operating street car! St. Charles Avenue has some of the most beautiful Southern homes. For $1.25 each we rode it all the way to the end of the line. The end of the line has a Walgreens, a park, and a little market/grocery store. We got some muffins and coffee at the market and had breakfast in the park. We then boarded the street car for the return trip. I think I would live in one of those houses if I wasn't worried about hurricanes and such!

After some wandering around the French Quarter and the French Market, we got some drinks (it's amazing, you can walk around with alcohol and no one stops you). And yes, we were drinking before lunch, it's Na'Lins! We finally got some lunch at a local brewery, tasted their local beers and then took a lovely horse-drawn carriage ride from Jackson Square around the French Quarter and got to here a bit of the history. Our guide even pointed out Brad and Angelina's $3.5 million house in the French Quarter...lemme tell ya, it didn't look like no huge house! 

That night we decided we would take our chances at some gambling and hit the casino floor. While all the craps and poker and blackjack tables were too high rolling for us, we did enjoy playing $20 worth in slot machines. And we even found one perfect for Mike, a TOP GUN slot machine!! Although he didn't do very good at, he quickly lost the $5 he put in! Let's hope his really flying goes better than that.

The picture to the below is Jackson Square in the background.

We ended our New Orleans trip with a visit to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. We will be going back to go to the zoo, but it was still too chilly to want to be walking around for a long time to look at empty animal cages because they were all in their warm little homes!

Speaking of homes, we found a home in the giant sea anemone (sp?) at the aquarium!! We had an awesome trip and can't wait to go on our next adventure (who knows when that will be)!!

Tag, you're it!

So apparently I was tagged like 8 years ago by Brianne and Mari. I'm finally getting around to responding to that....

1. I am a Disney and Harry Potter fanatic. I have the scene-it versions of both. I've stood in line for 7-8 hours to see the midnight showing of Harry Potter movies. And even though I have no children of my own I often buy, and put on my Christmas and birthday lists, Disney movies!

2. I am the oldest of 4 children and the only girl. Coincidentally I grew up quite a tomboy playing sports and video games which has followed me through the years. I am an avid Halo3 player and often play online.

3. I have an inch long diagonal scar on the top my head from trying to balance beam on the back of my neighbors sofa, falling, and the hitting my head on the corner of one of the huge 1970's brown floor speakers, when I was about 7 or 8.

4. I have never broken a bone in my body. But have caused my brothers to break bones or caused them to acquire major cuts on more than one occasion.

5. I wish that I had a closer relationship with Christ, and felt more secure in openly sharing my faith.

6. My parents are still married. All 4 of my grandparents are still living and have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaries. I also have great-grandmother who is still living.

7. And since it the New Year this is dedicated to things I would like to accomplish this year:

I would like to get healthy and in shape.

I would like to read one new book a month.

I would like to get back into the habit of praying and reading the Bible.

Well that is it on my seven facts and such...hope you enjoyed learning about me!

AZ for the holidays

We were able to go to AZ for Christmas and New years. We spent a lot of time with my family and our friends and enjoyed every minute! It helped that the weather was sunny and 72!! yes there were days we laying out by the pool. Don't be jealous.

Above: My brother enjoying time at the grandparents

Below: My crazy dad

Below: My brother Shane is planning on traveling Europe this summer and so my parents got him a world map to decide his route

My parents great dane, Diesel enjoying his Christmas present

Christmas in Meridian

Just some pics from lovely meridian for the holidays!

Our family picture:

Yes Santa was taxi'd in a T-45!

Our house all lit up:
The tree and Sunset:

It's been awhile...

So I've decided that maybe I should update since it has been a few months. Mike is trotting along in flight school and should make it to the end of phase 1 in about March. At that time he will find out if we stay in meridian and he continues training for the F-18, or if we will be moving and he will be flying the E2 or C2. He obviously prefers the F-18. I am still working at the furniture store doing bookkeeping, again still not my favorite thing to be doing but it is keeping me busy. 

We have found an OCF Bible Study that we have been attending and it has been great. Unfortunately, I am usually the only wife that attends; most of the group are single student pilots. But it is still great and we have met a lot of people through it as well. 

Well that's about it, our life in little Meridian, MS is not all that exciting. We are hoping after this to move somewhere to enjoy more of life, and now that I have an income we will start exploring the area around us as well!

Alaska

So this summer my family and I went on an Alaskan Cruise, thought I'd post some pics.

One week in...

Well I am one week into my new job. It is a lot of stuff to learn. I am doing the book-keeping for four companies owned by the family. One of the stores has just opened and they are unsure of exactly how the booking is going to run so I will be smack in the middle of that. So far things have been going rather well. I have enjoyed it, which I wasn't sure how I would deal with the whole money tracking and billin thing. But all has gone well so far and I enjoy the family and my coworkers. The one down side to the location that I am working out of is that I am the youngest person by ten years or more. All of the other young military wives are working at the new locaiton. Although there might be opportunity in a few months for another sales associate at where I am I think this is how it's going to be here for awhile.

But the people that I do work with are nice and fun. One of them is the wife and instructor in VT-9, which is not the squadron that Michael is in, Michael is in VT-7. It seems like many of our friends are in 9. Although for other than flying and squadron based events and games it doesn't realy matter what squadron you are in. There is no real difference in either of them, although some people say that one of the is a faster track than the other, but that depends on who you talk to and when. There is going to be some change in command for both squadrons in the next few months and that could change how things go in the different squadrons. So we'll see what happens.

Things have started to go better for me. Not even really since I started working, although I think that had a lot to do with it. I seem to have become more open to meeting people and act slightly different around strangers than normally I would have. Well I guess not strangers but other military wives. I had always thought of myself as a shy person but I seem to have been getting out of that a little bit. Which I guess is a good thing because I will be meeting new people all the time in the line of work Michael is in. With us moving all the time, and eventually he might even be in some leadership position in charge of a squadron or something of that sort. In that case I would have to be in charge of the "wives club" or somthing of that sort for the spouses of that squadron. We'll see where life takes us.

Michael still has to get past the E2/C2 draft first. Which will most likely be no earlier than May, of next year. Once we get past that hump will determine whether we are moving at that time or if we will be staying here for another 6-8 months after that point. The plan is for him to stay and finish training here because that means that he will be flying what he wants to fly and doing what he set out to do when he started at the academy as a plebe. All of that was working towards becoming a jet pilot, with whihc the whole draft being thrown in the mix recently could mess that up a little bit. But like I said we'll see where life takes.

I think that's enough for now. Will talk again soon.