Happy Memorial Day!

Leading up to this week, Matt and I have been watching WWII in HD on Netflix. If you have not seen this, I highly recommend it. After years and years of searching and compiling LIVE footage from WWII, they produced this documentary on each battle that took place. It is hard to watch on so many levels but so important to truly understand that we are here today with our freedom due to the utmost sacrifices made by our brave servicemen both in the past and present.


Fast forward to today! Such a sobering day for me when I reflect on the friends we have lost during Operation Enduring Freedom in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Celebrating those that gave the ultimate sacrifice as well as their family they left behind. God Bless our troops! Thanks to all who have served, past and present! Thinking of my friends whose husbands are currently in harms way.



Dear Lord, Please keep them safe and bless their families with courage and hope on the homefront. Amen.

Welcome back December, we have not missed you!

So we are about to welcome June and we woke up yesterday to a surprise! After many beautiful days at the park in our shorts, we are back to boots and sweatshirts once again. Our large plans for the holiday weekend were crushed after seeing that the weather forecast called for rain, sleet and overall frigid conditions!

What is a girl to do? SHOP the sales, right?! Thanks to my awesome sitter, I was off to Reno in the early morning hours on Saturday and returned in time for dinner. I refused to admit that it was almost June and I truly needed my winter boots so I donned on my favorite comfy flip flops and left the jacket on the hanger..... MISTAKE! Snow was falling mixed with ice and this girl had on flip flops and a 3/4 length shirt. Thankfully the stores had winter clearances so I was able to get a sweatshirt for cheap :) Thanks GAP! Despite the weather, I endured some good retail therapy! Thanks honey!

One week ago, we had a thunderstorm and you can see the rainbow and the mountains in the distant behind our house. Notice that it is May and the snow had melted due to decent weather. The hill you see is Rattlesnake hill and is pretty much the only hill here in Fallon. In the distance you will see the mts...I think they are the Ruby Mountains but I could be wrong.


Fast forward one week and this is the same view from our backyard 2 days shy of June 1st 2011..... Again, rattlesnake hill and off in the distance all of that white stuff is snow covered Mtns. Hard to see in this picture as it blends into the sky!


Which brings me to my next point.... Little to no humidity out here and temps that are comfortable with the right clothing vs. back home in VA with lots of humidity and temperatures dangerously close to 100 degrees....hmmmmmm.. Oh, Did I mention I have aged 10 years without humidity due to the dryness of the desert since I arrived a few short months ago? I will find out how much I like humidity and heat in a week and a half when I am back on the right coast with my family again. We are counting down the days but sad to be leaving Daddy behind.

Looking forward to celebrating 10 years of marital bliss with my soulmate next Saturday in Heavenly. Plan to do lots of bike riding, wine tasting and relaxing by the water as long as it is not snowing. If it is snowing, we will welcome the hot tub and fireplace! I am so thankful to have Matt home for this milestone!

Hope everyone is enjoying this weekend and reflecting on the lives of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live comfortably each and every day.

Semper Fi!

SURPRISE!

Oh how I love a good surprise! Matt is so good at surprises and I love how he loves to spoil me! How did I get so lucky? Completely distracted by Matt's new cell phone set up, he was able to drive me to the bike shop in NW Reno without me realizing that we were not headed to TAHOE just yet! I was shocked to find the we were there and almost in tears when he said it was to pick up MY bike! It was love at first ride and I really did not want to get off it. Here she is in all of her glory....



This weekend goes on record as one of the best birthday/Mother's Day weekend to date! We had a great time in Lake Tahoe at the Borderhouse in Crystal Bay. Truly a nice romantic getaway with convenience to casinos, lake and restuarants! Came home on Sunday to spend a nice day with my sweet girls and hubby.

Woke up Monday to rain, sleet, hail and snow! Only in Fallon....

Life is one big adventure!

So Matt thought I had lost my mind (which happens on occasion) when I told him my plan for Easter weekend....
1)drive 6 1/2 hours to Lemoore, CA to meet up with him
2)spend the night in hotel with there
3)wake up and drive 3+ hours to Monterey, CA to put feet in sand and spend Easter
4)drive back to Lemoore, CA, next day
5)stay 2 days in said hotel with kiddos while he worked
6)bring him back home to Fallon with us when he finished training!

He tried many times to talk me out of "all of that driving" and finally decided I was not backing down when I mentioned the hotel reservations I made in Monterey! I am happy to report that the trip was all that we had hoped for and I even got thanked several times for the bright idea! SCORE!

The kids were troopers and adjusted well to being locked down in car seats, changing rooms/beds, and being forced to do a lot of sight-seeing from the back windows of the van! The trip was educational as we learned that everything that could be grown, grows in CA! The orchards and wineries were beautiful and reminded me of all the work that goes into our produce! I will spare you details of both the sight and smell of a cow "factory" that we passed. Needless to say, I think I want to know where my cow is coming from this day forward!

Monterey is beautiful! Once you get off of the interstate coming from Lemoore, CA, the beauty of the drive is breathtaking all the way into MOnterey Bay. The Naval Postgraduate School is a beautiful campus and a short walk to the shore. Note to my military friends: If you have the chance to go and stay there, it is cheap ($60 for suite), beautiful, and totally worth the drive!

It was nice to be a family again and go exploring together. We toured Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and Carmel. We even drove south on Highway 1 to see Point Lobos and the Bixby Creek Bridge. I want to go back when the Monarch butterflies are there. Monterey is Butterfly Town USA! We went to the sanctuary but knew that it was the wrong time of year. Matt lost it on this strange old lady who asked for his help then SHOOSHED Madeline and was very rude by demanding my kids didn't touch her Toyota as they were trying to to her our life story! I wish I would have taken a picture of the "Mrs. Doubtfire" look-alike! Wow is all I have to say!

Turns out it was pupping season for the sea lions so we got to witness lots of pups and their families lounging on the rocks and swimming in the ocean. The vegetation there is just so beautiful. I love the wild flowers and ground cover! Not to mention the amazing cliff views! Check out the slideshow below:



Alison had to take a plunge in the Pacific Ocean for the first time that she remembers! (she was born in San Diego and her Daddy walked her along the beach when she was 4 days old) It was so cold that our feet went numb but she played in the water for about an hour until she got smart and surfer changed into warm clothes. Madeline wasn't too sure about the cold. About the time she was deciding what to do, a wave knocked her down! She immediately changed into warm clothes!





While Ali was building sand castles, I got to spend a few minutes with Madeline in my lap. I adore this picture Matt snapped of her and I! They just grow up so fast :(


We were able to score some time at the Dennis the Menace park! This is the coolest free public park I have ever seen. Hours of free entertainment just in time to wind them down for the night! I could have played here for days! You will see pictures in the following slide show of that park as well as the rest of our trip!




ENJOY and Happy Mother's Day to all of the beautiful Mom's in my life! I am a better Mom because of YOU!