Fall 2018

Not too shabby, the second post in less than a week!  I did say I would catch up!  This one will be Sept.-Nov.

September

Tim made me drive this through the grocery store (against my will) but I ended up with a pinched nerve and couldn't walk well for while.  I must say... I did park it back in it's spot like a boss!  Reverse and all!  Like a glove!

First Day of School 2018!  Simon 10th grade and Nixon 7th.  Paige is in her first year of college and wouldn't send me a pic because she said she was just rolling out of bed and going to class!  LOL spoken like a true college student already.

Tim got to take part in placing flags along the Arlington Memorial Bridge on Sept. 11th in honor of each person who lost their life at the Pentagon that day.

Just to prove to everyone life is not always as good as it looks in pictures and posts, I decided to post one of me in the Emergency room not feeling so hot!  All part of the nerve stuff. Of course, it was the day after Tim deployed to NC for hurricane assistance.  I was trying to get a doctor appointment and couldn't so they told me to go to the ER. I was still new here and didn't even know which ER to go to but was told I needed to go.  Thankfully my wonderful neighbor happened to stop by and saw I needed help and took me.  God knew I needed help and sent her!

We found an awesome state fair!

Simon and I shared a bacon wrapped grilled cheese sandwich!

Tim in his happy place and ongoing hunt to find an elephant ear as good as at our hometown state fair.  This one came in a good second.

October

Marching band Season in full swing!

This is in the MGM Casino at National Harbor, MD.  Can't wait to see it for Christmas.

This is on the rooftop looking out over the city.  You can see the big Ferris wheel in the background.

I found Rosie the Riveter!  Looks real, doesn't she?  It's just a statue. 

A Peeps store!! Who knew?

There are all kinds of awesome statues all around National Harbor.

Giant buried in the sand.

When you meet Abe Lincoln and your 12-year-old does bunny ears!  LOL

I went with Nixon on a field trip for his school to Carter Mountain for apple picking.

Simon turned 16!

Grandma and Grandpa's cards are always hilarious and loud. Yes, loud with sound!  He was braced and ready for it. LOL

First Birthday dinner at Freddy's.

Second birthday dinner at Sakura Hibachi.  It's like a Benny Hanna's.  It was lots of fun and good food!

He requested cheesecake, like his sister, this year!

Tim and I got to enjoy the CCTI dinner up in DC at a very formal private golf club.  The Commandant of the Coast Guard was the speaker and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard was there too.  Very surreal feeling sitting in a grand formal setting in the Nation's Capital listening to the Head of the Coast speak. We have come a long way in 24 years from two kids first stationed in Alaska!

 Halloween

Tim and I discovered some of our decorations were interactive LOL!

This year's pumpkins.  Paige always hated getting her hands dirty and said she was glad to not to have to carve one this year.

Nixon was just straight up scary looking.  He went trick or treating with a friend from school.

Tim, Simon and I handed out candy.  Simon was 3 hole punch Jim from the show The Office.  It is so funny how people freak out about bacon.  One kid yelled back to his parents "It's a whole family of bacon".  

November

Look at this guy all grown up!  This is his uniform for Wind Ensemble (his band class at school).

My handsome guys!

Yep he towers over me!

We finally got to see Tim's office.  You have to be cleared to go there since it's Headquarters and also Department of Homeland Security.  It takes a couple of days and you have to submit all your info.  It's actually harder to get in there than the White House security wise.

Nixon added some art to his whiteboard for him.

Checking out the Big Eyes (binoculars) 

Angie's Birthday

Tucker loves loves loves our fireplace.  He just lays there all comfy and gazes into it.  Sometimes when it's off he will walk over and paw at the screen!

Yard work

Hauling leaves from the front to the back

Thanksgiving

This year it was Nixon's turn to learn to make Grandma's stuffing recipe.

Simon did the mashed potatoes

Yum Yum!  We missed having Paige with us.  But rest assured she ate well down in TN!

See he just loves it!  So cute!

There was one more thing we did in November but it warrants it's own post especially because I took so many pictures!  We got to tour the White House!  So that will be my next post in a couple days!

Summer 2018

First I will start by saying sorry for how long it has been since I have posted.  Truth be told for the first few months I was adjusting to Paige not being with us and not in our photos.  Then life got busy and I ended up down for a while starting the end of August with a pinched nerve and am just now getting the help I need for it.  But enough excuses!!  I will play catch up in a few posts starting with June, July, and August!  Summer 2018

JUNE

Tim advanced to Master Chief (E9).  We are so proud of him and this is such a huge accomplishment.  Thankfully we as a family got to pin him on and celebrate the big day.

Paige and Simon pinned on his new anchors with 2 stars!

I took off his old hat with just the 1 star.

Nixon put on his new hat with 2 stars.

Packing Paige up and getting her moved to her new place before the movers came to pack us up for the move to Virginia.

Dad helping her set up her new room.

New room and ready for college!  She is living with a good friend of the family that offered her spare room rent free which is a huge blessing!

On the road for 13-hour drive to our new home in Stafford VA. Nixon rode with me and the cats in one car and Tim and Simon drove the other car.

This kitty does not do good at all in the car.  We had to drug her 3 times along the way.  I call this the "drunk kitty" picture LOL She threw up just a little and then passed out with her face smashed against the dashboard and her paw was pushing on the map button so I couldn't use the GPS.  Poor thing has motion sickness.  Who knew?  I guess it common in cats.

Welcome to our new home with a bear cub in the backyard!  This was our second day here.

Mariners were in Baltimore!!  We wouldn't miss that!  Tim was happy because we also got to eat at Gus' Fried Chicken.  He was already missing it from TN.

Simon's expression in the background is hilarious!

We have found the BEST pizza place!  It's in Fredericksburg, just south of where we live.  They have the hugest slices and pizzas we have ever seen.

We all agree it is honestly the best pizza we have ever had anywhere.

July

Out and about in D.C.

This was sitting outside one of the Smithsonians and a squirrel ran up to Nixon's leg and scratched him and then took off.  It was kinda crazy!

We found a state park not too far away from here where you can rent kayaks on a lake.

Tim's brother and fam came for a visit 3 weeks after we got here.  It was so nice and fun to get to spend time with family.  Have to admit it was a bummer Paige wasn't with us.  Loved getting to spend time with them and hang out with our niece and nephew.  Crazy how fast all the kids are growing up!

Kings Dominion Theme park is not too far from us so we headed down for a day to check it out.

A tradition of theirs, they always go on the water ride just them at all the parks we have ever been too.

This is the Air Force Memorial and is near the Pentagon.

A friend we were stationed with in Seattle is stationed in Baltimore and invited us out on his boat on Chesapeake Bay for the day.

Simon driving the boat.

Simon tubing.

Nixon tubing.

Tim got 2 cakes for his birthday this year!  Simon found a recipe for a giant cinnamon roll cake so we made it together.  Of course I still made the lemon cake!

Then we celebrated at a Washington Nationals game.

August

We celebrated the Coast Guards 224th birthday at their annual picnic in Alexandria.

Six Flags America is another theme park not too far away.  They held a military appreciation day so we enjoyed the fun!

We ran into Bugs!

On the water ride!

This is what it looks like if you order a whole pizza from our favorite place!

It's so crazy big it took up the whole back of my car!

Marching Band Season!  This was the end of band camp and their first performance of the show.

Another day out and about in D.C.

I love this picture.  This is Simon's favorite memorial.  WWII

Korean War

Vietnam War

We found another place that sells pizzas just as big as the other one.  We had to try it to compare.  I have to say the first one is still our favorite!

Okay, that takes us to the end of summer!  I will post more soon!