Update

I realized that amid traveling and baby news I have neglected to give Coast Guard/life updates.  So, here goes.

About a month-ish ago we had a sort of epiphany that Brett was maybe going to the wrong school in trying to be an intelligence specialist.  Instead, he has decided to go to school to be a heavy weather boat driver, or surfman.  In essence, he'll be the one driving the boats in 16 foot waves at night to save people who lost engine power or fell overboard.

This is a big change as far as career goes.  It means that we will be on roughly the same schedule that we have been on for the last two years for the next 20 years, because it does mean a Coast Guard career.  It means that there are only 20 stations that we can actually go to, since they're the only ones who require surfmen.  Mostly they are in small coastal towns in Washington, Oregon, and northern California, with a few on the east coast.  It also means that we will be staying here in Brookings for another 1-4 years.

This is a big shift.  But we have come to realize that this is the best fit for Brett, and he'll be doing what he's always wanted to do.  He has always wanted to work in a capacity that will help people in dire situations and have a lot to do.  At first, he was going to be a nurse practitioner, and he was hoping to work in an ER or somewhere else where he would be in emergency situations.  Now he will be saving people in emergency situations, he'll just be driving a boat in insanely scary conditions to do it.

So that's us right now.

Mom in Brookings

Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn't seen my mom in just about 2 years.  Unacceptable.  But she came out to see us at the end of February, and I've roped her into coming in September too since she'll have another grandchild to see.  We spent 2 days here in Brookings and we did some cool stuff.

Brett was able to get us on a ride on one of the Coast Guard boats.  The gear is less than attractive, but it will keep you warm if you fall overboard.

We rode out to a lighthouse about 12 miles off shore.  I didn't get sick until we stopped near the lighthouse.  Although the sea was calm, you never would have known it by looking at that lighthouse.  The water was swelling so drastically it was scary - and beautiful at the same time.  There was a family of sea lions that were practically swimming on top of each other in the swells too, which was awesome to watch.

Here's Brett and the crew in full gear.  If you ever get stranded and need the Coast Guard to rescue you, this is what they'll look like.  Hard to miss in bright orange.



On the way back home, we got a chance to drive the boat.  Here's mom.

And then me.  I drove for quite a while and was completely paranoid the whole time that I would hit a bunch of crab pots.  They are really hard to see, especially with the wind blowing in your contact-wearing eyes.  We had gone to the beach that morning, so with these two activities we covered one of Brookings' best features: the ocean.  The next day we covered the second one: trees.

We went down to Trees of Mystery in California to walk through the redwoods.  It's a beautiful drive with trees on one side and ocean on the other.  Then, while you're walking through the trees, it's like you could never imagine being only a few miles away from the beach.

Us in the scary gondola that nobody else was scared of.  Those things never seem stable to me and I'm very afraid that it will plunge us to our deaths 100 feet below.  Needless to say, I don't think I'll ever go skiing.

Mom took this awesome picture of Kennedy and Noah sitting on a carved wooden snake.  They are both smiling.  At the same time!!  Next installment will be our trip to Portland that we took with mom.  Stay tuned!

Tricks and Thoughts

According to Noah, Brett, Kennedy and I are all called mom.  The funny thing is that he will copy Brett in a string of words up until he hears daddy, which he will always respond with mom.  Except now he doesn't even bother to answer, he just laughs at Brett.

I watched Practical Magic for the first time a couple of days ago.  It was not nearly as good as the hype it has been given over the last I don't know how many years.  I was not impressed.  Sorry if you're a fan.

I'm working like crazy to get bows done and ready for presentation and sale at the local holiday bazaar on Saturday.  I'm really hoping that I will be able to make some money.  Because I really want this.  But a Hufflepuff version, of course.

Noah's first 24 hours in his toddler bed have been hugely successful.  No needing to put him back in bed or anything.  He just fell right asleep, even for his nap.  I'm so relieved.  And Kennedy looks so small in her new twin bed.  She's like a needle in a whole lot of puffy blankets.

We probably won't be moving in 5 weeks now.  Brett's gigantic class that is scheduled to start in January got split, so more than likely we will be going to school in February instead.  Pro: We get to buy a Christmas tree.  Yay!  Con: I don't get to have a mad awesome Doctor Who Christmas party with my sister.  Sad day.

Yes, this has been a weird format for a blog post, but I hope it was informative and served its purpose of making me actually blog again.

And Again....

My cute pirates on Halloween.

Dear Daylight Savings Time,
You are evil.  My kids do not understand and decided to wake up at 5:30.  I have a suggestion.  Don't come back around in April.
Tired mommy

Dear Pottermore,
Step it up please.  The only thing I can do right now is make potions.  I want to duel!  I want to explore Chamber of Secrets!  I want new stuff!
Harry Potter obsessor

Dear Coast Guard.
We have a love/hate relationship right now.  I love that Brett gets to come home almost every night now that he's qualified.  It makes a HUGE difference and we really love having him home so much more.  I hate that you feel like it's not necessary to inform us about whether or not we will be moving yet.  Literally we would want to leave in about 5 weeks.  And we don't know if we're going yet.  Please tell us soon.
Frazzled

Dear Giada de Laurentiis,
You know how men have man crushes?  Well, I've realized that you are my woman crush.  I hope that doesn't make you feel awkward.
Kitchen wench

Dear Brett,
You were the first person that I told about my woman crush.  I hope you know that means that it doesn't change the nature of our relationship and that I still love you as much as ever.  Besides, I've known about your man crush for a long time, and it doesn't bother me.  Russell Crowe is a good actor.  Even if he might not be that nice in real life.
Your wife

Azalea Festival 2010

Here in Brookings they have the Azalea Festival for Memorial Day weekend. It was crazy! I think every single person who lives here was out and about on Saturday. Brett was marching in the parade doing color guard, so Kennedy, Noah and I headed down to the main street in town to watch daddy march. Noah was just chill, but he didn't like the sun in his eyes.

Kennedy was getting excited for the parade, even though she had no idea what a parade was up until that point. All she knew was that she was outside, a bunch of people had balloons, and we were going to see daddy.

Brett was the first in the parade line after the police cars that headed up the whole thing. I'm sorry I didn't get better pictures, but I couldn't zoom in. See the white flag? Brett is carrying it.

We stayed for a lot of the parade, but holy cow, the first 15 minutes of it were fire trucks and ambulances that kept putting on their sirens. It was annoying and loud and both of my kids were getting scared. Noah was crying and Kennedy kept giving me hugs and burying her head in my shoulder. We met up with Brett afterwards and headed to the farmer's market. There were some good looking things there, and I'm hoping that they'll get even more as the summer goes on. We went to Fely's after that to try one of their hamburgers. Oh my gosh, they were gigantic!

I don't know how I even ate as much of it as I did. It was crazy huge. On a food note, check out my cooking blog! I finally updated it with two new posts. After that we headed to a small fair down the street and bought Kennedy a princess crown and wand, which she wouldn't keep on long enough for me to take a picture of. She did, however, keep Brett's sunglasses on long enough for us to snap a shot.

Upside down of course. We rounded out the evening by eating homemade Veggie Minestrone and watching Muppets from Space as a family.

It was a great day. And today will be another one! Thanks to Katie and Wade Heath we will be able to go out on a real date without the kids tonight for our anniversary! We're thrilled to be able to see a movie and go out to eat on our own. Our anniversary isn't until Wednesday, but with Brett's new schedule starting soon and Wade's schedule being so hectic, tonight was the best night.

I know that I haven't been putting up too many pictures of Noah, but that's because they all look exactly the same. He's been smiling a lot more the past few days, and talking a lot more too, but I haven't been able to capture any of it on camera. So here are some pictures to tide you over.

His little onesie says "Future Coastie" in honor of his daddy. So for Memorial Day, thank you to Brett, my brother Blake, and all those who are serving or who have served in the military!

Noah Tyson Lee

I lied. I didn't get pictures up yesterday, so I'm putting them up today. I started the day off on Tuesday by giving Kennedy breakfast and one last bath before heading to the hospital with my mom at 9:45. I checked in and got hooked up to all kinds of things while waiting for the doctor. The nurse went through my vein on the first try with the IV (which has resulted in a nasty bruise) so she had to try again on my right hand. Then came the epidural. Compared to last time it was a nightmare. The anesthetist kept pinching a nerve which sent a very painful electric shock down my right leg. Needless to say, I was getting very antsy to get this baby out!

The doctor was (of course, most doctors are) about 40 minutes later than expected, but that turned out to be a good thing because the epidural took way longer than it should have to take effect. The anesthetist kept pinching me, and until we got into the operating room, I could feel it every time. But eventually, I was laying on the table, the curtain was up, and I couldn't feel a thing. Then, at 1:03 pm on March 23, I heard the little screams of my son being born.

It is a weird sensation to have a baby pulled out of your tummy. I felt like everything from my lungs and below was being stretched and pulled out. But then again, Brett and I make big babies. Noah weighed in at 8 pounds 9 ounces and measured 21 inches long. He was even bigger than Kennedy was! He was (and is) extremely healthy and a very welcome addition to our family. He is so good natured and is a wonderful eater and sleeper.

Kennedy wasn't sure how to react at first, so she opted for ignoring me and Noah the first time she came to the hospital. She warmed up quickly though and now is the little helper I knew she would be. A special thank you to my parents: mom for staying with me in the operating room and in the hospital and dad for taking Kennedy while I was in the hospital for 3 days. Thankfully, the day I came home from the hospital was the same day that Brett graduated from boot camp and got to come home! Noah and I met him at the airport (don't worry, my dad drove) and he was able to get Kennedy out of bed this morning. We are all so happy that he is home! You'll have to excuse the bad picture, I am puffy from having a baby and being in the hospital, and it's painful for Brett to smile with his mouth open since the Coast Guard has been doing so much dental work on him.

The bad news is that Brett has to have more dental work done than expected. He opted to come home for a week, but on April 4 he has to go back to New Jersey for 2 weeks to finish up that dental work, so our moving plans are on hold. We don't know exactly when he'll be back, but it's pretty much guaranteed that he will have to miss everyone's birthday. The good thing is that he won't be in boot camp anymore, he will be a base employee, so he will be able to call us everyday. We'll be moving to Oregon as soon as he gets back.

We are so happy to have him home with us for this next week and I know that that 2 weeks will go by much faster than the last 8 have. We are looking forward to starting our adventure with the Coast Guard for real in a few weeks!

Good Thing My Phone Was Charged

Brett had on base liberty last night, and he was able to call me for 2.5 hours! It was wonderful to be able to actually talk to him. I got to hear a lot of stories (including one about his company commander making some recruits smell a girl's feet), got to tell a lot of stories (including how cute Kennedy is when she sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star), and he was able to give me quite a bit of information.

His official report date is April 8th. We will be driving out there via Santaquin to see Brett's parents and pick up our things from them. Apparently at small boat stations (which is what Chetco River is) they are on a rotation like at a fire house. He will be on duty for 2-3 days, sleeping and eating there and answering rescue calls as they come in. Then he will be home for 2-3 days. That is so much better than if he were on a cutter and out for weeks at a time. Our official move date is now March 30, so here is the rundown. 9 days until Noah. 12 days until Brett comes home. 16 days until move time. It's all coming up so fast!

The Mall is HOW Far Away?

We have heard the news! Brett has been assigned to Station Chetco River in Harbor, OR. So in a few weeks, we will be Oregonians! I am more than happy with this choice, even though it is not the one I would have made if I had been calling the shots. Brett is not stationed on a cutter, which is wonderful, because he won't have to leave us for weeks at a time again. I have no idea what his duties or hours will be like, but at least he won't just be gone all the time. This particular station was not on Brett's request list, but it was in a district he requested and we were trying to get the Pacific northwest, so no complaints. Plus, look how gorgeous it is!

A few negatives though. The nearest mall is, get ready for it, two and a half hours away! Holy cow. I've never lived more than 10 minutes from a mall (and usually several) in my entire life. The closest temple is about that far away too. It is in the middle of NOWHERE - literally. Look it up on a map. It's 6 miles from the California border, which is not really a negative, but just adds to the middle of nowhere-ness.

By far I have found more pros than cons though. First off, the weather. Average temperature in the summer is 70 and in the winter is 40. I could not ask for anything better. It looks to be absolutely gorgeous. There is fishing (for Brett), scuba diving and surfing. There are fun family things to do like camping, an annual kite festival, and tide pools. Also, they grow 90% of America's Easter lilies, which are my favorite flower in the world. Apparently you can drive through fields and fields of lilies. There is a full LDS ward there, not just a branch, which is also a huge plus. Government housing is available for us too.

I got to talk to Brett for a full 8 minutes too! He got to hear Kennedy say "daddy" and he was able to give me some good information. He gets at least 5-6 days of leave and he will be able to move up there with us. The Coast Guard will be paying our moving expenses, which is fantastic. All is going well with him and he is scheduled to graduate on time.

I am so excited to go on this adventure! My life is so full right now and I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for such wonderful opportunities and a wonderful husband. We will be having a baby on March 23, Brett will be coming home on March 26, and probably around March 30 we will be packing up and moving to Oregon! We will be busy, busy, busy and I love it!

Oh the Places You'll Go!

I got a letter from Brett today. He says that he is doing great, passed his physical fitness assessment, and got 100% on his midterm. He says that the mental intensity has died down a little bit, which must be very nice. They filled out their "dream sheets" of where they would like to be stationed on Thursday, and their company commanders were not happy about their choices. Apparently they are all "land lubbers" because very few of them want to go out on cutters (boats). They mostly chose small boat stations and sectors. Because of this they had their Cap'n Crunch privileges revoked for a week. :)

Brett sent me what he put down on his dream sheet, and I couldn't be happier. They gave him a list of everything (all cutters, stations and sectors), and he had to choose 4 districts (the US is divided into 8, I think) and choose 3 places in each district. Here is the rundown of what he chose:

District 1: Station Boston, MA

Station East Moriches, NY (in the Hamptons on Long Island!)

Station Staten Island, NY

District 5: Station Annapolis, MD

Station Washington, DC

Any station in Virginia

District 11: Station Monterey Bay, CA

Station San Diego, CA

USCGC (Cutter) Blackfin - docks in Santa Barbara, CA

District 13: Station Seattle, WA

Station Portland, OR

Station Port Angeles, WA

There you have it! More than likely we will be going to one of these places. Brett will be calling us tomorrow night to let us know where we'll be! Keep an eye out for the post!

Coastie the Panda, Etc.

It's been a while since I posted because of the picture situation that we have. It's complicated, I won't explain. Anyway, here are some new pictures and we of course have stories to tell! First off, Kennedy being cool in her Gap hat and daddy's sunglasses. She did this all by herself.

She thinks she is so big. Last night we went to a restaurant that has a bunch of hula hoops out for kids to play with, and Kennedy thought she was one of the big kids. Sorry the picture is so dark.

This morning we had another adventure with her. She decided to lock herself in my bathroom. It's one of those push button locks, and it took us 20 minutes to get the door unlocked. Poor thing was screaming and crying for mommy, and all I could do was talk to her and put my fingers under the door. Last week we took her to Build-a-Bear to make a Coast Guard bear for when Brett has to be away. Of course, they had every military uniform in stock except for the Coast Guard. So I came home and ordered the outfit online and it came today. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Kennedy picked out the panda all by herself. Speaking of the Coast Guard, I got a letter from Brett on Thursday. He said that he was selected to be on the color guard (1 of 3 people) which will qualify him to post colors at ceremonies, carry them in parades and present them at funerals. Pretty cool. :) He also said that he is considering being an Intelligence Specialist instead of going into Health Services. We'll see if that really happens, and he has 5 months to figure out what he wants to do. He's still doing really well, learning a lot, and enjoying himself, which we are always happy to hear. He gets to call next Sunday to talk to us for longer than 3 minutes and to tell us where we'll be stationed! So look out for lots of news on the blog next Sunday! And check out the cooking blog for some awesome cookies!

Stuff from Me and Stuff from Brett

Here's an overview of today:

• As of today, Brett has been gone for 3 weeks. So far, no gigantic breakdowns, just some small ones. And only 4 1/2 weeks until he comes home!
• Kennedy has been a NIGHTMARE the past few days. Today has been the worst. I am definitely learning to be more patient. I think the poor thing has allergies because her face has been leaking all day and she's starting to cough because of all the stuff in her throat. I think that Brett being gone is starting to get to her a little bit too, since she has been hitting me like crazy.
• Today is the 35 week mark for Noah, which means that there are only 4 weeks until we get to meet him finally!
• I made some Lemon Poppyseed muffins that turned out pretty well, but I wish that Brett was here to taste them.

Also, from Brett's last letter, here is a funny story that anybody who knows Brett will appreciate. Plus, it really lets you know that he's having a good time amid all the hard stuff. :)

"By the way, while our company was doing an exercise we find ourselves in quite often of holding our guns straight out for a half hour straight, my lead company commander yelled out, "Where's Lee at?"

"Lee aye," I replied.

He said, "Lee, did you know I have been emailing back and forth with your wife?"

"No, sir."

"You have a baby due on the 23rd, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ashley is her name, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"She seems like a very nice girl."

"Oh, she is, sir."

He was doing it to show to the company that although we might feel he was being a jerk for having us hold the gun straight out while telling us all of this, and we being in pain and tired already from the workout, that he has our best interests in mind and that he knows what he is doing; and he does. Later we were shining our boots as a company (but silently) and he cracked some really sarcastic joke, that got me smiling (which we are at no point allowed to be caught doing (imagine how hard that is for me)) and he turned to me and said, "Lee, Ashley must have terrible eyesight if that's what you look like when you smile." I replied, "Actually Chief Ruchser, she does." Everyone busted up laughing, and he yelled, "Lock it up!" which means shut up and quit smiling, because everyone was laughing. He went out of sight so he could have a chuckle, without letting people see. Everyone thought it was pretty hilarious."

You Wanna See My Driver's License? or The Joys of Governmental Bureaucracy

First off, bonus points to anyone who can tell me what movie the first half of the title came from. Since Brett and I have decided to become a military family, I guess that we are going to have to get used to dealing with the annoying red tape and long lines that come with it. Thankfully the people in Cape May (USCG boot camp) are very nice and willing to work with us. Somehow they found out that I'm going to be having a baby before Brett comes home and were working with him to get me on military insurance before that happens. First, you have to be entered into DEERS (the military dependent database). That part was easy because Brett took care of it there at boot camp before he called me to give me more info.

Second, get a military dependent ID card. Slightly more difficult. I had to drive all the way to Fort Worth (about an hour away) at 6:30 in the morning, pay $5 to park downtown, and then find out that I had the wrong address. So then I had to drive to the Naval Airbase, which took me an hour when it should have taken me 20 minutes because my directions were wrong - twice. The first time they got me lost in downtown Fort Worth, what with all the one way streets and such. The second time they took me to the east entrance of the base instead of the front entrance, which I wasn't allowed to enter. I finally got there by following some very sketchy directions given to me by a guy at the ID office. I thought there would for sure be a huge line and I would have to wait for hours since I had gotten there an hour after opening. Thankfully there was absolutely no one in line and the people at Cape May were very quick about faxing the paperwork that I needed over. We got all the info entered into the computer, and then the guy told me to switch chairs so he could take my picture. I was sitting in the chair for 60-90 seconds, and I was wondering what was taking him so long and started to wonder whether or not I should ask him if I should smile. Apparently not, because after a while he said, "We're all done." What? Mug shot anyone?

I was slightly miffed at not being told that the picture was being taken, but my sister and sister-in-law had the same experience. Their pictures weren't much better. Then I got stuck in horrendous traffic on the way home. But the point is that I came away with my ID.

Third, fill out and fax in Tricare paperwork. Done. Since I got it all faxed yesterday I will be on military insurance before Noah is born, which means he's free! Yay!

Also, I finally got a letter from Brett yesterday! He said that nothing could have prepared him for what it is like, and that it is worse than the movies, but that he loves it! He said he's doing really well, he loves his company commanders, and that he is enjoying himself. If you're interested in seeing what boot camp is like and watching his actual company commander yell at people, go to YouTube and type in "It's Just Eight Weeks."

Just When You Think You're Safe

Remember that incident I recently told you about in which Kennedy found chocolates and ate them while I was in the shower? Well, after the second morning in a row of that happening I put the chocolates on a high shelf so she wouldn't be able to get at them. A good choice, because the next morning she did not find the chocolates again. However, she did happen to find a tube of lipstick that I didn't even know I had.

Yeah, that's lipstick all over the desk and wall. You can't see it on the desktop or the chair, and I didn't get a picture of her face, hands and shirt, but believe me, it was everywhere. This morning I woke up early so I got out of bed and took a shower so I wouldn't have another incident today.

Also, just when you think your safe and comfy with how your daughter is, she decides to grow up and change some more. How about this grown up haircut?

If you don't remember, it was several inches longer than this and had little curls at the bottom. Now it just curls under and makes her look that much older. She also started Gymboree Play & Learn classes with her cousin Wyatt and is now learning to do all sorts of new things, including but not limited to: rocking, jumping, climbing and rolling balls down slides.

She has also gotten a little ahead of herself and decided that she needs to be the one driving the car. She climbed in that seat all by herself and started steering the wheel. I think I would need to be a little more worried if her feet were closer to the pedals.

She really is growing up so fast! Next week she will be 22 months old. That's only 2 months away from 2 years old! Time has certainly flown with her. I'm excited to have another little one, even though I know he'll only be little for a while. Still no letter from Brett, but I've heard that sometimes they will hold their mail for a week. If they didn't, then it's possible that bad weather on the east coast and here in Dallas could have delayed it. I will be sure to post how he's doing as soon as I know! Also, a quick shout out to my brother, Blake, who is graduating from Army basic training tomorrow! Good job!

Officially Military

Yesterday was the big day. Brett had to report to boot camp, so at 9:00 we arrived at the Coast Guard recruiting station to finish up his paperwork.

Everybody there was very nice. They gave Kennedy a big bag of stuff including a Coast Guard blanket, 2 boats that she can take in the bath and a helicopter. We finished all of the paperwork and then Brett was officially sworn in as a member of the Coast Guard.

As of that swearing in Brett is an active duty member of the Coast Guard. After that we got a little surprise because Kennedy and I were actually able to take him to the airport for his flight to Philadelphia. We got him there just in time and he made it there safely.

He hung out at the USO at the airport and he said that it was totally stocked with hot dogs, sodas, Girl Scout cookies and a bunch of other things that were really tempting him. He was trying to not eat much in order to ensure that he makes weight. :) He got pulled into the office by the guy running the place who asked how old he is. When he said he is 27 the guy told him that his officers would know that before the week was out and that they would expect maturity and leadership out of him, but that that is a good thing. I don't think they will get anything less than that from Brett. Not long after that they got on the bus to go to Cape May, New Jersey where the training is. They had to turn off their phones at that point, so I didn't get to talk to him anymore and probably won't for a few weeks.

In other news, I went to my first baby appointment here in Texas yesterday as well. I got to do another ultrasound and got some great pictures, including one that shows that there is absolutely no doubt he is a boy. :) The doctor felt that medically the whole thing would be safer if we did another c-section this time around, which is exactly what I was expecting him to say. So Noah already has a birthday! He'll be coming on March 23! That's nice because although Brett won't be here, I get to be pregnant for one less week than normal, and I'll be able to have a little bit of recovery time before Brett comes home and we have to move again.

In Texas

Kennedy and I are here in Texas! It feels a little bit weird since I haven't lived here for 6.5 years, and it still feels like we will be going back to Utah at some point. I am going to unpack the suitcases today though, so I think that will make a difference. And Brett will be here tomorrow with the car and the rest of our stuff, which will really make it feel real. So here we are, starting our adventure. Kennedy and I are moved in and looking forward to Brett coming to spend time with us for the last week before he reports to boot camp. Thanks to everyone who helped us out with the move!

Like Father Like Daughter

First of all, for those of you who asked, we just got a Kodak C180 camera. It's nothing fancy, but it is definitely better than the last camera we had. Anyway, yesterday during my baking extravaganza (check my cooking blog for pictures and recipes!) I came out of the kitchen to find this.

I guess that Kennedy has basketball in her genes. She was totally enthralled with the Jazz game that Brett was watching - even to the point of ignoring the camera! It was really sweet to see her sitting with her daddy and watching a game. It's pretty normal for Brett to be in front of the TV when the Jazz are playing, but Kennedy is usually doing something else. I'm glad that she has so much time to spend with him before he is gone for 8 weeks!

We're giving our apartment complex written notice today that we are moving out next month. It seems to be creeping up on us so fast! Brett is getting excited, and so am I. We're not happy about the time apart, but the sooner he goes, the sooner he will come back. We are very excited to move somewhere new and find out all about it. In just a few weeks we will be saying goodbye to Provo, which has been my home for the last 5 years!

Drumroll Please...

Yes! We have finally heard from the Coast Guard about when we will be leaving. They gave Brett the date February 2. We are trying to see if we can get in a little bit earlier, since if Brett goes in on that day he will get back on the baby's due date. We'd like him to be there if at all possible, but if he can't be, it's not the worst situation in the world. I will be with family and the baby would be a week old at most when he got home. We also found out that they are going to give us a completely unexpected $6,000 bonus! We are so excited that we can finally start making some plans. So we'll be driving down to Texas at the end of January, and then we'll see where we go from there!

No Pictures, But An Update

So, yet again, I have no pictures.  Hopefully that will be remedied soon.  But here are a few things you might be interested in:

1. Brett brought home some lilies for me (my favorite) on Monday for no reason at all.  They are blooming spectacularly and are filling my kitchen with the best smell.

2. I decorated for Halloween yesterday.  I have a very small collection of holiday decorations, but they make me happy.

3. We finally heard back from the Coast Guard and our waiver for the new baby was approved!  Yay!  We still don't have a boot camp date, but we should by the end of  next week, hopefully sooner.  I will make sure to let you know as soon as we do!

Semper Paratus

I'm sorry for the double post today - if you would like to enter to win a cookbook, see post below.  I just wanted to follow up on what I said a few posts ago about moving on with our lives.  3 weeks from today Brett will be sworn in to the US Coast Guard.  Yep.  That's our big news.  After applying for the nursing program at UVU and not being accepted by a very small margin, we felt that we needed to find another way to get medical training.  After much praying, thinking, and researching, we have truly felt that this is the path that we need to take.  A couple of weeks ago Brett took the entrance exam for the military (ASVAB) and got a really high score, so he qualifies for any job he wants in the Coast Guard.  He is going to be doing health jobs for them.  He took his physical today and everything, including the pins in his ankle, were okayed.

This does mean that, probably in late September, Brett will be off to boot camp for 8 weeks.  Of course, Kennedy and I are not allowed to be at boot camp (in fact, I don't think he can even use the phone for the first 4 weeks), so we will be going down to Texas for that time.  This means that we will be leaving Utah, and pretty quickly.  We don't know exactly where we'll be right after boot camp, but we will know after he's been there for 6 weeks.  So we have some serious adventures ahead of us!  We are really excited about this new path and the adventures that it will bring.