We are back!!

So, having a baby really made it difficult to find time to blog (or do much of anything extra). But, I'm really going to try to jump back on the blogging bandwagon and update everyone with what's going on with our lives. Big news is that Joe is currently deployed to the middle east, so Connor and I are enjoying some quality time with family in Kentucky. Hope to get on the computer and give a bigger update in the coming weeks. :)

It's Been Awhile, But Baby D is Almost Here!!

So, quite a bit has happened since my last post back in August (oops!). Since I don't think anyone wants to read 4 pages of details, I'll just hit the highlights. Big news is that we found out Baby D is BOY!! We can't wait for our little man to get here in a few weeks. When the nursery is done, I'll make sure to post pics.

Joe has had a lot happen in the few months as well. Big news is that he is now a Captain in the Air Force! We had his promotion party at the Crab Trap here in Florida not too long ago. He also graduated from JASOC and was immediately thrown into the busyness of the Hurlburt Legal office. He's already been a part of 6 court martials, and has 6 more coming up in the next few months. He still loves what he does, which is what's most important.

I have had a lot going on as well. I'm still the Bookkeeper at the Hurlburt Thrift Shop, and I love finding all kinds of great deals there. I'm now one of the key spouses for the Wing Staff Agencies. This is a new role for me, but I'm very excited about it. I'm still active with the Hurlburt Spouses Club, but have stepped down from my board position due to time constraints.

Joe and I were able to travel to Louisville twice over the holidays, and we loved spending time with the family. It was so good to see everyone that we have missed dearly. Well, those are the highlights. We will try to be better about keeping this blog active, especially once our little man arrives!

Becky

It's Baby Time - 1st Trimester is Complete

Well, as many of you know already, Joe and I have a little side project we've got in the works, making it's debut on or about February 26th next year. We are super-excited, scared, anxious, etc. about this, and can't wait to meet our little one! We found out on Father's Day weekend. Thankfully, I had a fairly easy first trimester - no morning sickness (hallelujah!), just some serious fatigue and a little nauseousness. I had an ultrasound a couple weeks ago, and there is definitely a baby with a heartbeat (162 bpm) in there. Here is a picture of our little bambino at about 10 weeks (I'm currently 14 weeks - baby is about the size of a navel orange). In the picture, it's face-up, with it's head near the bottom right, and feet near the top left. I'm pretty sure he or she was asleep during the ultrasound - fingers crossed that Baby D is a good sleeper on the outside of the womb.

Update on Joe - he is almost done with JASOC!!!! I am SO done with the "single life" and can't wait for him to get home. Thankfully, there is less then 2 weeks until graduation. He's been in Washington D.C. this week - I'm hoping he took some pictures that I can post later, but I'm seriously doubting that. He went to the Pentagon, the Supreme Court, a couple of military appeals courts where they all got sworn in, and ate some fancy dinners. They got to meet the TJAG (the top dog) and some other really important military people (maybe he can post some details about the trip later, since I'm not really sure about all the specifics).

Another big update is that he broke his foot about 2 weeks ago. I wish it was doing something exciting, but he just stepped on it wrong playing basketball. If you know Joe, you know how important physical fitness is to him, so it's killing him to be unable to train and run like normal. The cast is scheduled to come off in mid-September, but he will be on limited physical activity through at least mid-October. :(

I am extremely excited for the fall to get here. The weather should cool off nicely, and we will start getting visitors again. We love visits from family and friends!

Back in Sweet (Temporary) Home Alabama

Just thought I'd give a brief update on what's going on with us. Joe is back in Alabama at Maxwell AFB for JASOC ("Jay-sock"), which stands for Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course. Unlike Officer Training School, he has a lot more freedom. Essentially, he's in classes all day learning military lawyer "stuff." ;) Also, since he is staying in a hotel room on base (and not some cramped dorm room with a roomie), I can go visit him, which we are both excited about! He started the course on July 12, and will graduate (hopefully) September 10.

In order to broaden their knowledge of other types of bases in the air force, as well as other JAG offices, his JAG class took a bus down to the exotic Florida panhandle to spend time with operational units at Eglin and Hurlburt. This was nice, as he was able to stay at home with me for the few days they were here.

Before he left, we had a fairly constant flow of visitors staying with us (which we don't mind). It's great that so many people want to see us, and I'm sure their visits have nothing to do with where we live at all. ;) I'm hoping all the visits continue, especially since they think our impact from oil will be minimal from this point forward.

We did get a chance to take a small trip at the end of June to Disney World. It was wonderful, even if it was a little hot and crowded. I think Joe had a great time as well - we went to all 4 main parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studies, and Animal Kingdom). My favorite is Epcot, because I'm a nerdy adult, and probably my least fave was Animal Kingdom, but I think that had more to do with it being unbearably hot and crowded. I hope to give it another chance when the weather is better.

Hopefully we'll have more to report next time. I'm taking a trip back to Louisville next month, which I'm really excited about. Let me know if you want to schedule a visit!

Feeling a Little Oily

So, the oil spill has arrived on Navarre Beach in the form of tar balls. Thankfully, the beaches are still open and people are still allowed in the water. The tar balls haven't been that big so far - anywhere from the size of a pencil eraser to about the size of a golf ball. They seem to come in with the tide some mornings, but not others. To the right is a pretty ironic picture from a BP gas station that I "borrowed" from someone else.

Joe and I had a very nice weekend. On Saturday we went kayaking with our friend John in the Santa Rosa Sound. We will probably be spending more time in the Sound in the coming months since it will be more difficult for the oil to get in those waters. The sound only connects with the gulf in 2 places, Pensacola and Destin, and those passes have been boomed off. On Saturday the 3 of us also decided to run the Billy Bowlegs "Midnight" 5K. The race actually started at 10:30 pm, and it was extremely humid. That was my first, and probably last, late night run. :) The Billy Bowlegs Festival is a very popular pirate festival in Fort Walton Beach. And yes, there were numerous people dressed up as pirates! Maybe that will be us next year...........;)

The best job in the world

I just want to talk about why the military is a great place for lawyers. For starters, its probably the only job an attorney can get where he/she is paid to exercise. Seriously, some people hate physical training, but I love it. The only other kind of profession like it is professional sports. I show up to work pump iron and then hit the books, and its all part of my job. It's great. I guess police work, FBI, state troopers, etc. are the same, but in the realm of legal jobs this is great.

Second thing, boredom does not exist. Someone explained to me that you never get stuck doing the same thing over and over. It is true. I've done a lot of different things. I've appeared in 2 summary court martials. I've done 2 direct exams and given 2 closing arguments. I've done legal aid and motion practice. It's diverse to say the least. However, I am feeling slightly out of my league as a lawyer. Everyone here is very smart and they are very good lawyers. I sometimes struggle with doing silly L-T things.

Third, the people are great. The USAF attracts very adventurous people. I love it. I am channeling my inner wild. Becky has continually reminded me that we can't buy a 4x4 Jeep, a kayak, a motorcycle, etc. I was thinking about telling her how cool it would be to have a deep sea fishing boat, but I know where that would get me. Besides, the oil is going to crush all fishing here anyways. The sense of adventure is great. You relearn how to have fun in the military.

The last thing I am going to cover is the dress. The ABU's rock. They are comfortable and you do not have a tie on. Don't get me wrong, I love ties. However, ties get dingy and sometimes they stifle you, especially when you are in a sticky situation. ABU's are open collar, they are loose fitting, and the material softens over time. They are great.

Well, that does it for me today. Feel free to post here. If you are searching for information about JAG life, visit the OTS Portal JAG forum (if you haven't already). You can learn everything you need to know. Later!

-Joe

Good Times in the Sunshine State

We are having a wonderful time in our new home! Since my last post, we have moved into our house and have already had our first set of visitors. Our furniture was delivered on May 3rd, and thankfully everything made the trip from Louisville to Navarre. We only had 2 "casualties" - a small glass and the flat screen TV from our bedroom. We wanted a new TV for our bedroom anyway, so we weren't too sad. Although, why did the movers think it was okay to pack a small flat screen in a box full of books?!?

I do have some exciting news - I got a job!! I am the new part-time bookkeeper at the thrift shop on base. The thrift shop is run by the Hurlburt Spouse's Club, and I have also taken a volunteer position as Secretary on the HSC board. So far, I've been keeping myself busy.

Joe is still loving his job. He really is excited about all that he's doing in the legal office. Hopefully this continues! He is gearing up to head to more training next month in Montgomery, AL. This will be a 9 week course, but I should be able to visit him unlike Officer Training School. Thankfully, Montgomery is only about 3 hours from our house, so he will be able to come home some weekends as well.

Joe's mom & step-dad came down and stayed with us about a week and a half ago, and my mom and step-dad just left yesterday. It was so great to have some familiar faces stay with us. We won't have much time to ourselves, as my sister and brother-in-law will be here next week! I'm really glad we are getting so many visitors - we still have some openings this summer, so just let me know when you want to visit. :D

Joe and I have both already had our first (and hopefully last) Florida sunburns. Tidbit to remember when you are down here - reapply, reapply, REAPPLY!!


Here is a picture I took from beautiful Navarre Beach.