So John got a few days off before his deployment. We got to go down to Georgia to visit our family. We had soo much fun! We loved spending time with some family. We also got to go tour Savannah, GA (of course we got stuck in the middle of the Tropical Storm). We also got to go see Charleston, SC. Oh, and while we were in Savannah, we got to go to Paula Deen's restaurant. The only bad part was having to come back home and resume normal life!
This is Pudger's favorite spot in the house so he can stare out the window and bark at EVERYONE in sight! Can you tell he's bugging me right now?
I know........I know..........whoever thought they would see the day when I, Ashley, would be making homemade jam? Actually, it's freezer jam, so it's a lot easier to make. But still! John begged me into making it, and he devoured a whole jar in 2 days! It really is delicious! If I would have known it was sooo easy to make, I would have started making this stuff years ago!
We went to Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach to see the fireworks. YES, you heard me right! MT. TRASHMORE! Apparently it is called that because it used to be a landfill. A little disgusting I know! It still grosses me out thinking about it. But at least we got to see fireworks. A lot of the shows in our area got cancelled due to heavy rain. Of course, the firework show was 20 minutes, and then we sat in the car for 2 HOURS waiting to get out of the parking lot! Oh well. We had fun anyway!
I planted a tomato plant from seed earlier this spring, and my first tomato has finally appeared! I'm soooo proud of myself!
So I got to go to Girls Camp this year as the ward camp director! It was awesome, except the heat and bugs! Let's see.....it got up to 103 degrees, and there were ticks and mosquitos everywhere. But I had a blast! I saw lightning bugs for the first time (fireflies), and I got to spend time with some amazing YW. Some of the branches out here only have 1 YW. It's crazy to me! But they are such amazing girls! John made me take this handy dandy fanny pack with me. Of course I didn't wear it, but the girls wanted me to take a picture with it on! So I agreed! Aren't I styling?
So, for Memorial Day we went to Willamsburg with our friends. It was a blast. They had the whole place open up free to the Military for the day. Nothing beats free!
Well, John came home last month. We've been so busy, I haven't really had a chance to take any pictures. Here are a few though that I've taken recently! As you can see, Pudger missed John. One of the pictures is a picture of our street after the tornado hit, and the other one is of the ocean over here.
So for John's birthday last year, I took him to Arlington and to the USMC Museum. We also got to see the Marine Corp monument that is right next to Arlington. We had a great time, and it was so beautiful with all the colorful leaves. It definitely was a great day!
So, these are pictures we took with my family right before we left to drive across country from Cali to Virginia. I miss them soooo much, but I love being out here!
Well, John had his post-op appointment the other day. It went great. The doctor told him that everything looked good, and that the incision was one of the smallest hernia incisions he had ever seen. So I guess our prayers were answered. You never know what is going to happen when getting surgery through the military.
John is just looking forward to coming home, and I'm waiting for him to come home. He will be home sometime in April, probably the beginning part. So I'm getting really excited.
Pudger will be glad to have him home too. He's become pretty popular in our neighborhood. He runs up to any military man in camis and jumps all over them, thinking it is John. He's definitely a hoot, but he's starting to drive me crazy. He only listens to John. What I say goes in one ear and out the other.
So, my mom flew here for my birthday so I wouldn't have to spend it alone. It was really nice to have her here. She only came for 4 days, so we didn't get to do much, but it was nice not having to spend it alone.
We ended up spending 2 hours of my birthday at the DMV. So exciting. I finally got my Virginia tags. EEK! We had Panera. As if I even had to say that.
Pudger had a great time with "Grandma." During the night, he kept hopping off my bed, and running down to Grandma's room. He drove me crazy.
So, for our 2 year anniversary I made John a USMC quilt. My really good friend in my ward here is helping me to become a homemaker. Yep, I can now make quilts, hang ceiling fans, move a house.... What more can you ask for? JK. Yeah, so one side of the quilt is camoflauge with pictures of us. And the other side is Marine Corps fabric, and I tied the strings on that side. So pretty much it is the coolest 2 sided quilt I've ever seen. Plus, John told me that all his buddies at work told him I won moto wife of the year, and that they are jealous. I have to say, that made me feel pretty good. I was even able to sew hearts along the side with my cool new sewing machine. The seam picture I took is the part of the quilt where I fell asleep while sewing. That is why the line is so off. I was shocked, John even noticed the heart seams along the side. He must really be homesick. Hehe. He comes home soon though (hopefully).
