Packing Day

Today was packing day. They say it will take 60-75 days for our stuff to get to us in Guam. :(

They load our stuff into these wooden crates and load these crates right on to the ship. The movers covered EVERYTHING, except boxes, in this paper and used TONS of tape.

Here's a picture of one of our dining room chairs. I thought everything looked so funny wrapped in this paper.

Our movers were total pros! I can't believe how well they packed (or should I say stuffed) all our household goods into the crates. Not to mention that they were total speedsters....for all those heroes fans out there!

We only filled 6.5 crates. And the best part is that once we get to Guam, the movers there unpack EVERYTHING and even set up our furniture. I could get used to moving like this! We didn't have to lift a finger!

Change of Plans

Turns out we received Matt's orders and are actually moving to Guam in three weeks! Crazy, I know. We have a million things to do and hardly any time to do it. So this is just a heads up that I probably won't be posting for a little bit. We'll see how these next few weeks go!

Matt graduation was awesome and he looked so good in his uniform! We are so proud of him and are all happy to have him back! And I'm sure he is even more happy to be back :) Hopefully we can get pics of it up soon as well as some more pics of our vacation.

2 Days To Go!

I am getting so dang excited, I just had to post about it! We only have 2 days to go until we get to see Matt again! I can't wait to see Rian's reaction when she sees him for the first time! I hope to get it on video :) We are flying into Newark, NJ on Tuesday and then renting a car and driving 4 hours to Newport, RI. And for those of you wondering why we are not flying straight to Rhode Island...well, here is your answer: we will be visiting family in NJ after Matt's graduation! I know our countdown says we have a little more time, but that is counting down the days until graduation....Matt won't really be mine again until graduation day!

We continued to have a blast in FL and managed to make our way to VA. Thank heavens Hanna only turned out to be a tropical storm. We hardly got hit here at all! We are having a great time in Virginia Beach. I probably won't be able to post pics until we get home.

Let's pray these next two days fly by!!!!!

Guess Where We Are Moving......

It's tropical....It's an island in the Pacific Ocean....It's over 5500 miles west of California....Can't figure it out????

WE'RE MOVING TO GUAM!!!!

Yep, you read right....we are moving to Guam. Crazy, I know, because I am still in total shock. We really wanted to go international though, and if we couldn't get international then Hawaii was next on our list. So Guam is just that....it's considered overseas, even though it is a US Territory, and it is very, very tropical. We will be moving there in April or May. I haven't begun my research, so I don't really know anything about Guam, except it is considered to be like "Hawaii for the Japanese". That doesn't sound half bad, huh! If anyone wants to come to visit....american airlines will get you to Guam from Cali in a total travel time of 25 hours for only $1400. Anyone want to come for a visit???

Matt and I are really excited for this adventure. We're sad to be so far from family and friends, but this is a once in a lifetime experience! I guess our parents better start saving up! Because you know I'm not flying back with a toddler on a 25 hour flight :)

Matt is almost finished with OCS. He will be graduating TOP OF HIS CLASS!!! Ranking 2nd!!! A HUGE accomplishment! We are so proud of him! We get to see him a week from this Tuesday! And graduation is on Friday! I can't wait to have my man back home!!! And a Daddy around for Rian!

Florida

We finally left on our east coast trip...which ultimately means.....Matt is almost finished!!! Some really good family friends have made their home in beautiful Gulf Breeze, FL (right outside of Pensacola). So my mom and I began our trip in Florida. Here is a little glimpse of how we have been enjoying the week:

Old Friends! Leigh, Morgan, Cheryl, Sharon, Ryan, Lois, Me, Rian.

We wanted to spend a day at the beach (before this hurricane hits us). Rian met her first hermit crab.

I love this little girl! Look at her little feet in the second picture. So proper :)

Rian and Morgan! What cutie pies!

How stylin' is Rian in her little get-up? Cheryl lives right on the canal that takes us straight to the bay. We took the canoe and kayaks out for the afternoon. Both Rian and I had tons of fun!!! The second picture is of Rian playing in the dog kennel. I know it seems really gross, but the dog is really clean and it was keeping Rian entertained for a good half hour!

Rian blowing her first bubbles! Most of the time the soap just ends up in her mouth, but today she finally conquered the art of bubble blowing!

Rian playing hide and seek at Cheryl's house.

3 generation pic...My Mom, Me, and Rian. Last night, Roy, Cheryl's husband, showed us how the people in the south like to do it....we had a shrimp boil! If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing one, you are missing out! They take a big pot, or in this case a turkey fryer, and add tons of spices and yummy food. It all cooks together and then they dump it on the newspaper covered table. Then you get to pick out what you to eat! We had so much food! I took this picture after 16 of us enjoyed way to much of it! And we still had this much leftover :)

Rosann, Cheryl, My Mom, Sharon.....just like old times!!!

We've also been feeding the turtles who live in the beautiful pond behind Sharon's house everyday! It is truly a highlight, I swear! And I hope to get some pictures of it this afternoon!

Thankfully Gustav is heading more west and we shouldn't be too affected by this hurricane. I really did not want to add surviving a hurricane to our list of things we did on our vacay! We will be here a few more days and then heading to Virginia Beach, Newport, RI (for Matt's graduation), and then to New Jersey to visit more family!