Time flies... when your Family is COMPLETE!

It's been about 6 weeks since Kyle returned home and our schedule has been jam packed!

Kyle was home for Halloween so we had a fun time dressing up a bit and hanging out with our neighbors to pass out candy!

My monogram pumpkin! 

Simply trace a stencil with carbon paper underneath and then fill in with a Sharpie, add a burlap bow and your pumpkin is complete!

Then, it was Florida-Georgia weekend and we were so happy to have all of our family in town! With some other hosts, we threw an engagement party for our friends Shannon and Mike who are getting married in February. Of course, the theme was Orange and Blue as both Mike and Shannon went to Florida!

Our last time together as a family in Jacksonville!

A few days later, it was time for Kyle to say goodbye to Sammy B, ship for the past 30 months! I have to admit I did cry a little bit! It was a bittersweet day as we became friends with many of the people on the ship! 

Then, it was my turn to say goodbye to my job at Timuquana Country Club! 

 With my co-worker, Louise, the other special event coordinator

Celebrating at the Employee Appreciation Party

One last time filling up my water cup! :)

Then, it was time for the movers to come and pack up all of our stuff! First, we had them come and pack all of our storage items, then they came for the Hawaii shipment. Our house was a danger zone!

The movers were great!

On November 14, we said goodbye to our first home and set out for Virginia by way of Charleston, SC. We have awesome renters and we know they will take GREAT care of the house!

We visited Charleston for a few days and also Columbia for the Gator game before arriving in Virginia Beach for Kyle's month long training at the Dam Neck Base. 

Dinner at Magnolia's in downtown Charleston!

Trip to the Beach- Isle of Palms, SC 

UF vs. South Carolina game in Columbia, SC!

We have now been in Virginia Beach for almost a month! We head home tomorrow by way of Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville, before arriving in Orlando! I am definitely looking forward to warming temps for sure! :) 

Our Family is Complete!

Kyle returned home from deployment earlier this week and our family is now COMPLETE!! I spent a week leading up preparing for his arrival and besides a few hiccups with the weather, the day went perfectly! I arrived at the pier at 6am to decorate the pier and brow with the FSG board. The ship wasn't actually pier side until about 8am. There was quite a bit of wind and a few sprinkles, which delayed them attaching the brow(how they come off of the ship), but then the sun came out and we were good to go! :)

This photo was taken by a Navy photographer and featured on Navy Times and Navy.mil

This ship making its way into the basin with the battle flag waving in the wind!

Homecoming Sign from buildasign.com 

They provide free signs for military homecomings, you just have to pay for shipping!

Reunited at last!

The house decorated for Kyle's Homecoming!

The day was perfect and Kyle's first meal request was Tijuana Flats! I placed the order to pick up right when they opened at 11am. Kyle's dad picked up the food and the manager was so happy that Kyle requested his first meal be Tijuana Flats after being gone for 6 months that she gave us a gift card! So sweet!

It has been great having Kyle back and we have enjoyed just relaxing at home! We have a busy few weeks ahead with our upcoming move, but hoping that it will go smoothly!

Hawaii... Here we Come!

It's official! We are moving to Hawaii! We won't actually be in Hawaii until January, but we will be leaving Jacksonville in November to head to for Virginia for Kyle to attend training. Then, after a month there, we will head to Florida to ship our car and spend the holidays in Orlando with our family! I only wish is that this move and finding a place to live will be pretty effortless! Please say a prayer... I will need it! :)

Jacksonville Top 10

Now that we have lived in Jacksonville for almost 2 years, I wanted to share my Jacksonville Top 10! Living in Jax has been an interesting experience, but a good one! :) It has allowed us to venture to places like Savannah and Jekyll Island and take Macey Jane to the beach on a regular occasion!

1. Tacolu. I think Kyle would agree with me that Tacolu is one of the best restaurants in Jacksonville! What is even better is that is right down the street from us! Tacolu has a great atmosphere, margaritas and Bangin' Shrimp Tacos! :) They recently moved locations and they are ALWAYS packed! Tacolu is always Kyle's #1 choice for dinner! 
2. The Beach! We are about 12 minutes from the beach. I will admit that I have actually only been to Jax, Neptune and Atlantic Beaches a handful of times. I prefer going on base because there is never anyone there and it is practically a private beach! Macey Jane sometimes gets to take her leash of and run around. She loves chasing the sea gulls and running through the water. 
3. Chapel by the Sea. When we moved here, we tried a few different churches, but I was always a little bit disappointed with the modern, casual feel of most of the churches. For me, going to church in a bathing suit and coverup just doesn't cut it. After twisting Kyle's arm (he hates going to base when he isn't working), we attended Chapel by the Sea on base. For me, it was great. The service is quite traditional and regimented (communion every week) as the current Chaplain is Episcopalian, but I really enjoy the hymns that we sing and it remind me of my childhood. At the close of each service, we sing "Eternal Father Strong to Save", which is the military hymn. The entire chapel has banners of each command and through this past deployment it reminds me of Kyle and that he is with me in spirit at each service. 
4. Tijuana Flats. Well, I know that you can get this anywhere, but it is one of our favorites and it is literally 4 minutes from our house. If the weather is right, we sometimes take Macey Jane and ride our bikes too! Kyle and I got every Tuesday for Taco Tuesdays and we know all of the girls and they take GREAT care of us! It will be a sad day in our house when we can't go to TFlats! 
5. The St. Johns Town Center. Throughout college my group of friends used to venture to Jax for the Florida-Georgia weekend! We would always go to the Town Center. They have EVERYTHING you could possible need (except Macy's and Nordstrom, but Nordstrom is coming soon!) Great restaurants, shopping and a fun place to just walk around! Be advised though, you will get road rage trying to find a parking spot. I would also avoid it at all costs on the weekend!! 
6. St. Augustine. St. Augustine is only about 30 minutes from our house. In addition to the historic section, there is also an outlet mall that almost rivals Orlando's. The good news is that the parking isn't nearly as bad as the ones in Orlando! St. Augustine is a really fun place to visit and if you have never been you must go at least once. It's a little too touristy for Kyle, but there are a few hidden gems like Caps on the Water. Great for dinner or a Sunday afternoon glass of wine! 
7. Black Sheep Restaurant and Roof Top Bar. Black Sheep opened about a year ago and is all the rage in Jacksonville. The food is super delicious and what is even better is their rooftop bar. Kyle and I have spent a few nights up on the roof under the heaters and had a great time! It is also where we celebrated with Kyle the night before deployment! The restaurant served us a champagne toast. It was a very nice gesture and super sweet of them. If you are in Jax, you must try it out! They are open for lunch and dinner! 
8. Location. We couldn't have been more blessed with our first duty station in Jacksonville. We are two hours from Orlando and our parents, 5 hours to my sister in Miami and 1 1/2 hours to Gainesville for Gator Games! Like I previously mentioned, we have been able to take some trips and visit places that we have never been before! 
9. Florida-Georgia Weekend. Ahh, love that we live in a town where our Gators play!! This weekend is one of the best of the whole year!! You pretty much start partying on Thursday and by the time Sunday comes around you are spent! Our house is packed with house guests and it is just an awesome weekend!
10. Friends. We already had a few friends that lived here in Jax and it was great to reconnect with them. We also have met so many great people through our jobs and mutual friends. Our friends here in Jax have made things that much more fun, because we have been able to experience a new city with great people! 

That wraps it up! :) I could probably think of 10 more things. Although I do love Jacksonville, I am looking forward to new adventures! I can definitely see us living here again at some point! :)

Williamsburg, Virginia

We are currently planning a "family reunion" for December in Williamsburg, Virginia! 

Kyle will be in training at Little Creek base which is about 45 minutes from Williamsburg. For a back story, my dad graduated from William and Mary and during his time there, he worked at the King's Arm Tavern, a great restaurant in Colonial Williamsburg! Growing up we have always visited Williamsburg and we are really excited to all go there as a family. 

Some items on our to do list: 

1. The Chickahominy House- Known for their ham and biscuits, brunswick stew, homemade pie and their CATS! Yes, cats! They have cats all around the property. You can read more about it here: http://www.oldchickahominy.com/  It's also an antique store
2. Of course, the King's Arms Tavern is a must! They are known especially for their peanut soup! They also dress in traditional colonial garb. It doesn't get better than this restaurant! 
3. The Williamsburg Inn! Although we won't stay here (we are staying at a condo unit) The Williamsburg Inn is a staple of Williamsburg and we plan on having brunch here. It will be the one meal we eat all day! It doesn't get much better than Williamsburg at Christmastime! 
   
   
   
   We can't wait for this trip! Aunt Titi needs to get busy to get the whole family a wardrobe for the trip!
   
   
   Have a great weekend and plan a family reunion for your family!! :)
   
   
   

Kyle honored as the Jacksonville Jaguars Hometown Hero!

Well, football season is in full swing and that means Kyle will be home so soon!!

I got an email last Wednesday from the Director of Marketing for the Jags asking if I could attend Saturday's game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. He explained to me that Kyle would be honored as the "Hometown Hero" and asked me to let him know how many tickets I needed. Well, of course, I immediately started emailing, texting and calling family. Next thing I knew, I had 15 people who wanted to come!

I tried to keep the event as much of a surprise as possible! Kyle's parents, grandma, my mom and I had field passes and shortly after kickoff we were escorted on. We were right in the endzone and got to see the Jags score a touchdown and a field goal too! Then, we were escorted onto the field and we directed our attention to the jumbotron for this....

We all were instantly in tears and although I had skyped with Kyle all through the week because they were in port, I couldn't hold the emotions in. The rest of our family was in the stands and got lots of photos and videos. The iPhone videos were super challenging to hear as there were so many fans clapping. When Kyle's family and I walked off the field, we got a standing ovation. It was a once in a lifetime experience for sure!

Have a great Labor Day Weekend and Go Gators!! :)

Blog Hiatus

I completely embarrassed to say that I haven't written a post in almost a year! Wow, that is definitely a testament to how fast this year has flown by!

To get you back up to date on our lives! :)

1. Kyle and I spent 3 weeks in October in Newport, Rhode Island for SWO School. We had a great time and Kyle's schedule was awesome. He was able to come home to the hotel during lunch and got out every day before 3pm! That was a first! We were able to visit Boston and NYC over the weekends and we had so much fun! 
   
2. Kyle was home all of December and we were able to attend many holiday parties and celebrate Christmas and New Year with our families and friends. 

3.We knew 2013 would be a so-so year as Kyle would be deployed for 6 months of it, but nevertheless, we tried to make the most of our time! 

4. Kyle had workups during January and missed his 27th birthday once again! (He hasn't been home for a birthday in 3 years!) But of course, we celebrated before he left and made the best of it!

5. In February, Kyle and the Sammy B. made a trip to Mobile, Alabama to get their underway hours and to also have a good time at Mardi Gras! I was fortunate enough to be able to make it out to Mobile and celebrate the weekend with him. The Navy League in Mobile treated us like royalty and our schedule was jam-packed with elegant balls every evening! It was definitely a trip I will never forget!

4. March started out great with a 5 day cruise with Kyle to the Bahamas and Caribbean, but then he went underway for 3 weeks. Not to fret, I had a 1st birthday party to plan for my nephew so I stayed busy with that. We celebrated on March 30th and also were able to be together in Miami for Easter. 

5.Ahh, April the dreaded month of deployment, not to mention Kyle was underway for 3 weeks the 2 weeks before deployment. We tried to spend as much time together as possible and I even won us free tickets to the Carrie Underwood concert! I explained to the radio station how Kyle would be deploying a few days after the concert and it would be a great surprise! Well, they called me and were honored to give me the tickets. Saying goodbye was different this time because we were established in Jacksonville and I tried to treat it like any other day (I was going to work after seeing the ship off) 

6. May and June came and went... QUICKLY! And I was sooo happy! We celebrated Memorial Day at our timeshare in Orlando and we took Robby to Disney for the first time! So much fun. Before Kyle left he was dead set on me coming to visit in one of the ports. I never thought it would happen, but it did! 

7. At the end of June, my mom and ventured to Italy, yes Italy, to meet up with Kyle! We were so fortunate to spend 5 fabulous days in PARADISE! We visited Sorrento, Positano, Gaeta, Sperlonga, to name a few! We even got to attend a reception with the Admiral of 6th fleet! Such an honor! My mom and I continued on to Rome for a few days before coming back stateside. So, it was the best trip of my life, but so hard to come back to reality!! 

8.It is now AUGUST! Yay! And we are very excited about some new changes coming our way! Due to a few different factors, I can't make the announcement yet! But, I hope to blog about the "secret" as many other blogs have helped me thus far in planning. 

That brings us back up to date! Today, I am headed to the ship's Halfway Picnic. I took on the role of treasurer for our Family Support Group, which has been fun getting to know the families and planning events as well.

Until next time!