Update through Pictures

Thanksgiving was amazing! My friend Allie and I prepared our first turkey together and we had a blast making all the other fixins. My parents came in to join us and so did many other friends. I'm so thankful for friends and family.








Sam & Dulcy (Robert's parents) came in for Robert's promotion to Sgt. It was a complete surprise. They met us at our favorite restaurant in town and Robert was beside himself. He couldn't believe they were there. I'm honestly shocked that I did not spill the beans before they arrived, but somehow I kept the cat in the bag! We also had a very early Christmas, as we were packing for Japan this past week and had to get all the large objects packed. Thanks so much to Robert's fam, it was a great couple of days!




Robert's promotion went very smoothly. I was a bit nervous because I was pinning him (I removed his former Cpl Chevrons and replaced them with his new Sgt Chevrons). What an honor! The Commanding Officer was teasing me that I could put them on upside down or sideways if I wanted, but I got it just right. After the ceremony we finally went to Sgt White's BBQ. It was definitely worth the wait, you must try it if you're ever in Beaufort, SC.







This was taken on our second trip to Sgt White's BBQ. We went on Friday because we needed some comfort food after working ourselves to death this week. We are officially packed (our three shipments are on their way to Japan and storage...where ever that might be) and moved out of our rent house...thank you Jesus! Thanks to great friends who are so helpful and generous...what would we do without you?!



Tomorrow morning we're off to DC and NY to celebrate Robert's birthday and our last big trip before we head out of country for three years. Make sure and watch David Letterman on Dec 16 (Robert's Bday) because we won tickets!!! Lots more pictures to come after this week :D

Oh Deer

This is what I saw out my kitchen window this afternoon. I had gone to the cupboard for an afternoon snack and when I shut the door I saw something move in the backyard, I looked up and they were staring at me...haha! Luckily, I had time to snag a pic before they ran away..I will definitely miss this part of SC!

So much to blog, so little time

No, you are not mistaken that is Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden! I had the privilege to attend the Blue Star Familiy/ServiceNation event in Washington D.C. on Veterans Day. Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and Alma Powell joined us as we honored families of troops and sent letters of encouragement and thanks boxes provided by Target's generous donations. Read more about this amazing event on Blue Star Families Website.



My friend Tavia and I attended the event together. We are the CoDirectors of Blue Star Families Beaufort, SC. We had a great time getting to meet the other BSF volunteers. We navigated the DC metro like old pros. We managed to arrive on time and with all our luggage...thank the LORD!



This is an example of the cards that were sent to military families saying thank you for their sacrifice. That's our mission with Blue Star Families. We empower and encourage the families. There are so many support systems in place for troops, but families often fall through the cracks. If you would like to write to these amazing families please go the BSF website to learn how. You can make a difference in the life of a military spouse, child, parent or veteran.



On Saturday we attended our second Marine Corps Ball as a married couple....awww! We drove out to the Hilton Head Marriot for the ball. It was a great night of dinner and dancing with great friends. It's so much fun to all dressed up and go out with my handsome Marine.

The best news of all is that Robert is being promoted to Sgt on December 1! We are beyond excited and so thankful that it's happening at such a great time (before the move to Okinawa). This means that we will finally be able to eat at Sgt White's BBQ. It's been a running joke that Robert won't eat there as a Cpl and out of respect our friends have not eaten there either....haha! Can't wait to get a taste of this bbq, hope it's worth the wait :D

Happy Halloween!

Jinkies! We had a great Halloween. Robert had a dinner he was voluntold to go to out on Callawassie Island Country Club. The base sent two representatives to the dinner and Robert was selected. Luckily, he had a great time. I was partying at my friend Tavia's house with a princess and her dragon, a pea-in-a-pod, mjr cutie the police woman and her terrorist husband, and finally my not-so-shaggy, Shaggy! We had a number of trick-or-treaters and I think only one stolen purple pumpkin bucket with lots of candy. Enjoy the rest of the photos!

1 down, 60+ to go!

So this post is a little late but last Sunday was our 1 year wedding anniversary! We celebrated by eating at our favorite restaurant, a little shopping, and having a huge slice of cheesecake accompanied with a glass of milk (just like our wedding). Thank you all so much for the cards, emails, texts, etc. Special thanks to Rich and Viann for making us an amazing cheesecake for our special day, you guys are great and so was the cheesecake.

We've had a great first year, we are so blessed to have each other. We found an amazing church to join, are surrounded by great friends and have had a great time getting involved in our community. Now we're about to embark on a new journey as we prepare for our third move. We're definitely going to miss everyone in good ol Beaufort, but are so excited to see what's ahead for us in Okinawa.

Thanks to my wonderful husband for putting up with my scatterbrained mess, loving me even though I laugh when you get upset, and for supporting me in whatever new idea I have at the moment...haha! Love you baby!

Weekend Mornings

I love our weekend mornings! They usually consist of a decent breakfast and my husband making the most amazing lattes. He used to work for Starbucks back in the day and I tease him that one of the many reasons I married him and one of the only reasons my dad let me marry him :D This morning was much the same in that respect, except I made the lattes under his supervision. I think I'm ready for my barista apron, because they turned out amazing! We also enjoyed an amazing french toast casserole. I found the recipe online, it's a Paula Dean recipe so of course it's not that great for you, but I made some slight adjustments to it that make me feel better: whole wheat bread, agave nectar, no syrup and modifying the Praline topping so it doesn't clog my arteries. Hope everyone else is having a great Saturday morning as well!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Ok, so it's not quite Fall weather here in SC just yet, but it's getting close. The temperature is even supposed to get into the 50's this week! I love everything about Fall, the weather, wearing long sleeves, leaves turning colors, the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon...it's my favorite time of year! I also enjoy crafting...here are some fall crafts that I've loved, enjoy...

Great birthday present idea! I made this recently for my friend Beckie's birthday. I started with a 4-pack of Izzie bottled drinks. I poured the juice drink into a large spare container and then removed the labels and cleaned the bottles. I decorated the 4-pack box with scrapbook paper and then filled the bottles with her favorite candy. It turned out great and she loved it!





This one was so easy and very cute! It's just a little Mason jar filled with candy corn and decorated w/card stock to look like a little jack-o-lantern...love pumpkins!




This one, I cannot claim, but I had to include it because it's so cute! This was made by my Mother-in-law and was sent with a Fall goody bag for us....so sweet!

Praying...

We're praying for Jamie (Robert's sister) and Robert's Mom, Dad, older Sister and her Husband. Tomorrow Jamie undergoes, what we are praying is her last surgery. Please take time to pray for her and our family as they await her surgery and as they are in the waiting room tomorrow morning during her surgery. For specifics on how to pray for Jamie please visit her blog

Run Robert, Run

So today I ran in the Community Bible Church's Inaugural 5k Race! My run time was 25 minutes, 15:99 seconds! That's a little slower than my normal run time...turns out that the course was about an extra half mile. But it was lots of fun!




I placed 9th overall, and 2nd in the Men's 20-29 age group!!!! The guy who got first in our age group ran a 25:15:38! We were neck and neck the whole time!.



I think I'm gonna have to start running more races!

Happy Saturday! -Robert

Happy Birthday MOM!

Happy Birthday Mom! Today is my Mom’s birthday and I’d like to take a little walk down memory lane through some old photos. As a photographer, I love old family photos, I have them up all over my house! But before I get to the photos, I want to say thank you.

Thank you mom for being an amazing example for Jay and I.
Thank you for staying home and raising us.
Thank you for making Church, the Bible and especially a person relationship with Jesus Christ priority in our lives.
Thank you for always telling us to “look at the bubbles” when pouring peroxide on our cuts and scrapes…haha!
Thank you for always being there.
Thank you for loving us unconditionally even when we went through our awkward phases :D
Thank you for all you sacrificed for our happiness.
Thank you for praying without ceasing for us.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom
Thank you for being MOM!

Time for pictures:

What a precious family!


Wedding Day


Memom & Daddy Jack's 50 Wedding Anniversary


Family Reunion, Poetry, TX


Christmas 2005


Easter 2006


College Graduation


Wedding Day


For those of you who don’t know, Daddy Jack (mom’s dad) & Mom share the same birthday. I think the only way you couldn’t know that is if you never had the priveledge of meeting my sweet Daddy Jack. He went home to be with Jesus in December 2006, but he was so proud to share this special day with his daughter. I remember going to visit him in the the hospital in Kaufman in the summer of 2006 and when I walked in the nurse said, “You must be Jana, the volleyball player” I laughed and said "why yes I am" and then later on she told me how amazing it was that my grandfather and mom shared the same birthday…hahaha! Daddy Jack was very proud of his family. I definitely miss his stories and the smell of his old pearl snap shirts the most. Thank you Daddy Jack for leaving a Godly legacy, we all miss you dearly!