New Beginnings

2011-12-04T11:19:00.001-08:00

I have been avoiding this blog...mainly because I don't know where to begin. Just to keep you updated:

1. I moved to Beaufort, South Carolina June 2010 to be the communications officer for MAG-31.

2. I was promote to first lieutenant Aug 2010.

3. I met my husband and was engaged Dec 2010. (Asher, my dalmatian, gave me the ring).

4. Found out I was deploying on a week's notice May 2010, with a destination wedding already planned for September.

5. Sent to Djibouti, Africa (its East Africa, between Eritrea and Somali) June 2010

6. I lost Asher a month into my deployment July 2011. :( He was my best friend, and got me through rough times before I met Rob.

7. Under my surprise, I was granted leave to attend our destination wedding in Jamaica 27 Aug through 2 Sept 2011. I came home through a hurricane (I will explain this later)...leaving me to drive from DC to Charleston, then my husband and I drove from Charleston to Orlando.

8. Today I am one week from going home. This deployment to Africa has been great, but I really miss my husband. I'm looking forward to a whole new life. New husband, new house, new car (Rob sold it on deployment), and new puppy (Belgian Malinois named Killian). I've been seeing a lot on Skype, but it never is same. I'm just happy to be home in time for the holidays. I miss my family.

Entering the blogging world

2009-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

We will see how long this lasts. It definitely won't be a daily habit, but more like a casual update of my life. You can blame the DC Blizzard of 2009. For a person who hates being trapped indoors, I have been trapped indoors for the last 3 1/2 days. Although my dog Asher enjoyed the snow, I particularly didn't care to dig my car out from the 3 feet of snow! Thank god...the base is open and I am actually happy to return to work.

Well I have a few updates in my life:

1). This is the first Christmas I spend without my sister. Wednesday I fly home (Indiana) for Christmas. It will be the first time in 25 years that I have spent Christmas without my sister. Last Christmas I was the JOOD (Junior Officer of the Deck), but it was alright. My mom, dad, and I few into Florida and we celebrated Christmas a few days later as a family. Due to her job (and mine), we won't be seeing each other for the holidays. I hope I can later fly over to Florida to visit...Christmas won't be the same without you big sis!

2). I'm a MAI!!! I know..."What's that??" The Marine Corps has created a system that ties various forms of martial arts studies with ethics and leadership. You can read more about it here:
MCMAP Program
I recently went to a three week school that turns Marines into Martial Arts Instructors. At the end of the course I got my green belt and tan tab, which means I can train Marines Green Belt and below.

3). I just got back from Worlds! The Scott Firefighter World Challenge XVIII was held in Las Vegas, NV. I attended the challenge literally right before MAI school. Overall, it was a blast and I met a lot of great people, new and old. I competed in individuals, female tandem relay, and co-ed tandem relay. My wildcard days were up and down. My tandem relays went well, but my individual was not too great. I ended up qualifying for the finals in both tandems. For the U.S. Regional Competitions, I was ranked 3rd in the country for points at US Venues. At Worlds, my Co-ed Tandem (with Adam Brock) finished 7th in the World, and my Female Tandem (with Meghan Melanson) finished 8th in the World. In addition to the rankings, my Marine Corps helmet also won the "Hottest Helmet" award. (as a sad sidenote, my helmet was stolen at a banquet during the world competition. It was truly a work of art. Check out the pictures below. We never found the guy) =(

Well I think I did my far share of updates for now. Keep on the lookout for new pictures and videos I'll be posting over the next few days.

Small Antics from Mars

New Beginnings

Entering the blogging world