Simply Gorgeous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrnB4FZ-yc

YIPPEE!!!!!!!

We're into the 20's!!!! Days that is!! We have less than ONE month until Justin comes home!! YAY!!! I swear, I was WAY wrong when I said that 6 months was easier than a year....WAY wrong!! Somehow it has been SO much longer and HARDER!!! I miss him!!

xoxo

Day off...

Ok, so flashback a few weeks ago to the whole "pirate" situation. Justin's ship was first on site due to their location when the hijacking occurred. Ship's from all over the globe and from numerous nations where called into action, including more US warships. Well, we would have never thought that this deployment would bring two worlds together. But one of the ships that joined in the efforts was the USS Roosevelt, and Justin as the IT Chief was called on to go on board their ship to help out their IT's. So, this is where the two worlds collide...in 2006 Jeremy took orders to Jacksonville, FL which was the last time that we saw the Byrd family. Justin then took his tour in Bahrain, while I was home, and now we are here in San Diego. So...back to that "call of duty" on the Roosevelt....JEREMY'S ship!! What are the ods? The odds that us on the West coast and them on the East coast...that they would meet up in the middle of Indian Ocean somewhere! Crazy huh?? Venus and I pretty much threatened the men with their lives if they didn't send back photos. Ha!! Here's what Jeremy sent! Justin said that it was a nice break from the "everyday" and great to see an old familiar face.

The men looking rather....goofy-faced! LOL

USS Howard

Justin and the "Roosie" ITC

USS Howard

My Chief

Isn't he SO handsome?!? :)

Oma's Pumpkin Patch

No...not MY Oma! LOL But this is the Van Ommering Diary farm, and the original farmers are from Holland, where they also call their grandparents "Oma & Opa". Now their childrens' families run the farm, and have a pumpkin patch! Our FRG arranged a group outing for the families yesterday and what FUN this place was!! The kid's had a blast and that's the best part! I can't wait till next year when Justin can be there with us!! Loved it!! Enjoy the photos!



Falyn, Faith and Dylan

Geigley kids, Miller Kids, Jeanette and Hannah. Chandler was ready to go! LOL


SUCH a boy!!


Priscilla, Falyn and Dylan


HAHAHAHA!!!!

Priscilla & Falyn

The kiddo's and our pumpkins!

The Blues were here!

I never realized how excited I would be to see a "piece" of Pensacola flying overhead. If you know anything about the Blue Angels, you know that thier "home" is Pensacola, FL. I remember many of days standing out in my backyard and watching them practice. It was great! Falyn's K & 1st grade school was Blue Angels Elementary, one of my girls on my softball team, her dad used to pilot Fat Albert. So, when Jeanette asked about going to the air show, I was hesitant at first, thinking...I used to watch them all the time. What's the big deal right? But we went. It was actually just as exciting as always. I always get a good kick out of watch them fly. It's AWESOME! The kids really enjoyed it too! I took a TON of photos, but these 3 are my favorite!



I LOVE how I caught this one! Not too bad for my point & shoot camera! :)

Lei Making!

Today should have been the last day that we needed to work on this, but all our RSVP's...well, they didn't show! LOL So, after about 2 hours, Jeanette and I packed up the kids and headed back to my house to finish it. They were tired of playing and getting "ancy", and since no one came, we figured it would be easier to keep them entertained at home. So, here's us playing around with it after getting about 75% done. We have 2 sections left to fluff and then it's READY!!! For those of you going...huh?? What the heck is THAT? When ship's return from deployment they hang a lei off their brow. We've been working on it since August, and would say that Jeanette and I have done about 75% of it by ourselves! Ack!! Labor of love!! :)

51 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Even Romo helped!! LOL


LOOK OUT!!! ATTACK OF THE PLASTIC BAGS!!!! LOL

Latest update

Pirates....INSANE!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081001/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_piracy

More prayers....please!!!

Just keep their whole crew in your prayers...this is a scary/weird event! I just hate the thought period! Yes, this is Justin's ship.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080928/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_piracy

Fox News report: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3117034&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/index.html

Thanks for the prayers!!

Everyone is ok, aside from the clean up and no electricity, for the most part everyone is fine. No trees falling on houses or anything that bad. I haven't talked to my dad yet, but I don't know if he has been able to get back to his house yet anyway. It's BAD down in Galveston!!

:(

Thanks all!!

Some prayers please!!

My entire family lives *IN* Houston! Many of them are not leaving. My dad's house on Galveston bay (and he did leave) will most likely take a direct hit unless Ike decides to turn more East and then Houston/Galveston will get the "easy" side of the storm. My brother and Jennifer left for her parent's in Dallas, so I knwo they are safe. My sister lives in La Porte, and they have left to go up to my other sisters near Austin and they are safe. On that note Angie and Ryan may get a good bit of "slammed" by this beast too after just outrunning Gustav! :(

So just keep my family in your prayers. I am MEGA concerned about Oma in her house surrounded by rickety trees!! Carol and Patty and the kids will be there with her, and they have a generator when they lose power....but UGH!! I feel so helpless!!! :(

First Day of School

The alarm clock went off at 7am, but Falyn was already up and rearing to go! I didn't even get to do our "first day of school! first day of school!" (think Nemo!) Faith was a little slower to rise, but I got her up with little resistance (I think this may kill my late sleeper, this 7am waking up!)

Waffles and milk for breakfast.
Clothes had been picked out and hung out, ready to be put on. Falyn in a little silver mini dress with black tights and black flats and Faith in a cute heart tie back shirt, jeans and Airwalk tenni's (forever the tomboy!).

All is going well at this point. They load up in the car and we drive over (too close to ride the bus). There is no where to park (duh mom!) and so we park a few streets away and walk. I figure that dropping Faith off first would probably be best. Yea...well...that was SO sad!! She cried, Chandler cried....I had to fight the tears!! It was traumatic for all of us. But I think she will be ok. She did this to me in preschool too...and did it for a while in Sunday School as well. She just likes to be with her mommy!! :)

Falyn marched off like a champ to Mr. J's 3rd grade class and I am positive that girl will have a GREAT day!

My beautiful school girls!!




xoxo

UPDATE: They had a GREAT day and couldn't stop talking the whole walk home....yak yak yak! It was awesome! I tried something a little different this morning (drastic)....I dropped them off at the crosswalk, and let them go on their way to class. Faith wasn't thrilled about that idea, but I bet that she went to class much much easier than if I was standing there. She "whined" but I don't think the tears really came. Today is their half-day, so they will be home in a few hours, and I can see how it went and if that worked better.

Free Hat Night at the Padres game!

Can you believe it??? They WON again?? 9-4 The team that is SO close to being in LAST place WINS while we are there!! We must be good luck charms!! LOL Was a fun time!! It was


Feeling MUCH better for this game!!






Jeanette and I

Life is good....

for tonight. They got to talk to and read with daddy...via DVD. I tell you what...this couldn't have been at a better time. They are really missing him right now...so to get this at the halfway point is priceless. Faith smiles and talks to him "silly daddy" she says. Falyn just reads along with him and Chandler...."that's my daddy!!! Mommy!! that's my daddy!!" Aw. :(




And here's us at a Padres game tonight and they actually WON!! 9-2!! Came home to that AWESOME DVD in the mail!!

(lovin' those 15 chins!! oy!)

Amanda Rocks!

Check out this cool pic she took on the last night she was here!! :)



Thanks babe!! Miss ya!!

Halfway Done!!

We had our ship's halfway celebration yesterday and what a fun event it was. Being the Family Support Group president, I have to say, it was TOP NOTCH!! We had some great food, conversation and fun!! We had a jump and pinata for the kids, egg and 3-legged race for the adults! Beach Volleyball and TONS of great food!! Who knew I would have so much fun that I would forget to really take photos!!?? Crazy huh? Here are a few that I did manage to snap. 3 more months!!! YAY!! I can't get here fast enough!! I miss my husband like crazy!! It's insane all that we have been thru the last 2 years, it's taking it's toll on me emotionally, but I can't wait for him to get home! It won't be long that he's here, but I'll take what I can get at this point. Right?

xoxox




Melissa and myself (Jeanette in the back! :) )

Water Park Fun

My friend Amanda and her daughter Hannah have come all the way from Iowa to spend 10 days with us! It's been a blast!! Today we hit the water park!! I tell you what, her goal has to been to get as dark as she can before she heads back to "corn country"...she puts, what I thought I had as a good "SoCal" tan to SHAME!!! I look PASTY white next to her!! LOL

:)

Here's Faith!!! LOL






Miss Hannah (Amanda's Daughter...NOT Faith!)....yes, Faith's long lost twin!! :)


Happy Birthday "Manders!" XOXOX