Josh Turner!

So a week ago, Jamie, Kristy, and I made our way down to Snoqualmie Casino to see Josh Turner in concert! He was FABULOUS! Some artists aren't great live, but he sounds even better than he does on his CD. He has this amazing deep voice that sings beautifully; plus, his wife is his keyboardist which is pretty awesome!

First we had a little shopping excursion during which we found some cute clothes for Kristy who is pregnant and was looking for a welcome home outfit for her husband who comes home Wednesday! She wore her new purple dress to the concert and looked beautiful! We got to the Salish Lodge which is a beautiful resort right on the Snoqualmie Falls and put on our cowboy boots for a rocking evening. After dinner at a fancy restaurant in the Casino, we made our way into the ballroom to be entertained!

We were just a wee bit excited!There he is!!!

As I said, Josh Turner was awesome, and I would highly suggest his CD Haywire because there isn't a song on it that I don't love. It was a fabulous weekend away despite not having a husband to share it with (Kenny loves Josh Turner as well)!

We woke up the next morning to enjoy a hike down the falls and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and "warm-ish" weather!

The Falls- Me, Jamie, and Kristy
I don't know where I would be without this little lady!

All pictures are courtesy of Kristy and Jamie since I charged by battery and then left it in my kitchen. Woops!

And other good news - One month down, and one to go before the deployment is over! Also, we got a very personal, welcoming letter from our next squadron which greatly impressed me! So VT-31 here we come! And appropriately, they are the wise owls. :) Hootie Hoo!

Once a nerd, always a nerd...

As a proud member of the National Honor Society while I was in high school (might have been the treasurer and president, cough, cough), I decided that my wee school should have a National Honor Society. We didn't have any clubs for the kids to be part of or any real opportunities for the students to learn leadership skills! So after contacting my own NHS sponsor and getting board approval, I am proud to say that North Whidbey Christian High School has its own 6 member NHS! I inducted the 6 students on January 11th in a brief ceremony that was really well attended. I was shocked as people just kept pouring into the room. The school decided that it would be great to have our picture in the paper, so here it is for all of your viewing pleasure!

And because I know you want to be able to read the caption it says this: "Vaughn challenged these first National Honor Society members to excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character." (It's not like those aren't the four pillars of the NHS or anything.)

These kids have already planned and executed a Valentine's Day bake sale to raise money for Haiti Relief. They raised $52!! I am so proud of these 6 students and hopefully the other kids will see how awesome it is to be part of a club that does great things and teaches them life skills!

As I close this post, I must thank both of my NHS sponsors for always encouraging me, Mrs. Matson for all of her love and support with the student government, and of course my momma for expecting us all to get involved, be a leader, and leave places better than we found them!

Happy 1st Birthday William!

So on the 15th of February last year, a wee little person joined our family. And he grew and grew and grew, and before we knew it, he reached his first birthday!

Second week, all bundled up!
Chilling with Aunt Molly

Thank you for all your smiles, little William and your ability to do something that you know your momma doesn't want you to do, but you smile anyway and crawl away. Now you are walking, and it will only be a matter of time before you are running and your momma is chasing you.

Love those chubby little cheeks and little buddha belly!

You are such a sweet, sweet boy, and Uncle Kenny and I look forward to seeing you as soon as possible! We love you!

Some bright moments...

Now it is always sad to have your hubby gone, but if he is going to be away there are some things that make the absence not quite as hard.

1) I get to wear his sweatshirts and sweatpants all I want.... that is the best. Kenny is not always so keen on me stealing his clothing - but I love how they swallow me and are nicely worn and comfy. So at least if he has to be away, I can benefit from his absence by wearing his sweats.

2) And I get to eat morningstar vegetarian chicken tenders which are made of soy. They are awesome. Kenny has even eaten them and said that they aren't "too bad" for a meat lover like him. They are my treat when Kenny leaves - a little vegetarian chicken tender. Try them out - you will fall in love.
Hope you all are having a great week and if you are snowed in that you aren't going too stir crazy with so much snow!

NEXT lesson for the week...

When you are a Navy wife, you move lots, you apply for jobs lots, and you make friends lots.

Well when one thing goes wrong because you made a plan (silly me) and thought it would TOTALLY work out (REALLY silly me) and then reality smacks you in the face, you need your family and your friends.

To say this past Tuesday morning was pretty awful is an understatement. It wasn't the biting off of the elephant because I have been super focused on nibbling my small portions; it was the, Texas would like to make it harder for you to get a job despite the fact you went to two prestigious universities thing that smacked me right across the face Tuesday. (My mom says not to bring that up to Texas because that won't help my cause... kill them with sweetness... not snootiness.)

So back to the lesson of today... Bless Kenny's heart. He called to tell me that he was safe and sound and got a sobbing wife. Then my sister called me, and got a sobbing sister. Then my friend called me, and got a sobbing friend. Now if you know me, I only sob when I am super frustrated which was the case. So, Kenny, Meg, and Jamie all told me that it would all be okay and a door will always open and opportunities will come!

Then, after teaching, going to the gym, talking to my mom rationally about everything (she didn't get the sobs), I made my way up to Anacortes to pick up Jamie for a farewell dinner.

What was there to make my day so much brighter?

These:


So despite being frustrated your lesson for the week is to stay positive, surround yourself with great friends and family, and have faith that all will work out! Because it will! (and a little chocolate never hurts!)