Deck the Halls

Since it was our first Christmas, we could not wait to decorate with all the beautiful decorations everyone gave us at our Christmas Shower. I do not think either of us realized that we had received more decorations than either of us knew what to do with. When Joel and I began talking about getting married we always thought there would be a huge arugement over what color lights to put on our Christmas tree. Would it be colored lights like Joel wanted or white lights to please me? Well, after a few coin tosses and as always the winner being Joel I thought our tree would be covered in as many colored lights as Joel could find, but I was wrong. Although Joel won, he refused to put colored lights on our tree and helped me put white lights on the tree.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving was a little different from most since Joel and I were not able to come to Birmingham to spend it with both of our families. My parents were able to come and starting about a week before, all my dad and Joel could talk about was frying a turkey. Joel and I finally found a turkey fryer at the PX and Joel could not wait to put it to use! The closer it got to Thanksgiving, both Joel and my dad were getting a little nervous about frying the turkey since Joel had a brief on how dangerous it can be and several of my dad's friends were telling him horrifying stories. Despite the stories and everything they had heard, they decided to fry the turkey anyway. The night before Thanksgiving, while I was drugged up and asleep because of my gallbladder, my parents and Joel injected the turkey with seasoning and prepared to cook for the next day. On Thanksgiving morning, Joel and I woke up and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade and then everyone began preparing for our Thanksgiving feast. Luckily, everyone was able to accomplish frying the turkey without any injuries or anything catching fire.

Happy Birthday Troy!

On November 11th, our little man, Troy, celebrated his first birthday. After I got home from work that day, Joel and I took Troy to Pet Smart and let him pick out his birthday presents and a treat. Troy found a duck and stuffed dog toy and Joel picked out the treats. Since we could not get a cake, we found gourmet cookies for dogs that Troy and Taz could enjoy during the birthday celebration. When we got home from Pet Smart, Troy patiently waited at Joel's feet while Joel cooked him a small steak. After Troy ate, he and Taz played all night long.

233rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball

On November 8th, Joel and I drove to New Bern, North Carolina to attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. This year, Joel received a special honor to be in the sword detail guarding the ceremonial cake and performing sword drill movements during the ceremony. We both had a lot of fun being able to dress up, have a nice dinner, dance and socialize with all the Marines in Joel's unit. The ceremony was located in the Ballroom of the New Bern, Sheraton.

Happy Halloween!!

Joel and I could not wait to carve a pumpkin together for our first Halloween! We got a pumpkin carving kit and decided to carve a skull and crossbones. Joel cut the lid in the pumpkin and we both scooped out the seeds and goop. Before we realized it, Troy and Taz were trying to eat everything we scooped out of the pumpkin. After we gutted the inside, we took turns tracing the design and Joel carved the design. We had a lot of fun, but it took us a lot longer than we ever imagined.

Our First House

We now live in a rental house in a small community called Deerfield. It is a three bedroom and two bathroom house with a large garage that has been converted into a storage area. We finally have a big yard for the dogs to play in and do not have to walk from the third floor to take the dogs out.

WAR EAGLE!!

Although we are several states away, Joel and I still watch and cheer for Auburn every weekend. We even went to the extreme of buying a special cable package so that we can watch every Auburn and Alabama game of the season. Troy and Taz are big Auburn fans too and they like to wear their Auburn clothes while we are watching the games although they both act like they cannot move as soon as we put it on them. WAR EAGLE!!

The New River Airshow

A few months after we got married Joel and I went to The Air Show on Marine Corps Air Station New River where Joel works. We were able to go onto the flight line and watch the airshow, as well as look inside and see all the different military aircraft. During the airshow some of the aircraft that we got to see perform were the CH-53 Super Stallion, The V-22 Osprey, The Super Cobra, as well as the F-18 Super Hornet. An onsite bomb strike, troop deployment and troop extraction were also performed during the Airshow.

Time to Sing

Our little Troy is a very talented dog. He gets to show off anytime Joel decides to get his guitar out to play and sing. Troy will either sit in Joel's lap or sit at his feet and sing/bark and howl almost the entire time Joel is playing. Joel has created a special song for Troy that will really get him going.

Going Fishing!

Joel and I use to go fishing all the time with his friend Matt. One fishing trip we went on is a lot more memorable than any of the other ones. Joel and Matt started their trip as usual fishing on the pier at Topsail Island. They were not having much luck so we decided to leave and find another spot to continue fishing. Joel drives to the opposite end of the island and they decide to fish on the beach. After hiking through sand, water, mud and then sand again, they finally found the perfect spot to fish. Needless to say, after a long day of fishing the only fish that were caught were with our hands and about the size of our pinkies. We had lots of fun though!

Happy Birthday!

For my birthday, Joel gave me tickets to the Kenny Chesney concert in Raleigh, North Carolina. The trip to Raleigh was pretty interesting considering MapQuest took us through the sticks and we were wondering if we would ever make it there. We got to Raleigh several hours before the concert began and decided to explore. When went downtown, where we found Downtown Live which is similar to City Stages in Birmingham. Afterwards, we went further into the city and ate at a local restaurant. The concert not only featured Kenny Chesney, but LeAnne Rimes. We had a blast and I had a great birthday!

Troy and Taz

Our blog would not be complete without introducing our babies, Troy and Taz. If I have to say so myself, they are without a doubt the best dogs in the world. Both of them keep Joel and I entertained and laughing all the time. Our little Troy is a Toy Fox Terrier and full of engery. He could play ball all day and will do absolutely anything to get attention or a treat. He loves his brother, Taz, and cannot wait to give him kisses and greet him every morning.

Then there is our big man, Taz. He is an American Bulldog and seems to get bigger and bigger by the minute. He does not realize just how big he is and does not understand why he cannot sit in our laps like Troy does. Taz loves being outside and chasing Joel around the yard. Do not let his size fool you, Taz is a big teddy bear and a Momma's boy.

Our Honeymoon

As most know, Joel kept our honeymoon a surprise until after our wedding and I was so excited to find out we were going to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We stayed at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast called Main Street Inn. The night that we arrived, we felt a little out of place when we pulled in the parking lot to find we were the only people staying there that did not drive a Corvette. The next morning we decided to explore the island. We started by finding a public beach, but unfortunately it was too cold to get in the ocean or lay out on the beach. After taking a few pictures and walking on the beach, we drove to Harbor Town. We had so much fun walking around looking at the boats and huge yachts and going into the cute shops. The next day, we played a competitive round of putt-putt and unfortunately Joel beat me, but only by a few strokes. Later that night, we ate dinner at a very nice restaurant called Aqua. Although it cost an arm and a leg for our meal, we only got 5 shrimp and a spoon of rice. Needless to say not long after we left the restaurant, we went to a sports bar and grill and ate appetizers. Later that night, we went to hear a cover band play and Joel decided to act like a NASCAR driver as he went around the turnpike at least four times. The next morning, we woke up early and rushed back to Jacksonville to get our little man, Troy, from his vacation at the Animal House.

Welcome to our Blog!

Since Joel and I are so far away from home, we wanted to keep everyone updated on what is going on with our lives. We decided to create a blog for everyone to see and we hope that you enjoy!