26 Years of Little Ol' Me

This year my birthday was extra special! My parents came to visit us for a week last month and we planned their trip so they would be here for my birthday! I loved being able to celebrate with both my parents AND Chris this year!...I only wish Ben, Andrea, and Emily could've been there too! We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Chart House. The restaurant sits right on the beach and the wall facing the ocean is  floor to ceiling windows, so the view is absolutely amazing! And the food is very worthy of a special occassion...really delicious! I had my mom take some candid pictures of Chris and me since we're always stuck taking pictures of ourselves...I think we got some good ones!

View from the restaurant

So happy they were there!

I know it's blurry, but I just love this picture of us...classic Chris, he's always making me laugh :)

Being silly....pondering the meaning of life looking at the vast ocean. ;)

Enjoying the view

Another classic...

<3 <3 <3

I love him

At dinner

We had such a good night! I am so blessed to share my life with such a loving family!

An Anniversary TOGETHER

As you probably know, our first anniversary was spent apart from each other due to Chris's deployment in Afghanistan. So this year, on our second anniversary, being able to spend the day together was extra special for both of us. Being the wonderful husband he is, Chris took me on a dinner cruise around San Diego Harbor. We set sail on a beautiful yacht as the sun was going down over the water, then dined by candlelight with a wonderful view of downtown, and finished the night with some dancing. Here's the pictures!

From the top deck...

My handsome husband :)

View of downtown as we're getting started

We loved the sun shining through the clouds

Classic Chris...he wanted his picture taken by the rail, too. He never stops making me laugh. :)

Dinner by the window

A look at downtown San Diego

We loved every minute!

MCRD Dining In

Last night, Chris's battalion held a Dining In. This is traditionally a formal social event meant to inspire camaraderie. In a sort-of mock court ceremony, Marines are able to call out their fellow Marine's "transgressions" and levy fines on one another. It's a fun night (mostly done in a tongue-in-cheek, joking manner) and for me, an excuse to get dressed up and go out! :)

Here's some pictures from the night!





{Sorry about all the self-portraits, we're currently training Pete to work the camera! ;)}

A Week of "First's"

These are a few pictures from Chris's first week home! It was such a wonderful time for us :)

Since Chris got back at night, we took this picture of him the next morning with his "welcome home" sign...I never knew my high school Spirit Leader skills would come in so handy in my adult life ;)

The sign is a bit of an inside joke, so I'll explain:

One very late night in Afghanistan, a very tired Chris was saying goodnight to me over the phone when he said, "I love you....(long pause)....extremely....(long pause)....I, I forgot where I was going with that...." I got a pretty good laugh that night and since then, it has become our standard "goodbye" to each other.

Chris's first home cooked, much-deserved "splurge" meal....

An all-time favorite of his: Chicken Parmesan with Margherita Angel Hair Pasta and Sauteed Broccoli.

I think he likes it....

His belated 1st Anniversary present- a flat screen TV for our bedroom.

(Pete had to get in the picture, too.)

 His first (again, well-deserved) beer. I brought him a case of Shiner Blonde, his favorite, only available in Texas.

We were very glad he made it home in time for his birthday! I made him Red Velvet Cupcakes (another favorite)!

 Why I love him so much...:)

We later went out for dinner...our first date night :)

These are all things that I have dreamed about doing with Chris for seven long months apart. We are absolutely loving getting to spend so much time together!!

WELCOME HOME, CHRIS!!!

 These pictures pretty much speak for themselves and there's not much I could say to make them better, so I won't commentate too much. I will say, that these pictures capture a moment that was truly surreal, indescribably joyful, and without a doubt given by God. We are certainly happy and so grateful to finally be back together and to be able to enjoy and share our lives together again!

Waiting for their arrival!

First embrace :)

Overwhelming joy!

Thanks so much to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and support over the seven months Chris was deployed. You've all played such an important role in helping us get through this time apart. And by the grace of God, he's finally home again!! We love you all!

PS: Thanks for your patience in waiting for me to post these pictures....we've been enjoying some much-needed, devoted time with each other! :)