2 Week Annual Training

Apache Sunset

This is Marc, I'm pretty excited about my debut blog post! Hopefully I'll make Marie proud! I have had a lot of people ask me what I do in the Utah National Guard. I am not one of the grunt shoot 'em up soldiers running through the bush (though I did my fair share in Basic Training!). Don't get me wrong. We do have training like that to get us ready for when we deploy, but my job in the Guard is much different. The Battalion I'm in is the Apache Attack Helicopter Unit here in Utah. I am an Aviation Operations Specialist, which means I am the guy on the ground tracking and talking to the pilots flying the Helicopters. Here are some pictures of the fun and games!

This is an antenna that we have to set up inorder to have communication with the Helicopters. There are 2 Apaches in the background that are getting refueled and loaded with ammunition.

This is the "Van" that we set up our base in. You can see the cable going into the van, that is coming off of that big antenna to hook up to the radios.

Here is an Apache coming in for fuel. I love being around these Helicopters.

Take off over two other birds.

Hope you have liked seeing these Helicopters as much as I do!!!

Lonely night...

I realized I haven't posted in a long time so, I decided the best thing to do on this sleepless night is update. This won't be the cheerful update of what is new in our life, more my lonely ramblings going out to space. Marc is gone for his two week annual training for the Army National Guard, so alas, here I am home alone. During the day is not so bad because I'm used to him being at work, but when 5:30 comes around and I realize that he's not coming home, the ache in my heart suddenly shows it's unpleasant face again. I don't sleep too well without him beside me. I know I should be used to it for the 21 years I slept without him before marriage and even the almost 175 nights without him after marriage while he was at basic training and AIT, and yet, I cannot get accustomed to him being gone. I'm actually very lucky that this particular training will only take him away for 3 nights and then the rest of the 2 1/2 weeks training he should just be at his unit and will most likely be able to come home at night. But alone at 11:30 pm and I just can't stop missing him. I rely on my husband so much. He is my foundation. So, here I'll face another sleepless night where I stay up and watch 3 sesame street episodes (the same one three times in a row) on KBYU since there is nothing else on at 2:00am and I can't bear the darkness and silence. But fortunately, Marc will soon be back with me and I can regain most of my normal sleeping habits, especially after being exhausted from these last three nights. I know I sound babyish, like I can't sleep in my own bed because I'm afraid of the dark or that a monster will come out of the closet, but I am fully willing to admit that my husband gives me a total sense of security that I love and need. I sleep much better with his arms around me than in a bed, that seems two miles wide, alone.

Fun Week!

Sorry for all those people who look at Trina's Blog because these pictures are her pictures but my camera is broken and a piece of crap so it was either her pictures or none. We had a great week with Jenn here visiting. We only get to see her family once or twice a year so it's great when we get to be together and we had some "just girl" time that was fabulous!! Thanks for visiting!!




And since Jenn was coming in town, Trina stayed in town so she could see her. So she stayed at our house all last week and then Marc and I drove her back up to Idaho and spent the weekend with Trina and John. We had a blast.


We went tubing down the Snake River and had a great adventure. I fell in the water within 5 minutes and lost my flip flops. Marc, being the gentleman that he is, chased after my shoes only to break the other pair of flip flops he was wearing. So needless to say, we were a little shoeless this weekend. Good thing we both had Sunday shoes. But it was wonderful. Every time we go to Idaho we eat at JB's. So we stayed with our tradition and went out to dinner on Saturday night.



Marc and I got fried crispy, especially Marc which made Sunday a little less pleasant. Marc had a mild case of heat exhaustion which kind of knocked out his Sunday game afternoon. John, Trina and I played Rummikub while he slept.



(This looks a lot better than it actually was)
We took him home from church after Sacrament Meeting and let him sleep all afternoon. I woke him up periodically to give him water and check on him. So that put a damper on our Sunday but it was worth the great time on the river.

Happy Anniversary

Thank you Marc, my one love and best friend for the best, most fulfilling two years of my life. Thank you for loving me completely and unconditionally and bringing so much happiness to my life. Your patience and optimism have made an amazing impact on me and I want to strive each day to be the woman you think I am. I love you, Marc. I'm eternally grateful I married you in the Temple so that I can be with you forever. I can't imagine my life with anyone else. I can accomplish anything with you beside me. Happy Anniversary, my love, my companion, my friend.

A new perspective

I don't write too many emotional/deep-thought posts but this one is one that I haven't been able to forget about all day. I've decided to write a post dedicated to changing my perspective. My cousin Lori, wrote a post on her blog that made me think. I think I'm a positive person and I try to be grateful for what I have but I think I fall short a lot. She posted a song by Trace Adkins called "You're Gonna Miss This".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5D9FHFUn_k

A lot of things are happening in our life right now which sometimes get me down but because of that post, I really started to re-think some things. I am not a Trace Adkins fan even though I love country music, but this song hit home today. I was so happy to get out of high school, but kind of looking back, I miss some aspects of it and I wish I was more grateful for the time of my life I was in. But not even high school, I want to be grateful for each day and the situation I am in my life. Marc and I have so much to be grateful for and I have been really focusing on the positive aspects of my life lately, half-way to try to forget some aspects that are particularly trying and painful and half-way to really look at the good in my life and count my blessings. But now I want to not try to think positively to hide from the trying things but accept them and see the good in them. I want to look at what I have and be thankful that I can grow from these trials and try to look for the good. Thank you Lori for letting me copy your sentiment and thank you for helping me reset my goal to be grateful for every aspect and to find joy in the journey.

Puzzles, Puzzles, Puzzles

Our latest puzzle...Even harder than our last one!! But we're making good progress. Especially cause we've only been working on it for 3 weeks.

It's a picture of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. It is a beautiful picture. We've made a lot of progress in the last week especially. Thanks to Nick and Katie. Katie especially, she helps so much and she is so good at puzzles. She's the reason that we make so much progress.

almost done!!!

Proud of the look, embarassed by the taste!

I love love love to bake. Sometimes I have great success and sometimes I fail miserably. This is a middle ground baking outcome. It looked so pretty like I was a professional cake baker but it wasn't that moist, slightly dense and just not spectacular. So, I threw that recipe out and will try, try again.