Absence makes the heart grow

 Stronger. And fonder. And thankful.

Our new family of 3 embarked on our first little road trip a couple weeks ago.  Accompanying Andrew to his away rotation at Travis Air Force Base in California was our mission. Due to a one month old (at the time) who needed frequent stops and to a mama who feared her little one would display her hatred for the car seat rather robustly the entire drive, we chose to make the 9 hour drive a two day event. 

 To our pleasant surprise, Bonnie did AMAZING in the car ... as long as one of us rode back there with her and as long as our day was framed around her needs (feed, play a bit, then back in the car for nap time and get as far as possible before she woke up!). Bonnie was also exposed to Andrew & Jenna's car trip concert extraordinaire! A.k.a.- Andrew sings beautifully and Jenna sings ridiculously loud and annoyingly and then we spend many minutes in out of control laughter. Over and over again... And you thought only Andrew was the goofy one... 

I sure hope Bonnie is taking notes on how to sing from her dad and not her mom.

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We spent the first night in Ashland, OR. What a neat little town! 

Next stop, Travis AFB. 

Andrew LOVES planes. It made my heart so happy that he wanted to walk around and "show Bonnie all of the planes." I found the shaded area and admired their mini daddy-daughter date from afar. It was quite certainly roasting hot the entire trip. 

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I sure love watching Andrew be a daddy. He's the best. Bonnie is one lucky gal.

 

A quick Chick-fil-a stop made for a great birthday treat before Bonnie and I caught our flight back home. My little travel buddy did a fantastic job once again.

 Literally counting down the hours until we get to see our guy again. And, they are very few! We are meeting half way for the weekend and couldn't be more excited! A certain Daddy is missing his little girl too much...

"I'm dying to get to the weekend so I can hold her again."

Heart melting over here... 

Beach Getaway

  The Oregon coast was calling my name. For numerous reasons: to celebrate the completion of Andrew's 3rd year of med school, to squeeze in one more getaway with my honey before baby, and to return to the place we were exactly one year prior processing and grieving our miscarriage. So, to the coast, we went...

We stayed at The Coho in Lincoln City. Being our 3rd time there, I guess it has become a special place for us. Nothing grand, but perfect for us. 

Andrew spoiled me and booked the "sunset sweet," which included prime beach views, a balcony, fireplace, and an amazing jacuzzi tub. He knows how much I like baths. It was quite the treat and so very thoughtful of him to book a little something special. 

 The weather was windy, but amazing for our stay. We especially enjoyed the pool to ourselves in the evening. Baby girl had her first swim and it felt so wonderful to float. I'm wishing I got on the pregnancy pool gig earlier. Maybe next pregnancy...

Andrew had to study for some of the trip, but I enjoyed this time to myself to reflect, journal, & pray.

 After a filling lunch at Mo's, we weren't hungry for a real dinner. Instead, we settled for splitting a personal watermelon, peaches, & nectarines over a movie. Can you tell I'm in a fruit craze right now? We then stayed up far too late into the morning finishing the second season of Dexter. We are hooked!

I'm so thankful for our little getaways.

USS Midway | Sun & Sand Day 5

In the midst of the government shut down this week, this post seems fitting.  Our last day in San Diego graced us with sunny skies and one last attraction to check off our list. Andrew was especially excited to spend a few hours at the USS Midway. It actually might have also been my favorite activity of the trip. Besides the gorgeous beach lounging of course. 

While walking through the halls and decks, we tried to imagine the ship full of young sailors. Small quarters, no windows, strict schedules, and wisps of sea breeze. What these sailors, officers, captains, pilots, etc., do every day is so honorable. I'm not sure I could handle the lack of windows...

We like history, especially military history. We like movies about it, books about it, and apparently, we like museums about it. 

 

 

Andrew particularly loved all of the planes and helicoptors. He took his time looking at each one. I sat back and enjoyed watching his eyes light up. So precious.

 

I still really want to watch Top Gun after our visit. Though Andrew has to work, maybe we can squeeze a movie date night into this weekend. Thank you sunny San Diego for a great 5 days! We needed this little get away.

Let's hope our government can get everything figured out real soon. I didn't realize until yesterday that this shut down means Andrew doesn't get paid... (duh!) and would have to leave any away rotations he is at ASAP as ordered. Thank goodness he's not at an away rotation right now.

Still so thankful to be a part of this great nation.