Josh was assigned to his new squadron in October. He's now with HMM 268 - The Red Dragons!
The rest of HMM-268 returned from deployment to Iraq on October 11th and they've been taking some much-deserved leave time, so Josh has been standing duty quite a bit over the last month. He finally finished up his duty schedule last week, so now we've been focusing on projects around the house. We still have quite a bit we want to do around the house, but we're making progress!
I've had several interviews over the last few weeks with great results. One bank I interviewed with said I did great through the first round of interviews and want to bring me back in for the "bankers assessment" they conduct with potential employees. Since we're heading into the holiday season, the next assessment won't be until sometime in January, so we'll have to see what happens. I also interviewed with another bank last week and should hear from them within the next couple weeks - I'm very excited about this prospect because they will pay for me to get my Series 6 licensing so I can offer annuities! That would be so great for my career path!
Of course, Josh says he wants me to stay home...I think he's beginning to enjoy having a fresh-cooked meal almost every night of the week! His grandmother, Mimi, will be so happy to know that I'm "putting some meat on his bones!" But since we're wanting to try to have a baby again, I really like the thought of having the additional income...I've heard a rumor that it's quite expensive to raise kids...hahaha!
I have also started volunteering at the church we've joined - Cornerstone Community Church. I'm working for about four hours each Monday in the Music Ministry department. I just started this past week, but I already love it! And Betty, the office administrator is wonderful! I am really enjoying myself!
The dogs and cats are doing well - today is Liam's 4th Birthday! Here he is trying to get a birthday kiss this morning from Vega...
"Just one smooch, please, Vega?"
They just love having a larger back yard to run and play in! They're back to their usual routine...20 minutes of wrestling & chasing each other around the yard in the morning and another 10-15 minutes of wrestling in the evening! And the cats love to sit by the doors leading out to the deck off our master bedroom...they get lots of "sunbathing" time!
"Look at all this grass!"
We've also been spending time with our friends Nathen & Nadia. With all of the duty Josh had these past four weeks, they were so kind to have me over for dinner a few times. And Nadia has me hooked on Army Wives, so we usually end the evening with a few episodes so I can get caught up on the show. Josh & I had Nadia over this past weekend for dinner because Nathen had duty! And we plan to have her here quite a bit over the next few weeks since Nathen will be in training. Here are some pictures we took when we all went to the Corn Maze in Temecula the weekend before Halloween:
This is the layout of the corn maze - such a nice way to honor our Marines!
The huge Clydesdale that greeted us at the entrance to the ranch. He was so beautiful!
Nathen was our navigator! He's taking his job very seriously!
And Josh was the pilot, of course!
Such a cute couple! We love these guys!
To Serve and Protect...and help if you get lost in the corn maze!
LOTS AND LOTS OF CORN!
On the hayride...
Some lingering pumpkins waiting to go to the pumpkin patch.
We also have our Marine Corps Birthday ball coming up this Friday, November 20th. Josh already attended the MAG-39 Birthday Ball back on November 6th, but I decided I only wanted to attend the squadron ball since it is a smaller, more intimate occasion. I'll be sure to post some pictures!
We will sure miss having our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at Mimi's this year! But we won't be alone...we're having some friends over for Thanksgiving dinner. Nadia will be joining us, along with Kristen & Shawn and their two children. Josh is also planning to invite those from his squadron who may not have the opportunity to travel home for the holidays. It's so nice to know that, even though we're far from home, we will have some of our Marine Corps family to join us in giving thanks for all of our blessings!
We wish all of you a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving! Please stay in touch! We love you all very much!
PS - Thanks again to Mumsy for helping with the move! You're the best!!!
