New Orders

We got new orders to..... Northern California. We will be leaving at the end of this month.


I am from Southern Ca and I told myself I would never move back to CA. And look at me now, moving back :/. I guess there are worse places to get stationed. And I have herd that Northern CA is a lot different than Southern CA. I grew up in what I would call the semi ghetto. And it has gotten worse since I left.

The one thing I have learned about new duty stations is, it's not the place that makes you happy, it's all about your attitude. You can pout and stay in doors and choose to have a miserable time. Or you can enjoy the time you have in a new place and get out there and see what that place has to offer. I am just excited to have a Walmart again! And FOOD!!! :D.

Before we get to settle down in CA together, the military is making him cross train. So he has to go back to tech school for 5 months in TX. Before he does that we are going to visit family in Virginia, go to a family reunion in West Virginia, fly to CA to look for a house to buy, and then split ways. He will be headed to tech school and I will be headed to Southern CA to surprise my best friend for her Bridal Shower.

I hate that we had so much fun this summer and now we have to split up again. Oh well, such is military life.. At least I can go visit him when I really miss him.

We're Pregnant

The best part was how I told him :)

I got the idea from one of our favorite TV shows The Unit.

In the show one of the wife's puts a foot ball in the fridge and writes "lets hope for a boy". Jared is a basketball man so I decided to switch it. 

This is what he woke up to.....

Note:

I only put the pregnancy test in the fridge because there was no way he would have believed it. And don't worry, I cleaned it.


I pretended to be asleep because it was 5 in the morning, but really I hardly slept that night. I had to keep the secret for a day and a half! It was so difficult but it was important to me how I told him so I waited.
He was so excited. He ran into our room, jumped on me, and rolled up my shirt to kiss my belly. I got up and helped him get ready for work. I could see the uncertainty on his face. Luckily I had taken another pregnancy test, so I showed him that one. After that, he got even more excited. It was awesome and so worth the wait. 

Fun Summer

My husband and I decided to do some fun things this summer since we had been apart for a while. But we may have had a little too much fun... Let me tell you more.

We started off with taking Post Deployment pictures 

Then a trip to São Miguel, one of our sister Islands here in the Azores.
Want to plan a trip to São Miguel? Learn about my trip here.

Then we got our Scuba Certifications.

To see more about our scuba diving experience click here.

Then we did a couple of fun things around our own Island, Terceira...

Took a boat ride around the Island 

             

Date Night at the beach.

          

Exploring a Volcano.

          

Explore Terceira and great food

The biggest surprise and the perfect ending to our summer

Click here for more details and the reveal video. 

       

Scuba Diving Certification

Something I never thought I would do. When I was in 6th grade my school went on a 3 day trip to Catalina Island. One of the activities we did was snorkeling. We had to put on these freezing wet, wet suits and they were so hard to put on, so cold, and so uncomfortable that I started crying. That's pretty much all I remember about that experience besides peeing in my wet suit to stay warm in the freezing water.  I know, gross.

Anyways, so Jared comes back from deployment and tells me that's something that he wants to do. I worried about the price of course because it is pretty expensive but I tell him that it's fine and he would have fun doing that with a friend. Then he tells me no, that he wants to do it with me... Wow, wow, wow hold on just a minute. First off, I HATE cold water, and I don't even like swimming, and second,  I thought it was expensive for one person but then he wanted me to spend double the money. But of course I did it because its something "fun" that we can do together.

So we went ahead and paid 400 Euro each! And took the classes. When I got there they gave me this book and told me that I would be quizzed and tested on it. I had no idea how intense these lessons were. You have to learn about pressure, breathing techniques, buoyancy, picking out gear, using it and cleaning it. We also had to learn everything in meters because we are in Portugal. The scariest part was having to take out the Regulator, do an arm swoop, and put it back in. Once I did it it was fine but the thought of not being able to breath that far under water was scary. 

Anyways, way more in depth than I thought. And the water was freezing. But once you get over the initial fear of possible drowning or having your lungs explode from swimming up to fast because you are out of air, it's not to bad. People think that snorkeling is fun, this is way better. You get to be up close with everything and swim through schools of fish. Really awesome!

The processes of getting the licensed was long and exhausting but of course worth it in the end. And there is no one I would have rather taken that adventure with than my husband.

Getting ready for our first dive :)

I am Okay

stingray

           

São Miguel Island

Azores Portugal 

It was so fun to be able to explore another Azores Island. Each island is different an unique in it's own way. We were fortunate to be guided by a friend who lives on the Island.

To start off, get a car rental. You are going to need it. 

Bathroom

We stayed at the San Miguel Park Hotel. It was a nice hotel and I would stay there again. Good breakfast, nice indoor and outdoor pool, clean and comfortable. 

Our Room

View from room

Outdoor pool

P.s I would recommend staying at the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel for at least one night. See below for details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first place we went to after checking into our hotel was Jardim Antonio Borges where we met up with a couple of friends who live on the Island.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night we went to Poca Da Dona Beija

It was awesome! The biggest hot tub I have ever been in. It smelt a little funny because of the minerals but there are several tubs and one small tub and dressing rooms. There is also a little gift shop there as well. I believe it was about 2 Euro per person; which is great!

I was so excited to be there that I didn't take much pictures and i didn't care how they turned out. Its a must go if you are traveling to this beautiful island.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day we tried to go see the view of Caldeira das Sete Cidades but there was way to much fog so we decided to go inside the abandon hotel right next to it. 

Everything was really foggy that day so I didn't get much.

(Went on another day and got this)

See a documentary on Hotel Monte Palace here. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                 We also visited Portas da Cidade

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                     We went to a place that I would not waste your time on. 

Ponta da Ferraria

Like I said on my scuba diving adventure, I HATE cold water, but I love me some warm water. All the reviews I was reading were that this place was a hot pool in the ocean. 

First off, getting there was very difficult because we first went down the wrong hill. The hill was so steep. And we had rented a manual car so the fist 10 attempts we couldn't get back up the hill. I seriously thought we were going to fall off the cliff and die. We kept rolling down the hill backwards. Finally my husband tried going up the hill side to side. We made it on the 3rd attempt with the side to side technique. So scary!

 Anyways, finally made it to Ponta da Ferraria and the water was Freezing. It was a pretty view but it was just disappointing from the hype of all the reviews.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caldeira das Sete Cidades was beautiful. 

And the most popular thing on the Island to see. It's amazing how one lake can be green and the other blue. The myth behind it is pretty cool. Something about a king and a princes but you'll have to ask the locals when you travel here. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This next part was the best date night ever! 

We started it off with dinner at O Miroma.

A lot of people tell you to get the meal that's cooked in the Furnas so we did; it was okay but i wouldn't get it again. If I where you I would pick a different restaurant because this one is just average, and you are on vacation after all. 

Then we had some fun taking pictures around Furnas

We ended our date in the Terra Nostra Gardens.

This was my favorite place in São Miguel.

Not only was it the biggest and warmest pool ever, there was also no one around. Jared and I where able to have a great conversation and just relax. There was hardly anyone there because we went after they had shut the doors to the public and only kept them open for hotel guest. We were not aware that they closed early so we went. The lady at the front desk was so nice and let us go in anyway. 

If I would have know the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel was so great I would have stayed two nights here and three at the Park hotel. It took about 1.5 hours to drive from our hotel in Ponta Delgada to Furnas where all the cool hot water is. and we spent 2 days in Funas so it would have made things easier. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am really glad we had the opportunity to visit this island. It is breathtaking and with the right planning I know everyone could have a blast!