Hello from the lake!  I'm up here just for a bit longer, but it was so nice to come up for the night.  My parents, sister, and grandparents are up here too, so it's been great to hang out and relax a bit.  How cute is my puppy Chloe??  She's all grown up!

So...I just read my last post and I realized how depressing it sounded.  Sorry about that.  I found out what happened though.  Email was shut off for four days for two reasons; first, because they had "special visitors" on board the ship and security was super tight (Here's an article from the NYTimes).  And second, because the ship was transiting through an area where it could potentially be dangerous for the bad guys to know they were there.  Whatever it takes to keep those men and women safe...I'm okay with it!

Mark called me on Friday from his port and we talked for about 30 minutes.  It was SO GREAT to hear his voice again!  It had been almost two months. :-(  

And...THEY ARE COMING HOME!!  I'm so excited. :-)  I can't tell you what day on here :-) but it's just around the corner! 

Okay more good news...my aunt, sister, and mom are going to throw me my first wedding shower and we've scheduled it for October 18.  Since Mark will be home, we're hoping to make it a couple's shower and invite husbands and boyfriends too.  That way Mark can get a taste of wedding traditions, but still be able to hang out with the guys. :-)  My aunt asked me to come up with a theme...does anyone have any cute/fun ideas?

Don't forget, Fresno State plays Rutgers tomorrow at 1pm! Go dogs!!

Should be going to work....but instead I'll write a bit real quick.  

Being a Navy fiancee is tough!  Especially when email is shut off...like it is now.

I haven't heard from Mark since Sunday morning.  So that makes....72 hours without "talking" to him.  :-(  I was disappointed at first, I thought maybe he didn't have time to write to me Monday morning...and then Tuesday morning...and now Wednesday morning...  

But I realized after talking to two other wives and receiving an email from the FRG, that it's not just him...it's everyone on the ship.  No one can send email out for 2-3 days!  

Besides, I know if he COULD write to me, he would.  I just need to hang in there for a bit longer...   I just miss him!!  Only 44 days to go... :-)

On Thursday my family went to a movie together.  We saw Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3D!  I thought for sure it was going to be cheesy...but it was actually pretty good!  If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.  Very cute. :-)  We even got to keep these SUPER cool 3D glasses!

For a long time, I'd been planning to go to the coast this weekend.  My initial plans were changed just a bit, but I had such a great time anyway!!  My parents drove over early Saturday morning and then me, Ashley, and my sister drove over around noon.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  About 30 degrees cooler there...and a little fog...so we spent a ton of time on the beaches.  Saturday afternoon we spent at the beach in Cambria, then mom and dad treated us to dinner together on Moonstone Beach Drive. 

This morning my dad and I fixed breakfast--pancakes, sausage, eggs--and then we all drove down to Morro Bay.  

We did some rock hopping around Morro Rock, then spent a little bit of time on the Embarcadero.  Check out this funny series of pictures with the sea lion... 

School starts on Thursday, but we report back for meetings tomorrow.  Ah...summer is officially over. :-(  Oh well!  It was a great summer, I enjoyed all my vacations, the big trips and the little ones, and I'm looking forward to what the next few months bring me!!

P.S...54 days...but who is counting?  ;-) 

Two more pictures from Mark today.  This first one is of the "green shirts" who showed up for the picture.  See if you can spot Markie-Mark. :-)  

This second picture is of the squadron--well, all the guys who showed up for the picture anyway.  Some of them may have been sleeping still...  
So...Monday afternoon I was sitting on my couch watching tv, trying to relax a bit for my last few days of summer vacation.  I really wanted to go out and DO something...  BUT, Ashley was on her cruise.  Amanda was at work.  Jen was at work.  Jewely was probably still sick.  Breanne was spending time with her new baby boy.  Kristy was at work.  Mom was at work.  Mark is on the ship.  And suddenly the thought ran through my mind..."Vacation stinks.  I'm bored...when is school going to start again?"  lol.  I must be crazy.  

Wednesday and Thursday were my favorite days this week.  Wednesday I spent almost all day with my dad.  He came out here to drop off his car, so we had breakfast together, then drove to Visalia to hit golf balls and do some price comparison shopping for a new tv.  Around 4pm I dropped him off at the car dealership and headed into town to meet my cousin Whitney for dinner at Panera Bread (they have one in Clovis now!).  We ended up sitting and talking for 3 1/2 hours!!  Lots to catch up on, and I asked her (and called her sister and asked her too!) to be the guest book attendants and be in charge of the gift table at my wedding.  They were excited. :-)  Thursday I spent most of the day with my dad again.  We visited with both sets of my grandparents, let Chloe (the dog) have a quick swim in the pool at 'the farm', and then took her home so we could do some shopping.  I like shopping with my dad. :-)  We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so that I could get some "closet organization" pieces, and then we went to Best Buy--yes, more tv shopping.  My parents and I met my sister for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (yummy) and then ran over to David's Bridal so Jen could try on the dress that I FINALLY decided on for the bridesmaids.  She looked great! 

After those two days, I kept Friday pretty low-key.  I worked in my classroom from about 10am until almost 3pm, organizing and cleaning.  I have meetings Mon-Wed this week so I'll probably spend an extra hour there each day to finish getting things organized.  School doesn't start for 2 1/2 more weeks, but with everything that's going on this semester, I need to be ahead of the game!

PS Less than 2 1/2 months until Markie-Mark comes home!!  I can't wait!! :-)  

PPS  Mom and dad bought a new tv yesterday!  Guess all that comparison shopping paid off.  :-)