O' Canada

As many of you probably know, Doug and I live about an hour from the U.S./Canadian border. It's so weird living this far north and even weirder to be living near the Canadian border because most of my life I've lived near the U.S./Mexico border. Anyway, I have had several opportunities to visit Canada as well as interact with Canadians who travel to the U.S. (surprisingly there are a lot that like to visit Seattle ) and here are some general observations I have made about the country of Canada and it's people thus far:

1) Canadians love to come across the border and shop in the U.S. because of our low low prices...They usually frequent Costco's...you can always tell them apart because they are usually wearing socks with sandals....

2) British love to visit Canada and do cross country trips across Canada during the summer. I have run into many British people and when they find out we are Americans they LOVE to talk to us...However, when we ask them when they plan to visit the U.S. things get eerily quiet.....

3) Canadians feel they have just as much say in U.S. matters as Americans do...I know I watch CBC news...It's almost as if they feel like they are an extension of us...

4) I have never seen maple syrup used in so many ways or in so many products as I have in Canada...Maple lip gloss anyone?

5) Yes, they do love hockey that much.....

These are just a few of my observations on Canada- as much as I make fun of them, I do have to say that the country is beautiful and the people are very friendly...In fact, Doug and I had an awesome time on a recent weekend trip to Victoria.. Hopefully, these pictures from me and Doug' recent weekend trip to Victoria will encourage you to visit and see this country for yourself!

Butchart Gardens in Victoria.....It was so beautiful I highly recommend going if you visit B.C.

More of the gardens....



Doug and I having a proper high noon English tea at Butchart gardens..it was so fun and the food and tea were absolutely amazing!

Outside Parliament...so pretty....


A picture of downtown Victoria from our hotel room....

O' Canada...... you make life interesting....=)

A Proud Wife

Things have been incredibly crazy around here lately since Doug got home so its been kinda hard for me to blog recently. One thing that did take place over the past two weeks though is Doug got his promotion to Lieutenant in the Navy. I am so very proud of him because it has been a long, sometimes difficult journey with his job, but Doug has stayed faithful to what the Lord has given him and has continually had a positive attitude despite some setbacks. Anyway, I thought I'd share some pics of Doug's promotion day here.. The ceremony actually took place in the hangar (in case you're wondering where the heck we are)...

I am so grateful for such a wonderful husband.. and so proud of my Navy man!

Doug's Home!

'Nuff said.... =)

Kim's Field Guide To Staying Busy...

Doug comes home in a little less than a week and I am SO excited! We haven't seen each other in over two months so the anticipation of his return is great. However, the anticipation always seems to peak at least two weeks before he is due home, and with only about 6 days left before his return, I am finding myself to be extremely impatient. Of course, since the last two weeks are always the hardest I am always trying to find things to do to keep myself busy..(which is pretty hard considering I have no job..)
So, I thought I would share what activities I have participated in recently in order to keep myself busy. I hope this helps you in case you ever find yourself anxiously awaiting something and if not, then please feel free to share your secrets of busyness with me..I need all the help I can get.

Sunday, May 17
Went to church
Took a 3 hour nap in the afternoon
Tried on all of the makeup I have ever owned for fun
Washed all of it off
Ran A LOT
Cleaned house

Monday, May 18
Spent all day on Facebook. Read every one's blogs, profiles, and looked at all of their pictures they have ever posted. Waited to do the Bible study for that evening until the afternoon..(not because I am lazy but because I knew earlier last week that I would need something to do on Monday.)
Had dinner with Heather that night -spent 20 minutes making a salad to take..(even though it was one of those salad mixes out of the bag)
Cleaned the house.

Tuesday, May 19
Get cavities filled by my Dentist. (Yes I did say cavities..stupid teeth) Offered to let other people go ahead of me and spent 45 minutes waiting in the waiting room for him to even see me. When dentist suggested follow up appointment, I begged (no really I did) for them to get me in as soon as possible. ( Hey, its another way to eat up time!)
Cleaned the house.

Wednesday, May 20
Watched a lot of TV in the morning. I am really beginning to like all these morning shows. (I learn so much!) Went to the grocery store and wandered around for awhile. Checked out what other people were buying..(hmmm ding dongs) Bought two items I thought I might need eventually. Had Bible study that night and waited to leave for the study until the last possible minute..(it made me feel like I had to rush to be somewhere..very invigorating..turns out I was still early)
Cleaned the house.

Thursday, May 21
Spent all morning posting a blog about how to stay busy to keep myself busy.
Cleaned the house

Man, its amazing how many things one can do to keep oneself occupied. Also, another field guide tip..purchase a TV and a cable package..it will become your best friend...Seriously, I tell all of my secrets to my TV now and weird thing is I think its actually beginning to listen to me ...

But in all seriousness, I do feel blessed to have wonderful friends who call to check up on me and invite me to things, and its been a wonderful opportunity to spend some amazing quality time with the Lord....only 6 days left!

4 Years....

This month marks the 4th anniversary since Douglas and I graduated from college. (Doug from the Naval Academy and me from Texas A&M.) Time flies by so quickly and I can't believe all that has changed in the past 4 years! Since A&M, I have had 3 jobs and lived in 4 different cities. Since the Academy, Doug has completed flight school, received his wings and of course we got married! (Yay!)

Anyway, I decided to share some pics from my time at Texas A&M and Doug's at the Naval Academy. Man, we look so young in all of these!


This is from my Sophomore year at A&M, and these lovely ladies were my roommates for two years during college. (Left to right; Tess, me, Erin, and Jen) We are all still really close and I miss these gals dearly. We had some crazy good times at A&M!

Jen and I during "ring day" at A&M. Basically, like the Academy, we receive our class rings during our Junior year. It's a pretty big deal..Too bad I never wear mine anymore!

My best friend Krystal and I on a camping trip...(This trip was also where she met her husband- who was a roommate of Doug's at the Academy..)

Doug during Plebe Summer in 2004. He's the guy in the middle front of this pic..

Doug in his dorm at the Academy...Don't know what year this picture is from...

Anyway, it was nice to stroll down memory lane. The Lord blessed us so much with our time in college and He has blessed us even more in our life together! It's been a great 4 years and I look forward to making many more memories...

It's The Small Things That Count The Most....

Today started out as any other day until my friend Heather called to see if I wanted to join her in a trip to Bellingham (a small city which is about an hour north of us). I gladly consented and we were on our way. As we drove, it dawned on us that Bellingham has the ONLY Chick-Fil-A in the entire state of Washington. We had to go! ( I know all of you Southerners out there understand why..) Anyway,turns out the store is actually on the Western Washington University campus there in Bellingham and getting to the Chick-Fil-A was a little bit more of a hassle than we originally thought. However, we did make it and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken and waffle fries (with Polynesian and Bar-B-Q sauces of course) To commemorate the occasion, I took a picture of the Chick-Fil-A bag in which our food came:

See we really did go!

As Heather and I were driving, we talked about how Navy life in general has made us more appreciative of the small things in life. I mean before I moved here a trip to Chick-Fil-A, though great, would not have been as appreciated as it is now. I really believe the Lord has been teaching me a lot since I moved to Washington, and I think one of the things He has been showing me the most is how much He truly has blessed me and that I shouldn't take anything in life for granted.

So thank you God for good friends and good chicken!

Also, if you live around here and are dying for some Chick-Fil-A make sure and talk to either Heather or I about how to get to the restaurant in Bellingham. There are some things you need to know to save you some time and energy!

Toto..I don't think we're in Washington anymore.....

That's because Saturday I was in Kentucky! Ok, not really- but I did go to Heather's Kentucky Derby party (one week after the race but she did DVR it!) Anyway, we all came in big hats and cute sundresses, drank mint juleps, played croquet, and of course watched the race.
Katie, Tree, and I pose with our croquet sticks before the big match.. (which actually only lasted about 10 minutes because it was pretty dang cold outside) I had never played croquet before and I have to say I still don't know how to play this game. We tried reading the rules while we played but it didn't really help. I think the real point of this game is to look cute in your hat and all I can say is ...Mission Accomplished.. (Come on don't we look cute? Except for the fact that you can't see our faces)
Don't we look like the Southern Ladies Book Club in this pic? I really feel blessed to have these gals in my life and they have made Washington an enjoyable place to live! By the way, our next book is Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe if you want to read along with us... (Seriously its a book but - I was just kidding about us reading it..=) )

Also, for those of you wondering what Doug and his crew were doing overseas for the Kentucky Derby, below is a pic of the guys at their party..(minus the mint juleps, croquet, the race, and of course sundresses with big hats...) Maybe next year Doug!