Team TJ

CRAVINGS

2012-02-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

No not talking about food craving...over that now :) I am talking about cravings to talk to other mothers. I spoke with a friend recently who had her baby before me and I can't tell you enough how refreshing it was to know that me being neurotic will subside some. To give me a heads up and tips on Cameron's first immunizations. Then to be that person for another special mother is refreshing as well. The swapping of stories and knowing what excitement is to come with Cameron is wonderful. These friendships are absolutely priceless in my mind. Even though we are very far apart I have some women in my lives that I know I can count on to answer my text or phone call with great advice. I hope every new mom has some people of their caliber she can turn to. If you don't, don't hesitate to ask me because if I don't know it I will pull from my reinforcements. :)

GOALS!

2012-01-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs goals here are a few of mine for the month of January

* not cry during Cameron's immunizations
* whip this stretched out body into shape only five months til Dominican!!!
* try to find my sense of style again...Why after being pregnant do you hate all your clothes and want to purge your whole closet?? Wish I had the budget to actually do that :)

What are some of your goals this month???

Remembering these babies

2011-09-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

Tim was going through pictures and found these of the Jack Russell's. I wish I could have been around while they were so little but they are still just as cute! I will admit since I came into the picture they had to realize that they are actually dogs not humans and it was a little hard on Tim making that adjustment as well. Lucy is still his girl and Cooper is getting less growly and not afraid to show his lovey side. These guys keep us laughing, loving, and running.

Let's not forget my little girl that came with me to the family...ANDIE! Her fiesty nature, that turns to the softest kisses on your nose. A ball of energy that gets up, eats, and goes back to bed until 10 or 11. Even then it may just to move to the couch to re-burrow until noon. If she finds my Toms, or my slippers it is time to rub all over them, never bites them, just wants to make love to em. I do believe that Tim has changed her mind about men in hats and if you have a mole, tulip bulb, a worm, she can dig for she is your girl! Her favorite foods also are broccoli,carrots, sweet taters (she takes after her mama afterall) and lettuce. She loves her veggies.

Sooo...Do you have shorts on?

2011-09-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Funny thing happened this morning, I had on some boxer shorts that were black with a black jacket. I sat down in the car to take Timmy to school. I looked down and laughed "It doesn't even look like I have shorts on with my prego belly!" I said. He started laughing too calling me a hussy! Well we were making conversation about what was on NPR when we pull up to the school gate. I flash my ID and for some reason they wanted to see Tim's too. This is rare, I mean they haven't even noticed that part of our base stickers are missing but that sharp eye guard asked "Maam, you do have shorts on right?" I couldn't help but start cracking up rolling and gave an explanation that actually "YES I do have shorts on, my baby belly is just hiding them!" :)

Wedding in Vegas

2011-08-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

Excitement

2011-07-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Being pregnant has been such a wonderful experience for me. I have never been a person that gravitates toward babies or baby things. I wasn't even sure I would be a good mother other than to furry, four legged, babies. After carrying this babe for a little over five month I definitely don't know everything but I know in my heart that Tim and I will be great parents. Not perfect. Just striving to be great.
This experience has helped me realize that life is a new beginning when having a baby. This life inside of me has made no mistakes, is a sponge for learning and I can't wait to teach it everything the world has to offer. I know I should be making lists of stuff I need to prepare for his or her arrival, but all I can think about is what I want my beautiful baby to learn and be prepared for the world. Even the smallest things about love, gratitude, family to giant stuff like physics, animals, and war. I will start with the basics and let it know how much Tim and I love him/her already. How exhilarating to be part of something way bigger than myself. I am excited for what this lil Tater has to teach me...I am sure it is a lot. :)

Another part of excitement is watching Tim become a papa. He is more than I could ever hope for in a husband and I know he is going to blow me away with being a wonderful father. We surely can't wait to meet this little babe

Happenings...

2011-06-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Tim and I made it through another quarter of school! Woot Woot! Our time in Monterey is going by faster than we both would like. From talking with other Navy people, it seems like people either love Monterey, or highly dislike it. Fortunately we LOVE it here! It will be even harder to leave knowing that we have to go to the east coast and spend the beginning of winter there. Oh well, life wouldn't be fun if it wasn't full of adventure right?

While Tim had finals week, he sent me to Utah so he wouldn't have any distractions for studying. I was all on board for some good family cooking and seeing some friends. Utah was as always beautiful and I love seeing my grandparents garden in the summer. It is beautiful. My cousin's kids were funnier than ever.

I am happy to be home with my handsome man and I believe he is happy I am home so he can stop eating sandwiches. We are enjoying his summer break with being lazy and hopefully heading up to San Francisco within the next couple weeks.

Tater tot is growing but I still haven't felt any movement yet. We had our second sonogram and we made sure to tell the technician that we DID NOT want to know the sex of the baby and she was very kind in complying with our request. I wish I had my own sonogram machine so I could just watch my baby all the time. I love seeing his/her little heartbeat on the monitor. Seeing how upset He/She gets when forced to turn over or go a certain way it doesn't want to. (guess it may already have some traits of mine :) )I seriously can't wait to meet the lil Tater tot. We have been so blessed this year. I was driving to Salt Lake in Utah and was thinking of all the positive things that have happened this year....I seriously don't think I can get any happier with our lives in a 37 foot fifth wheel.

Growing!!!!!

2011-06-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Goodbyes and Tater Tots!!!

2011-04-18T11:06:00.002-07:00

Ch ch ch ch changes are taking place in Team TJ world. We have had a couple of mixed emotions the past couple of months due to these changes. Piper has moved to Virginia to bring happiness to a retired couple, Pete and Mary Beth, that we knew very well when we lived in Virginia a year ago. Having her go has been THE hardest thing Tim and I have ever had to decide and go through with. We still have many days when we miss her sweet face so much. It helps that she is very happy in her huge yard and neighbor dog to run with, as well as long walks with Pete. She has tried to throw her sassy attitude with them, but they put a stop to that very quickly. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect home for her and they are keeping us updated. Our wonderful friend John flew her out there, and the airline was so cool about letting her sleep on his lap and not stay in the cramped kennel for six hours.

Buuuuuuuuuuuut right after we had to deal with the move of Piper, we found out that we are expecting a little Tater Tot!!!!! Tater Tot because my nickname is Sweet Tater and one of our friends called it that and I fell in love with the name! I am 10 weeks this week and feeling great. Tim and I are beyond excited and happy to bring the first grandchild for my mother and ninth great grandchild to my grandparents, as well as, the fifth grandchild to Tim's side of the family. We are not going to find out the sex so it will be one of life's great surprises. :) Just goes to show everything happens for a reason. Life has been very good to us and we can't wait to plan for our new adventure.

2011-03-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just posted a new post on the Eating Sweet Taters blog! Check it out!

Tim and I have been busy with school and watching the gas prices climb, meaning no trailer vacation for us!! Oh well, there is so much to do here that we shall survive. We have adopted a new workout schedule of getting to the gym by 6 am and instituting new training for the hounds!

We have been dumbfounded, heartbroken, and flabbergasted by the images from Japan. I think that earthquake has touched so close to home for so many people. I was elated that my good friend Aska's family is all accounted for and ok! The tsunami warning was nothing for Monterey. In Santa Cruz they had some damage with some boats and docks but that is about it. Our thoughts with all those that were affected and who they are searching for.

I have been trying to get out on the road bike as much as possible and making new fitness goals each week! Life in Team TJ is constantly changing and we are truly blessed so far this year. Can't wait to share new things that are in the works!

Take A Gander

2011-02-17T10:51:00.001-08:00

check out my second blog I have added to discuss Nutrition, Exercise, and Rants/Raves.

http://eatingsweettaters.blogspot.com

:)

2011-02-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

YES I had my first fall on my beloved road bike. It was anti-climatic as most of it happened in slow motion, but I did scratch up my sweet Dolce Elite. Now for most hard core road bikers she is is considered heavy, and 'entry level' but to me she is gorgeous. Now that I have made you throw up with my new love/obsession with my bike. I will proceed with the non-story of me falling.

Tim and I had previously gone to Santa Cruz to get our bikes fitted. Side note, if you don't think doing this is worth it, then you are just plain psychotic. Putting myself on my bike and seeing my body ride on video was eye opening. I went from going on a mere 16 mile bike ride, having to stretch the kinks out of my neck and back to not feeling a thing in my upper body. Seriously go find a certified fitter in a bicycle shop you trust. You will love your bike even more! I also purchased clip in shoes and pedals. YAY for efficiency!

Well, needless to say we were very excited to try out our newly adjusted rides. We google, and found a route that we had the bright idea of doing it the route in reverse instead of how the map was laid out! Why such a big deal you ask? Well needless to say our whole ride consisted of rolling 4-6% inclines.

Remember I have my new sick pedals and shoes! Thinking I am so cool after practicing getting out of them, I was saying to myself "What is with all the hype about falling? They aren't that hard" Yea well kick myself in the ass because.....After a water stop I had only unclipped my right foot, as we stopped at the base of a steep incline regrouping our muscles and our out of shape respiratory systems. As our confidence grew to the point of actually attempting the hill, I stood up on the bike to push off, grappled to try to clip in my right, and started leaning to the left. Now I was hardly going at all which was a problem in itself, and as I tried to pull my left foot out to catch my self, I pulled up instead of twisting and because it was in slow motion, I was able to yell at myself for not being ambidextrous, as I slowly slammed into the ground. I did put my hand out which left me with an awesome bruise and thankfully nothing was hurt besides my ego. But, hell I can get over that! Thankfully my husband only giggled a little! So yes, because all of you were wondering....I do my own stunts! :) Happy riding!

Obsessed

2011-02-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

I <3 WWII Navy pinups!

2011-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

Run down to catch up with the Jensen's

* School, School, and more School

* Finally hitting the road to Utah for the holidays

* Saw friends in Vegas

* UTAH! Family, Friends, workout...repeat for two weeks!

* New Year's in Vegas with some of our greatest friends from Monterey!

* Aska's Birthday party and a RV show for Timmy

This wraps up the past month, all with Everest and puppies in tow! I hope everyone had wonderful times with family and friends this past holiday! We were spoiled all the way around!

Thought to ponder...

2010-12-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

It says "What fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day"

It is all about the BUTT!!

2010-10-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

In bikini, I am sure you have heard, it is all about the back side. Your front looks amazing, but the badonk-a-donk better be up to par. As for mine, well, it lacks the inevitable roundness I so desire. I am determined to fight my genes and bring a round, perky, tight backside to the national stage in 2011. I am separating my training to include a day of glorious glute exercises. From high step ups to duck butts, I am determined to make each one count.

Screw you flat butt genes, Time to make room for some new myofibrils in the rear!

Have a stellar day! :)

Utah Nutrimart Classic and Mr. and Mrs. Utah Natural

2010-10-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

October 9th was my last competition of the season. This one was the most exciting because my sister, McKell, and her sis-in-law Kristen were doing it too! I can not express enough how much fun it was having people in the trenches of dieting, working out, and trying to balance life with me. It was both Kristen and McKell's first competition so we had many text messages every day of support, questions, and guidance for each other. Kristen is the strongest person I think I know! She dealt with two a day cardios, her adorable 1 year old, work, and her hubby for over 12 weeks. Life doesn't stop so time management is key when prepping. We all know we couldn't have done this without our families support and pep talks as well! McKell was focused and determined, with many pep talks for me when my confidence was waning. I couldn't ask for a more positive sister. With so much distance between us, it was such a fun way to connect. I was so proud of her for rocking that stage and not second guessing herself.

Of course, no show can go on without some hiccups...after we spray tanned me at 11pm at night, I turned GREEN! Yes the DHA was reacting weird to my skin and I was changing into the naked hulk before my sister's eyes. Thank goodness I had my sister to talk me off the ledge. I showered and we got up uber early and re-sprayed me. Everything was perfect in competition land! :)

During a figure/bikini prep you learn so much about yourself. It isn't just about the end goal, or stepping on stage, or getting the trophy. The mental strength of making good choices, spending hours preparing food, and hitting the cardio machines instead of the peanut butter jar is very rewarding. It has showed my sis that there is a no excuse attitude and how much she can accomplish! I believe all of us have gained so much self confidence and somewhat of internal 'power'. Any body that has the drive, commitment, and focus to get to the stage is already a winner. If your interested and have any questions, I know we all would be happy to answer all questions!! :)

Now on to the fun part! Showing off theses girls hard work! I love you guys and am so blessed to have wonderful people like you for family! <3

Tournament of Champions

2010-09-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

I Totally have dropped the ball on blogging. My first competition for the year went pretty well. I met my goal of making first call outs and brought home fourth place. The competition was fierce with all of them being super ripped. I came in too soft so I am hoping to come in leaner for the Utah show. I did get some excellent feedback from the judges.

I am uber excited to step on stage in Utah with my sister and her sis in law! It is always way more fun to have a partner in diet crime when prepping for a show. Not only that, the new Ms. Figure Olympia herself, Erin Stern is making a guest appearance along with Guest Poser Ronnie Coleman. Is gonna be an epic show for sure! Here are some pictures from the TOC in LA

Coming up on 30 days out

2010-08-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

August 11th will be 30 days....ONE MONTH until the competition. Only four weeks left out of 12 weeks of dieting, working out, daily cardio, being kaput by 9 pm, and carrying a cooler with me even if it is just to run an errand. Although, I do have to admit my cooler is pretty cute. You probably want to see my progress, but I am not going to post any more pictures until show time so you're going to have to wait.

It may take me half an hour to eat my 6 oz of chicken but man, it still gets into my stomach. I think I may turn into a can of tuna and asparagus but stepping on that stage is going to be worth it. I've learned so much about how strong mentally I am by having this goal and following through even if I am tired and feel like I can't go any further. The joys of not giving into the cravings and feeling awkward eating my strange meals at inconvenient times is almost over. And of course there's putting on my bikini, five inch clear heels, ipod, and walking around the aerobic room at the gym practicing posing, ignoring the weird looks and wanting to say "Don't worry lady using bosu ball, I am not going to start busting out a strip routine."

I can not give enough accolades to my husband, who through this whole ordeal has been so supportive, level headed, awesome sense of humor, and encouraging. What other man would want to spend his friday night spotting his wife on her bicep workout?? Only my wonderful guy. I am beyond lucky to have him in my life.

SEVEN WEEKS!!!

2010-07-25T19:51:00.001-07:00

It is getting close to show time...Seven weeks out. I have so many emotions running right now. I just have to remember to take it day by day and focus on getting my water and food to my muscles. From these progress pictures, I definitely need to focus on my legs and shoulders in the off season. I will try my hardest to make as much gains as I can in the next seven weeks, but we shall see.

10 weeks out

2010-07-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am currently 10 weeks out from Sept. 11! We traveled to Utah for Tim's two week vacation from school so my grandma could spoil him with funfetti cake and home cook meals. Talk about will power when you are on a competition diet. They were more than accommodating of my diet though. It was wonderful to get to finally see my husband. We went hiking, worked out, and I got to spend a lot of time with my sister. She is also competing, and we started to pose so that is fun to have a partner in this crazy world of competing. :) Here are my pics: I can see I am leaning out a little more. I always wish I would take pictures after I spray tan, but I always seem to take them at the end of the week when the tan is practically gone. Let me know what you think??

12 Weeks

2010-06-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

The weeks are flying by, faster than I imagined. Tim has finished his first quarter of his Masters Program with flying colors and we packed up the kids, my cooler of food, and headed to Utah to see the family and friends. Diet is going well and my energy is still high, Love having Tim home and in the gym with me to push me even harder. Here are some progress pictures...Can you see a difference because I sure can't! xoxoxo

14 weeks out

2010-05-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

After some encouragement I am going to document my progress of training and dieting for my figure shows this year. I have been trying to put on some mass on my shoulders and hamstrings. to bring in a better package this year. I have hit some bumps in the road, like realizing I should be weighing my food cooked, NOT raw. BIG OOPS. That mistake is corrected now! :) I am 14 weeks out from my competition. I am feeling slightly hungry but I am loving my diet right now. It is well balanced and I even get Jello pudding mix! Cardio is kicking my butt since I really haven't done consistent cardio since last year. It is a great new challenge and if you know me, I like a challenge. :) Here are some progress pics ---

Missing My Navy Man

2010-05-10T22:47:00.001-07:00

My heart is aching for my wonderful husband....I love seeing my family and friends but life just isn't as bright without me seeing him...

2010-04-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

As from our last post you know that we are loving Monterey. Well, Tim loves the 10 mile radius he has been able to enjoy since school pretty much takes up so much time, but one day on the weekend. He is at school roughly 10-12 hours a day mostly studying. The program is nothing like he did in his undergrad, which was finance. Now his masters will be in computer modeling and virtual simulation. It is a mountain of a challenge, but he is liking it so far.

I am loving all the time to train for my next figure competition. I just wish my hamstrings and shoulders would grow a tad faster. The big day won't be until September in Culver City, CA. It seems so far away, but I know everyday counts with training and eating. I am a bit nervous for this because I haven't competed in over a year, and I will not know anyone there. I am hoping that I will make some new friends, and hope there is one new found friend that will be there to oil my butt before I go on stage. :) Then after that competition I will be heading to Utah for the October show. My sister is going to compete with me this year, and I am ecstatic. It will be a great challenge and goal for her to step on stage. Plus, the memories we will get to make with each other. This sport is so inspiring...you are constantly challenging yourself not only physically, mentally as well. It takes commitment, will power, and perseverance. It also helps when you have an amazing person in your life to help you along the way. Tim is so supportive of my training and shows. I couldn't ask for a better cheerleader. I keep asking him if he is ready for competition whirlwind coming up. Without missing a beat he says "YES!"

Thank goodness for the fifth wheel as well. This way I don't have to stay in a hotel room with a cooler full of food, I get my bed, my puppies, my fridge, my house, and hubby to go with me to the competition. I am still debating if I should post my progress pictures on my blog....I will get back to you on that :)

On a happy note as well, my best friend Jill got engaged and I am beyond ecstatic for her and Alex! They are two of most favorite people in the world! Congratulations!!

2010-04-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

MONTEREY

Finally here!

2010-04-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you following our blog, all one of you, you might have noticed we aren't exactly the best at updating it. Since one is long over due, here's what's been going on -

On Feb 11th we departed Virginia and hit the road West towards California. After nearly 45 days of vacation we arrived in Monterey, CA. Between Feb 11th and Mar 20th, we got to spend much needed time just the two of us and lots of time with family and friends all across the country. I started my Master's program in Computer Modeling and Virtual Environment Simulation last Monday. Since then, I've been in class or studying 12 hours a day. Meanwhile Traci is loving Monterey and is working on finding a job. But between you and me I think she is taking her time since this place is so beautiful and recreation friendly - just kidding! But if I were her, I would move at a snail's pace.

I am still getting my bearings and routine down in school, but I already love it. I know the two years will go by fast and am already working on seeing if the Navy will let me stay to finish my PhD, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

That's all for now. Check back in about another month for an update!

IN LOVE WITH....RV-ING

2010-02-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

Things I love about RV living....

- seeing the retired military man, riding his jazzy scooter zipping around the RV park holding a pink leash with a tiny rescued chihuaua named Buffy!

- walking around the park with the hubby and him telling me all about who lives in what RV, what they have done to their truck, and how cool their RV is.

- That all are pretty much puppy friendly with dog areas.

- The stories everyone has, how open everybody is to help one another.

- That if you don't like your neighbor, you just slide your slides in and move :)

- listening to the rain in the RV.

- that I can not be a pack rat.

- when the camp host in Pensacola called me a "true RVer".

- that we are usually the youngest couple around.

- that Timmy makes immediate best friends to talk about his favorite things - trucks and RVs

2010-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

TImmy is flying off the ship today to Cuba!!! I told him to watch out for those sneaky, hairy jihadist they keep over there. He is very lucky because Father Tom, who was part of our wedding, is stationed in Cuba. Father Tom is pretty much the 'ish when it comes to Priests..... He was on the Nassau for pretty much the whole time Tim was on board, and they became very good friends. Father Tom was cool enough to find Tim a place to stay on base so Tim didn't have to sleep on a cot in a gym before he flies out to Baltimore tomorrow. Thanks so much Father Tom!!!

I am beyond EXCITED! We are genuinely lucky that we are missing out on an 8 month deployment AND moving to an awesome place. Tim has spent the last three years on the USS Nassau; I have been a part of the Nassau wives for a little over a year. At his farewell meeting last night onboard the big Nasty, Capt. Reese was very complimentary about Tim and he even gave him one of his medals. Which is a big "TA-DA" in the Navy world. We both met some wonderful people on the ship and I am going to miss our wonderful friends that we have made.

I am beyond proud of my husband!!! He works long hours along with sleep deprivation, but he never forgets to email , call home, or listen to me rant and rave about the latest thing that happened that day. Even though it usually has nothing to do with the price of rice in China.

Keep stopping by for our road trip stories that are gonna be coming!!!

xoxoxoxox

Until further notice...Heading to Haiti

2010-01-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Tim's ship is diverted to Haiti until further notice.....We were not surprised by this change of plans by any means. It actually works out better for us...

-we will stay in the same time zone,

-when he is ready to fly home he is just on the southern part of the east coast, which in turn means he won't have to "catch up" because of the time zones.

- Faster we can hit the road to the west coast :)

I can't wait for this next chapter in our Navy lives. Tim will be home for two years where he will be able to see me compete in my next figure competition. He was gone on deployment when I competed in 2008. Now he will get to see and experience the process from beginning to end. Which stay tuned, because he may just be sending a SOS message out when it comes to carb deprivation time! :O) Lots of other things are planned to make the most of this shore duty! :)

FAREWELL...temporarily

2010-01-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 18th, I will bid farewell to Norfolk as I head out on an eight month deployment. You may be scratching your head thinking, "Huh? I thought Tim and Traci were moving to California?" Yes we are, but this is a slight speed bump on our road out there. We knew my ship was deploying but we thought my Captain would leave me behind. I mean, why would he take anyone for only 3 weeks? In fact, he's leaving everyone behind who transfers in Jan and Feb, except for me. It's not because he doesn't like me, it's because he wants to keep me as long as possible to train Junior Officers.

I will fly back from Israel early February and once I get back to VA, I'm going to take a couple of days to acclimate back to East Coast time then we will hit the road! Our first stop, TBD. I know we want to hit Nashville, Rock Springs, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Vegas, SLC, and Tahoe. Of course our trip is all weather dependent.

Meanwhile, Traci will quit her job just after her birthday to enjoy some time to relax, train, tie up loose ends, and run the hell out of the hounds.

We are both uber excited to get out of VA and start to head West to see our families. If anyone has any great ideas on where we can stop along the way, holla at us!

Christmas 2009 (2nd Installment)

2010-01-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just realized I hadn't written the second portion of our trip...we did a total of three tours at the Biltmore - daytime audio self guided tour, behind the scenes tour, and a night time Christmas Lighting tour. All in all, they were all very interesting and I'm glad we got to see as much as we did. I think we appreciated the tour more having toured the Vanderbuilt's homes in Newport a couple of summers ago. If you ever make it to the Asheville area, visiting the mansion is a must do.

Also while in Asheville, my Aunt Margie called me and said she lived only an hour away. I had no idea! The next day we packed up the pack in the truck and drove down to South Carolina. It was Traci's first time meeting the Daw family and my first time to their home. It was a wonderful visit being with family during the holidays.

Christmas Day was nothing but phenomenal! Traci surprised the hell out of me with some amazing gifts! And I of course loved watching her opening what remained of her presents...I had her open most of her presents the days prior to Christmas...it was out of necessity!

With the tours behind us we wanted to explore what else Asheville had to offer. So after some research on hikes, we headed up to the mountains and did a couple of trails where we saw some beautiful snowy waterfalls. The hounds didn't seem to care there were several inches of snow on the ground, all they wanted to do was run and stretch their legs since the park we had been taking them to was swallowed by the river due to a flood from melting snow. After a week in NC it was time head home.

On the way home, the need for a 75 gallon auxilary fuel tank proved a necessity since we almost ran out of gas - not my fault! The truck stop we stopped at had all diesel pumps shut down due to water in the fuel. We barely made it to the next truck stop (fuel light was on!). The thristy Ford swallowed all 30 gallons and we hit the road again. We got home with a little daylight left and got the house all set up.

The next couple of days we got Ellie ready to go back to the dealership to get some warranty work done. Two days later we got her back with new carpet and four pages of work orders worth of other work. She's looking as good as new now! I'm hoping we have all the bugs worked out of her now though.

So now with my upcoming deployment on the horizon, we are busy getting everything ready for me to go away for a month or so then come home and start our 3,000 + mile drive to the West Coast.

I know the last couple of posts haven't been real exciting to read about, but once we start our trek out West, stand by.

Until then...

Christmas 2009 (1st Installment)

2009-12-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! This is the first installment of our Christmas 2009 trip to Asheville, NC. We left Va Bch on Tuesday, Dec 22 and hit the road. We left super early and Traci did wonderfully by getting ready on time!! Originally, we were planning on going North to NYC where we were going to spend the week at Liberty Island RV Park which is 15 min outside of Manhattan. I had the whole week planned with some pretty amazing hook-ups through the USO. But due to weather, we had to change our plans to head South. With the sky as the limit, we ultimately decided on Asheville, NC because we heard the Biltmore Mansion was spectacular. And it was only a 7 hour drive!

The road trip was uneventful, minus a couple of small snags which seems to always happen when we take the RV on a trip. We lost the one metal footing on the front landing gear, which is an easy fix. Then we noticed a weird noise coming from the fan motor in the truck. Normally there are four power settings on the fan, but ours now has just one, "gale force", setting 4...hahahaaa! The puppers did great traveling. Andie was trying out some of her 'ninja' moves to get in the front seat and eventually she won...along with Piper and Lucy following her lead. Cooper was king of the backseat by himself.

We got to Asheville just before dark on Tuesday, which gave us just enough time to get everything set up before the sun went down. We were pretty exhausted from the drive so we just kicked it the first night. The next day we woke up uber early, made a tasty breakfast, then headed over to the Vanderbuilt mansion. Here's a quick synopsis on the history -

Cornelius Vanderbuilt, also known as the "Commodore" made the family fortune by building a transportation empire in shipping and railroad in the 1870's. When he died, he left his fortune, $100 million, to his son William. When William died, he had doubled the family's money to $200 million (worth $4 billion today). William's son, George, in his early 30's, wanted to build a home and came across 125,000 acres in Asheville in the late 1800's. This house rivaled his family's mansions in Newport, RI and became known as the Biltmore Mansion. Work began in 1892 and six years later, the 4.1 million sq ft, 43 bathroom, 250 bedroom house was completed. Take a look at some of the pics.

2009-12-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty stellar, as usual. Tim had almost a whole week off around Turkey Day, which was amazing to have him home. He had a STD (Shit-To-Do) list four note cards long! Needless to say he got pretty much all of them done in two days. I love my efficient husband. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends Rachel and Scott for the first round and then finished at Zach and Tiff's house where they had so much food they could've fed half of Va Bch.

We finally received our orders for Monterey a few weeks ago. In Navy terms, that means it is officially a guarantee that we are going. Thus we can start eliminating Plan C and plan D (these were the "oh shit" plans of not going to Monterey). Working with Plan A is so much less stressful but of course having Plan B as back up. With the Navy you always have to be ready for anything! Now we are just counting down the weeks until we head West. He has one more underway and one month of deployment to go and that's IT!

We also got an early Christmas present from my Mom... a comfy new lazy boy love-seat for Ellie. Our original couch was pretty much the worst thing ever. Our new one fits the whole family, we can both sit on it in comfort. Thanks Mom!

2009-11-16T16:18:00.000-08:00

Virginia could not let us leave without showing us a true Nor'Easter as they call it out here. It was nothing like I had experienced before. 50 + mph winds, endless amounts of rain, and flooding!!! The pictures say it all...

2009-10-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast time flies. It seems we just updated the blog, yet that was over six weeks ago! A lot has happened the last few weeks. Here's the run down:

We have got settled into our new lifestyle of fulltiming in the RV. The puppers seem to love the RV way more than the stick and brick house. It allows them to stay close to us, fortunately they really like. We moved from the base close to our old house to the jet base in Va Bch, which has a much nicer and bigger RV park. They even have a five acre field that is fenced so we can take the pups for their daily run. Recently we even had the opportunity to take the RV on her first trip.

We took a few days of vacation time to head up to DC. We spent our first day setting up camp and relaxing. The second day we dropped off the truck at the local Ford dealership to take care of a minor problem (replacing the speed sensor). But while the truck was being worked on we rented a car and headed to Annapolis so I could show Traci the Naval Academy and downtown. The next day, I noticed some water coming through the stairs in the RV and ended up spending a couple of hours trouble shooting. After pulling the basement apart, I found the water leak, but unfortunately it was in a location I couldn't reach. After I was done fiddling around, we headed to Arlington National Cemetary. I had never seen the Changing of the Guard Ceremony or the tombs of JFK, Uknown Soldier, etc. It was very humbling to see. After the cemetary we hoofed it to Georgetown where we walked around and shopped. We found an amazing place to have dinner on the waterfront. By then it was getting dark and time to head back to the RV park. The next day it was time to head home. After we got back to Va Bch, we had to arrange to take the RV to the dealership to fix the water leak and a few other minor warranty issues.

While the RV was at the dealership we stayed at a buddy of mine's house. He is currently deployed to Iraq, so we had a normal house to ourselves. But of course I had to leave for a week for NYC while Trace stayed at the house.

NYC was absolutely amazing. Coincidentally while in NYC, it was also the Navy's 234th Bday. One of my buddies and I visited the Today Show in our Dress Blues, where we got on TV and met Meredith Vierra, Anne Curry, Hoda, Michael Buble, Kathy Lee, etc. They were all so gracious and gave us a behind the scenes tour of the set and sat and talked with us for a couple of hours. We also visited Fox News. However, they weren't nearly as nice as NBC. In fact, they were a bunch of a-holes! We also got hooked up with the NYSE with another behind the scenes tour and got to watch the closing bell. I just hope that I will get the opportunity to take Trace to NYC before we head West since she has never been.

I can't believe this year is almost over and I have only a couple more underways before it's time to transfer to Monterey! Soon this chapter will be over in our life and we will start our cross country trek, which we are very excited for!

Also, a couple of weeks ago we celebrated Cooper and Lucy's fifth birthday! They have grown up to be amazing little puppers. While Andie and Piper are amazing in their own way, Andie is growing up faster and faster every day and Piper is still a little terror dressed up in a MinPin body. But thankfully Piper hasn't eaten anything else requiring emergency surgery. However, at my buddy's house she has found his pepper plants and LOVES picking and eating those things. I don't know how she does it, but it somehow doesn't bother her to eat peppers...go figure!

All in all, life is fantastic! We are still working the bugs out of our new RV. And Traci is doing such a fantastic job taking care of the puppers and whatever life throws at us while I'm out to sea. This may not sound like much, but believe me, juggling work, gym, four dogs and all the trouble they get into, is no simple feat flying solo. I appreciate you baby!

So now we are waiting patiently for our next adventure. All we can do is plan and organize for our big move. After all, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!!!

Until next time...

Typical Week of Traci

2009-09-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

It is official, I feel like a true RV'er. I have mastered emptying and flushing the black water tank, I am a champ at using the mini stove and oven, made a habit of opening ceiling vents when I cook AND remember to close them when I'm done (except for the one time I forgot), I have used our electric awning, and have done laundry in the RV!

But the best part and being true to my modus operandi, I have locked myself out of the RV and drove off base without my military ID!!! And all of this within the past week...coincidentally it was the same week that Tim left for a 10 day cruise. To top it off, the day this happened I had one of my friends come over for dinner. Too bad her dinner was pulling up and seeing me sitting on the picnic table waiting for Pop-a-lock to open my car to get Tim's keys so I could open the RV.

I can't forget to mention that I found a car on base with a dog locked in it with the windows rolled up and it was 90 degrees outside! So I called the base police to handle the situation. When I drove back to the RV park, lo and behold that same guy who had his dog in the car was camping not too far from us in a tent. When I told Tim about all this he said he better get home quick because if I become even more of "shit show" I might hurt myself!

I swear, it must really look like he is the one that keeps me in check! I swear I can really function on my own! hahaaaaa!!!

MOVING ON UP...or down, depending on how you view it

2009-08-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's official, our RV is off the production line as of Thursday, August 6th! We are still waiting for confirmation of the exact date of delivery to our favorite RV dealer, Dodd RV. But since it is categorized as a "hot ship", it should be here no later than this Monday. The wheels are in motion...we are planning on moving out of the house and into our new "home" this Wednesday. Trace has done a marvelous job of packing the house while I've been out to sea so the bulk of the work is done. Our reservations at the RV park on base have been confirmed for Wednesday night. The truck is in the shop getting the lift removed and will be complete by this Saturday *tear tear*. The hitch will be installed Monday or Tuesday. Like I said, the wheels are in motion! Stand by for pics of the Everest. We are so excited!!!

Heading to Private!!

2009-07-20T04:28:00.000-07:00

Send me your email to my gmail account Traci0125@gmail.com since we are going private! Thus, I have to approve who reads our blog.....Thanks!

To go Private or not to go Private?? That is the question....

2009-07-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Tim and I were discussing going Private on our blog....What do y'all think?

PIPER IN PERIL

2009-07-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days Piper has been very ill. We thought it might have been caused from some lean ground turkey we fed all the pups since she started vomiting later that night after her dinner. However, over the next 24 hours she continued to deteriorate. Poor Piper couldn't hold anything down, not even water!

When Tim got home yesterday evening, Piper was so weak she could barely walk up the stairs and had trouble standing. Her eyes said it all - she was in so much pain. She also had a sour smell to her. After doing research online, we thought she might have Parvo. But after reviewing her shot records, we confirmed she had been vaccinated. Tim had made an appointment with the military vet for today, but we felt she was too sick to wait. We decided to take her to an emergency vet. As we were getting ready to head out the door, Piper threw up some water and a what looked like part of a rope toy (hint #1).

The emergency vet took some x-rays and determined she had some kind of blockage in her intestines (which explain her sour smell). He decided she needed immediate surgery. We sadly left her at the vet and went home to wait for the results of the surgery.

Around 12:30am this morning, we got a call from the vet. He said the surgery went well and Piper is recovering. He found part of a rope toy in her intestines and more in her stomach. We were lucky we took her in when we did because in cases like this, the longer you wait, the more damage is done to the intestines.

We should be able to pick her up on Thursday. And of course we will have to limit her activity for several days after, which will be a challenge since Min Pins are crack addicts!

She is quickly becoming the million dollar dog with everything she has eaten around the house (and we've had to replace) and the cost of the surgery! Everybody say a prayer for Piper that she has a full and uneventful recovery!

I <3 running....again.....

2009-07-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

REST IN PEACE

2009-06-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

So sad with the legends that have left us...Ed, Micheal, and Farrah! Y'all will be missed!

Preview.....

2009-06-10T12:24:00.001-07:00

It is 95% official that we have decided on THE RV!!! We are gonna order it next month as long as there isn't any glitches...(EVERYBODY.....pray that there won't be any glitches) :) Here's the link to check it out: http://www.keystonervsource.com/rvinventory_item.asp?id=571877

I have come to terms that I need to start taking notes about LIVING, yes I said LIVING, in a fifth wheel. Thank goodness we have our friends Tiff and Zach close by because they lived in their RV for three years. Zach loved it...Tiff...well...lets just say she tolerated it. But, I can't help to be just as ecstatic as my husband is. His positivity is contagious his beaming smile and twinkle in his eye about the RV can't help but make me smile. I am considering contacting CMT for a reality show because two people and four neurotic dogs living in a RV park has to equal good times and excellent ratings. Maybe we can have it be a spin off of "Redneck Weddings"...call it "Redneck Living" but until I hear back, I am trying to get in touch with my redneck side, any tips are welcome!

GRATITUDE

2009-05-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

Today is a special day, because I have always admired our military. After dating, going through a deployment, and officially becoming a naval officer's wife I have nothing but pride, love, and admiration for our military. Their sacrifice and dedication to our country should make every US citizen proud and should never go unrecognized. Active duty and reservists, I urge every person to tell someone who is serving or has served, a generous "thank you". But this should be done not just today BUT everyday you see someone that has served. My husband does this when ever he sees a veteran. Although they are complete strangers there is an immediate bond and noticeable gratitude in that veteran's eyes. It is a small action, but the reward is huge.

Equally important but often overlooked is the sacrifice of each service member's family. They are the backbone of our military. Without them, our military couldn't do what it is they do. Here's a big hearty THANKS to those families!

Here is a huge, hearty "THANK YOU!" from LT Jensen and his wife to all those serving and who have served!! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Summary of the Jensen's.....

1: DC trip to watch our friend Robert graduate from Georgetown Law School!!! Congrats Bobby Law!!!

2: Zach and Tiffany made it safely to Virginia Beach with endless BBQs in our future with them. Couldn't ask for better friends!!

3: Tim has been working A LOT getting ready for their surge!

4: I started to contribute to society with becoming employed again....Dolla Dolla bills!!!

5: Strawberry Festival with THE most amazing people watching I think I have ever witnessed!

Sin City w/ My Fabulous Girls!!!

2009-05-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

I got to spend the weekend in Sin City with my two best friends Jill and Ashley! Ashley is graduating from medical school on Sunday, so it was a perfect scenario for us to come in and celebrate!!! Jill and I landed at the same time....jumped in Ash's car, got ready, and hit club XS!!! It was a beautiful club... very much like a large Tryst! Then we hung out at the Wynn hotel's pool pretty much all day...crammed in yogurtland along with some shopping and then headed to the clubs in the Wynn- Blush and Tryst!!!

Congrats to my wonderful, beautiful friend Ashley on Graduation!! I love these girls dearly and wouldn't know what I would do with out them in my life!!!

The Philosopher Tim

2009-04-28T02:50:00.001-07:00

Tim's philosophy " See when you were my girlfriend it was kind of like renting an RV for the weekend... cheap, easy, and no maintenance required. Where marriage is like PURCHASING an RV....I am now responsible for the depreciation, maintenance, and can't easily get rid of without taking a big hit"

UPDATES, UPDATES, UPDATES!!

2009-03-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

I realized that it has been forever since I have updated the blog....oops!!! A couple of weeks ago Tim took a couple of days leave soooo we decided to head to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. It is amazing with so much to see! The Outer Banks is littered with several lighthouses up and down the coastline. We headed North because our wonderful friend, Kaye, told us about an adorable dog store called the Outer Barks. They had a bunch of artwork and other items that aren't the norm in dog stores. We purchased a cute black iron leash holder with a JRT on it. There was an additional stop to see the Wright Brothers Monument, which is where their first flight took place!!! Everywhere we went, the dogs got a lot of attention from lookers-by and Timmy got a lot of attention from "cougars". The collage above includes some of the pictures we took!! We can't wait to head back to see the southern light houses and the wild horses.

Other updates are Tim has moved on to searching for a class A and is selling the truck....I never thought that he would sell his truck but I guess if he gets a class A......

My Mom's dog, Chloe, passed away recently. On a happier note, she rescued brother and sister schnauzers this past weekend. They are beautiful and look super sweet. I can't wait to get back out to Utah to meet my new brother, Bruiser, and sister, Bella!!

We also had super fun BBQ this Saturday with some good friends Joey, Jacqueline, and their kids along with Kelley, Anika, and their kids!!! We had wonderful conversation, food, beach-time, and chiminea fire! It was pretty stellar! I just wish I would have taken pictures.....

Starting all over again....

2009-03-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well, a couple of posts down my sister commented about us getting a fifth wheel instead of a bumper pull for when we move. We assumed that we were pushed out of the 5th wheel market due to the lift on Tim's truck....bbbbuuuutttt after glancing at some different forums, we have seen people pulling fifth wheel with even taller trucks. So of course, now that we think we found THE ONE, we are starting all over again! :)

Sandpiper Nirvana!

2009-03-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

In all the hope and glory, the much anticipated Hampton RV Show finally arrived! I could hardly contain my enthusiasm as Trace and I headed North on Interstate 64 toward the convention center. Of course in true form of Team TJ, the heavens opened up and dumped three days worth of rain in one afternoon. But that didn't douse our fiery energy!

As we walked in the convention center, we had sort of an idea of what we thought we wanted. We even had a particular brand and model in mind. But after looking around and walking through about 100 RVs, we realized the one we thought we liked had NO storage (V-Cross) and the one we thought we didn't want at all turned out to be a contender (Wildwood Park Model). It's amazing how many variations of RVs exist. We saw lots of toy haulers, Class A's (bus size), and travel trailers of which some where about the size of a queen size bed. We even saw a RV that the back opened up and became a bar! Trace decided to jump in and serve passers-by!

Since the show was at the convention center, space was very limited. So many of the dealers could bring only a select few RV's. One particular dealer who had the Wildwood Park Model had only one at the show. Trace and I walked through it and thought "Hmmmmm, this is roooooooomy!" But it wasn't quite the layout we liked. We decided to visit the dealership after the show to see other floorplans. After walking through five or six of the Park Models we realized that they were obscenely too big (42 ft +) to tote around the country. I mean, it was as tall, long, and wide as a single wide mobile home! We did a quick reality check and moved on to something a little more practical. Ultimately we decided we really like the quality and floor plans of Forest River Sandpiper. Sandpiper has a lot of really nice touches such as the higher end light fixtures, wrought iron accents, and the least ugly color choices.

Now that we both agree on a brand we are trying to decide on size and floor plan. We have narrowed it down to three floor plans but are leaning towards one in particular. It's a 37 foot front kitchen. Check out the pics: http://www.camparama.net/sandpiper_323fk_tt.htm

The kitchen is phenomenal isn't it?! The other option is a 40 footer but it has a HUGE spare bedroom with four bunks (aka the dogs' room/storage room). While it's almost as long as a Park Model, it isn't nearly as tall or wide, thus very do-able. But we think that may be just a little too much trailer for what we need. The jury is still out though.

Regardless we are making head way on what we want. Yesterday we both felt a little overwhelmed with all the possibilities, of which none really seemed to actually fit our family. But the process of negation is helping us narrow it down and the overwhelming feeling is slowly but surely going away. After all, we will be living in this thing for about a year and a half so we might as well take our time and be absolutely certain that what we are buying will fit US and the kids!

Change of Command Dinner

2009-02-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

Tim and I had the perfect chance to get dressed up for the Change of Command dinner in downtown Norfolk. I can't remember the name of the building, but Tim said he felt like he was eating at the airport hahaha! We got to sit next to Tim's boss, Greg and his wife, Jesse, who I absolutely adore. They are wonderful people! They are the couple with us in the pictures.

At these type of functions, it is typical for everyone to "roast" the Captain. I was thankful Tim was there to commentate in my ear because a lot of the jokes were inside jokes or had a bunch of military jargin that I didn't quite understand. It is great because this is the only time that anyone on the ship can razz the Captain. It was a lovely farewell roast on Captain Boorjuy! Everyone gave a nice welcome to the new Commanding Officer, Captain Reis.

On another note, Piper got spayed last Wednesday and ended up tearing her stitches on Friday. I was at the beach with the other pups, jamming to my ipod when I saw Tim walking with Piper. I thought "hmmm whats going on?". But when I got up to Tim I knew something was wrong by his face. We rushed her to the emergency vet and thankfully she only ripped out the outer stitches and not the inner ones. Thus, it was only a few seconds for them to put in some surgical staples. As per the doc's orders, Piperoni needs to take it easy, which means minimal activity. Anyone who has MP's or JRT's or both knows trying to get those kinds of dogs to chill out and relax is like trying to get a crack addict to stop, slow down and smell the roses. It's a challege to keep her from tearing those out with all her MP puppy energy!

What I am learning.....

2009-02-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

...is that an RV show is way bigger deal than Christmas, a birthday, or pretty much anything in Tim Jensen's life. I know I didn't realize it until last week. It all started when Tim sent me an email about RV shows. When I received it on my blackberry, all it said was "Guess what we are doing for Valentines day???" I just laughed. If you reference a few posts down I mentioned Tim researching RVs to purchase for a road trip this time next year. Yep, he's doing his homework A YEAR in advance...let's just say he is really really thorough! Every night as we stand next to each other in the bathroom flossing our teeth and chit chatting, he would beam about the RV show. He would say how excited he was and telling me all the options he wanted in an RV. I would reiterate that we wouldn't be driving the truck to the show, we would be taking the Camry because I know if we took the truck I would get the "pretty please" look.

Well eventually the day arrived. We actually had forgotten it was V-day, hahaha! We headed to the gym, walked the pups, showered and were sitting down to eat our third meal for the day before we left. Tim was checking the internet for the addy to plug in Lola (our GPS) when I glanced over his shoulder, spying the dates of the show...ummm, yea, the RV show wasn't until MARCH 14TH! Oh buddy, I swear that I saw tears come to his eyes and a dark cloud come over his head. All I could do was hold back my laughter and kiss him and tell him not to worry. Being the positive, quick thinker he is, he had it all arranged in his head "BABY, don't feel bad" he says " We can just go to an RV dealer on Virginia Beach Blvd to make up for it" " I already know where it is!" What a quick thinker!:)

Do you know anyone??

2009-02-10T05:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=5556474&cat=240

I am selling my wedding dress. It is a Maggie Sottero designer gown. I ordered it from Mary's Bridal and it still has the tags on it, I didn't even try it on after it came in! I haven't wore it because we have decided not to have a big wedding in Utah this summer because my hubby ship is scheduled out for the whole summer. The link above is the ad on KSL. It is currently in Grantsville, so spread the word, or if you have any questions let me know! Thanks and have a stupendous day!!

NOT MUCH GOING ON...BUT I LIKE IT

2009-02-10T04:38:00.001-08:00

Not a whole note worthy things have been going on...Piper is growing like a weed and she has really brought the pack together. She is getting potty trained quickly, loves to go to the beach and greet the other dogs by standing on her hind legs, placing her paws on their faces and looking into the other dogs eyes. It is hilarious. I will post more pics of her soon, just need to charge the batteries :o)!! I found her like this just after I got out of the shower, thank goodness she stayed where she was!

Tim and I are becoming the master early risers, by getting to the gym at 5am and training hard and eating clean. I also discovered Picassa, (Thanks LeeAnn) I know, I know I am behind for most of you, but I am pretty excited about the Collage option, See below:

PIPER

2009-01-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Sooo the wonderful All Min Pin Rescue drove all the way to Baltimore to pick up our new baby, Piper. She is a 15 week old Miniature Pinscher and full of fire and love. Andie has quickly taken over being her 'Mama' and play mate. They are inseparable from the moment they both get up to going to bed at night. Cooper is warming up to her nicely and Lucy still is trying to be her lesbian lover. All in all she is an absolute stupendous addition to Team TJ!

In other news of Team TJ, Tim got slated early for orders! For the last couple weeks it has been up in the air as to where we were going to head to next. Fortunately, Tim was offered a deal we could not walk away from. He has extended on the USS Nassau for his second tour, which is normally 18 months, but this deal shortens it to ONLY 6 months and then he will be on shore duty for two years where the Navy will be paying for his masters degree! WOOT WOOT!!! I am ecstatic about this decision because my wonderful hubby will be home for a minimum of two years without heading out to sea.

I am ecstatic about this decision. Tim really wants to head to Monterey to the Navy Post Graduate School to get his Masters........so possibly another big road-trip is on the horizon. And of course he is already researching RV's for said road-trip!

Storm Adventures....

2009-01-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2009 started off like any other day...more or less, but more less. I had watch from 2am to 8am on the ship. As soon as I got off watch I took care of some pressing admin issues then bolted to head home. On my way home I noticed really dark clouds were moving in with some drizzle as well as increasing winds. When I got to the house I figured I had better get the dogs to the beach for their daily walk before it started to pour. Just as we stepped foot on the sand a monsoon hit (no lightning though!). I figured what the hell, we're already wet...might as well stay and play. But it kept getting worse and worse and the rain colder and colder! After about, oh, I'd say 5 minutes Andie had enough and was balled up at my feet trying to get some shelter and looking just plain pissed off. I looked over at Lucy and Cooper, who are always up for a game of chuck it - rain or shine. They too looked like they were saying, "Daddy, WTF man, this is ridiculous!" The wind was blowing the uber cold rain so hard that Lu and Coop were running around with squinty eyes and shivering. I too was freezing my ass off and the fun part quickly faded away, although it was hard not to laugh at the dogs' faces. So we headed back to the house. And of course just as we got back to the house the clouds parted and the sun came out. I waited for about 10 minutes and considered going again, but thank goodness I didn't because round 2 hit.

Traci got home shortly after me and we spent the afternoon searching online for dogs and visiting shelters. We came across a sweet lab mix named Delilah. As soon as she saw me, she lunged into my arms and buried her face in my chest. She melted my heart. We brought Andie, Lucy, and Cooper to meet her aaaaannnnddddd they weren't having it. Ultimately, as hard as it was, we decided not to get Delilah. So the search continues...

There are so many dogs that need to be rescued, we quickly realized that we had to set guidelines for what kind of dog would fit into our life and family. We decided that a smaller dog, either another JRT or MinPin would be best. I made a few phone calls to some friends at the Suffolk Humane Society and quickly got some help. Turns out the dog rescue world is quite small and next thing I knew I was on the phone with a MinPin rescue that had pups all over the country. Trace and I jumped on their website and found a little cutie. Her name is Candie. Check her out:

http://www.allminpinrescue.com/ad_OH.html This Sunday the All MinPin Rescue Service will be visiting our humble abode to check out our setup and see if we are adoption worthy. We're pretty excited!

Wow, I have really gone off on a tangent. This blog entry was supposed to be about the storm. Okay, so back to the story. It's now night time and the wind and rain is full force. It no joke seems like a hurricane is ripping apart our house. The winds were gusting over 60 mph. On the third floor of the house, I swear I could feel the walls swaying. We decided to curl up in front of the fireplace with the kids and watch a movie. Around 7:30 pm our neighbor bangs on our front door and says a power line is down in our front yard AND it's draped over my truck. I cautiously opened the garage door since that was the safest way to survey the damage and...yep, he wasn't joking. I continued to peer through the night storm and could see that the line not only was draped over my truck, it was wrapped around my mirror then went across the street on the ground to the other pole. Instantly I thought, hmmmmm, this could be a problem if a car drives through. But I wasn't about to touch a power line in the rain. I sort of like my life and really don't want it to end just yet. I went back inside and called the power company to report it. Of course they said they'd come out asap. We got back to the movie and to relaxing. Around 9:30 I went back through the garage to check on the situation and...what do ya know...that mirror that the wire was wrapped around was no longer there! Oh, and it gets better...my driver's side fender is bent, dented, and jacked up. I look across the street and the cable is no longer on the ground. It now rests at the end of the street with both ends severed. The part of the cable that was touching my truck is partially still there, but now lays in a huge puddle of water immediately next to my truck between my neighbors house and my house. Good times!

We got the cable fixed later that night and no one was hurt to my knowledge. I drove around today with my mirror dangling and looking stupid....grrrrrr! Looks like the power company will be paying for my damages too...thank goodness. Here are some pics:

MOVING ON UP

2008-12-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

I can't think of a better way to end 2008 than by getting promoted and having my beautiful wife pin on my new bars. I'll tell you what, it was a little bit of an ordeal getting Traci on the ship for the ceremony. First of all, the ceremony was originally just before lunch, but early that morning it was moved to 9:30am. Around 8am I tried calling Trace to let her know but her phone was downstairs and on vibrate and she was still passed out from her exhaustion of traveling cross country. I called our neighbor, Brooke, to go next door and wake Traci up...but she still didn't hear the banging on the door or the doorbell. So I had no other choice than rush home and get her myself.

Once we got to the shipyard where the NASSAU is undergoing much needed renovations, there was an issue getting Traci through security. This was a big problem because we had only about 10 minutes to spare before the ceremony began. Apparently visitors aren't allowed on weekdays, but when I asked security the previous week about the requirements for getting guests through, they failed to reveal that little tidbit of information. I had to deal with several other security check points about bringing her during the workday . I finally got so fed up that instead of being diplomatic about the situation, I pulled rank and told the security personnel that she WAS going through...and off we went.

We finally made it to the Wardroom with a couple of minutes to spare! The XO administered the Oath and Traci took off my Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2) bars and put on my new Lieutenant (O-3) bars. After the ceremony, we called it a day and headed home to enjoy our New Year's.

Timmy and Traci Christmas '08

2008-12-25T17:19:00.000-08:00

First we'd like to wish all our family and friends a very Merry Christmas!

Some people dream of waking up to a white Christmas, going downstairs and seeing the tree surrounded with gifts, the entire family present for a big holiday feast, and the over-stuffed, over-eaten coma to follow.

While mine and Traci's first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. Jensen was none of the above, it was our PERFECT Christmas!

We decided in the spirit of being smart with our money during hard economic times that we would use my 3ft tall LED Christmas tree instead of spending a lot of money on a real tree. But we quickly realized that unless we were a family of ants, there weren't any presents that would actually fit under that tree. As presents began to accumulate we began to make a "present pyramid" with a glistening mini tree on top with all the decorations we could fit on it (which is about 8 total). As the pyramid got taller, so did the tree get further and further from the ground.

As Christmas Eve approached and our mound-o-presents grew, Traci and I couldn't resist any longer. We decided to have our Christmas on the Eve. It was a perfect night with candles lit throughout the house, all the windows open to feel the cool ocean breeze blowing, the kids quietly tucked in their beds surrounding the couch, and the essence of the true holiday spirit all around. Everything felt so surreal. After we exchanged gifts we cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie.

The next morning we woke up at 7 am to the hustle and bustle of three lil' ones making a ruckus in their kennels. I think somehow they knew what day it was and were uber excited. We had a perfect Christmas morning breakfast then walked the kids to the beach where we let them run off leash. The beach couldn't have been any more picturesque. It was about 65 degrees, calm winds, deserted beach (except for the couple that had a JRT in a Santa outfit), and calm ocean.

After about an hour we rushed back to the house to have our internet Christmas with Trace's family via webcam. And finally, we concluded the evening by seeing Marley and Me at the theatre then going home and grilling hamburgers. And by the way, if you are a dog lover GO SEE Marley and Me!!! It is a fantastic movie!

While Traci and I missed our families, having our first Christmas just the two of us (plus three) at our beach house...I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Thanks to all our family for your thoughtful gifts. And to Momma and the Texas clan - we hope y'all are feeling better! I mean, what are the odds that everyone would get food poisoning Christmas day?!

I HEART YOU--TIGER

2008-12-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share some pictures of my husband. He is the most sensational man! I am undeniably blessed and lucky to have him. He undoubtedly keeps me from being as scattered brain, pushes me in and out of the gym, and supports me without boundaries, which makes me ponder how I truly ever made it with out him :)

Gobble Gobble!

2008-12-12T08:14:00.001-08:00

I realize it's a little late to write about Thanksgiving, but what the hell...I have the day off today and am quite bored.

We were really excited to head down to San Antonio for the holiday. It was a great opportunity to get into warmer weather and for Traci to meet the rest of the family. All started well. We arranged for our wonderful neighbors to puppy sit for the three days, check that off the list. Everything was packe

d, check check. We had food for the trip, check. Plane tickets, ID's, etc, check check. Good to go!

We got to the airport without incident....well, other than us playing practical jokes on each other. And when I say us, I really mean Traci. Thank goodness there was no

one around to hear me scream like a 12 yr old girl.

Ok, let me back this up just a bit. I booked the plane tickets months ago, thus they were really cheap. The reason why they were so cheap was because it was US Airways - the crappiest airline in the business. But at the time of purchase I was blissfully unaware of that fact.

We made it down to North Carolina to our connecting flight and hurried to get to our next gate. After sitting there for an hour we realized that the electronic sign that said San Antonio now said another city. We were slightly confused so I asked an airline employee. She was obviously unaware of the change and after a few inquisitive strokes on her keypad she said, "Ohhhh, it looks like your gate has changed to 13A."

Keep in mind we were at 1D. We rushed to the other side of the airport to the correct departing gate. Who knew NC had such a huge airport! As we got to our gate we looked out the window and saw something interesting. I really wouldn't call it a commercial aircraft...more like a private backwoods attempt to build something that had wings and proppellars! Traci looked at me with an obviously concerned expression.

After staring at the plane for about five minutes I'd thought it prudent to go investigate. I walked up to the counter where a middle aged, semi attractive flight attendant stood. As I got to the counter I put on the charm and did a little flirting. Turns out that our plane hadn't arrived yet and as she so eloquently put it, "I would

n't want to fly on that piece of crap either".

When it came time to board our plane (three hours later!), we handed that same sweet flight attendant our tickets and she gave me a very enthusiastic "Happy Holidays Honey!" and Traci a disgruntled "Have a nice

trip". Traci just flashed me a raised eyebrow and smile. It was hilarious!

We finally made it to Texas where Steve and Amy were waiting for us. Of course the first stop on the way home was Taco Cabana. We got home around midnight and immediately went to bed. Over the next couple of days we toured downtown San Antonio where Traci got to see the Alamo and Riverwalk. We wanted to stick around to watch the lighting ceremony of the Riverwalk but it was way too crowded.

We had a phenomenal Thanksgiving with my family! We even

got to meet up with Kameron and Brandon on Friday night. Before we knew it was time for us go head back to VA. On our way to the

airport we stopped at Cavendar's Boot City and picked Trace up her first pair of cowboy boots. I gotta say, she looks damn hot in 'em!

So now it was Round 2 - Tim and Traci vs. US Airways. Once again we made it to our connecting flight in North Carolina...well, barely. The weather was pretty nasty. We made our final approach to land but just

when we could see the ground we noticed there was no runway in sight. The runway w

as about two miles off our left wing. That didn't really give me a warm fuzzy on the flying skills of our pilots. Next thing we noticed we were gaining altitude again for the second attempt to put the plane down on an actual runway. A few minutes later (around midnight), success!

We rushed to our next gate and boarded the plane. We thought we were home free as we taxied for take off. But about an hour later we rolled back to the gate and deboarded because of mechanical difficulties. And as it turns out that was the last flight for the night. Luckily US Airways was nice enough to put us up in a hotel for the night and rebooked us on the first flight in the morning.

We made it home a day late to three really lonely, but happy puppies.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip! And Traci is sold on Texas. We are now looking for land to buy near my parents.

The Honeymoon

2008-11-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

Over Veteran's Day holiday weekend Traci and I set out for the first of two honeymoons. Several weeks ago I made reservations at Outdoor Recreation at Fort Eustis for a 30 ft motorhome but a few days later decided we didn't need a motorhome when they had travel trailers we could rent at half the price. The plan was to pick up the travel trailer with the truck and head 4 hrs West to Douthat State Park near the border of Virginia and West Virginia for a weekend of kayaking, mountain biking, and hiking. But the first snag was when we arrived to the base to pick up the trailer and figured out that while the F-350 with an 8 inch lift and 37 inch tires looks sick, it's a tad too tall to be able to pull a travel trailer with a regular hitch with a sway bar assembly. This is where I had to finese the manager of Outdoor Recreation.

After explaining the situation to the manager and pointing out that they had motorhomes not rented out for that weekend and suggesting that maybe he might be able to make a deal he saw things my way. After about about five minutes of persuading the manager actually paid us to take a motorhome! Okay okay, he didn't really! But he did give us a motorhome for the same price as the travel trailer, which was 1/2 off the regular rental price.

After packing up all our crap and the kids we hit the road. And I must admit, traveling in a motorhome was PHENOMENAL!!! Most everyone slept on the drive out to the State Park. When I say most everyone, I mean everyone but me! The best part was when I noticed by hitting bumps in the road caused everything and everyone to go bouncing around in the back of the RV. I just so happened to glance in the rear view mirror (which had a great view of the bed) when I hit a big bump and saw Traci get airborne while she was sleeping. I thought to myself, "Hey, this could be really really hilarious!" So as I drove down the highway I scoped out bumps in the road ahead of me and aimed right towards them. If they were in the other lane, I'd simply switch lanes, hold on in my Captain's Chair, and look in the rear view mirror to see Traci bouncing around. She had no idea what I was doing and to be honest, still doesn't, but now that I let the cat out of the bag she sure will when she reads this! haahaaaaa! There was one particular instance on our drive back to Va Bch when I saw the mother load of all bumps. Of course as soon as I saw it I got a little evil grin, double checked the tightness of my seatbelt, clinched both hands on the steering wheel, let out a little giggle, and locked my eyes on the rear view mirror where I could see Trace passed out on the bed. I began to count down...5, 4, 3, 2, *evil giggle*, 1....
Traci must have got at least a foot and a half of air! Her arms went flailing and legs sprawled out in mid air! Oh I wish I had a camera! I lost it and busted out laughing histarically! On about the third bounce on the matress she sort of bounced off the matress to a standing position with her eyes wide open like she had no idea what was going on. Needless to say she joined me in the cab for the rest of the trip. hahaaa!

Back to the story...we got to the park and it was gorgeous! While it was too cold to do much of anything outside, we did go on a nice four mile run on a mountain trail with dogs in tow. The mountains aren't as big as the Wasatch, but the colors of the leaves put the Wasatch to shame. It really looked like the mountains were on fire with the deep orange, red, and yellow colors of the leaves.

One day we traveled to Lexington to see the Natural Bridge and Natural Caverns. While we were in awe about both, the Caverns really took our breath away.

Oh, and I have to thank Traci's Mom for getting us every season of Entourage on DVD. Because it was so cold out, Trace and I spent most of the time sipping coffee and snuggling on the couch with the kids while watching every episode. Some may think this really doesn't sound like a great honeymoon, but that's a matter of perspective. With Trace's and mine busy lives, to be able to simply relax and enjoy each other's company and spend time with the kids was phenomenal! And to do all this in such a beautiful area, I couldn't imagine a better honeymoon.

It's a Dirty Job!!!

2008-11-24T05:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a stellar weekend for Team TJ!!! We started the day off with the undertaking of changing the oil in the vehicles. Timmy got all ready in his cute "Jensen" overalls and I was super bummed because I wanted to help, but I wanted some 'Jensen' overalls too!!! Lo and behold, my handsome husband found some.

And the best part is my running shoes even matched! Double bonus if you ask me! :) We got the country tunes cranked up and we were off diving into the dirty job of changing oil! I was most excited about the changing the oil in MY truck, which is a little on the large side.... let's just say he can sit cross-legged underneath it. And as you can see from the picture I can fit underneath the hood. We considered having a red neck picnic under the truck but it was too dirty hahaaaaa.

I know you are probably thinking "why blog about changing oil?", but let me just say getting gussied up in coveralls, jamming to country tunes, and busting out our stellar dance moves in our coveralls is pretty damn fun!!! :)

We then headed to the

park to throw the balls for the dogs... here are some of Coop-a-loop's marvelous acrobatics!!!

We are off to Texas for Thanksgiving and I can't wait to meet the rest of Timmy's family and the newest addition to the family, Lil' Lexie!! My Mama-in-law and Papa-in-law's new Mini Weenie dog!!!

Bodybuilding.com & Iron Man Magazine Model search! Vote For Me!!

2008-11-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Family and Friends, I need your support! I have entered the Bodybuilding.com and Iron Man Magazine Model Search. If I win, I will be a spokes-model for Bodybuilding.com and be on the cover of Iron Man Magazine. You can vote once a day until the contests ends. So Vote EVERDAY!!!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/ironman_model_search_women.htm

My bodyspace profile name is Traci0125.... I am towards the bottom!

I feel I would represent both companies well, as I am an athlete and love promoting a healthy lifestyle . Plus, this would be an stellar opportunity to help a wide range of people. While your at it check out the world of information and products on Bodybuilding.com! Thanks again for all your support and votes!

Cheers,

Traci

"Goin to Fort Story to get hitched"

2008-11-06T04:59:00.000-08:00

Tim and I are officially married! He is locked down, and I think he kinda likes it! :) We were so blessed that Roni, my Mom and her husband Willie, my Grandparents, and our friend Rob ( a.k.a. Bobby) were able to make it to see us take the plunge. The days before the wedding and the days after were cold and rainy but luckily the day of was forecasted to be beautiful and luckily the weather guessers were actually right this time. My Grandma had brought several surprises but one of them was something I asked her to do for me. I had asked her to tatt an edging around a linen hanky with our wedding date embroidered on it so I could carry it with my flowers. I read about this tradition when researching wedding stuff and loved it. As the tradition follows, you have someone in the family make the edging and embroider your wedding date and names on it then carry it when you are taking your vows and then pass it down to a family member when they get married. Thankfully even though my Grandma is uber busy being a Great Grandma, she agreed to do it! It was a hanky from my Great-Grandmother Minchey's collection and to have my Grandmother's handwork on it is priceless. My cousin Kristi also had my Grandma bring the ring that my Grandma had passed down to her as my something borrowed and something blue. It is a beautiful ring with blue tanzanite stone and I was touched that Kristi thought of me.

To continue, we loaded up all the girls in the Camry and the boys in the truck. The boys headed to Fort Story and the girls to my favorite store, Costco, to get me some flowers. At this point I was getting nervous because I had no idea if I was going to find my flowers. I was hoping they had Cala lilies because they are my favorite.

We got to the flowers section and I couldn't find any....then lo and behold on the top shelf were some yellow Cala Lilies! My blood pressure lowered and we were out the door headed to Fort Story. True to my form we were running a tad bit late. Oopsy :)

We got to Fort Story and with Tim's tremendous persuasion skills we got in without a pass... we just had to follow the big F350! I couldn't believe how effortless our wedding day was up to this point! Chances are those of you reading this have never been toFort Story so let me set the scene - there are two lighthouses in the background, one black and white striped and one brick that is a historical landmarker. The sand is just as white as can be with black breaker boulders stacked about 20 feet high about every 100 feet. This is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay collide. Tim had arranged for Chaplain Gore to precide over the ceremony and Father Tom to video tape the ceremony. It was awesome to see Father Tom ride up on his motorcycle in his priest outfit! It was so nice of both of them to do this for us and we are very grateful to them. My Grandfather was the one to walk me down the isle and did a wonderful job helping me hold back tears and crack up all the way up to Tim and the Chaplain. Seeing Tim waiting for me on the beach helped me calm down but as I looked into his eyes my nerves fell away and I was so ecstatic to be marrying such a wonderful man! Chaplain Gore was so funny with the story of Jesus turning water into wine and even managed to squeeze in a bit about Boone's Farm into the story. It was absolutely hilarious!!! Tim's vows were heartfelt and made me laugh of course! He is such an excellent writer. After we kissed, we both said " Goooooooo Team TJ!" Chaplain Gore laughed and said "Alright Team TJ, let's bless your marriage". I guess he thought that was a pretty funny thing to say after we kissed! hahhahaha!

After the ceremony we took pictures and headed back to our place to have a Texas style reception...yep, a B-B-Q! Since the puppies had been cooped up all day, we made the 2 minute walk with the family in tow down to the beach and you won't believe what we saw - dolphins feeding and breaching out of the water only about 100 feet off the beach. It was amazing! It was so cool that our family got to see it since most everyone had never witnessed that before. It was absolutely the most perfect wedding! It was amazingly effortless and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I married the man of my dreams and I am so excited to see what adventures we have together.

Here is link to a slideshow of pictures!

http://s373.photobucket.com/albums/oo176/timmyandtraci/?albumview=slideshow

Surprise! Honey I'm Home!

2008-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

As some of y'all have read Traci and I recently moved into our new home. But after only two days of being in our new house I had to go back out to sea for two and a half weeks and leave my soon to be bride and our instant family (Coop, LuLu, and Andie).

As sad as I was to leave I knew I was going some place fun - NYC and NJ. NYC was a phenomenal time! We were up there for the 100th anniversary of the Great White Fleet. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, Google it, it's quite interesting. We hosted the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), many Admirals and Generals, and lots of interesting people. It was super busy with the preps for the ceremony and reception and public tours. I spent most of my time rubbing elbows with the "brass" and even ran into my old ROTC instructor who is the aide to the SECDEF. I was able to get off the boat for a few hours one evening to have dinner with some fellow Officers whom were mostly pilots. As it turns out I had gone to flight school with two of them. It's a small world in the Navy.

We were in NYC for only about four days then headed over to NJ for a few days. After we got to NJ I was talking to one of my buddies who told me he was planning on renting a car and making the five hour drive down to Virginia to visit his wife for the weekend. I thought it was a great idea and was a great opportunity to surprise Trace. The scheming began...

On Friday, Oct 17th I called Traci and said I had ordered something online and UPS was to deliver it between 2 and 3 pm that day and she needed to be home to sign for it. She seemed a little disappointed because she was planning on seeing a movie that afternoon but I knew she wouldn't be disappointed for long. The entire drive down Trace and I text messaged, just bs'ing. I told her I was in my office doing paperwork so she wouldn't get suspicious as to why I was able to text (she knows I get cell reception in my office). Around 3:30 pm I got to the house and rang the doorbell. You may ask why I rang the doorbell at my own house. For two reasons: 1. I didn't have my keys and 2. I don't think the UPS guy would just walk in the door. I think that would've gave her a heart attack if she heard someone stroll in through the front door. Back to the story...I rang the doorbell and heard barking and the pitter patter of 12 little paws bouncing around on the other side of the door and Trace trying to get them under control. As she opened the door she was looking down and back at the kids trying to keep them from bolting out the door. As she looked up at me, she said simply "Oh hey" with a smile on her face, like she was seeing a man in all brown. I counted in my head "One one-thousand, two one-thousand..." and then the look on her face just said it all. It hit her who I was and her smile grew from ear to ear as tears welled up in her eyes. She was so confused as to what was going on and how I was standing at our door. We hugged and kissed and I explained how I found my way home to her. She was so happy! So was I! OH, and I can't forget to mention that I was mauled by all three kids!

We spent the entire day just enjoying each other's company. That evening we continued our Friday night tradition with "Date Night" by going to the local mall and seeing a movie. She mentioned she wanted to see "The Secret Life of Bees" and while online looking for movie times we saw that "W" was playing too. I really wanted to see "W" so Trace said we should see that instead. We got to the theatre with the intention of seeing my movie, or at least that's what she thought. As I approached the ticket office I asked for two tickets to "Bees". I turned around with tickets in hand and she just stood there smiling. All in all, I'd say one our best date nights ever! We had many Tim and Traci moments all night (and if y'all know us, by that I mean retarded moments that we just laughed our asses off at each other). Great movie btw!

The rest of the weekend we spent walking the dogs, an attempt to walk to the beach but since the surf was so high there actually was no beach - it was all water, grocery shopping, cooking, and relaxing on the couch and watching a movie. I was really excited for the latter part since we got the couch right before I left and I had yet to actually sit on it.

I had to hit the road Saturday night at 11pm to get back to NJ by Sunday morning for duty. Now I'm back on the ship and it feels like this weekend was nothing more than a dream since it went by so fast. But I'll be home in just a few short days, but this time for good, well, at least for about five months! And I get home just in time to celebrate my 30th birthday! woot woot! I have no idea what Trace has planned but whatever it is I know it'll be good! And just a week after that Traci and I will exchange vows on the beach with the backdrop of a beautiful light house and national park.

Stay tuned for more...

Virginia so far.....

2008-10-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

Virginia so far is sensational! The first few days after we arrived, we worked endlessly to get all of Tim's stuff moved in as he had duty that Monday, and then was leaving Tuesday for New York. True to form, we did make it to the gym, though! Woot Woot! Thank goodness too after being on the road for so many days! Tim was most excited to go shopping for things for the house, what was first on the list.....yep...a TV hahahaha. Once we got that accomplished we moved onto some place to sit.--couch! We ran all around town but we found the perfect couch. As soon as we get some more decorations and I feel that it is 'put together' enough, I will post pictures!

I am absolutely thrilled with our new town home. We don't even hear the people next to us, and our neighbors on the other side are marvelous. They have the cutest kids, and are incredibly nice. The puppies have loved going to the beach almost everyday to chase their ball; Lucy and Cooper get quite a lot of attention with their life jackets. Andie has never been around water and is getting braver every day! When Tim gets home, we are going to go buy her a life jacket for sure! The kids are getting used to each other, and have gone a couple days without any tifs...

The only thing I don't understand in Virginia, is the jay walking. People will be 20 feet from a cross walk, but instead they will cross four lanes of 50 mph traffic with KIDS! It boggles my mind, why you wouldn't just wait for the cross walk... There has been more than one occurrence that I have had to come to a complete stop for a walker that just sauntering across the road. Weird!

I am so happy to be here, and very excited for my handsome fiance to come home!

Road Trip of a lifetime….

2008-10-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

It all started on Monday September 29^th at around 8 am. I headed to the gym early that morning to work out with my mom and at the end of our session we said a tearful goodbye. I went back to my grandp

arent’s house to get things ready, pack the car, and pack the cooler all the while crying. I pulled it together eventually but inevitably the tears flowed without stopping after Tim and I drove away as we waved goodbye to my grandparents. This was it – mine

and Tim’s adventure began! We headed out on the road, destination Virginia with a few pit stops along the way. I think Tim thought that I was going to be a wreck the whole time until we got to Virginia, but to his surprise I only cried halfway through Wyoming….hahahaha! It was a phenomenal drive with many antelope and mule deer sitings and lots of grasslands until we reached the beautiful mountains of North…I mean South Dakota. I kept thinking we were in North Dakota, but Tim didn't correct me until we were already leaving Mount Rushmore. Oopsy! We found our hotel just outside Mount Rushmore and gathered up Andie to go see the Crazy Horse Laser Show. It was kind of random, but the monument is going to be spectacular when and if they ever complete it. They only have his face

done as of now, but when it is all finished it will be of Crazy Horse riding his h

orse and pointing to the land that was taken from his people. It will be a total of over 500 feet tall when completed. I don't think it will be completed in our lifetime since they operate on donations only and the progress over the last 10 years has been minimal. It will be interesting to go back and see

what progress they will make throughout the years since we have seen it in the beginning stages. We were pooped so we headed back to the hotel to hit the sack since we had an early run planned the next day.

Tuesday September 30^th…WE ARE EN FIANCED!!! ! A.K.A ENGAGED!!

Tuesday started early with us hopping out of bed to find the Horse Thief Lake trail head. We arrived and were happy to see we were the only ones at the lake. The sun was breaking through the mountains and glistening on the lake. We started out on the run to look for the trail head. I kept seeing signs saying we were headed to for the exit of the camp ground and tried to tell

Timmy this but he wanted to explore. I was inevitably right so we tu

rned around and ran back the way we came. I couldn't figure out why he wouldn’t listen to me. We ran through the campground and around the lake where we crossed a beautiful bridge that overlooked the whole lake. We had been discussing the altitude and how it was affecting us, so Timmy said " Babe, I need to stop and stretch, I think I’m cramping up" I responded " Ok, just stretch it out babe" then leaned over the bridge and started looking at the lake wishing I could see a fish jump or swim under the bridge. Tim said my name and as I turned around he was down on his knee!!!!!!! I was so surprised even though I knew he was going to propose some time soon I DIDN’T expect it then. Of course my response was "Yes" through tears. This was the happiest day of my life. I am so lucky to have such a won

derful, hilarious, caring man to be with for the rest of my life. So needless to say I have been on cloud nine ever since. We continued the day with heading over to visit Mount Rushmore, which was marvelous. We have officially decided that we are going to return in an RV with the kids to celebrate our anniversary. We then had to get on the road again to make it to Nebraska. As if the day couldn't have been more perfect as we were leaving South Dakota we saw a sign with "Jensen Road" on it. Of course I made Tim stop to take a picture. Afterall, I am going to be a Jensen! Notice our new picture in the 'about me' section

Wednesday October 1^stand Thursday October 2, 2008

This day we left Nebraska, went through Missouri, and made it to Kentucky! Tim was all about making a few detours along the way to see some pretty random stuff. He wanted to stop in Iowa to see the “Corn Palace”. Needless to say, we skipped that and continued with the drive. As we entered

Missouri we stopped at the Welcome Center off the interstate to get some pamphlets on sites that were on our route. We wanted to stop at the Budweiser Brewery for a tour and see the Clydesdales but they didn’t allow dogs and we didn’t want to leave Andie in the car so we skipped that one too. We did stop and see the St. Louis Arche around sunset. It was absolutely beautiful to see the sun reflecting off the arche. But don’t worry, we got lots of great pics! We had a tremendous time goofing off at the park for a bit. At this point we were both pretty loopy since we had been in the car for three days now and had also been taking supplements that my dietician gave me to lean up. They really affected Tim in that his patience and multi-tasking skills went right out the window. It was hilarious! It was wonderful spending so much time with Tim. On the entire drive I think we had the radio on for a total of maybe an hour or two. Most of the time we just talked and laughed at each other. I cherished it so much because as soon as we got to Virginia we had the weekend to move in the new house then he had to head back to the ship! This trip was amazing and so funny. I can't wait for all our new adventures. We made it to Virginia around 7:30 pm to our home sweet home!

Hunkering down for IKE

2008-09-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

To all Tim's parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews...I hope y'all are hunkering down and either getting out of town or preparing for Ike! Tim and I are thinking about you guys, hoping you are all safe! Roni...I sure am glad to hear you guys live on a hill! xoxoxoxo

MOVING!

2008-09-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

So it is official...I AM MOVING! Now the fun begins - the sorting of stuff, memories, finding of old treasures, and making decisions of what to get rid of. The one positive thing of finding old treasures is that they can become new treasures to a four year old boy named Joey! Between a harmonica and some old toy slug bug cars ( I loved slug bugs when I was little) they all became his! But being the sweet boy he is he made sure Jackson ( Allie's little boy) got the red one, Alex, his little brother, got the black one, Tessa, Allie's other little girl, got the pink one, and Joey got the 'lello' one! Such a sweet kid!

There is so much still to do, so I better stop blogging and get packin! :)

Niagra Falls!!!!

2008-09-03T05:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a phenomenal time in Rhode Island so far! Timmy is in class so I have a chance to blog while doing laundry in the Navy hotel! This trip has included visiting friends Rob and Michele, gym time, running, road trip to Niagara Falls, Newport mansions and experiencing downtown. But the trip isn't over yet!

Here is a snippet of our roadtrip to Niagara Falls....
I arrived on Wednesday night to finally end the longest month of my life.... I finally got to see my handsome man and MY truck :) On thursday Tim had class so I hung out all day and used the excuse of the time difference to catch up on some sleep and reading. I really couldn't leave the base because I wouldn't be able to get back on. I was perfectly content to catch up on the news since I don't ever watch TV at home. I remembered why too, commercials are really unintelligent. When Tim got out of class we ran to the gym before we met up with Rob and Michele for some SSSSUUUSSSHHHIIIII. It was nice for Tim to see his friends and for me to get to know them better. They are good eggs for sure!

Friday we got up uber early and hit the gym. It was nice to get in there early because the gym on base doesn't have air conditioning, so if you go in the afternoon you instantly start sweating. We needed to hit the gym early because we were heading to Canada for NIAGARA FALLS! This was a first for Tim and I....a road trip that is. We sailed through it with no issues. Just feed me and give me potty breaks and I am a happy camper. At every stop we made Timmy was laughing at all the rice cake crumbs that were all over me and the interior of the truck.

Here are some tips for road tripping through New York....you have to be super aggressive because most other drivers jerks...if you have seen me drive, I am an aggressive driver but those New Yorkers put me to shame. A hot, sexy lift truck is considered a high profile vehicle....don't get us started on that because if you have a high profile vehicle your toll is double - about $30! Oh and through the seven hour trip we only met one nice toll booth person! Most did not appreciate our cheeriness.

Thank goodness for the in-dash DVD player. That sure helped the roadtrip fly by. Tim made it through my 7 million questions about what was going on with the movie while I was driving. And we officially made it safely to the border of Canada. I was amazed at what we intially saw. It was dark so we couldn't see the falls but the casino lights were all over the place. I had no idea that Niagra was almost a mini Atlantic City/Las Vegas. It completely threw me off guard. Tim had arranged for us to stay at a B&B called the Ellis House. It was very cute and quaint. I was pretty excited because Tim kept talking about the surprise for the next day. I was trying every which way to figure out what it was, but he wouldn't give me any hints.

We awoke uber early and was out the door just after eight am. I was really intrigued and couldn't believe when we arrived at our destination that we were going to go on a flat bottom jet boat ride. These boats go up to 65 miles per hour! But wait there is more - we were going to go through class five rapids on this boat! I love boats and water and feel very comfortable with water, but I was even a little nervous. Words can't describe how fun this tour was. The power of the water on this river needs to be appreciated. As we went through the rapids the wall of water that hit us was intense. We were absolutely soaked, but it was so much fun! We also did several 360's through the Niagara Whirlpool. This whirlpool is 250 ft deep and will suck 10 ton trees down for weeks.

After the jet boat tour we headed back to the B&B, got ready and headed out on the bikes to the Falls. Once you learn the history and see them up close you understand why they are one of the seven wonders of the world. It is obviously a VERY heavy tourist spot...great people watching! Taking the bikes was the best idea because parking and traffic were a nightmare. After seeing the falls from above we headed down to the Maid of the Mist where we went straight to the bottom of the falls to get a better view of these spectacular falls. On this tour you learn about several of the people that have gone over the falls and LIVED. One was a 7 year old boy named Roger, who went over the falls with only a life jacket and his swimsuit. It enamored me because the water flows over the falls at over 40 mph, sounds like a freight train, with just as much force. It just seemed impossible. We then headed to the Journey Behind the Falls which really gives you a different perspective of the falls. You can hear the intensity of the falls.

We were touristed out by then so we headed back for some food and to go running. What is nice is that there is a paved path along the river that goes through some amazing scenery. I don't think people realize that running on vacation really gives you a great perspective on areas that you wouldn't noticed just driving by. You get to see and find new things that you would otherwise miss. I love that Tim likes to run too so I don't have to do it by myself. After a nice 5 mile run we made it back to the B&B and got spiffied up to go out on the town.

As we were driving into town we turned the wrong way and we ended up stepping into Vegas in Canada. There were so many lights and people we almost couldn't get anywhere. MY truck got lots of looks it was kind of funny how much attention it got. When we finally decided on a place to eat and managed a parking spot, we then got scammed! Yes, well I shouldn't say 'we' I should say 'I' because as we were exiting the truck a guy came up and told us it was five dollars to park there. Tim kept questioning him and I just got five dollars and gave it to the guy....needless to say it was a scam. He obviously needed it more than us but Karma will get him for preying on people! That didn't ruin our dinner at the Love Boat Restaurant, which sounds really chessey, but was actually quite nice. While at the restaurant we met Karla, our server. She just had twins and was a tiny tiny thing. We chit chatted with her quite a bit and had a great time at dinner.

If you thought the falls were pretty during the day at night they are illuminated with different color lights...it is stellar to see. It was windy and I had a dress on, so I was constantly having Marilyn Monroe moments. We got some amazing pictures at night and all through out the day so once I get back to Utah I will post them. After dinner we were absolutely exhausted after our 17 hour day. We got up at 6 am the next morning to head back across the border since Karla gave us some advice to help us avoid the usual three hour wait to cross the border.

Thankfully I have until Saturday in Rhode Island and then two weeks at home then Tim is flying out and we are driving back to move into our house in Virginia. Woot!! Woot!!! Check back soon to hear about Timmy's version as well. Cheers! :)

Timmy's version:

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited for Traci to fly to RI. Rob and Michele gave me the idea of going to Niagara Falls and staying in a B&B since they had done it a couple of years prior. Thankfully they still had all the tourist books so it made planning our trip really easy. While looking through the books I saw a Jet Boat Tour and instantly thought we HAVE to do it! The hardest part was keeping it a secret from Trace.

The road trip up there was great. I have a few words to describe it: rice cake crumbs, lots of questions, lots of bathroom breaks, rude drivers and toll booth attendants, and thank God for Lola - our GPS!

After driving for seven hours we got to the border. We didn't even notice the falls were right there! But in our defense it was at night and we were pretty focused on not getting lost since Lola isn't Canadian.

After a good night's rest we hit the door running to make the secret jet boat tour early in the AM. Once we got to the location and Trace saw what we were about to do she lit up with excitement and I think a little nervousness. We had about an hour to burn while we waited to load up in the boat so we found a little coffee joint in the wine country and came across an all Christmas store. Trace had to go in so we could continue with her family tradition of buying an ornament for every Christmas. Who knew that moose with Santa hats on could be so uletide.

We made it back in time to board the boat and of course we sat in the one spot on the boat that gets hit the most often and with the most intensity of waves. One particular wave that crashed on us felt like a wall of bricks and threw Trace in her neighbor's lap and pushed me to the floor boards where I jacked my face on the unpadded bar in front of me - felt great!

From there we rode our bikes into town to see all that Niagara had to offer. On the Maid of the Midst Tour, as we exited the boat and crammed into the elevator to take back to street level we got to know everyone very intimately. Nothing like being nut to butt with 30 strangers in a 10 passenger elevator. One lady had a couple of pre-teenage kids that were obnoxious. As she exited the elevator she turned back around and looked at us and said "I have two words - birth control!" We busted out laughing!

That night we headed back into town all dressed up for a nice dinner. As we drove into town just a few blocks up the hill from the falls we came to a part of Niagara that we had no idea existed - Las Niagara! As we rolled up to a stop light at the base of the busy busy strip Traci looked over and saw how many people were everywhere. She instantly started to breathe really heavy and said in a quick voice "go straight go straight!" The only problem was that I was in a right turn only lane and there were cars to my left. So I turned to plow straight through the herd of people. But then people started staring at the truck and I think oogling over Traci since she looked so hot and all of the sudden she relaxed and started to smile. haha!

The next day we headed back to Newport and thankfully there was no traffic. The remaining days in RI we went on a harbor cruise, ate lots of sushi, hung out with Bobby and Mitch, saw all the famous Newport mansions, and had a nice run on the beach.

I was sad to see Trace go but I knew the next time we were together it would be for good in VA. As soon as I get back from this next underway period I am flying to SLC, throwing Traci and her stuff in the car, and dragging her to Virginia. As soon as we get back we'll move into our new beach house and that's when the fun begins - furniture shopping, 30th bday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Stay tuned for more adventures of Timmy and Traci...

Newport, RI

2008-08-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here I am in Newport, RI for Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) until Sept 6th. It's so nice to be back in Newport after nearly nine years of being away. This town has a charm and beauty that is very unique and I always love coming back here.

Since I arrived on Aug 17th I have completed several tests and attended many briefs. Honestly I thought this school was going to be a complete waste of time but to my surprise I am thoroughly enjoying myself and learning more that I ever imagined and meeting wonderful people along the way.

In my first week I had many surprises. I knew Rob and Michele were up here and expected to see them but I have also run into a few other people I have known for years. On the second day of class I ran into my old department head from my first ship and just a few minutes later I ran into the old weapons officer from the same ship. Then after that I ran into a friend, Chon, who I went to ROTC with back in Utah.

Just last night I met up with with Rob, Michele, Chon and his wife Sandra for a BBQ. We spent most of the night bs'ing and catching up. Come to find out Sandra is a psychologist and after Mitch spilled the beans on my history in Utah Sandra decided she wanted to psychoanalyze me. If you have never been been psychoanalyzed by a drunk therapist, I definitely recommend it! haha!
Tonight I'm meeting up with the gang again on base for the Huey Lewis and the News Concert. There is supposed to be an amazing fireworks show after the concert...I'll try to get some pics and post them.
But what I am most excited for is coming up this Wednesday. Traci is flying up from Utah and staying until Sept 6th! Over Labor Day weekend we are traveling up to Niagara Falls to stay in a bed and breakfast for the weekend. Neither of us have ever been there so I am really looking forward to it. I have a few things planned while we are in Canada, some of which Trace has no idea. She has no clue what's in store for her! haha!

I haven't really decided what we are going to do after Niagara. I'm thinking maybe Boston or maybe heading back to Newport. Either way, the sky is the limit. And as long as we are together it doesn't matter where we are because I know we will have a ridiculously good time. We always do!

As soon as we get back I will make sure to post pics of the trip. So until then...

The Process begins.....

2008-08-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Officially, I put in my two weeks notice with Nutraceutical Corporation in Park City, Utah. I am going to miss the people I work with so much. There are exceptional people that work for Nutraceutical, and you spend so much time with them that they really become a family. The girls I work with have become good friends; They are active, strong, beautiful women. Alison, Sue, Jen, Jennie, and Ashley I will miss each very dearly. Jacque, from our Ogden facilities, I conversed with you on a regular basis, and even though we never met; I will miss being your buddy! :)

On the most positive note... The reason I am leaving is to pack up and make the road trip of the year with Jill and Chelsey to Virginia to be with my handsome sailor! Woot Woot! You better believe there will be many, many pictures to document this trip. If any of you know us, we are camera whores, so coop us up in a Toyota Camry for 25oo miles, there is bound to be some good pictures!

Random Thoughts....

2008-08-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I am taking a year off from competing to make some improvements on my deltoids and back, which I consider to be my weak areas, and need improvement since my goal is to compete in a national show. Thanks to my nutritionist I had a less structured eating plan for Vegas but for the rest of the year I am on the straight and narrow. What amazed me is how diet really affects the body. Even though while in Vegas I still ate clean, my body responded in ways I didn't expect. This is what sparked these random thoughts on how your body reacts with food that you feed it!

The whole week before Tim came into town I continued with my routine of weighing myself every morning and texting it to my nutritionist. I had been consistently at 120 lbs. Tim comes into town, we go out for sushi and within two days I weighed 4lbs heavier. By the end of the trip I weighed 128 lbs. We worked out five days a week, didn't eat anything fried and we followed a diet of cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken, and oatmeal with the occassional sushi dinner. I looked at him and said he had to go home because eight lbs just came into my life with him! hahaha!

When we got home from Vegas it was back to the normal routine. I started back on my diet and dropped those eight lbs within two days. I had just encountered my first "salt bloat" experience. I couldn't believe the fact that even though we were ate clean, how quickly my body responded. This totally reiterates the fact YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT AND DRINK!

It's so important for people to know and understand that eating for health is so vital. Eat often and prepare ahead of time so you don't resort to making crappy choices. Realize that getting to the gym isn't neglecting your kids or spouse. You are getting healthy so you won't miss out on life due to health problems. Going with your spouse can provide good quality time together, stress relief, bonding, and so much more! Take control of your health and try to make changes in your life to get off medications. I recommend everyone checks out Tosca Reno's "Eating Clean Cook Book". Adopt the philosophy of eating clean and I promise you will see improvements in your body and mind. I introduced this book and idea of 'eating clean' to my friend Chelsea and it has been amazing. Her self esteem and attitude toward fitness and health has vastly improved. But the thing that really makes 'eating clean' happen is her. She has taken ownership in her health. SHE is the one planning and preparing her food, thus changing her relationship with food. SHE is getting active and not being afraid of weights and lifting heavy. So as you can see you can buy the book and read it but the difference is YOU have to change your mind and actually cook, plan, and prepare! Fitness isn't a destination it is a journey. Never stop looking how you can improve yourself mentally and physically!

Thanks for listening to my randome thoughts today! :)

MY PROGRESS:

My family and friends all realize what a freak I am and I realize how much calmer my life is with a plan of action to reach my goal. I am currently at 7 meals on non work out days and 8 meals on work out days. I have put on 5 lbs of lean mass and my body fat has stayed the same. I am pleased with my results and my nutritionist thus far. I realize my next competition is going to be fierce since it is a national show. I want to place in the top three...I want to prove that I won't get my ass kicked by these girls....I am going to work hard and come in strong! :)

Here are some pictures to show you where I started in August of 2007 and where I am in May 2008:

May 2008 August 2007:

Tim's Progress:

Okay, so now it's time for me to chime in. This is my story: I have always been into fitness. I am no stranger to the gym but a clean diet is what's semi foreign to me. Between Trace and the "Eating Clean" cookbook that she mentioned before I have learned so much about what my body needs to grow.

While in college, I know it sounds crazy, but I was super into partying hard. Between eating anything that was put in front of me and drinking until my liver screamed uncle then drinking just a little more just to make sure I put it out of it's misery, my gains were minimal. I also adopted the mentality that I would work out super hard during the "drinking off season" (ie winter months). Then as soon as the peak drinking season hit (ie summer) I would be where I wanted to be physically and could take the next three months off to party. At the end of the summer the cycle started over again. I know it doesn't really make much sense but at the time it seemed like a fantastic idea! haha.

Needless to say, that way of thinking is long gone. I am approaching the big 30 and health and healthy living are at the very top of my priority list. God willing I want to live a long time. Heavy drinking and eating crap absolutely do not play a role in achieving that goal. For the last couple of years I have changed my mindset and have been working hard on educating myself on exercising and eating right.

Most of you know I left for the Middle East last February. There is not much else to do while deployed other than work and workout. Eating clean is a challenge since Navy food is dipped in butter and grease before they fry it and serve it. But with some preplanning I was able to provide myself with enough supplies to maintain a clean diet for six months. Thanks to a lot of canned tuna, chicken breast, and cottage cheese I was able to make some serious gains. Here are a couple of pics. The first one is from February and the last is from the end of the deployment.

Since I have returned to the States I have bought a membership at Gold's Gym and absolutely love the selection of foods at the local grocery store! I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am not to have to eat canned meat for a while.

While my goal of gaining mass is fundamentally the same as when I was deployed I now have the tools available to help me readily achieve that goal. Those tools consist of food, food, and more food! I am now on a seven meal a day diet equaling approx 6,500 calories. My goal is to reach 205-210lbs. Once I get to that weight I will change my diet and workout to lean up back to 190lbs of lean mass.

Traci was absolutely right about fitness not being about reaching a destination but about the journey. Fitness is so much more than throwing around heavy weights, grunting, and looking good physically. Fitness requires dedication, self discipline, and sheer determination to push yourself further than what you think you can possibly go. All of these attributes can be applied in daily life affecting every aspect to make your life more fulfiliing and happier. And if you have someone to share this experience with (ie significant other) it just makes the journey that much more meaningful. And not to mention physically looking good helps with self esteem and confidence. And lastly the chemical affects on the body - increasing endorphines which increases happiness levels and sex drive!

I'm not a doctor but it seems the benefits far out weigh any negative stigma of lifting and eating healthy! So hit the gym, eat right, and enjoy a happier life!

El Capitan, out

HOME SWEET HOME!

2008-08-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Timmy spent Friday and Saturday looking for places for us to live and he found one! It is funny that our neighbors are Brooke and Chris and their three kids. Tim rented their other house in Suffolk before he deployed. I am very excited to meet them because from what Tim says they are very nice people. Our new pad is a townhome with three levels only three blocks from the beach!
I am so excited about that because growing up in Utah we don't really have the opportunity to 'live' by the beach. Tim also found out that our house is only four miles from a National Park with many trails for running. I have ben trail running on my lunch breaks with Alison from work in Park City and there is nothing better or challenging than that. I am getting so excited and anxious to get out there and see my handsome man! Good thing we will be seeing each other in three weeks when I visit him in Rhode Island. Woot! Woot!

THE KIDS ARE BACK!

2008-07-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Virginia after taking two weeks of leave to see Trace in SLC. As you can see from the other posts it was very eventful. Let me give you my version of the events that transpired with with Trace beginning with my arrival to the SLC airport.

Once my plane landed I walked down the corridor towards baggage claim. The anticipation was killing me to see Traci. We had talked for 5 months about this moment. She mentioned she would be wearing a new sundress and I was of course in my Summer Whites. As I exited the jetway I had a huge smile since I fully expected to see Trace standing there waiting for me. I looked around...looked some more...and more...and...I'll let Trace tell the rest.

I'll pick up again a few minutes later when I finally saw her. My heart literally skipped a beat. I couldn't believe that THIS moment was finally here. We embraced and I kissed her. Instantaneously it felt like we had never been apart, like we had been together for years. It was such a good feeling. My entire trip was like that - there was no weird adjustments. After the butterflies in my stomach subsided I was able to just enjoy the moment and totally relax.

The first few days I was in town we did some hiking, a lot of working out, sushi, more sushi, and of course the first time to meet the family. All in all, I'd say everything went really well. I think it's safe to say that I have the approval of Jack and Z.

Next we were off to Vegas. I could write a novel on this trip. We stayed at the Venetian, which was freakin' AMAZING! We did everything from hang out with friends, saw my family, I inadvertantly acquired tiger stripes, Trace and I were a shit show several times, made friends with a Verizon Wireless guy, did LOTS of shopping, saw "O", became a sushi connoisseur (I won't mention the waitress!), nearly missed our flight home, and a couple of things I really can't mention.

Once we made it back to SLC it was back to work for Trace and back to the normal routine. While she was at work I figured I might as well keep the streak going of buying a car every time I come to Utah. So I called Keith and made a deal. The newest addition to Team TJ is a 2007 Camry. And soon enough we will be minus one Lexus. The plan is for Trace to drive the new car to VA in October. Thank goodness the car is much bigger than the Lexus so she can fit more of her crap in it when she moves out here.

I made it safely back to Virginia last week and soon after picked the kids up. Last night was my first night with Luc and Coop in over 5 months. They were all about snuggling - go figure!

Right now we are staying with my buddy Derek while I look for a house on the beach. Hopefully I will have everything set up and ready for Trace and Andie's arrival in a few weeks.

I can't wait for Labor Day in RI!

Pics are coming soon...

Desolation Trail

2008-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add in our short hike up Mill creek canyon when Timmy was in Salt Lake. We planned on hiking Grandeur Peak and missed it so since it was getting late and the day hotter we decided to do Desolation Trail.

Desolation Trail is a quick hike, 2 hours up and about 1 hour down, so a total of three hours. It climbs over 4000 ft in elevation but isn't that strenuous. But when you get to the top you can see the whole Salt Lake Valley. It was a bit smoggy, but still very pretty. Andie came with and she was such a trooper, it didn't even wear her out completely. She had a quick nap on my lap and, then as usual, she was back to her mischievous self.

It was so much fun. Timmy was happy to actually be outdoors and hike again instead of just hiking stairs on the ship. I was happy to see that the elevation didn't affect him too much. Here are some of the pictures we took along the way and at the top.

Team TJ is minus one!

2008-07-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

So Tim officially left for Virginia this morning. We had a little run in with the Mormon Utah holiday with the parade and all, but we persevered through the numerous roadblocks, the cops chastising us for scheduling a flight on Pioneer day, and the runners. Kudos to the runners!

He made it safely home, with all his luggage. I bet the kids are going to be especially happy to go home with him tonight. Andi even warmed up to Tim this trip she spent several days running errands and napping and playing the whole time he was in town. She was uber tired from being at Grandma Zelma's house running with Joey everyday while we were in Vegas!

Speaking of Vegas....let me just say we had a MARVELOUS, SENSATIONAL, PHENOMENAL time. We arrived on Wednesday, with the gorgeous Ashley picking us up. We headed to a sushi lunch...which I thoroughly enjoyed since I was officially off my diet somewhat for the trip.....then went to the Venetian got checked in and got ready to hit up the local bar Blue Martini...Which from 6-8 is happy hour, and you basically get two martinis for the price of one since they give you the shaker! I hadn't drank in a while so lets just say I was a cheap date. :) It was so good to see, dance, and chit-chat with my best friend. I miss her a lot and I am so proud of her...Rachel Miranda came by after she got done golfing and it was really good to see her, although Ash and I probably were pretty annoying by then since we were pretty toasted! :)

The next day, we hung out by the pool and was so happy to have Brighton, tim's sister in-law, his two nephews: Garrett and Asher, and Tim's Mama come hang out with us. It was the first time I had met his mom, but it felt like we had known each other for years. Asher is such a fun baby, and Garrett is an awesome big brother....he even helped with bottle prep and changing Asher. That night Timmy and I got all dressed up to go see the Cirque de Solei show called "O." There are not any adjectives around to describe this show....it was absolutely incredible. Everyone should go see this show if you have the chance. Then we went out to a very nice sushi dinner at Social House at Treasure Island....I think Timmy was in love with the waitress and almost left me for her....since he continued to talk about her clear into the next day... hahaha

Saturday was chill again, with pool time and shopping. We then went out to dinner with Brighton, Mike, Asher, Garrett, and Mama. Tim was so happy to see his brother as his brother has been working very hard and we were afraid that we wouldn't get to see him, but, HOORAY! we did. After dinner, we headed out to Red Rock Casino to Cherry club which I absolutely love. It is super chill and really pretty! Thanks to Rachel for being our designated, you are a great friend to put up with our asses! The bouncers loved Ash, Timmy, and me busting out the shopping cart and lawn mower moves!

Then Saturday came and we were off to the airport. Where Timmy and me were in such fantasy land we almost missed our flight, even though we were right by the terminal! hahaha! All in all an stellar trip! Timmy totally spoiled me and I can't wait for our next adventure!