Army | Ft. Polk, LA

While in the Army Thomas was stationed at Ft. Polk, LA aka the armpit of the United States as we like to call it. He spent roughly two years there, with a deployment to Afghanistan in between. And it was the pits. Seriously. The town outside of Ft. Polk, Leesville, consisted of strip clubs, bars, and what they referred to as "the mall" (Walmart, game stop, nail salon, laundromat). It was truly rural living and something that neither of us were used to or want to experience ever again. We are city people through and through.

While he was stationed there I was still in Michigan completing my undergraduate degree, but I'd fly down to LA about every other month to visit (and he'd fly home when he could too). We did our best to get out and explore; a few weekend trips down to Lake Charles, a trip to New Orleans, and a beach trip to Toledo Bend Reservoir, TX. The majority of the time I was down there visiting we just enjoyed each other's company and spent a lot of time at the pool.

Army | Turning Blue Ceremony

Thomas attended Basic Training at Fort Benning, GA. He left in July of 2009 and graduated in October. His parents, sister, 8 friends, and myself drove down for his graduation/Turning Blue ceremony. We were all so proud of him and happy to be there to celebrate with him!

Travel | San Diego, CA

Over Spring Break 2011 my family went to San Diego, CA. It was our last trip just the four of us and a much needed break while Thomas was deployed to Afghanistan.

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to visit California. My girlfriends and I used to say that once we graduated high school we were going to drive a Volkswagen bus down to Cali and learn how to surf. That obviously never happened, but it was fun dreaming. In some ways California lived up to my expectations, but in other ways I felt let down. I couldn't believe how crowded it was or how expensive it was. Ok, back to our trip..

While we were in San Diego we spent a lot of time walking the beach, went whale watching, kayaked  in the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla!, visited the San Diego Zoo and the La Jolla aquarium, and toured the USS Midway. My two favorite parts were seeing pandas for the first time in person at the zoo and kayaking in La Jolla!

Travel | New Orleans

While T was stationed at Fort Polk and I was living there for the summer we decided to take a long weekend trip down to New Orleans.

Prior to our trip we booked a horse carriage tour that ended up being a air conditioned 15 passenger van, but it was still a great tour. Our tour guide was an adorable older gentleman and he even had his grandson with him! We saw a lot in a short amount of time and went to places we wouldn't have on our own. The garden district, Sandra Bullock's home, the French Quarter, cemeteries, etc.

The next day we explored the French Quarter on our own. Stopping at Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Big Easy for frozen daiquiris, riding the trolley, and getting a characture drawn at the art festival. We also took a ferry ride on the Mississippi River.

We spent our final day at the Audubon Zoo and the Audubon Aquarium, which are not connected. The aquarium was eh but the zoo was awesome, especially the primate habitat! Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of zoos.

While we had a great time it's a city we probably won't visit again. We feel like we did everything we were interested in doing/seeing here and that 3 days was enough time.

Travel | Myrtle Beach, SC

For Spring Break 2010 my family went on a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. We stayed at a cottage right off of the beach and had the best time! We rented mopeds, went parasailing, played a few rounds of putt-putt golf, and even rented jet skis to ride around in the Atlantic Ocean! My grandparents and I also took a day trip down to Charleston, which was much more my scene. I'd love to visit there again some day!