Cone Head

Poor Kaia was fixed this week and has to wear a cone and she is hating it. I thought that she would slow down a little but having surgery hasn't slowed her at all.

Ok, Now I can breath...

Life is getting back to normal. We are settled into our place in Kailua and even added a new addition to our family. Hudson had a new little sister, Kaia (Hawaiian for "Of The Sea").

(Hudson and Kaia)

Rob has been busy with his new job as XO of MSST Honolulu. Goes in before the sun comes up and doesn't usually make it home until after the sun goes down. That is ok because we have a lot of fun exploring the islands on the weekends. Rob has also been training for the Maui Marathon this September. In a few weeks we will be venturing over to the Big Island for a half marathon.

I have been busy working as well. Back with Thomson for round two. Was in Arizona this past January for the Global Sales Meeting and it was great getting to see old friends again. I love to work remotely, but you miss the office shenanigans.

(Julie, Marcy, Amber and Me)

This past fall we had Adrianne and her fiance Paul come out as our first house guest. They loved surfing and Paul can really "Paddle Out". We had fun kayaking in Kaneohe Bay and the sun burn was worth the experience...next time remember water proof sunblock when you are in the water. While Rob and I worked during the week they ventured over to Maui and enjoyed the beaches of the Ritz.

(Paul and Adrianne on the North Shore)

The Loewes were our second group of visitors. Rob and I both had to work during week again so they spent time on the Big Island. The found a beach that actually has green sand...on our next trip over there I am going to have to find it. We ended up doing Sunday Brunch at the Officers Club at the Marine Corp base and all ate way too much food, but it was so good. It was great getting to spend time with Jeana and Nic (we need to plan a trip to Chicago soon).

(Nic and Jeana in Waikiki)

Finally, Mom and Dad Morgan came to stay with us over Christmas. They spent a lot of time at the beach and exploring everything historical that the islands had to offer. It was great getting to spend Christmas with them. Western Michigan Men's Basketball was in town playing at the Diamond Head Classic so we got to watch them play on Christmas Day.

(Mom and Dad Morgan landing in Honolulu)

One Step Closer

The movers have been here all week packing us up to go and it is a little sad. The house is almost empty now and just a few boxes and random things left behind. California has been a lot of fun, but now it is time to try something new. It will take about a month for our stuff to make the long trip to Hawaii, so in the meantime we are going to be setting up shop back in Michigan. Rob will have to report in on July 3rd, but Hudson and I won't be there until the 11th (fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate and it won't be too hot for him to fly). It will be really nice to be back in Michigan to see family and friends.

My class reunion is happening the day I am scheduled to fly to Hawaii so I will have to miss that, but I can't believe that it has been 10 years already. I feel like it was just yesterday I was saying goodbye to all those people I grew up with. Rob missed his reunion a couple years ago as well so we will both have to go back for the 25 or whatever comes next.

Hawaii....22 days till we are there.

Hawaii Here We Come!!!

It has been a few months since we blogged last, but a lot has been going on. We received orders this past February and found out that we will be stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii on Oahu. We are really looking forward to the move, but there is so much to do before we leave. The poor dog has had to be tested and poked. The quarantine laws are very strict and to keep him out of quarantine for 120 days we are trying to get everything taken care of before we get there. Rob will be the Executive Officer (XO) for the Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST). I was very lucky when it comes to work. The company I use to work for in Michigan was looking for a remote sales rep for the west coast (including Hawaii) and I got the job. Yeah! We are still trying to figure out all of our travel plans on when we will be there, but once we get settled let us know when you want to come out an visit.

Back From Vacation

Rob and I had an amazing time on our vacation and it was hard to come back last week. We were able to see some very cool stuff and get some really neat pictures. We started out in Miami where I was able to meet up with my old college roommate, Tiffany. It was great to see her again. We were staying with a friend of Rob's from the Academy downtown Miami and went to a great place for dinner. It was like a little jungle in the middle of the city.

After departing Miami we spent the first day at sea. The first port call was Roatan, Honduras. We took a bus to a beach on the other side of the island and just enjoyed the sun and warm water. The next stop was Belize City, Belize. We took another bus to the Mayan Ruins of Altun Ha. After climbing to the top, my legs hurt for days, but it was worth it. After Belize, we went to Cozumel, Mexico. Rob picked up a few cigars and we took a nice walk along the shore. The weather was overcast so we decided to find a non-tourist restaurant and have a few beers (and a couple shots). Our last port call was supposed to be an Island in the Bahamas owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines, but due to some nasty weather the island was flooded and we went to Key West, FL. On the way to Key West, the Coast Guard had to conduct a medical evacuation of a sick kid. It was too windy for the Helicopter to land on the ships helo pad so they had to do a basket hoist. It was interesting to see, but I just hope that the kid was OK. Finally, we were in Key West. It was a beautiful day so we started off early at Pepe's for breakfast (a place Rob would go when he was stationed in Florida). Florida oranges make the best fresh squeezed OJ. We also toured the Hemingway house and got to see all the six-toed cats. It was very cool to see the place where he wrote such amazing books. It was a great vacation and it felt wonderful to relax.

During our vacation Rob's sister, Leah, came out to stay with Hudson. I hope that he wasn't too much trouble.

Roatan

Belize

Mexico

Mexico

As we were leaving the park we came across some Elk grazing. They didn't mind us being there so we got some great pictures.

Point Reyes National Seashore

We decided to take a little road trip to Point Reyes National Seashore on Saturday. Hudson had never been to the beach and Rob and I wanted to go. We loaded up the car and drove north to Marin County.

Hudson rushed to the water

Totally freaked out by the waves

Great picture of Rob and Hudson

He found a small dune to watch the sun set

Beautiful view of the shore

Big Boy

While Mom and Dad Berry where visiting Hudson got his final round of puppy shots so we were able to take him on his first trip to the local dog park. It was super fun because he got to smell everything and enjoyed the new experience off leash.

He was so tired by the time we got home. It is amazing how big he has gotten.

Family

It has been a little bit since I blogged last, but Rob and I have been busy. We have been taking Hudson to puppy class (he is teachers pet...no, really she loves him because he is such a quick learner), Rob is busy away at his Masters program and I have been on the search for a new job.

Last week we spent time with mom and dad Berry. They are on the "My Three Sons Tour" right now. They are visiting Joel in Montréal, QC, Rob in Livermore, CA and Kevin in Houston, TX. Along the way they are stopping off and doing some pretty cool things like hiking/camping in Yosemite, sightseeing in Yellowstone, and driving through the huge bases of the Sequoia trees of Sequoia National Park. While here visiting us we went wine tasting in Sonoma where we had a wonderful picnic at Buena Vista Vineyard, took Hudson for a 5 mile hike through the Morgan Territory, golfing at the local course, and indulging ourselves on the freshest cheese and produce at the San Francisco farmers market. We had a wonderful time while they were here and we all hated to see them leave. Hudson was actually sitting outside their bedroom door waiting to have them come out and play.

Packing up all the yummies that we got at the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco

Hiking at the Morgan Territory

Hudson on the trail of something good

He found it...cows! He had no idea what it was but had fun barking at it

Enjoying the view

Halloween!

We hope that you all had a wonderful Halloween. We stayed in this year and handed out candy to all the neighborhood kids. Since we only got about 50 kids last year and had a ton of left over candy we decided not to get as much this year. It was also raining so we thought that less candy would be fine. Well, we were wrong. We ended up running out of 210 pieces of candy by 8:00. You live and you learn.

Hudson had a great Halloween. We took the screen out of the front door so that we could hand out candy and not worry about him getting away. It was perfect. He was able to see and greet everyone that came to the door and boy o' boy was he a hit. All of the little kids had a blast petting him. We ended up having a line of people at our door not only to get candy but to pet the puppy. Hudson loved everyone and did awesome.

Below are our Pumpkins we carved. Hudson even got one this year. We put it on the floor and he scratched it up to his liking and then we carved his picture into it. The other picture is of Hudson's "look out" on Halloween.

My Sister Will Be on House Hunters!

This is just a reminder to watch House Hunters on HGTV tonight. My sister will be on looking for her new place in Washington D.C.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hnt/episode/0,1806,HGTV_3855_59303,00.html

San Francisco Fleet Week 2008

This week is Fleet Week in San Francisco. Rob and I were lucky enough to get underway on a Coast Guard Cutter for front row seats to the Saturday Air Show. There were 6 different flight teams but by far the coolest was the USN Blue Angels. They started off with their C-130, named Fat Albert, flying over the water in front of the city. For such a big aircraft it can really move. It isn't the best of quality video (I took it with my digital camera) but we did get some cool shots of the jets flying over head. The first couple of shots are of the Patriots flight crew and then of the Angels.

New Friends

Last weekend Hudson and I made the drive through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to visit our good friends Johanna, Tyler and their newest addition Josephine. Josephine is a 5 month old French Bulldog (so cute). We both had an amazing time and it was great to see Johanna again. He doesn't have a problem with people, but he was a little unsure of himself at first around another dog. He was a little aggressive the first day towards Josephine, but by the time we were getting ready to leave he was playing and tumbling around with her and not wanting to go. We are both looking forward to going back again to spend sometime with Johanna, Tyler and Josephine, but next time we will have to bring Rob.

A little outside play time

Some much needed down time

Johanna and her little girl Josephine

The finer things in life

The last two days have been marked by profound discoveries and a significant advancement in one of Hudson's beagle skills...digging! Yesterday, he was introduced to his first ever pig's-ear. It was truly love at first sight or scent or taste, whatever. He immediately found a comfortable spot on the floor and indulged in one of life's great puppy pleasures. Melissa and I were thrilled to see him so happy, but we were soon jealous that all his attention had shifted away from us. As we attempted to substitute his new favorite treat with his favorite toy, he quickly escaped out the open door to the backyard...giant pig's ear in tow. Before we knew it, he was in Melissa's garden digging a hole to hide the delicious new discovery from us! I swear that puppy has some sort of immunity from Melissa's fury...I wish I could have some of his cuteness! She did not even get upset when he rolled around in the dirt immediately after giving him a bath the other day...I totally think he did it just to show her who's boss. Anyway, back to the pig's ear story. Throughout the day, he dug it up several times, gnawed on it a bit, and then buried it in a new place to keep us guessing. I'm not sure he even knows where it is anymore...

Today, Hudson was determined to prevent Melissa from doing any work in the garden. I'm not sure if it was because he did not want her to find his hidden treat or he just wanted to play. In any case, he was pretty successful in distracting her for a while. That is, until he discovered the luscious WATERMELON growing out there!!!!

Today is going to be a wonderful day!

Lets begin with football. Being on the west coast Big 10 football is a no-go out here so the fact that I get to watch Michigan, Ohio State and MSU all play, that is a perfect day all by itself. But the day does get better. To help get back in shape I have been doing weight watchers and I have an additional 35 points to use today. This will come in handy tonight since Rob and I are going to celebrate my birthday and I get to eat cake...yumm.

On another good note-Rob's little brother, Kevin, has survived a Hurricane. Kevin is celebrating his 23rd birthday with Ike. Happy Birthday.

My Ankles Hurt

Our little spitfire has really turned into an "Ankle Biter". I can't seem to walk anywhere and he is nipping at my heels, literally. I was trying to snap a cute picture of him and it went from cute to...

"I am going to bite your camera and there is nothing you can do about it".

(he is still the cutest thing ever)

Aww...

Here is our little buddy playing in the yard. He is only 6-weeks old, but I know that he will get big fast.

A New Addition to the Berry Family

We would like to introduce you all to the newest addition to our family, meet HUDSON. Hudson is a six week old male Beagle. We have only had him for a day now, but boy what a day. They say the first week away from mom is hard, but I think it is actually harder on us. When he whimpers at night it just breaks my heart. I know that it will pass, but still it just pulls at your heart. He is a little spitfire. Loves running around the yard and smelling everything; but then again he is a hound dog and that it is what they do. Rob and I are both so excited to have the addition to the family.

Our Most Recent Excursion

A couple weekends ago Rob and I decided on a whim to go to Yosemite National Park. We only live a couple of hours from there so we thought why not. It is super hard to get a campsite in the park. If you ever plan on making the trip be sure to reserve your campsite about 3 months in advance (really they sell out about 30 minutes after they post the availability in the spring). We just happened to get lucky when someone cancelled their reservation. Either of us had ever been there but both wanted to go. We packed up the car and headed east. If you have never been it is totally worth the trip. I have been to A LOT of National Parks, but I have never seen anything as breath taking. Everyone has seen the Ansel Adams Black and White photos of "El Captain" and "Half Dome", but the photos don't do it's beauty justice. While we were there the Southwest portion of the park was on fire so we kept to the North end of the park and visited the Yosemite Valley area. We are going to try and make another trip back soon to see the rest of the amazing park. No bears this time around, but we did see a lot of other wildlife. We had a fun little ground squirrel that lived under our food locker (b/c of all the bears they have these heavy metal food lockers to store your food and anything else that has a scent to it).

Hello All

Well, I thought we should finally join the craze of blogging so here we go. Since we are so far away from our friends and family, and being in the ever relocating military life, we thought this would be a great way to keep everyone posted on the happenings of the newly formed "Berry Family". I am still getting use to saying that last name. I have to make a conscious effort when signing my name to things now, but I am happy to be a Berry. When people would ask for my last name I would have to say "Marsh, like the swamp" because they would always spell it MarCh, now I get to say "Berry, like the fruit" because people tend to spell it BArry. Could be worse, I could have have hyphenated it to Marsh-Berry, then I would have to say "like the swamp fruit".

Anyway, hope this will keep the friends and family posted about what we have been up to.