Lots to celebrate

Last week was crazy with Jon and I cleaning out, packing, organizing, packing and moving all of our "stuff" out of our old house. As of this morning, we are out and the old house is being dismantled. I'll try to get pictures up later this week.

On Saturday Jon and I were able to get away for another overnight date. My brother and sister-in-law watched Joshua this time and he had a great time with his cousin Evan. They are 6 months apart and great friends. Joshua even lost another tooth while he was there.

Jon and I arrived at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe around 4:00, so we were able to relax and enjoy the picturesque inn while getting ready for the ball that evening. This town was about the last community blocking the fires from getting to the ocean. The burned areas we drove through were stark but it was amazing to see surviving houses dotting the burned landscape. Numerous "thank you firefighters" signs mark the driveways along that road.

The ball was great fun because we had 12 friends join us. We were also with a unit that Jon used to be connected to when he was a Reservist. Many of the "old guys" showed up for the ball, so it was fun to see familiar faces. I usually don't know anyone at the big MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) balls. It was very nice to spend the night at the inn and sleep in a bit Sunday morning. Jon wore his uniform on Sunday in honor of Veteran's Day and we took a little walk into town to find some breakfast -- we were trying to save a few bucks since the breakfast at the inn was a little more that we would usually spend. Well, we were stopped by many people and Jon was thanked for his service. One man stopped his car, got out and came over to shake Jon's had. He invited us to the local church and then handed Jon $40 for breakfast. Everyone insisted that the best breakfast was at the Inn, so we headed back and enjoyed the delicious meal immensely. What an encouragement as we prepare for another deployment in two months.

When we got home Sunday, we spent the rest of the day and all day Monday getting our stuff together. It is amazing how long the final day of packing took. We fell into bed around 11:00 p.m. after going all day. But we got everything we wanted out and we are settled at our friends' home in San Clemente. My proudest moment was getting my computer set up all by myself last night. When I saw my e-mail popping up, I felt like I was home. :)

We are so grateful to have a comfortable, beautiful place to live for the next month or so. God has been very good.

Sheryl