because we're cool

As I mentioned in my previous post, this week has been AMAZING and the weekend did not fail us either.    The new fall weather is so inviting.  We walked to the post office and the grocery store to obtain the ingredients of the most delicious muffins ever.  Enter stage right... Spice Pumpkin Muffins.  Izzy calls them cake, I call them what-fall-taste-like-if-it-were-a-muffin.

1 box of spice cake mix
1 can of 100% pumpkin
1/3 C of milk
17 muffin cups



Mix everything together.  Bake at 375 for 18 minutes or so.  Eat and enjoy!!



The weekend also brought some drizzle but that did not stop us from enjoying our first beach bonfire with friends.  We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows and avoided eating the sand at all costs.  We sat around the fire while we watched the kids enjoy the damp sand and the crashing waves.  While I enjoy every minute with these people we have met, I cannot help but feel sad knowing that one by one these friends will have to leave to venture off to their new duty stations.  Sadly, we are the last to go.  It will be hard to say good-bye to people you share unlimited texts with, bottomless glasses of wine, and watching their kids and babies morph into young people.  This is the one thing I hate about being a military family.  It is so much fun meeting new people and making new friends.  But then there are the lucky few that weave their way into your life as if they were always there and they are no longer just friends, they are your best friends, they have become your family away from your family.  It's tough letting them go.  It yanks at your heart strings and makes you wonder why making friends is even worth it.  You vouge to never get close to anyone again because the ever looming thought of going your seperate ways is just too much.  But for some reason you need those people in the end.  You need that friendship.  You need to know you are not alone and that there are other people out there just as unsure about being a military family as you are.  We need to cling to each other to survive.



















Our bonfire was missing two special families, the Bundts and the Jewells, because they were out of town.  No worries though, we will have many more and then I can write more sappy posts about how much I love them too.

The beach bonfire brought many grains of sand to our home.  As a matter of fact, the crap is everywhere.  I wouldn't change it for the the world though.

And our grand finale to Chris' week off from school... we rode the Roaring Camp Railroad through the redwood forest.... of course, with friends.  I was in aww from the height and girth of those massive trees.  Rooted deep into the soil, stretching up to the heavens to make it look like they were kissing the clouds.  Izzy slept most of the train ride.  The lull of the carriage and rhythmic sounds of the steam engine helped her doze off in my arms.  It was too early for her nap time but I didn't mind.  We sat there as a family, with our friends, and enjoyed being outdoors and being together. 





























So this brings us to today.  Monday.  Izzy is in preschool and Chris started a new quarter of classes.  The house is empty but only for a while.  We have company coming on Wednesday.  One of my favorite girls in the whole wide world.  Our first daughter, Lina.  It is never a dull moment when she is around.  I can't wait! Her visit will bring more outings and more gatherings with friends because we're just cool like that.