Very Behind...

Well we have been up to a lot lately with the summer in full swing (and me still working pretty much zero)...so busy, in fact, that I have not had time to keep track of it all. Here is a little dose of what has been going on:

Croatan National Forest/ Cherry Point Air Show/ Fort Macon/ Maritime Museum/ Beaufort

Croatan...

While waiting to get on base, we just started driving around; I am pretty familiar with Havelock, but Jason isn't so he pulled out the GPS and just started finding bodies of water on it and driving towards them. Well, I have driven by the signs a million times for the Croatan National Forest, but am normally on my way to the beach and so I have never stopped to explore. Come to find out, there are some amazing things right off the highway and we found this great spot that comes out on the sound and has a freshwater stream that actually feeds out into the ocean...so cool! Here's a look at us basking in the beauty...

While we were there, we were just hanging out sitting on the beach and here come the Blue Angels, flying overhead. They went over a few times, I guess warming up for their show the next day. This is one of the videos Jason got; nothing like a private show!

Air Show:

So we, after some hardships, met Alicia and Paul on base for the Air Show a couple of weeks ago. There was some really cool stuff that we couldn't really get pictures of, like demolition explosions for instance, but we had a great time getting to do the couple thing and Jason even managed to cut a deal on some funnel cakes (a big favorite of mine!) We are just sitting there and he looks at me and says, "I want to buy you a funnel cake" and then goes in search of one of the magic ATM's that popped up in the middle of the air strips :) Ah, what an amazing boyfriend! Here are some of things we got to explore while we waited for the show to start...

...right before he launched off ...what a beast of a hummer

the top, crazy pup!

Fort Macon:

After illegally camping on the beach (which was not the most fun by the way) and waking to the beautiful scenery, we headed off to Fort Macon. Jason hadn't been here in years and it had been couple years for me too, so we decided to spend Saturday in the area. Thankful for Jason's camping stove, we ate beef-aroni for breakfast (so yummy!). Then we situated Jasper in as cozy and shady a manner as possible (since apparently dogs are not allowed at the Fort) and even hung towels on the outside of the car as sun barricades for the poor pup. Now off to the Fort! Even though it has only been like 2 years since I was last here, things have changed a LOT! There is a whole new visitors center and some new stuff in a few of the exhibits...odd how fun history can be. Here are a few of our impressions of life at the Fort in days past...

Maritime Museum:

I had also been here before, but only once and I thought it would be a fun addition to our day after Fort Macon...so off we went! Museums are always interesting to me, because every time you go, there are different artifacts they have brought in or taken out. We definitely found some cool stuff to play in and after taking our submarine picture (and thanks to the children taking pictures before us, getting "The Yellow Submarine" stuck in our heads) decided to make the sub into an impressionist piece of art with us detailing the progression of a tadpole into a frog. (Not really lol, but that is definitely what the pictures remind me of... Oh and the first one is a real sub...unlike the bright yellow one ;)

Beaufort:

A beautiful little coastal town, Beaufort is an interesting place full of boats and country stores, homemade food and homemade crafts. After trying on fun hats and shell rings, we decided just to stroll around. We found, to my extreme excitement, a book mobile parked on a street corner and I didn't even have to coerce Jason into letting me check it out! So, with me being in Heaven, at this moment we start exploring and all the books were either $0.50 or $1.00; it was kind of a good thing I was broke and left the little money I had in the car...until it happened. I am standing there, perusing the shelves and then I see it:

My beloved, Tuesdays with Morrie...

Only my most favoritist book of all time, sitting there, on the shelf of rejected books, for only a dollar (it is hardback)...I spin around so fast I don't know what to do and exclaim, "Jason, its my favorite book!" After a second of arguing, off he sprints, back to the car to collect any loose change (he was supposed to be getting my wallet, mind you) and back with the saving grace of pennies, nickels, and dimes he comes (don't worry he drove back instead of running all that way again!) So my boyfriend bought me one of the BEST presents I have EVER gotten and all for just a dollar (although I kind of think he scraped up the change so it would quit jingling in the car as he drives); ah -- he is absolutely amazing!

Cookout/ Strawberry picking/ Motorcycle Rides/ Checking out Tammy & Chad's new house/ Apartment Hunting

I don't have pictures from a lot of these, but either way, it was an amazing weekend!

Cookout:

So Jason's sister Christy's husband Ryan (lol) just got a new job, so to celebrate we headed out to their place to surprise Ryan after his last day at his old job!! It was a ton of fun getting to meet a lot of Jason's extended family and even his brother Adam and his family, since I hadn't met them yet!! I got to help Christy get stuff together before everyone got there and even got to play with her girls some! All of Jason's nieces and nephews are crazy cute and a ton of fun!!

We grilled out, played outside, and had a bonfire. I'm beginning to think that Christy and Ryan don't have people over without having a bonfire and I am definitely in support of that!!! (To the left is a picture of the last bonfire we went to there.) Jason's mom wasn't there because she was spending her birthday weekend with some friends, but everyone else near by seemed to be there. I am glad that so many of his siblings live close, but it definitely makes me miss my brother Duane and his family out in Arizona. I would love to have them 30 minutes down the road like most of Jason's are for him...maybe one day!

Strawberry Picking:

This was quite the day! We actually got up early and headed out because the website for DJ's Farm said that it is best to pick strawberries in the morning, when it is still cool. I'm not sure how we got tricked into thinking that even the morning during a NC summer could be cool...but we did, so off we went! We decided to take the motorcycle because I was still getting used to riding at this point and we figured we wouldn't get too many strawberries, so we could just stick 'em in the saddlebags and be on our way! As it turns out, the bucket (yes that huge thing in the picture) was the better deal, so we went with that. And yes, we somehow made it fit in the saddlebag!!! It took us forever to pick strawberries. This was partly because we kept taking pictures, and partly because of some of the other tips DJ's website gave us...for example picking only those that are 3/4 red, so that they have time to ripen and will not spoil right away. These are some of the tips we followed, but they have a gazillion more...

Strawberries that are picked when three-fourths red will develop full color and flavor in one to two days at 70°F. Berries that are only half-red will seldom have the flavor, texture, or size of berries that are more mature when picked.

The best time to pick the fruit is early in the morning when the berries are still cool. The fruit should be picked with the stem attached. This is accomplished by grasping the stem between the thumb and forefinger and pinching it off. Pulling and snapping, but leaving the cap on, is all right if the fruit is to be used immediately.

It is best to use or process the berries soon after picking, because fruit that is stored for several days will lose some of its fresh, bright color. It will also shrivel and generally deteriorate in quality. For best storage, keep strawberries at a temperature below 40°F and at a relative humidity of 85 to 90 percent.

Overall, it was an awesome time and we found a lot of great strawberries! Later that night, I made my family's Strawberry Shortcake for Jason...it is one of my favorite family recipes :) I love how such simple activities become adventurous when you have someone to accompany you!

Motorcycle Rides:

So a couple months back now, Jason bought a new motorcycle (and I am proud to say that he got it from a guy out of Greenville--see honey, Greenville is good for something!!) and he has had me addicted since day one! I had never actually ridden a motorcycle before, but I absolutely love it...this seems to be a trend with new stuff Jason has me try! His gorgeous 2002 Honda Shadow is quite the bike (the after-market Cobra exhaust helps a little) and I love riding with him! When we are in Raleigh, and its not raining, we take it pretty much everywhere. On this particular day we gave Jasper his first ride...needless to say, we didn't make it far before he was trying to crawl around because he was so excited, so we had to forgo that one this time around and save him for our next trip to Tammy's -- withOUT the motorcycle!

Tammy & Chad's:

Okay so there will definitely be more on this place as we have already done a ton more stuff here, but this place is AWESOME!!!!! It is basically everything I have ever wanted in a house except that it is missing a classic wrap-around porch...other than that: EVERYTHING! There is a lot of room and this place even has what we think used to be slave quarters, no joke! Amazing! More on this later :)

Apartment Hunt:

Well this is pretty much sucky, but it was fun none-the-less. After church Sunday, since we were in Garner, we rode by an apartment we had found online and that I was interested in possibly living in if and when (cross your fingers, spin around three times, and spit over your shoulder) I get a job with Wake County Schools. Unfortunately, the place I was looking at doesn't seem to be in the greatest area, but it was fun to go and look and it brought to my remembrance the fact that I won't be able to rent from anyone, unless personally, without a job because they are going to want proof that I can pay them...this is going to get interesting. How to find a place to live when I most likely won't get hired until middle of July/ beginning of August and my lease ends July 31st?! Definitely going on Faith with this one.

We've still been busy so:

Coming soon...Helping Tammy and Chad move/ "Take Your Girlfriend to Work" Day/ Frisbee Golf and much more!!