Love Saturday Nights

There is nothing like having awesome friends who you can do anything with... including trading spouses on the dance floor. We all went out Saturday night, and we had so much fun. I was a bit skeptic about going to a bar in Oak Harbor.. because well, lets face it. Its Oak Harbor. BUT.. it turns out, if you bring your own fun it doesnt really matter who else is there. I, as usual, was sober sally, but I prefer it that way. We had fun playing ping pong, arm wrestling, and dancing the night away. I was the only one that didnt have a hang over the next morning, I'm pretty sure! :)

Sadly, Kyle is going to be leaving us for his deployment in just a few weeks... and we will miss him while he is gone! Our little foursome just won't be the same until he returns home later this year!

Not a lot to write about... mostly just wanted to share the pictures!

What a week!

Its officially been one for the record books... a "first" for me. One that I am excited about, but also just as scared and nervous for the future.... I quit my job! It has been a long time coming, and I finally reached my breaking point. When it came right down to it, my family-- my marriage, came first. And so, I left. It feels great. I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my chest. But I am also scared. I don't know what the future holds for me, or where I am going to go... but I know I will find something. I don't have a choice but to find something. Its going to be great. I can feel it-- this is a needed change, and doors are going to open up.... I just hope they hurry! :)

Justin and I had an amazing day yesterday. We started off by going to the street fair held every year for the Tulip Festival. It was a warm, sunny day, and we strolled along the street looking at all the goodies that the vendors had to offer... Justin got a free massage, and we bought a "Marine Corps" ornament that we had our names put on... a little memory for our next Christmas tree! :)

As we were headed home, we realized that it was much too nice to spend the rest of the day inside... so we pulled the top off of the Jeep, took our the windows, loaded up some snacks, and headed east. It was a beautiful drive... and we went all the way to Diablo! I couldn't have asked for a better day with my wonderful husband, it was just what we needed. On our way home, we stopped to look at the elk that are spending their spring and summer in the local fields.. such a beautiful thing to see!

We finished off the evening by firing up the barbecue and making some delicious hamburgers.... a beautifully perfect spring day. I am so looking forward to more beautiful days to come... and to a perfect summer. Justin and I haven't spent a summer together yet.. he was overseas for the entire duration of the last summer... so this one has no choice but to be fabulous. Why? Because no matter where I go or what I do.. I get to do it with him. And that, makes all the difference. :)

Tea Party Protests

I know this isnt really a "Hayes'" thing but I have to say this.

I am so proud of the way that republicans are holding their "Tea Party" protests. I say keep it up. It is amazing to me how when republicans meet for protest they are a majority peaceful. I am so happy to hear on the news that the two worst things that happened in the last protest in Nevada was a "suspected fist fight" where cops actually saw nothing and a detainment of an individual who was open carrying a pistol which in the state of NV, like WA state is legal. Officers are allowed to detain the individual, but he did nothing wrong. Republicans, way to Legally excersise your rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. Thank you.

It astounds me when a liberal group goes to protest how they show up with masks, anarchy signs and preach peace, but violence is sure to ensue. I cite WTO for an example in Seattle where liberal groups (although some peaceful) mannaged to encite wide spread riots and looting that destroyed a beautiful, liberal city. They destroyed their own city that supports them. My mother came in contact with tear gas trying to get home from work. How is this fair?

So Republicans, game on, and thank you again for making me proud once again to be a Republican. Game on Ladies and Gentlemen, keep the peaceful protests up. Show the other side how we do it, and what America is truely made of.

Eventful Car Rides Home

We have safely arrived home from Tahoe after a wonderful week spent skiing at Heavenly, shopping, and eating at great restaurants.

For the drive home, we had allowed ourselves plenty of time. We left Grandma and Grandpa's early afternoon on Tuesday, and didn't have to be home until late Wednesday night. We thought we had it all planned out... little did we know, life had something else in store for us!

We had just gotten out of California, and we were so excited to finally see the end of the California highway-- it seemed so long and looming-- we didn't know if we were ever going to make it to Oregon! We knew that there was a snow storm coming in, and we knew we wanted to beat it thru the mountain passes in Oregon. Our original plan was to drive from Tahoe to Medford, OR.. about a ten hour drive.

As we were coming up the first pass in Oregon, it was just starting to snow. We came around a corner to see a little white car-- totally smashed, and too damaged to push to the shoulder, and its lone occupant waiving cars out of the way in the lane. As we got closer, we realized that the driver was in an Army uniform, so Justin and I stopped. We soon found out that he was in fact an Army Soldier, on emergency family leave because his very ill grandpa was in the hospital. It was determined that he was heading to Portland, OR.. almost 5 hours farther then we had planned on driving that day. Justin and I talked it over, and decided that we would push thru, and take this soldier to Portland to be with his family. His car was totalled, and there was no way he would be driving it anywhere, ever again.

After sifting all of our stuff in the car, cramming and packing things in, we got all of his stuff in the car with us, and set off for Portland. We arrived, in one piece, tired, sore from the car ride, and ready to find a warm bed four and a half hours later. The only problem was... we had shaky communication with this Soldier's family, and it took us two hours of driving through Portland to finally find the destination that we needed! I was exhausted, frustrated, and probably not so nice... and I totally fell apart on the way to the hotel. We stopped at the Red Lion to get a room, and for some reason or another, they were all booked. So FINALLY, we found a room at the Hilton in Vancouver, WA (right across the bridge from Portland) and fell asleep with the comfort of knowing that we were at least in our home state-- and in the home stretch of our drive!

Neither Justin or I emerged from bed the next day until almost 1pm. We grabbed a quick breakfast/lunch, and hit the road. As promised, we took a detour to the Cabela's store in Lacey on the way home-- which ended up taking us about two hours. The store is really cool-- Justin and I got to do some Target Shooting, and Big Game Shooting in their "arcade" area, and Justin was able to get some shopping in!

The drive from Lacey to home was the longest of my life, and I have never been so exited to see my home and my bed! We pushed a lot harder then we had expected, but feel like we have done our "good deed" for that Soldier. Somewhere out there, he is probably telling people about the Marine that gave him a ride to Portland-- and his crazy wife who almost killed him at 2am. :)

Every day in our life brings a new experience... and I can't wait for the next one to roll around!

A Road Trip to Remember

When Justin and I first thought about going to Tahoe to visit Grandma and Grandpa, we started looking at airfare. I couldn't believe how expensive it was! I pulled up MapQuest, and came to the realization that in my little commuter car, we could drive for a lot cheaper then we could fly. Yes, it was 15 hours each way-- a total of 30 hours in the car in just over a week. But hey-- Justin and I had never been on a road trip, and there is a first time for everything! As the trip drew closer, I started to question our sanity-- did we really want to spend 30 hours in the car?? But as with each experience, I try to make it positive... so we packed our bags, loaded down the car, and hit the road.

We left Tuesday after work, and figured that we could drive at least as far as Portland, Oregon... to get the part of the drive that we knew the best out of the way. Portland came and went, and we found ourselves finally stopping for the night in Medford, Oregon-- which is almost in California! We did 8 hours of the drive AFTER I got off work-- meaning that we didn't stop until almost 3am. I can't remember the last time I was so happy to see a bed-- and the alarm clock went off all too soon, so we turned it off and didn't get back on the road again until almost 1pm-- hey, its our vacation, right? Whats the rush?? :)

As we crossed into California (and got stopped at a checkpoint like we were entering Canada or Mexico... only to be asked if we were carrying and fruits and vegetables... I guess any state with a town called "Weed" should be concerned about such things..) we started to hear reports that there was a lot of snow in the pass on the way to Tahoe, and we started to fear that we might not make it that night. As we got closer, we discovered that the road to Tahoe was closed to any vehicle without chains-- and while we could have bought them and drove on, Justin and I made the choice to get as far as we could without chains and ride out the storm. We didn't really want to be driving on an icy snow covered dark road in territory that we didn't know... not worth risking our lives to get there.

Turns out, "as far as we could go" brought us to Placerville, California. A town that, if you ever get the change to visit, I would go ahead and pass on. There really is NO place to visit, and even all the restaurants closed by 9pm. We had to order pizza to be delivered to our hotel, because it was the only place left open! We spent the night just being lazy and stretching out in the hotel... and woke up to a warm California morning with nothing but sunshine and clear roads!

The drive in to Tahoe was spectacular. Its been a long time since I have been blessed to see such beauty, and I am so thankful that we made the drive, just for that sight-- even if there were treacherous cliffs along the way! We found Grandma and Grandpa at the grocery store, and have been having so much fun catching up and exploring. I even won $200 at the casino last night! Thank you, Mont Bleu!

As I type this, I am enjoying looking out onto the lake from the living room at Grandma and Grandpas. The boys just left to go skiing, and Grandma and I are getting ready to hit the town for some serious shopping! Beautiful sights, wonderful company, and great shopping. Does life get any better?

While we may not road trip every time we want to go somewhere... this has been the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn't change the experience for anything!

Holy Hockey Pucks, Batman!!

I guess after going to hundreds of hockey games over the course of my lifetime, it was bound to happen sometime. Wednesday night, we went to a hockey game for Justin's birthday, and bought seats in the 6th row... which sounded awesome, but as we sat down we discovered it was right at the top of the plexiglass.

We made it through the first two periods unscathed, but, just as I turned my head in the third period, the hockey puck left the ice, came over the plexiglass.. and WHACK, it hit me. Right in the throat. Yes, I said it. In the throat. For a minute, I wasn't sure what happened-- it was so fast. All I heard was everyone go "Ohhhhhh" and the guy to my right turned to cover his young daughter, Justin tried to reach up and cover my face, and it was an instant stinging feeling. I didn't know it was a hockey puck. I thought maybe the guy in front of my turned around and punched me for no reason. Or the cranky lady beside me decided she had enough of me yelling at my team...... oh no, it was just a puck!

And it hurt! Of course, the safety crew from the arena was down to check on me before the puck even hit the ground, and after checking my neck, moving my head a bit, and finding the puck.... I determined that I was in fact fine. The crowd cheered, we went back to watching the game... and I left with a huge bruise and a lot of swelling on my neck.

...Oh, what a night. I can't wait to go to another game. Man, I love hockey!!

One from Justin

Monday is a big day for me. I'm sick of saying goodbye to friends and tomorrow I get to say goodbye to another. It's never fun to go to a memorial and think about people who have passed. God I hate it. Kayla is super upset because she cant come and i think her boss is well... thats why I can't wait for Tuesday. Other that this recent event everything is going pretty well. Work is spiratic but picking up again, we have decided to reschedual the wedding which is a very smart decision. Were holding on to the jeep through the summer because I drive a work truck all the time anyway... Unless im going fishing or hunting then I take the jeep, but anything longer that 30miles were taking her car. The Olympics have been amazing to watch so far, I am very proud of the American Athletes that are kicking some serious ass. I feel sorry for the Georgians, their loss is tragic. Over all life is just life right now, things are good. I have to start drilling again soon, that will be intresting. Going back to tanks after so long off of them I have been doing a lot of studying for it so that I go back knowing what to do again.


Hahaha were watching the Luge right now and this dude just went from 118kph to 145kph... god thats insane.

I know this is all over the place, but anyone who knows me knows this is how my brain works. It is a wonder me and Kayla are so happy with eachother, she is so solid and I am so random. We are truely Ying and Yang.

Well thats it for now
Hayes'