Herb and Sarah

Andy's parents showed us a great time while we were in Tucson. We were spoiled beyond belief-which is always the case when we go to Tucson. They cooked us some delicious meals and took us out to eat at some of our favorite spots. They were also gracious hosts to my parents and friends when they came to visit us in Tucson. They had a little party for everyone to come over and visit while they were here. Sarah also gave Andy and I GREAT haircuts. Of course Andy's probably wasn't a big deal but I got a great haircut and just love it. Sarah is also always giving me books to read and great reccomendations, I am never bored in Tucson or on the trip home, I always have something good to read. They also let us borrow their cars while we were there so we saved a lot of money that we would have spent on a rental. Anyways, we just wanted to say thanks for everything-especially making our trip a great one. All of this and all they got in return was a nasty cold!

Tuson

Our vacation to Tucson was a blast and we had a great time. Although it was a somewhat challenging vacation as we not only battled the jet lag, but also delayed/cancelled flights, unexpected hotel stays, being rerouted, yada yada yada but we all also got really sick. Yuck! But the second week of vacation things got better.






I got to visit with my BFE's Beleni and Angelica. It was way too short of a visit but it was a great surprise (well almost a surprise, Angelica let the cat out of the bag a couple of days early). (And kuddos to Belen who is terrified of dogs and came even though there were two huge dogs (doberman and rottweiler) and two little dogs in the house.)






Andy's friends Richard and Gretchen and their kiddos came over when Herb and Sarah made dinner for all of our friends. It was a great time and I wish I took more pics of the night. My Mom and Aunt Debbie also came down and I didn't take any pictures!

Andy did a good job of entertaining Deja, Riley, Amber and Katie Marie. Deja and Riley must have run 100 miles back and forth on the patio that night.

Amber is now waving and clapping and also saying Mama and Dada. She is also very close to crawling.

Andy and Amber are vacationing the right way, catching up on sleep.

As promised there was a shooting competion between Herb and Andy and the winner, well it depends on who you ask....

Andy and Herb spent time working on Andy's quad, one of Andy's favorite pasttimes.

Amber likes to help them work on the quad.

My Dad and Karalea also came down to visit and it was great to see them. I got to meet one of my new step-sisters-Kristi. It was fun meeting her and her family. She has three girls, one who is about six months older than Amber and Dad nicknamed them Bam Bam and Pebbles. Amber was Pebbles as Kylar tried to "Bam Bam" her.

Commendation Medal

At the LRS Commander's Call last week, Andy was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal. This is a medal that is given to those who have "distinguished themselves with meritorious achievement and service." He earned this award for all the hard work he did while stationed in England and while in Diego Garcia. Sorry the pics are fuzzy, I was trying not to interupt the flow of the ceremony so this is what we ended up with.

Expert Marksman

Today Andy went and shot an M-9 (which is a hand gun) to qualify as an Expert Marksman. To qualify you have to hit 41 shots out of 45. Of the 45, 25 shots must hit in a 10 inch circle on the chest and 6 hits within a 6 inch circle on the head. Now he can add a bronze star to his Expert Marksman ribbon, since he also qualified with the M-16. He had a blast shooting today, even though it was pouring rain. Good job babe! I know that Herb will be challenging Andy to a shooting competition while we're in Tucson. Stay tuned to find out who wins.