Meet our friends:

Since we have moved here we get asked almost every phone call: "Have you guys made friends there?" And yes, we have made friends. We have a handful of friends now and I thought I would introduce a few here on the blog. Meet the Browns:

This is TJ and Jackie Brown. They live here in the housing, they have a little dog, they don't have kids, they love playing cards(we are getting better at their games!) and he works on the Finback with Quincy. We hang out with them often and we are so happy to have them here!

Now meet the Brudzinskis:

This is Mike and Miranda Brudzinski. Quincy met them when he participated in the Project Fireside at Thanksgiving while in bootcamp. They also live in housing, have a little dog, are total foodies(YAY!), they are musical, and they are super adventurous. Miranda is the one in the CG and she works at the firehouse on base. We have SO MUCH in common with them its just crazy... but in a good way!

We are meeting more and more people every day and I'm constantly amazed at how quickly you become family when you're in this military bubble. I guess its because most of us are so far away from any family of our own so you just make a new circle of people to be your family away from home. Its really incredible.

The Eagle and Visitors.

Well we had our first visitors!!!! Quincy's parents Terry and Gail came out to the east coast a few weeks ago and we had a great time in both Philadelphia and Cape May. We met them in Philly first for dinner at Spasso(delish!) and it also happened to be perfect timing for a tour on the Eagle.The Eagle is an active Coast Guard cutter that allows tours while its in port and its so so so different from Quincy's cutter so we had a good time checking it out.

We also had a great time once we came home to Cape May and checked out lots of local sites too. We took them to see the sunken concrete ship, the lighthouse, the WWII bunker(thank you to miss Macey for the info!), an alpaca farm & yarn store, and a handful of tasty restaurants too. It was fun playing host in our new town and we really enjoyed our west-coast visitors.

Colors at Sunset.

Lately when I have taken Quincy dinner while he is on duty it looks something like this:

Which of course is very pretty but it also means I get to watch him take care of the colors at sunset. On his boat doing colors means he goes out at sunset,

stands at attention while they play the national anthem for the whole base,

and then brings down all the flags on the boat.

He thinks "it's simply part of his job now" but I thought it was pretty cool to watch and definitely share-worthy ;)

The Gym at TRACEN

Before moving out here I went to the gym(often with my mom!) about 4-5 times a week. I used to see everything from the highschool football players to the geriatrics lifting the 2lb dumbbells and I liked that. Now almost everyday I go work out(with Finback wives or Q) here at the gym on base:

Sometimes its empty like above but other times its packed with recruits getting their butts worked off, lifting, spinning, and theres also a whole lot of "who are we?"..."COAST GUAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!" being yelled and a few "Hoo-Rahs" thrown in too. Theres also active duty, retirees, company comanders, and of course us dependants working out too. Sometimes when we are there working out along side some of these people I stop and think: "I cant believe this is my life". I never thought this would be part of my daily routine but now that it is I LOVE it! Its an encouraging place to be and work out and no matter who you are you will push yourself just a little extra from being in that space. I had to laugh a little while I ran today because I knocked off 2 minutes from my usual 3 miles on the treadmill and realized it was probably running next to a company commander that did it! LOL! Just something about those Smokey Bears! ;)

In all seriousness though its also really lucky that we are here so Q can train for A-School. These facilities are amazing and I know its a blessing for him. Today he is swimming a timed 500 yard swim and learning some rescue techniques to become the official rescue swimmer on the Finback! I couldn't be more excited for him to have this opportunity!

Mini Finback Tour

Every week Quincy is responsible for standing duty over night and sometimes this falls on a day while they boat is in port. If this is the case I generally take his dinner out to the boat and visit for a while. So this last time I thought I would snap a few phone pics to give you a small glimpse into the Finback. This is the mess deck where they cook, eat, and watch tv:

Its not spacious by any means but I love that I am allowed to bring Q dinner here on nights when I would otherwise not see him. Plus it makes me thankful for my "normal" kitchen at home everytime I visit the boat ;)

Been in Philadelphia!

I know I have been completely MIA around here but I promise its for a

legit reason this time! ;) I have actually been completely consumed by picking and applying for art school! The two schools I have been really considering are both in Philadelphia which is only about an hour commute from our new home. The two Ive been deciding between are:

The Art Institute:

And The University of Arts:

Both are great schools and had a lot to offer students but the "feel" of each school was completely different from the other. Luckily Quincy was able to go with me on the tours which was helpful since its almost always what I want to talk about now ;) Ive started the application process and now I'm waiting with fingers crossed to hear back which will hopefully happen soon! Very soon!

Quincy's First Day at Work for the USCG

I love this man.

I love that my camera caught these even if it was 5 a.m. est and 2 a.m. pst!

I love the pride I feel when I see him in his uniform every morning.

I love that he is excited about his job EVERY single day.

I love the gratefulness that washed over me when he walked out the door that morning and started this new chapter.

I love that this adventure brought us to a new place.

I love that I found his graduation program that morning that included the USCG ethos and felt nostalgic about hearing his company say the following at graduation:

I am America’s Maritime Guardian.

I serve the citizens of the United States.

I will protect them.

I will defend them.

I will save them.

I am their Shield.

For them I am Semper Paratus.

I live the Coast Guard Core Values.

I am a Guardian.

We are the United States Coast Guard.

I just loved his first day.

Period.