Rolling on the River

Some of the best family memories come from family vacations. But, not all vacations are made equal. Different families have different vacation styles. Are you a cruise family? Do you enjoy stuffing yourself with food, docking at a new port everyday, and having your very own floating city on the sea? Or maybe you are mega resort folks- planned activities, tours, classes, pools, watersports, people watching, and maybe some nightlife are more your thing. And other families prefer a city vacation, exploring a new city and taking in the sites.

Growing up, my husbands mother worked for an airline. His family was lucky enough to get free flights and they definitely took advantage of it. He recalls his family vacations as flying into a new city, quickly taking in the sites, and flying home.

Most of my families vacations look something like this:

That's right, growing up my summers were spent on the river (if they weren't on the softball field!). Of course, there were other vacations thrown into the mix as well (thanks to my mom's love of Hawaii!). Vacations on the lake are unbeatable. It is the perfect mix of relaxation, adventure, watersports, and family fun!

So, this past May when Mother's Day and my birthday were fast approaching, my brother-in-law graduated from law school (Cum Laude, might I add) and my husband promoted to Captain, my family had much to celebrate! Where else better than Lake Havasu?

Not to mention, my younger sister and her husband bought a boat!!!



Congrats to them!

My parents towed their boat up to our house at Edwards AFB for a night at The General's house (see previous post) before continuing on to the river the following morning.

It was another great trip to add to the memory bank:

One evening during the trip we got off the lake to celebrate all of our exciting life events! We celebrated my birthday and I got the new iPad from my family! I was so surprised!

A week later my mom got one so that we can FaceTime while we are stationed in Colorado!



With our impending move fast approaching, this trip was bittersweet for me and Eric. In a sense, it marks the end of an era. Moving further from my family is going to make it much more difficult to get away and enjoy river trips with them. Which is why we are already looking forward to our Lake Powell trip with them next summer!!!

On the route home, when our paths split in Barstow and my family headed down highway 15 towards Orange County and we took the 58 to Edwards AFB, we handed over our pup to my parents. Brody spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa while Eric and I headed north for a trip he planned all himself! I will admit I cried- I'm so dang attached to that dog! But, our trip to Paso Robles and Monterey was amazing!

Stay tuned!

Woody's Mexican Fiesta!

Last March the Edwards Officers Spouses Club hosted our annual Auction. The Auction is organized and sponsored by the EOSC, in which I serve as the Reservations Board Member. So, of course, I felt it was important to invite our folks up to not only participate in the auction and get some good loot, but to meet some of our amazing friends here at Edwards AFB!


The night started off with a silent auction, where we bid on everything from tire rotations, San Diego Chargers signed footballs, wine baskets, and vintage bags. As the evening progressed we moved into the live auction where most of the fun took place! My dad bid on various things from weekend getaways to "Bat Boy for the Day" at Dodger Stadium (for those of you wondering, that was for my cousins, not me!). The final grand "prize" of the night was "Woody's Mexican Fiesta"- a dinner hosted by the General and his wife at their home! My dad leaned over to me and said. "Hey Jess, do you think Eric would be stoked to have dinner with the General?" Rhetorical question, right? And before I could answer, he was bidding.

"SOLD!"

And just like that Eric and I and eight of our friends were having dinner with the General!


Fast foward to May 12th...


We invited our folks back out for the dinner (unfortunately, Eric's mom couldn't make it because she was in Indonesia on business). Because having dinner with the General and his wife is kiiiiind of a big deal for the active duty service members in these parts, I left the power to choose the lucky people who would join us entirely up to Eric. He invited three of his best friends from the base and their wives.


Walking up to the General's house we were all excited, and nervous, and filled with anticipation! It is unusual that a lieutenant would have this kind of opportunity- to talk and have dinner with the General on a casual basis. This was definitely a special evening for my husband and his colleagues.


As soon as we got there the General broke the ice by setting out a bucket of golf balls and took a swing, hitting the ball straight into the sky Tiger Woods status and handing the club off to the next closest guy. We each took turns at hitting golf balls as far as we could from the General's backyard and (hopefully) into the nearby golf course and surrounding desert. It was a great way to get the party started!


What ensued was an evening of enjoying yummy food, storytelling (and let me tell you, there were some amazing stories!), and great company. And it was all for a good cause! The money raised at the auction benefits Air Force children seeking post secondary educational scholarships. What a great way to raise money for a good cause! Right?!

One of the appetizers that the General and his wife served was soooooo good! Simply put, it was a jalepeno, filled with cream cheese, and wrapped in bacon. When we complimented them on how great they were we learned this delicious treat was actually prepared by the General himself!


Earlier this week, Eric and I recreated them ourselves:

Before

After

So yummy, they satisfy every single one of my tastebuds... Mmm mmm! While enjoying our domestic amazingness we started coming up with names for our tasty version of a jalepeno popper. "Woody's Popper's?" I said. To which Eric came up with "Poppin Wood". Totally appropriate, right?...


Bacon-wrapped General... General in a Blanket... General in a Mexican Blanket... the list could go on... :)