Hopefully Stuart will get his orders for his next duty station before heading back to Texas for Christmas. I'm sure he'll keep everyone posted. We won't be able to be together for Christmas, but we will ring in the new year together in San Diego.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Stuart and Cassandra

Saying good-bye is never easy, but it makes you grateful for the time you've shared together. Again, it seemed like this trip went by so fast. We did so much and had a ton of good laughs. I am very thankful that I was able to share this holiday with the Glenn Family.

Stephen and Mariglyn made arrangements to have dinner with Stuart's good friend Glenn and his wife Kelly. Afterwards all six of us went to the Houston Symphony and enjoyed an outstanding concert.

Our trip to the Benjamin Franklin Exhibit and the Butterfly Exhibit started out by taking the light rail into Downtown Houston. Parker, Mariglyn and Susann were my tour guides pointing out highlights as we rode along. However, Parker is so enthusiastic, he continued to walk backwards AND talk about the sights of Houston as we headed to the museum. I was really excited that everyone was able to go, it wouldn't have been the same without all of the Glenn's.

Of course there's always time for a puzzle! Everyone contributed to completing 2 puzzles.

Texas A&M was playing on Friday afternoon. Stuart was really excited to watch such a great game with all of his family. Hopefully he'll be watching the Aggies live at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. After the game all the Glenn family took family portraits at their local church. I opened an early Christmas gift from Stephen and Mariglyn...a Chemx coffepot, just like the one Mariglyn has. I love my coffee!

Parker, Stuart and Susann...they were really excited about the Turkey!

Thanksgiving with the Glenn Family

Stuart and I were very fortunate to schedule time off from work to fly to Texas for Thanksgiving. We each traveled from both sides of the country to be in Friendswood with the Glenn family. While in Texas we were busy doing all sorts of activities from museums to the symphony and of course spending time with all the Glenn family. Thanksgiving Day was a true feast! Ron did an amazing job cooking the turkey. Mariglyn went out of her way and baked 4 pies! My favorite is pumpkin...Stuart...Minced meat with hard sauce (made by Mr. Glenn) ;o). Susann made deviled eggs, and Parker and Noel frosted the cookies. I wish I would have helped out more, but I think I helped by eating so much!

Here's Stuart and I in Mission Beach in his November visit to San Diego. After eating breakfast at the Mission Cafe we walked along the beach and took a few pictures by the water.

A Quick Overview

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Until next time...

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to look at our blog. It's not easy being so far away from one another, but it's possible. As Stuart moves forward in EWS, I am here in San Diego supporting his efforts in continuing to be a great Marine. Our next meeting will be here in San Diego before Thanksgiving in Friendswood. Until then...

Working Hard

Here's Stu in front of EWS. He had some work to do over the weekend, but we still managed to do so much and have a great time. He's been working really hard lately and I admire his dedication to his work and to me. Thank you Stuart.

Stuart gave me the tour of Quantico, which is very different than MCRD, but just a beautiful. I also got a chance to go with Stuart to get his hair cut (which is something I really enjoy for some odd reason) before getting on a plane back to California.

Wine Tasting

Stuart and I attended two Wine Festivals this weekend. I know it sounds like a lot, but Stuart and I are starting to develop a wine collection (split across country of course). The first evening we went to the Mount Vernon Wine Festival and Sunset Tour. The entire evening was perfect! They even had Martha and George sitting on the porch. George Washington being one of Stuart's heroes, he was so excited and wanted a picture. I turned on the camera and the battery died instantly. Shame on me for not charging it before we left. We were both disappointed that we didn't get any pictures of that great evening, but I learned my lesson: CHARGE THE BATTERY OFTEN.


The second Wine Festival was in Middleburg, VA at Chrysalis Vineyards. Absolutely picture perfect! The leaves were just starting to turn and the entire vineyard was open, so we wandered, drank wine, talked and enjoyed the scenery. We listened to the Bluegrass bands, ate cheese and sipped wine under a tree. We bought two bottles and Stuart also bought farm fresh eggs (what a combo). As you can see from our pictures, our visit would not have been complete without grape stomping! I had a blast and could not stop laughing. Probably not the best feeling on your feet, but a fun experience.

I finally had the opprotunity to meet Stuart's good friend Dave, who I've heard so much about. Dave and Stu live in a beautiful home in Woodbridge, VA. Dave hosted a wonderful dinner with a few of their other friends on Saturday night. These pictures were taken in their backyard, hard to believe with so many trees.

Cassandra Visits the East Coast

I was able to visit Stu for the Columbus Day Holiday. The weather was cold and rainy the first two days and sunny and warm the last two. We did a lot of stuff from wine tasting, visiting with Stu's friends, shopping, seeing the sights and history of D.C. and most important enjoying each other's company. Through all the activities Stu still found time to study, he's very dedicated.

And He's Off! Stay Tuned...

What a wonderful weekend! Time flew by, but I know we truly enjoyed every second of each other's company. There weren't too many tears flowing this time, but there were some (mine of course). Stu left early Monday afternoon and didn't arrive in Virginia until late that evening. Good-byes are never easy, but we find comfort in knowing we'll see each other very soon. Hopefully we'll be better at updating the blog and keeping everyone informed of what we're both up to in California and Virginia. We are planning our next rendezvous in Virginia early October. Thanks to all those who have looked and commented on the blog. We love that we are able to share all of this with family and friends.

Love,
Stuart & Cassandra

Stu's Visit to San Diego

Stuart was very fortunate to have time off from school to visit sunny San Diego for the Labor Day weekend. Although his time visiting went by so fast, we managed to squeeze in a few activities. Of course the first thing we did after he flew in was take a little trip to Extraordinary Desserts...One of my favorite places. Stu enjoys it as well, but doesn't really see why I think it's all that great. The first night we attended a Summer Pops concert at the Embarcadero downtown. The concert was "1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular" and featured a 14-year-old pianist, Peng Peng. He was an amazing talented young man & we got his autograph after the concert. Another highlight of the evening was the great view of the Coronado Bridge, Downtown San Diego, and a spectacular fireworks show.

Temecula Wine Country

On the second day we visited the Temecula Wine Country just north of where I live in San Marcos. As you can see from the pictures, it was a beautiful and warm summer day.










We chose to taste at three different wineries. All had something we liked. After our wine tasting adventure, we ate at the Claim Jumper. Now if I remember correctly, Mariglyn loved the chicken pot pie there ;o) To finish the evening off we decided to try our luck at Pechanga Casino. Let's just say we weren't there long.

Good Food...Good Company

I've had the best week of my life visiting with Stuart and his family in Texas. As you can see from all the pictures we were busy doing lots of activities and spending time with everyone. Mariglyn cooked everyday and out did herself every single time. She made homemade Napoleon, which was my personal favorite, and it was so delicious! The Glenn family made my visit to Texas absolutely enjoyable. Stuart and I look forward to the next visit and seeing each other again soon.

Visit to Texas

The Girls

Catherine and Elizabeth are two heavenly little girls. Stuart and I enjoyed holding their tiny little bodies in our hands, it's truly amazing.

Home Coming

Well, I visited Mom, Dad, Ron, Susann, Parker, Noel, and the twins. What fun. The best part was that Cassandra met up with me for the visit! We went to a show (The Lion King), Schlitterbaun-Gavleston, ran the Lunar Rendezvous 5k, completed 2 puzzles, but the most fun was visiting with family and enjoying the newest members of the family.

Goodbye San Diego

Well...here it is 7/6/06 at 0530 and he's off to Virginia, over 3,000 miles. Stuart and I packed and loaded all of his belongings in the truck in about four days. We certainly learned a lot about each other (like Stuart likes to keep a lot of things...those brown boat shoes, 10 Hawaiian shirts, etc.) and I can be pretty bossy when it comes to moving (and other things I'm sure). But, we definitely enjoyed the rest of our time together in San Diego. EWS is a great opportunity for Stuart and his military career. I am very proud of him and support him 110%!!!

A Well Deserved Break

Stuart and I taking a quick break from moving, packing, and cleaning to eat some pizza and take a picture.

After the ceremony we all enjoyed good food and good company. First Sergeant Arvizu knows where to get the best carne asada in town. This has become one of Stuart's favorite foods, I'll have to agree that it's pretty darn good! The plaque above had two of Stuart's famous quotes picked by the DI's of Hotel Co. They were:

"So you're telling me statistically speaking, we can't train him."

"Yeah I know, I forgot to shave."

Change of Command Ceremony

A hot day at Edison Range for the Change of Command Ceremony. Stuart gave a wonderful speech to all of Hotel Co. and their families, the recruits and close friends.

The Final Hike

It all started with a little 8-mile hike. Before the official change of command took place, the DI's of Hotel Co. decided to give me a little going away present. Unfortunately I didn't have my own gear for the last hike. The gear I borrowed seemed a little heavy at first, but I went with it and stepped off for the hike. At about mile 6, I was feeling a little worn out (which isn't normal for this fit guy). Well, I finally discovered a 40 lb. weight at the bottom of the pack...ha! ha! Thanks Hotel Co. and as you can see here, I survived.

Ryan's Wedding

All dressed up at our friends, Ryan and Jenni's wedding. We enjoyed dancing in the beautiful San Diego night.