The Josh and Tina Story

Unpacking, Painting, and Settling In

2010-12-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

The painters are at the house today. The 18 foot ceilings were a little daunting, so we are taking advantage of the local contractors and workers to finish the paint effort. Tina's bathroom and the dining room were enough for us. The movers dropped off our boxes (and the refrigerator off the back of the truck) and bolted, leaving us with a fairly substantial amount of boxes.

The guest room looked like a moving van. There was literally no space to maneuver for a couple of days. The packers actually packed up trash bags of packing paper among other ridiculous things. We had to have our stuff reweighed because they said we had 16600 lbs of stuff, putting us over the limit when the boat is calculated in. The reweigh changed the total weight by 2500 lbs. Hmm. . . Someone was cheating the system. Anyway, I will post a few photos of the painted rooms once they are done and we are organized.

Back to San Diego, back to regular updates. . ?

2010-11-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

The two dogs, Tina, and I are headed back cross country. Many visits and many stops. We have some photos that we will post when we get settled but, so far, so good.

Joshua

Long time, no posts. . .

2010-07-08T08:35:00.001-05:00

I thought I would throw some photos of our boating adventures in since I haven't actually blogged in a while. We'll see if I can keep it up. We bought a boat and the truck to pull it at the beginning of the summer and I've been learning to fish and catch lobster since.

Here are the dogs on the boat. Of course, they are outfitted with the latest safety equipment.

Tina and I on the boat (don't worry; someone else is driving).

Otto would rather sit in the driver's seat than hang out on the deck.

Hammie in for a swim with Air Force friend Jeff.

A rather large claw on this guy. As of June 30th, I had harvested 45 lobster. Since then, I've lost two pots and picked up one lobster. I'm pretty sure the pots are being poached now. . . Ah, well. . .

Finally, here's Tina driving the boat. It is currently in the shop, but is running fine. I've learned a lot about outboards since we got the thing. One of the things I've learned is that they need early maintenance to ensure you make it back to the dock. I've been out about twenty times. Tina has joined me on about six or seven of those outings. So far, so good (knock on wood).

~Josh

No Naples. . .New Video

2010-01-27T18:51:00.002-05:00

Well, to make a long story short, Naples has fallen through. Too complex and painfully boring to explain. We'll see what else pops up. In the meantime, I'm posting this video of Hammie and the Habanero sauce. He's a pretty funny guy who can't say no to handouts, but he's getting smarter about the hot stuff. You'll have to look at it sideways, but it is pretty comical. It's the way he reacts to hot sauces. . .

Naples?

2010-01-24T17:09:00.003-05:00

I received word from my detailer that I am penciled in for a billet in Naples, Italy. Tina and I have some decisions to make. . .

~Josh

Flying Snow Dogs Video

2010-01-03T12:27:00.003-05:00

Here's video of the dogs in the snow. We used them to knock down the two foot drifts in the backyard. No animals were hurt in the production of this film.

~Josh

Renewed Focus. . ?

2010-01-03T12:10:00.003-05:00

So, last year, I decided that I would stay up on the blogging a little better and it worked until about mid-Summer. The last entry that we had was pre-Ireland trip. Since then a couple of things have happened. . .the trip to Ireland. . .orders to the Naval War College. . .a cross-country move with several visits along the way. . .a new home. . .Thanksgiving. . .snow. . .Christmas. . .snow. . .

Here are some photos of the journey. We'll see if I can keep up a little better this year. More to follow.

Tina and I atop St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

A mini-reunion headed through northern Missouri.

The boys are getting along. This picture was not posed. I promise.

Marble House in Newport after the big snow. Photo courtesy of Tina and a borrowed Hummer.

Christmas Dinner Table

More to follow.

~Josh

Ireland

2009-08-15T01:27:00.000-05:00

The route is planned. . .

~Josh

Some Old Friends

2009-07-26T23:17:00.004-05:00

I was lucky enough to reconnect with Larry Ray Smith, one of my roommates from USNA, and John Wagonner, another friend from the Academy. We had the opportunity to throw back a few beers and smoke a few cigars. I'm always amazed at how far we've all come. Larry just started working on his Master's up at NPS and Wags is biding his time for deployment number 10 (?) with the teams. I value the moments I have with good friends. It's always good to reconnect.

"A better part of one's life consists of his friendships." ~Abraham Lincoln

Peppers

2009-07-26T23:12:00.002-05:00

The Boys

2009-07-18T23:21:00.005-05:00

I finally got around to taking some pictures of the dogs that weren't taken on my phone. Enjoy them; it is rare to find Otto and Hammie so close together. Otto is still a little leery of the little monster who is desperately trying to make friends with him.

-Tina

A New Addition

2009-07-16T22:16:00.004-05:00

Tina's 30th birthday present joined us a little early. Introducing Hamish Argyle MacDogall. Yes. . . That's his name. . .

~Josh

My Very Own Bread Recipe

2009-07-14T22:02:00.004-05:00

Well, I've been making bread for some time; partly to eat, but mostly to relieve stress. Tina and I end up eating most of it, feeding Otto some (he loves bread like no dog should), and, more often than not, throwing a little bit away. All of those efforts, both successful and, well, not so successful, led me to have a go at it without any books; only a sense of what I wanted. Making bread, the creation of something very solid and tangible from powder and oil and water (and a little magical thing called yeast) is one of the things that I enjoy most as a hobby. So, with the ingredients in the cupboard and an idea of what I wanted, I settled down in our small kitchen and made two batches. The results are pictured below.

The first batch I did as an un-scored boule and the second batch a long loaf, baguette of sorts. We dug into the first loaf (pancetta and meunster paninis with recently harvested heirloom tomatoes) and will break the baguette tomorrow when Brian and Tisha come over for Tina's Bastille Day French meal. I'll let you know how it works out.

For Andre: I use a Canon Digital Rebel XT (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=215&modelid=11209) with a 50mm (1:1.8) single focal length EOS lens. I won't tell you how I do the lighting. . .

~Josh

Martinis on the Sixth Floor

2009-07-14T01:05:00.001-05:00

Foodie Photos

2009-07-03T12:35:00.004-05:00

Tina and I do a lot of cooking and I've been taking a lot of photos of preps and final products lately. Tina was going to put up a post, but didn't have the time, so I'll just throw some of the photos up instead. You can try to figure out what we had.

~Josh

. . .and Today

2009-06-21T23:31:00.003-05:00

Tonight, I cooked a couple of recipes from The Silver Spoon, a book that has been used in Italy for years, but was only recently translated for us lowly Americans. It is full of very simple recipes (and some not so simple ones) that Italians use daily. I picked a seared rosemary porkloin cooked in butter and olive oil recipe and an accompanying potato dish recipe for dinner tonight. Some photos are posted below.

Finally, I made good on a recipe that began about a week ago. Tina's birthday gift cookbook, from which I gleaned a pickling recipe and a butter making recipe, also had a bacon recipe in it. The curing took a week and the final step, the smoking process, was completed today. Here's what the finished product looks like. I will let you know how it tastes soon.

~Josh

Dinners Yesterday. . .

2009-06-21T23:18:00.003-05:00

Last night, Tina made a wonderful Indian meal: Beef Buffad. It consisted of beef, onions, peppers, ginger, and various Indian spices. It turned out very good. I took some "foodie" style photos of the primary ingredients and have posted them below.

We bought the peppers at a local Indian market called Ker's. It is located in this little pocket of Indian businesses up by Miramar.

I failed to take a picture of the finished product, but you can imagine what it must have tasted like. . .or not.

~Josh

. . .and After

2009-06-20T20:27:00.001-05:00

The bandana lasts but one day.

~Josh

The Buttermilk Conundrum

2009-06-20T14:00:00.002-05:00

After April, Dan, and I made butter, we were left with buttermilk. So, rather than throw it out, I put it to use in some scones. A little flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, butter, and buttermilk, and suddenly you have buttermilk scones (a.k.a. buttermilk biscuits). Add some homemade butter, some of mom's apple butter and wild grape jelly, and some french pressed coffee, and you've got a pretty good breakfast.

Otto's Impending Haircut

2009-06-19T19:52:00.003-05:00

Though Otto is never enthusiastic about the possibility of a haircut, there is always a marked difference in what he looks like before and after. The above picture is before; tomorrow I will post the after.

~Josh

Boots

2009-06-18T00:05:00.004-05:00

These were issued 13 years ago. They're good boots.

~Josh

Fruits and (Pickled) Vegetables

2009-06-14T23:13:00.003-05:00

The first of our tomatoes were plucked from the vine today. There are many more in various stages of ripeness, but these are the first. I also harvested some massive onions. Okay. . . So they're the smallest onions ever, but that's what we got. I'll be starting some herbs this week to fill the empty pots on the balcony.

For my birthday, Tina bought me a cookbook that goes into curing and pickling, so I took the opportunity to tackle some of the recipes in the book. My sister-in-law, Tina's brother, and I made some butter and I began the process of curing some pork belly. In seven days, I should have bacon. I also pickled some green beans (pictured below).

Finally, I began a sponge for some ciabatta that I'll be baking tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to fresh bread with homemade butter (and maybe a slice of tomato).

New Bikes and Tina's Rough Intro

2009-06-10T19:28:00.003-05:00

Well, we finally replaced the old Cannondale that showed up missing not long after we moved in (and we bought it a friend). Here's Tina's bike:

I think it's the first bike she's had since she was a young teenager. Of course, the introduction was a bit rough. About fifteen minutes into our first ride, the rear wheel came off, went askew, and threw Tina in a bush. Besides tearing her shirt, cutting her back, and bruising her butt, she came out unharmed. I think she was a bit discouraged (maybe more so after I told her it wouldn't be the last crash), but she got back on the next day (after I took the bike back for a new quick release and derailleur hanger). Here's my new bike:

So, here's the first ride we took. It was Tina's first time and we went about seven miles. I promised her that the soreness would go away and I think it has.

When I went with Tina, I tried to avoid the big hills, so I decided to aim for them when I went out on my own. Needless to say, it has been awhile. Here's the route I took:

Reciprocity

2009-05-10T23:23:00.002-05:00

Here's the scorecard. . . If you're seeing four of them, then you feel how many of us felt on Friday. . .

The night started well, but ended hazy. Needless to say, Clint won. My score, while admirable, did not make the top three. The new rule: don't mix beer with mixed drinks. Wait. . . that's an old rule. Ah, well. . .

Here's the course that I ran to lose the liquor weight. Six miles later and a couple of events on the Wii and I lost 4.4 pounds. Mission accomplished.

A Couple Visitors. . .

2009-05-05T22:15:00.004-05:00

Matt and Katie came out for a visit. The cousins from the frozen Midwest definitely appreciated the weather out here in San Diego and we loved having them. They packed a lot into the nine days that they were here and we had the privilege of hosting them for a couple of those days. They've invited us up to Minneapolis and we've invited them back. We'll see who goes where.

While they were out this way, we visited a couple of the sites, including the tide pools, several beaches, and a couple of great places to eat. All in all, we had a great time. We're looking forward to a couple more visitors before the summer is out.

~Josh

Wrestling Style

2009-04-21T23:24:00.003-05:00

So, the Wii goal. . . 24.97 BMI. . . I made it today. Now, for the first time ever, I am the "correct weight" or as the Wii puts it. . ."normal" (well, not now since I've had dinner and a drink, but . . . earlier . . .). It only took about 5 miles of running, a quick ab regimen, and 30 minutes of step. The funny thing is. . . I don't feel ideal. . . Matt and Katie arrive on Friday. Tina and I noticed that a lot more people like to visit us in San Diego than Newport. . . Strange.

I talked to my detailer today. It looks like the War College is the next stop (as expected). That won't happen until the end of this year or early next year. In the meantime, we'll accept any and all visitors.

~Josh

A Couple Long Runs

2009-04-19T23:25:00.002-05:00

Nothing much this time, just a couple of long runs. I'm ramping up for a race at some point. Don't know which race yet. . . We'll see.

~Josh

Almost Five Miles and the Garden

2009-03-31T22:40:00.003-05:00

The day ended early enough to get a decent run in; just under five miles at about 7:45 a mile, which isn't too shabby for me (especially since there are some decent hills in there. . .). I'm always a couple miles into the run when I realize how much better I feel when I get in a good run. I guess that I can't say I don't like running anymore.

So. . . Tina and I planted our garden. . . The Black Thumbs return. . . Here are some (l0-res) photos of what we planted (not photographed is the yellow squash or bell peppers). I accidentally bought some soil with manure in it, so our deck smells a little funky at the moment. It'll pass. What won't pass is Otto's desire to eat the plants and the manure. Needless to say, he is no longer allowed on the lower deck. Keep in mind, I didn't calculations on our other experiments with tomatoes and I ended up paying, on average, one dollar per cherry tomato. That's not a good number; even in California. Anyway, I'll keep everyone updated on the life and death situation stewing on the deck.

Back from Korea!

2009-03-23T21:05:00.003-05:00

I have just returned from beautiful Seoul after a three week exercise augmentation. The trip was a lot of fun (when I was on liberty) and I enjoyed the opportunity to set foot in a couple more countries in my effort to make it to 50 (a lifelong goal). Here are a couple of photos of the trip.

In this photo, I'm actually in North Korea. This is at Panmunjeon in a building that straddles the dividing line between North and South Korea. The next photo is me eating the head of a fish. No big surprise: it tasted like fish.

Here I am in exercise gear before headed to watch. I don't think that the contrasting camouflage works. In fact, I'm pretty sure it makes me stand out. The worst part is that the vest is in Army Digital. Pretty awful. The sculpture below is in front of the Korean War Museum. It's actually a museum dedicated to the armed forces and the many, many wars that Korea, both united and divided, has been involved in. This sculpture is representative of two brothers reuniting (in a future scenario).

South and North Korea and a quick stop in Japan bring me up to 33ish. Still have a few more to go.

A Culinary Friday

2009-02-14T01:11:00.003-05:00

Tina and I rose to the challenge today. . . The fish taco challenge. . . The local NBC station is running a competition for the best fish taco in San Diego. The two restaurants are El Zarape (in University Heights) and South Beach Grill (in Ocean Beach) (here's the website: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/around_town/debates/ ).

It was pretty obvious to both Tina and me that the fish taco served in Ocean Beach is the better of the two. I hate to admit that since Ocean Beach is a little wacky, but it is the truth. We did Valentine's Day early by visiting Alexander's (http://alexanderson30th.com/) for dinner. Afterwards, we went to a new wine bar just across University Ave. called Splash (http://www.asplashofwine.com/). To end the evening, we headed to the local dessert shop, Heaven Sent (http://www.heavensentdesserts.com/). All in all, we had a wonderful time on the town while Otto relaxed at home with his good buddy Rachmaninoff.

~Josh

The Beach Run

2009-02-12T00:53:00.002-05:00

Today, I had the opportunity to go on a pretty decent run down Mission Beach and up into Pacific Beach with Gil and Bobby, two officers from the staff. Here's the run:

It was just under 5.25 miles. We capped it off with a couple beers and a slice of 30" pizza at Luigi's at the Beach (http://luigisatthebeach.com/). The pizza was pretty good, but it was not as good at Luigi's downtown (http://www.pizzerialuigi.com/), and neither match Lefty's (http://www.leftyspizza.com/) in my humble, though well-pizza-educated palate. Lefty's is Chicago style and the two Luigi's are New York style, so some would say that's "apples and oranges." I'm going by taste. Lefty's is the best.

Tonight, Tina and I went over to Brian and Tisha's for some dinner. Tisha put together a really nice spread, including some fantastic chicken and some Martha Stewart biscuits that she had little faith in early on, but turned out great.

~Josh

A Post for Tisha

2009-02-02T23:41:00.003-05:00

So, Tisha mentioned that I should post some of the stuff that Tina and I cook instead of the running and riding maps. I can do that. Here goes:

Pasta Joshua

1/2 to 1 lb Italian Sausage (mild or hot)

5 garlic cloves; crushed

1/2 to 1 medium onion, finely chopped

12 to 15 oz. pasta sauce

1/4 cup EVOO

12-16 oz. Penne

1 cup finely shredded Parmesan Reggiano

Heat the olive oil on low-medium. Cook the sausage, garlic, and onions in the heated olive oil. Do not drain. Add the pasta sauce and simmer. Cook and drain the pasta and add to the sauce mixture along with the Parmesan Reggiano. Stir thoroughly and serve. Of course, the amounts listed are not exact, but some people like more pasta, less onions, etc. Adjust as necessary.

How's that Tish? If you're not interested in that. . . Here's the route I ran today:

~Josh

The Cadillac's Stereo

2009-01-31T03:22:00.003-05:00

Wondering why GM is hurting for cash? I took the Cadillac in because the buttons on the stereo were showing wear and I wanted them replaced (since the car is under warranty). Oh, they replaced them, alright. . . Of course, they had to replace the whole stereo. . . Six disc changer, DVD navigation, computer hub of the car. . . I only wanted new buttons, but they replaced the whole thing. My best guess is that the stereo costs at least $900. The buttons probably cost 59 cents. Anyway, while they were honoring the warranty (in the most ignorant fashion possible), I went for a run in Mission Valley. Here's the route:

Note to self (and others): don't run along the San Diego "River" at night. There are a lot of folks just "hanging out."

~Josh

A Long Ride

2009-01-25T00:02:00.003-05:00

Today, Matt Mourning, a friend from GERMANTOWN, and I went for a ride through San Diego County. We started at our place and then headed up to Ramona, Julian, and into the mountains. The temperatures dropped into the 40s, but the ride was worth it. I went through a lot of places that I haven't seen in a long time: Dudley's Bakery, Barrett Junction, and others. We made it up to about 6300 feet (snow banks still hiding within the shadows) and all the way down to the aluminum wall that marks the southern border of the US. The ride was about 170-180 miles and lasted a little more than four hours. Matt rides a Suzuki SV 650 and I was on the recently repaired Triumph (which ran like a charm). All in all, it was a pretty good day.

~Josh

Dog Noises. . .

2009-01-22T01:58:00.002-05:00

Whenever Otto hears a strange sound, he gets a little leery. When Otto gets leery. . . he makes noises. Here are his noises:

~Josh

Busy Day

2009-01-18T20:44:00.003-05:00

Trying to break in the new shoes, I took a little longer run today, but I didn't overdo it. The weather was nearly perfect, so that makes it pretty easy to get off the couch and stay fit.

When I got home, I decided the time had come to fix the motorcycle. Here's the piece that I ordered:

Brian and I were riding a couple weeks ago when I noticed the bike was leaking fuel (pretty bad). Apparently, in the long storage of the bike, this little part had failed. When I tried to unscrew it, the bolt broke off in the filter assembly, the plastic threads still embedded in the filter housing assembly below:

Inside that little hole were the remnants of the valve assembly. So, using some new punch and scraping tools and a torch, I softened and removed the remnants of the part. It took about three hours. Here's the fuel tank with parts removed:

. . .and put back together. Of course, Otto and his Hippo were very instrumental in the successful maintenance. Without his eternal vigilance, so much would be done incorrectly.

The end result is that the motorcycle is back up and running. Proof positive that mixing old cars, little money, and a father who takes the time to teach his son how things are put together can pay off. Thanks, dad.

~Josh

The Northern Look

2009-01-14T20:37:00.003-05:00

Tonight, we head out to dinner with Tisha and Brian. We're going to get as much out of restaurant week as we can. Casa Guadalajara (http://bazaardelmundo.com/guad2006.shtml) is the joint tonight. I've attached today's run with a northern view. Not much of a run, but if you look up in the left corner, you'll see a yellow marker. That's where Tisha and Brian live.

City View

2009-01-13T23:16:00.003-05:00

Today's run was around the track and little more, times four. I'm showing this angle so you can get an idea of where the track and the base is in relation to Downtown San Diego and Coronado.

After work, Tina and I jumped into San Diego Restaurant Week by heading over to Kensington Grill (http://www.sdurbankitchen.com/kensington-grill.html). Tina had a mushroom gnocchi dish and I had a braised short rib cannelloni for the first course and Tina and I both had flat iron steaks for the main course. Pretty good. We may try another restaurant before the week is out. We'll see.

~Josh

University Heights

2009-01-11T15:03:00.002-05:00

Today I went for a quick run around University Heights, the neighborhood north of El Cajon Boulevard that borders the southern edge of Mission Valley. One of these days I will head down Texas Street (the biggest detractor is the trip back UP Texas Street). University Heights has some pretty cool restaurants in one particular area. Tina and I have been to a couple of them; a standout Mexican joint called El Zarape (B/T introduced us to that one) and a Swedish joint which has since closed. There is a Persian place, an Abyssinian place, the Lei Lounge, Park House Eatery, and several more, all within a couple of blocks, nestled in the upper middle class neighborhood.

I guess this post is indicative of the reason that I run: I always have food on my mind. To that end, San Diego types should check out http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com . It's this week. . .

~Josh

The Looong Walk

2009-01-10T01:24:00.002-05:00

Tina, Otto, and I set out on a doozy of a walk today. The weather was nearly perfect and we both had the day off, so we made the most of it. Otto had the opportunity to snub some dogs at the dog park (we're pretty sure he doesn't know that he's a dog, too) and we had the chance to stretch our legs. The end result was a 6.5 mile walk a long nap.

~Josh

Today's Run

2009-01-05T20:29:00.003-05:00

If you don't play with Google Earth, you're missing out. Here's where I ran today:

It was a 4.6 mile run and I did it in about 40 minutes. Not spectacular, but there are quite a few hills and I'm sick, so. . . I'll take it.

~Josh

New Look

2009-01-03T23:03:00.002-05:00

I've updated the look of the blog. It's my first menial attempt at working on the blog more frequently. Tisha puts down what she makes for dinner and Jodi does a good job at keeping up on what that kids are up to. I guess I'll have to find my niche. Until then, I'll try to add more pictures.

Christmas Passed

2009-01-01T22:37:00.004-05:00

Hello, all! We've just seen Bill and Patti off at the airport and are slowly winding down from a fun filled, exhausting week of having family out here in SDGO. I have posted some photos of the event. We are so blessed to have such wonderful families to spend the holidays with. My New Year's resolution? Update the blog a little more often.

~Josh

Otto???? Or Notto???

2008-09-21T17:05:00.006-05:00

Otto????

Or Notto????

Otto?????

Or Notto?????
You make the call, it is too close for me!!

Back in the Saddle

2008-07-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hello, all!

Well, I'm out in the Gulf again. I joined Amphibious Squadron Three and have begun the process of turning over the job of Operations Officer (also known as N3). The weather is hot and the scenery leaves much to be desired, but deployment is already near the halfway mark and I will be home for Thanksgiving, so life isn't that bad. Of course, Otto is keeping Tina company in San Diego and I already miss them both (especially Tina), but we're dealing with it. I'll post more once something exciting happens. I hope all is well back in the "real world." More to follow

~Joshua

Visit from the Graves'

2008-05-23T20:40:00.007-05:00

After the Oscar Party, Otto and I were pleased to get a visit from RI and Navy friends, Zach and Brigid Graves, and their daughter Maura. It was so good to see them, but it made us both a little homesick. The clan came over for dinner one night here at Chez Johnson. Maura is getting so big, and has a great personality. Unlike most little kids, she wasn't terrified of Otto, and by the end of the evening, I think she was TOTALLY comfortable with him. As they sat next to each other on floor at the end of the night, Maura was even so bold as to snake her arm out of her sweater, and wiggle the empty sleeve in Otto's face, taunting him. It was hilarious!
Brigid and I also were also had a Girls' Night Out with another friend, Nicole. We all had a great time, and Otto and I join to extend them an invitation whenever they want!

Oscar Ex-tra-va-gan-za!!!!!

2008-05-21T14:59:00.007-05:00

Hello!
After going through the last post, I realized that I owed ya'll some photos. I had promised you photos from this year's Oscar Ex-tra-va-gan-za, and now, a few short months later, I am happy to give them to you.
Otto was the only one who dressed up, since I didn't want to make Tisha and Brian uncomfortable or obligated to dress in their best duds. But he looked great as usual. Tisha came over first and we watched some of the show, and then a little later in the evening, we went a picked up 2 things - sushi and Brian.

I think it was a success, and as you will see from the photos, a good time was had by all.

Brian had a good time taunting Otto...

and Otto got him back by getting fresh with Tisha. This picture was taken after Otto advances had been rebuffed.

Hopefully next year, Josh will be able to attend his first Oscar Ex-tra-va-gan-za, because we sure missed him!

The Adventures of Otto....

2008-02-19T14:55:00.023-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have had a post dedicated to Otto, and he has noticed this and asked me to rectify the situation.
Otto is doing quite well, has fully recovered from his surgery and is more playful than ever. He always wants to play fetch and is constantly trying to involve me in a game. But that has been a bit difficult, since his toys started mysteriously disappearing a couple months ago. I have searched high and low, in couches and under beds, but to no avail. So, in the interest of keeping the peace in the house, I restocked his toy supply at Christmas, and he was again a happy pup.

See Otto and my dad at Christmas, and the wonderful new toys that Santa brought him?

Gone. All Gone.
It was truly a mystery. I wracked my brains to try and find Otto's missing playmates, and I finally realized what might be happening. Otto spends a large portion of his day out on our balcony, doing what dogs love to do, smelling the wind and lying in the sun. And he has been known to stand at the edge of the balcony and stick his tiny little head through the fence and sniff for extended periods at a time. So I surmised that perhaps he was in the middle of playing with one of his toys and a particular small caught his nose, and he just had to immediately go investigate, keeping the poor innocent toy locked tightly in his jaw. I further speculate that over time, the concentration that is necessarily required when one is engaged in a serious sniffing session may have caused a lack of concentration in other areas, and the grip on the toy may have slackened, even to the point of letting the poor little toy plunge five stories to its eventual demise in the alley below. This hypothesis I could hold in theory only with little hope of proving it, since there was little that I could do to recreate the perfect circumstances that would bring about an unintended toy homocide. That is, until last week, when I was summoned to the balcony upon overhearing the most pitiful whining coming from outside. I looked around, but could find no apparent cause for Otto's worry. There were no other dogs on other balconies to cause him distress, he had not hurt himself, food and water dishes were both brimming. And then I remembered my idea from earlier and I leaned over the railing, only to find, five floors down, a tiny pink bear lying face down in the alley. Needless to say, the little bear was saved and Otto is no longer allowed on the balcony with any toy that is smaller than the separation between the bars of the railing (and don't wory about the bear, in her short little life she has had her eyes picked out, her nose bitten off and a significant chunk of her bottom removed, so the drop from the balony was, sadly, par for the course.)
Other than the toy mystery, things have been pretty good for Otto. This morning I tried to capture what it is like to wake up in the morning and have his little puppy face make its way out from under the covers. Although I couldn't capture the exact feeling, you get a pretty good idea from these pics.

Speaking of Otto in the morning, some mornings when I get up, he is simply not ready to wake up so he stays behind to finish his dream. The other morning, when I got back into the bedroom, I found no Otto von Bisbarck, but I did discover a perfectly preserved escape tunnel, and I just had to document it:

Well that is about it on Otto. He is a pretty happy puppy and a great companion for me. He does miss Mister Josh, but he knows he will be coming home soon. As for upcoming events, Otto is in the midst of planning our second annual Oscar party, and I am trying to keep it from overwhelming him. He gets so caught up in the details. But I am taking care of alot of things, and I think he is comforted knowing that his tux has already been laundered and pressed. Plus he is looking forward to the imminent arrival of the Graves Family from Rhode Island. We will keep you updated and will post once we have pictures of the Oscar Ex-tra-va-gan-za! Bye!

From the Middle East

2008-02-16T02:16:00.003-05:00

I hope this post finds everyone well. I've been sending out e-mails to provide updates, but we finally have a little bit more connectivity, so I figured I would post via the blog for a change.

There isn't a whole lot going on over here. We have been up and down the Arabian Gulf, doing a number of tasks and activities. We had some helicopters for a couple of days to support operations in the Nothern Arabian Gulf (NAG). Here's a picture of the helicopter flying by and dispensing chaff. They needed to validate that the system was functioning, so it provided a small, but interesting show for those of us aboard.

We've seen a lot of ships since we've been out here. The Coalition consists of a number of countries, including Australians, British, and Canadian, among others. We've seen Germans and French, along with Saudi Arabian, Iranian, Iraqi, Omani, Bahraini, and Emirati navies while we've been out and about. It's always exciting to see other nations on the water. It certainly adds a bit of color to the monotony of a vast blue palette.

I've had the chance to stop in Bahrain a couple of times now. The benefit of Bahrain lies in the restaurants. I've had the chance to eat Malaysian, Iranian, Thai, Japanese, and Indian food while in port. Another benefit is the opportunity to visit some of the sites. While most of the Middle East is pretty tightly sealed off to foreigners, Bahrain has a pretty open policy for Westerners. In fact, I had the chance to visit the Grand Mosque in Manama. It was quite an experience to see how Muslims worship. I've attached two pictures. One is of me in the open courtyard, and the other is an artsy shot of the massive chandelier. Of course, they do limit what you can take pictures of, just like some of the cathedrals in Europe.

Well, that's about it for now. There will be more news soon, so stay tuned. Take care.

~Joshua

Christmas, a New Rug and a Brand New Marine...

2008-01-18T14:29:00.000-05:00

Hello!
It has been a while since I have posted an update. I have been pretty busy with work and the holidays, but I want to catch up!
Josh has been doing well. They have stopped in several ports and he has been able to get out and off the ship and relax a little but he has been pretty busy. Right around Christmas he earned his Engineering Officer of the Watch qualification, which is an important milestone for him, and I am really proud of him. I have included a picture of Josh and the khaki (officers and chiefs) from his department for your viewing pleasure. They also recently had a change of command onboard GERMANTOWN, which means a new set of policies to get used to and a new command attitude, but he reports that things are going pretty smoothly. Joshua also recently bought a rug at a "rug flop" while in Bahrain. He described the experience in a recent e-mail: "The best way to describe this is a Tupperware party that features hand-made rugs rather than plastic containers. It was a very fun experience. A salesman comes in and starts “flopping” the rugs down while describing each one in detail. They start out small and get bigger. Prices range from 35 Dinars up to 800 Dinars. The current exchange rate is $2.67=1 Dinar. After he is done flopping, people start negotiating with him. I decided I was going to buy a rug, but my tactic was to wait until he was just about done in order to get the best deal. I helped some of the JOs (junior officers) negotiate and I think we got some good deals. I ended up offering a price and not budging. The salesman came down to what I wanted and I got the rug. Of course, he probably still made a good penny, but the event was worth the price of the rug." So, even if it is mostly work and very little play, at least he gets to have some great experiences with good friends along the way.

Things have been pretty good for me here in San Diego. I was able to take a little time off of work and travel to Reno, NV to celebrate Christmas with the Cavins. My parents both flew up for the holiday, and Otto and I took a road trip up through the desolate parts of California and Nevada to join them at my grandparents' house. Otto is a pretty good travel buddy; we recently aquired a puppy car seat, and he just hangs out in the back seat and watches the scenery go by. We arrived on Christmas Eve and it was great to see everyone. Otto had never met my parents, so he had a blast getting to know them. Christmas morning I went to mass with my parents and then we opened presents with just us and my grandma and grandpa. Oh, and Otto of course. As you can see, Otto got some pretty good loot, and he has already made friends with my dad. It was nice and cozy. Christmas dinner however was a much larger affair - I believe the head count for Christmas dinner was 30! Don and Barb hosted the affair, and we had to clear out the living room to set up tables so we all could sit. We had a fabulous feast of homemade ravioli, sausages and meatballs. It was delicious, and it was so great to see so many member of my family.
I don't get to see them often enough, but luckily we will have another chance to see each other soon, since my cousin Jim got engaged over the holiday!

After Christmas I spent a few more days in Nevada before driving down and preparing for the imminent arrival of Josh's parents. For the past several month, one of Josh's brothers, Jacob, has only been a 10 minute car ride away, but I haven't been able to see him, since he was going through his basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot here in San Diego. Well, the time for graduation finally came at the beginning of January, and I was happy to have his parents stay with me for the occasion. Josh's Nana, Aunt Judy and cousin Tiffani also came down to attend graduation, and they stayed with cousin Tisha and her husband Brian. We all gathered early at the parade deck and waited with tons of other eager and enthusiastic family and friends. In fact, Lonnie and Julie got there so early they were able to save us front row seats, so we had a great view of the graduation. It was a really neat experience, they had a live band there playing
marches as the new Marines marched in and we all caught our first glimpse of Jacob. He did a great job while at boot camp, and was one of a select few who graduated as a Private First Class. It was so good to see him, and after graduation, he walked us around the Depot and gave us a tour of the museum there. If anyone out there is interested in ANY information regarding the United States Marine Corps, please let me know and I will get you in touch with Jacob. He has all the "good gouge," and would be more than happy to fill you in on it! After graduation, it was back to my house for pizza and presents. Since Jacob hadn't gotten to celebrate in boot camp, I kept the tree up a little longer so that he could have Christmas with us. It was a fun afternoon, capped off with dinner out with the whole family, where Jacob taught us the entire history of the Marine Corps. It is great to see him so excited about something, I am sure he is going to have much success with the positive attitude that he has.

Well, I guess that is about it from here, Otto is doing fine, just hanging out being himself. He certainly got spoiled there for a while, having so many people around to pet him and play with him, but now we are just back to him and me. I think he has finally readjusted. He spends alot of the day up in the loft, where he likes to sleep on Josh's motorcycle blanket. OK, I guess I am done!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-23T12:41:00.002-05:00

Hope you all had a great Turkey Day! I was lucky enough to spend the holiday with cousin Tisha at her husband's family home. Brian's family was warm and welcoming, and it was a great way to spend the day. I have to admit I fell under the spell of the turkey and passed out on the couch for a while, but I think that is allowed on Thanksgiving! Josh spent Thanksgiving underway, as you might expect. He unfortunately didn't get to celebrate with the entire wardroom; he had to go on watch and therefore ate a quieter meal with a smaller group. He sent along a photo from the meal; it is a little blurry but I think that you can tell that he is enjoying his meal and the company of his fellow officers.

Earlier this week he also sent some photos of his life underway. His ship performed an underway replenishment with a supply ship. Underway replenishments (UNREPs) are the way that ships get gas, food and all sorts of supplies. Usually the ships try to maintain a separation of about 180 feet, so it is a pretty big evolution with alot of people involved. It is also something that Josh will get to do many more times throughout his deployment. In this picture, you can see that hoses that stretch between the ships, attached to the tensioned spanwire.

My handsome husband also sent along a picture that was taken while he was up on the bridge. It is a little embarrassing because if you look carefully, you will see that he is actually wearing an outfit that is really similar to the one he wore for Thanksgiving. Oops, fashion faux pas! Oh well, we will let it slide because he looks so good!

And now for your Otto update: He is doing pretty well. The analysis of the stones they got out of him came back, and the vet recommended that we switch Otto to a vegetarian diet. After alot of research (and a couple of upset stomachs), I think we have finally found something he likes to eat that doesn't make him throw up (all over the floor and me at 5 in the morning). He has a vegetarian dry food, and I add in some vegetable broth and extra water so he stays as hydrated as I can get him. This results in a wet, orange and sticky beard, so he usually requires a post-meal face washing (warning: clicking on the picture below will result in extreme stickiness.)

Luckily, once he dries he remains as cute as ever (actually I think he is pretty cute either way!), though he does miss Mr. Josh.

That is about it from here! Hope everyone is doing well! Only 32 shopping days until Christmas...

Care Package Advisory

2007-11-14T02:24:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
Many of you have expressed an interest in sending a care package to Josh, and I just got this important info from the Command Master Chief's wife about some thefts that have been going on with care packages to service members. Please feel free to send him a package, just keep this in mind (and if you need it, e-mail me for his address):

"Hello Ship's Families,
I wanted to pass on information to you before you sending on packages to you sailors. Unfortunately is has been brought to the attention of our commands, as well as countless others that there has been tampering with care packages. What is happening is our packages we work so hard on are being carefully slit open, our gifts are being stolen, and then the packages are being resealed and then forwarded on to our unsuspecting loved ones. Items being stolen are things like PS3 players, games, Xbox 3 Players, games, DVD players, MP3 players, various electronics, jewelry, PASSPORTS, etc...How do thieves know these items are in the boxes? We disclose these items are in the boxes, as requires by Customs. A few suggestions to make sure your packages arrive safely:

1. Insure everything you send if you have any concern if may be stolen and you would want it replaced. This is a very small fee.

2. Report all damaged packages IMMEDIATELY to the post office (if you received it) and direct your sailor to report damaged packages to the postal petty officer immediately.

3. APO, FPO AND International Mail Must have a customs form. Go to the local post office and fill out the for description portion of the POS form 2976-A Customs Form, insert the form inside before you seal the package and place the top portion of the form (which is green) on the outside of the package. This lets customs official know that the item description form is inside the package.

4. Reconsider sending "high ticket" items. If you choose to send them, INSURE THEM!"

Please let me (Tina) know if you have questions, and I will ask them to the appropriate people and get back to you ASAP. If you do want to send those big ticket items, you can send them to me and I will hold onto them until my dear husband returns home!

Here is a cute picture of Otto to tide you all over!

Thanks again for all your love and support!
Tina

Short Video from the Pier

2007-11-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday I tried to take a little video of the sights and sounds of the ship getting underway. In this clip, you can see the lines at the aft end of the ship being brought onboard, and then can hear a whistle and a female voice announcing over the public announce system, "Underway...Shift Colors," and then you can hear a blast from the ship's whistle. My guess is that Josh was probably busy up on the bridge at this point. You can also see the color detail bring in the flag (shifting colors!), and while this is not the most exciting video ever, if you have never been at a pier to see a ship get underway, maybe this will help you visualize the process!

UNDERWAY! MISS YOU ALREADY!

2007-11-05T21:48:00.001-05:00

Well, the day we have been planning for finally came. Josh and I woke up super early (4am) and got all of his stuff together quickly. He said goodbye to Otto and we were out the door by 0430. We got to the ship soon thereafter and I helped him carry on the last of his stuff and unpack. He had a meeting to go to at 0530, plus alot of other things to do, so he walked me to the parking lot and we said goodbye. It was pretty sad, but I know he is going out to do all kinds of good things, so it is important he goes. I drove home and had breakfast, and then headed back to the ship. The parking lot was much more crowded this time around, with big groups of family and friends there to see them off (plus the ship across the pier was leaving a little later, so all of its family and friends were there too). I decided not to go on the pier so I could have a better view of the ship. Shortly before the ship started their final actions before getting underway, I got a call from Josh on my cell phone. He was waving at me from the starboard bridgewing, so I got to see him for one last time! It was great! The ship observed morning colors and the commanding officer came over the public announce system and thanked the crowd for all the support, and not too long thereafter you could here the command being given to single up all lines and take them in. Once all the lines were on the ship, they were underway and very quickly moving away from the pier, aided by two tugboats. Sailors and Marines were manning the rails, and they waved goodbye as they got further away. I waited until the ship started their turn and then walked a little further down the waterline to take some pictures of them as they headed out to sea. I don't have the fanciest camera, but I am sure those of you who know and love Josh will be happy for any pictures from this morning, so here they are!

Here is a picture of the starboard side of the ship. You can see some of the family members who had gathered on the pier.

Here is a picture of the national ensign shortly after morning colors, and you can see the Sailors and Marines lining up to man the rails.

At one point, I ventured over the the port side to see the tugs that would help them to get underway.

When Josh called me from the bridgewing, I took a picture of the figure who had been waving at me. This is it. If you click on the picture, you will get a larger version. That doesn't mean you can see him any better though.

Sorry you can't really make out any features, but if you could, I bet he would look something like this picture taken at the end of his last deployment (dashing, n'est-ce pas?) :

Finally, after I had returned home and was getting ready to mail out Josh's first care package, the doorbell rang and a very nice man delivered a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers from my lovely husband:

Well, that is about it from here. Thanks to all of you who have called and offered me support; I think this all will take a couple of days to register. In the meantime, I am trying to keep busy, and my obsession with Otto is always good for that. And since Josh may read this soon, we miss you and are very proud of you!!!

NAVY BEATS NOTRE DAME!!!!!

2007-11-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a very exciting and nerve-racking day in our house. As we prepare for Josh's deployment, there was one activity this weekend that was set in stone - watching the Navy football team try to end the Irish's 44 year winning streak, the longest winning streak in NCAA history! Having known Josh and other Naval Academy grads for several years now, I know this is a pretty big deal and Josh had really high hopes this year. And it was definitely a nail biter too. After three overtimes and a play that gave Notre Dame a second chance to tie it up, Navy was finally able to stop the Irish from getting a two-point conversion and the midshipmen ended their losing streak. There was much celebrating in our house. I don't think I have ever been so nervous about a football game! And I think I almost squeezed Otto to death in my nervousness! Otto got pretty nervous too, and had to go and get Lucky Bear to keep him company. In order to support the Midshipmen as much as possible, Josh broke out his pewter Academy beer tankard, and we dressed Otto in the closest thing we could find to Navy Blue and Gold. Below are the pictures from the afternoon -

Otto in his Navy colors...

Otto and Lucky Bear nervously watching the game...

Otto celebrating with the midshipmen after the historic win (I promise he was excited about the game, he just doesn't like sitting on that ledge)...

After the win, Josh called every Naval Academy grad he knew to memorialize the moment (and text messaged some poor Notre Dame alums to rub it in). It was quite a proud moment for him, and he and Otto had a great time celebrating.

I was really glad that Josh was able to watch this unforgettable game here at home before he heads out on what is sure to be a stressful deployment. Otto and I are preparing ourselves to see him off tomorrow and we will keep you posted on how we survive!

Maybe Next Year, Otto...

2007-10-26T12:12:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if you knew, but shortly before Otto's frightening emergency situation, he had started following his dream of winning the Tour de France.

He started training in earnest, and I took some pictures because we had decided to track his progress. His idea was to start on an indoor bike for conditioning before moving on to the road bike to work on distance and hills.

But, Otto has wisely decided to dedicate his time to his recovery and getting fully healthy. I guess his race for the coveted "maillot jaune" will have to wait until next year.
But until then, a pup can still dream!

Otto Update

2007-10-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

Well, since we last saw Otto falling into the couch, a couple of big things happened. I noticed that he wasn't peeing as much as he usually does, so I took him to the doctor, and found out that he had bladder
stones that were preventing him from peeing. The vet said that I should take him straight to the animal ER and Otto had a surgery to get those stones out. He came home a day later, and was kind of out of it due to the mass amounts of meds that he was on. He just sat around on the bed that I pulled out for him, as you can see in these pictures. I also included a picture of his back, where they shaved off a large piece of his hair to give him AN EPIDURAL. Seriously, the guy has been through alot.

But since then, he has been steadily recovering. On Saturday we removed the pain medication patch and he kind of came out of his funk, and has been more and more like himself. We are having a hard time keeping him to limited movement, but we are doing our best so our little guy heals. He has to wear an e-collar at all times, that he LOVES, and that I love because he now sports a variety of looks.
Sometimes he looks a little like a court jester....

...sometimes he looks a little like Queen Elizabeth I.....

...and sometimes he looks a little like dilophosaurus, the scary dinosaur from Jurasic Park that shot poison and had retractable neck frill and that killed that man in the jeep.

He is really getting his personality back. He is interested in hanging out on the balcony again, so the neighbors are subjected to his little coned head too. He is having a little problem with bladder control, but that seems to get better everyday, and since I let somebody cut into his bladder, I am not too hard on him about it. Thanks to everyone who sent happy thoughts our way, it meant alot to me and I think it helped. He is getting his stitches out next Monday, and soon we will know what kind of stones they were, and then we will adjust his diet accordingly. I am just glad he is going to be healthy and happy when Josh deploys, so I have a little buddy to hang out with while Josh is gone! Final parting shot - he may be a little under the weather, but DON'T MESS WITH OTTO!

The perils of couch lounging...

2007-10-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

Imagine one day you are just lying around in the warm sun with your best friend,
feeling refreshed and looking cute, and then out of nowhere....

COUCH COLLAPSE!

It was a close call, but don't worry, he made it out alive.

Somebody got a haircut...

2007-09-18T23:58:00.000-05:00

Sometimes he can look a bit scruffy....
...but today he looks downright dapper!

Complete with a bandana from the groomer!

Labor Day Weekend in Northern California

2007-09-04T14:01:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Josh and I took the chance to travel up to Ripon, CA one last time before his parents relocate to South Dakota for a new job. We drove up on Saturday with Otto in tow, and shortly after we arrived and had lunch, we headed out to go to the beach in Santa Cruz with Josh's mom, his dad and his brother, Jacob. We watched the surfers hang ten and headed down to a big, busy dog beach to check out the water up close. We hadn't brought any bathing suits, but were still able to enjoy the great sights and sounds of the ocean. Then we drove to downtown Santa Cruz and strolled around looking at the shops and getting some gelato to help us cool off!
Then on Sunday we went to church and then headed out to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We followed the trail through the famous giant sequoias that have fascinated visitors since their discovery in 1852.

We saw the Discovery Tree, the Siamese Twins, the Old Bachelor, and the Father and Mother of the Forest, plus many more majestic trees. They were truly awesome to behold, and it was a great way to spend an afternoon. Then we headed back to the house for a huge steak dinner and a lively game of Mexican Train Dominoes before going to bed.

Happy Second Birthdy, Otto!

2007-08-20T23:37:00.000-05:00

Today Otto turned 2! We spent all day doing things that he loves. We hung out in bed for a while, then we got ready and went to the dog park in Balboa Park, then we headed out to Petco to pick out his birthday gifts. Once we got home, he spent alot of time practicing his new favorite pastime - hanging out on the upper balcony. Otto is finally getting used to San Diego and I think he is finally getting used to being a city dog and an apartment dog. He hardly barks at other people when they are on their own balconies anymore, but he hasn't quite taken to the patch of sod that Josh got for him on our balcony.
Later in the evening, I made him a birthday hat (he clearly enjoys it, you must agree!) and his birthday dinner, which he enjoyed with much vigor. Too bad Josh couldn't be here to take part in the festivities! Like he said, we will be trying to update the blog more often, now that we are together and actually have some things to blog about!
Oh, and just for those of you who may have missed it, here is a picture of Otto several months ago at our Oscar party. He is quite dashing, if I do say so myself! We had Lena come over and, as you can see, Otto isn't the only one who got dressed up for the big occasion.

Long Time, No Blog

2007-08-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

Well, we're here.

Tina came out about three weeks ago and now we are both in San Diego. It's been an interesting six months apart, but I've been pretty busy and Tina has had Otto as a constant companion. I have just finished the training cycle onboard the GTN and we are in the last throes of preparing for deployment.

I'm planning on posting more frequently. It might actually be a way for me to put some pictures and information out for everyone while I am deployed(nothing classified, mind you).

Anyhow, this is the rebirth. Tina will post the next entry.

The Trip: Day 13, July 7th, Rome

2007-02-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

Another simple hotel breakfast started off day thirteen in Rome. After breakfast, we walked to a bus station and bought a ticket for a tour bus. This bus was the “Jump on, Jump off” kind of bus, one where you can board and depart at a number of famous locations, and en route you can listen to the recorded guide. We visited a magnificent church designed by Michaelango, the Colosseum and the Italian Tomb of the Unknown soldier.

After we saw the Colosseum, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant nearby. We sat outside and Josh dined on a pasta dish with cheese and pepper, and I had spaghetti with cheese and mussels. The heat of the day started to wear us down, so we headed back to the hotel for a refreshing nap.

Post-nap, we took a cab to Piazza Navona and took in its beautiful fountains and other architectural and sculptural features. One of the piazza's fountains we featured prominently in the plot of Dan Brown's novel "Angels and Demons". We then roamed through the alleys of Rome in search of a restaurant. We found a small osteria off the piazza that had a lot of charm. Josh had a tasty dish of porcini mushroom pasta, and I had tagliatelle alla Norma. As we ate the skies opened up, and nature treated us to an impressive thunderstorm on our last night in Europe.

The Trip: Day 12, July 6th, Rome

2006-10-31T15:44:00.000-05:00

In the last city of our trip, we woke up early and headed to turn in the car. Although we didn't have the maneuverability of the car, it was nice not to worry about parking in such a big, crowded city. From the rental place, it was just a short walk to the Vatican Museum line, which had already twisted itself down the street and around the block. We spent a hour and a half in the hot Roman sun, but it could have been worse, since the line only got longer as the day went on. Once inside, while many of the tourists made a beeline for the Sistine chapel, Josh and I took our time checking out all of the many rooms in the museum. We saw a lot of amazing art, and I am really glad we decided to spend a great deal of time there. We did eventually make it to the Sistine Chapel, and it was amazing. It is hard to comprehend all of the time and effort that went into it. We then stopped at a small pizzeria for yet another caprese salad and a sausage pizza. Next stop - Saint Peter's Basillica, another impressive sight. The gigantic holy site covers an area of 5.7 acres and has a capacity of over 60,000 people.
The atmosphere is truly inspiring, and the fabulous art, including Michelangelo's Pietà, is magnificent. We also visited the Tomb of the Popes and saw Pope John Paul II's tomb. Then we headed back to the hotel for a short nap.

We went back out in the evening, and visited the Trevi Fountain before picking a Sicilian restaurant for dinner. We started with sauteed clams and mussels, followed by a pasta and tuna dish for Josh, and eggplant rolls stuffed with spaghetti, ricotta, tomatoes and swordfish for me. We then shared a beef roll dish, and ended dinner with delicious cannoli. A great meal to end a great day!

The Trip: Day 11, July 5th, Florence and Rome

2006-10-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

Woke up early in Florence. Josh went and got breakfast and brought it back to the room as I got ready. Immediately set out to stand in line at the Uffizi Galleries. It seemed like a really long line, but we made it inside in about an hour. Inside we were able to visit many great works of art from artists like Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian.
Made a quick stop for lunch, and then headed straight to Santa Maria del Fiore, where to main attraction is the impressive Duomo, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi It was It was the first 'octagonal' dome in history to be built without a wooden supporting frame and it is an impressive sight. We checked out the interior of the church and then began the climb to reach the top of the Duomo. 463 steps later, we were treated to fantastic panoramic views of Florence and the surrounding countryside. It was fabulous.
After we descended, we headed to the car and began our drive to our final destination - Rome. The trip was a little stressful and there was some confusion finding the hotel, but we ended the day successful in our hotel room, which was tastefully decorated in animal prints. Finally, we ended the day with a meal at a restaurant nearby that had a TV tuned to the World Cup, and we watched France advance to the finals by beating Portugal.

The Trip: Day 10, July 4th, Venice and Florence

2006-09-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

Early morning wakeup in our tiny hotel room and made a beeline for the Basilica di San Marco. We spent our time in line watching tourists feed the pigeons. The early start paid off, and we were able to enter the church within a half-hour of its opening. Large gold mosaics in the Byzantine and Gothic styles cover the ceiling, and the floor was also an intricate mosaic design. It was an awe-inspiring place, and I was glad we took the time to visit it.
We took a waterbus back to the car and got on the road - Destination: Florence. We took several back roads and visited the off-the-beaten-track Italy. We stopped at a small pizzeria on the road, where Josh had a arribiata and I had a ravioli pomodoro. As we got closer to Florence,
the driving got more stressful and we were so relieved when we finally reached our bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, there were problems with our room, but the helpful manager had already booked us a room at another inn and paid the difference - upgrade!
We headed out to get a feel of the city and plan our next day. We visited the massive Palazzo Vecchio (Florence's town hall/fortress-palace), the Ponte Vecchio (the famous medieval bridge that spans the Arno), and checked out the exterior of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, with its world-famous Duomo. We headed back to the inn and showered and, armed with a recommendation from the inn employees, we headed out for dinner. We really lucked out, and had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called La Pentola dell'Oro.
The restaurant was once part of a monastery, and the atmosphere and service was unbelievable. The menu was extensive, with plates that featured Tuscan medieval and renaissance recipes. We shared an appetizer of crostini, meats and cheeses. Josh had a slow-cooked bread stew and I had pasta with lamb stew for our primi piatti, and the followed those amazing dishes with a rabbit dish for Josh and a beef stew for me. And don't forget dessert - we shared a sauteed pear. It was fantastic.

After our meal, we walked off most of the feast as we searched for a bar that could accommodate two Americans interested in watching the Italians take on the Germans in the World Cup semifinal. The Italians won, and we were again able to witness the celebration that ensued.
Instead of pedestrians flooding the streets, the Italians took to their scooters!

The Trip: Day 9, July 3rd, Venice

2006-09-06T19:51:00.000-05:00

Woke up early to church bells in Bled and ate a quick breakfast at the hotel. Soon we were on the road and on our way to Italy, the last country of our trip. As we got closer, the environment got steadily browner and hotter, and by the time we parked at the garage just outside of Venice, it seemed like we were on another planet, not just in another country. We walked to Venice and boarded a waterbus, which took us to the Piazza San Marco via the Grand Canal. Our hotel was nearby, but due to the small unmarked streets and alleyways that are the norm in Venice (and the intense heat), we decided to stop and eat lunch before venturing any further. We stopped at a small pizzeria and shared a pizza siciliana and a caprese salad. After lunch, we headed out to find our hotel, which was about a street away. The hotel room was pretty small, but the air conditioning was on full blast and that is all we really needed. We dropped our stuff off and headed out. We visited several churches, but bypassed the major tourist attractions due to the long lines and lack of shade. July is obviously a busy month for tourists in Venice, and it seemed there wasn't a place to hide from all of the tour groups that had been bused in for the day. We decided that the best bet would be to take a break from the heat and head back to the hotel for an afternoon nap, which turned out to be a great decision.
When we ventured out later in the evening for dinner, the weather had cooled down and the tourists had definitely thinned out. It was a MUCH less stressful experience. We ate at Al Burchiello Ristorante, where Josh and I shared a Veal Marsala, Spaghetti Carbonnara, Antipasto Italiano, and yet another caprese salad. We then headed back to the previously overcrowded Piazza San Marco, where we sat at a restaurant and enjoyed two different music ensembles that treated us to a non-stop outdoor concert - the perfect end to our busy day.

The Trip: Day 8, July 2nd, Zell am See and Bled

2006-08-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

Tina here!
The trip continues...

We left Salzburg early and ate breakfast on the road, making our way to Zell am See, Austria. For those of you who are Band of Brothers fans, Zell am See was where Easy Company goes for some rest before learning they will be heading off to Japan. We drove around the lake and then headed to our next stop - Bled, Slovenia.

We arrived late in the afternoon, and checked into our hotel, which had by far the best view of all of our hotels. It looked right onto the lake that the town is built around. It is a very picturesque town, and it made for a nice break after all of the large cities that we had visited. We next headed out to a late lunch at a lakeside restaurant, where Josh had a mixed grill and I had stuffed grilled squid. Very tasty.

After lunch, we took a boat to the island at the center of the lake. The boat was rowed by a very large man using his considerable strength alone. On the island is The Church of the Assumption, which was built in the 17th century. One of the main attractions of the church is its Wishing Bell, which is supposed to grant wishes to those who ring it. We were lucky enough to witness an older couple as they rang the bell. Then we headed back to the mainland and got ready for dinner. We enjoyed another lakeside table at the Panorama Restaurant, where I had lamb and Josh had steak with chanterelles.
Next, we venture into Italy!

The Trip: Day 7, July 1, Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, and the Love Parade . . .

2006-07-27T21:11:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in my postings. I have been pretty busy getting back into the swing of things with department head school. This is my last post about the trip. Tina takes over.

From Munich we made our way to Berchtesgaden and the foot of the Eagle's Nest, Hitler's mountaintop retreat. The town was flooded with thousands of tourists and the bus ride up to the top was going to take about four hours round trip, so we made the decision to head to Salzburg instead of ascend the mountain, thereby sacrificing our sovereign experience.

We got into Salzburg and checked into the hotel around 2:00. We immediately headed out for a light snack. We shared a frankfurter and a pretzel at a pretty cool old restaurant. Here's Tina pounding a beer.

Once again, our timing was impeccable. We had landed ourselves in the middle of Linzergassen, a.k.a. the Love Parade. Here's the skinny: imagine about thirty flatbed tractor trailers, packed with clubbers, pounding music that would deafen most people.

After the eye-opening experience of watching half-nude, painted clubbers dance on flatbeds, we headed into town and up to Salzburg Fortress. The fortress was spectacular, but the walk wore Tina down. We met a couple of Americans atop the walls and they took a great picture for us (I posted that one at http//:www.joshandtina.com since they won't all fit on the blog). After treking up and down the mountain, we made our way back to the room and took a bit of a nap. Later on that evening, we went to a great restaurant and tried the local cuisine, watched a World Cup match, and turned in pretty late.

Next stop: Bled, Slovenia.

A Video Interlude

2006-07-27T20:32:00.000-05:00

Hey, all! I added a small video interlude. Check it out
here. More to come soon! In the meantime, here's the wife. Notice the double-fisting. Wait! She's got three glasses! Sad, really. Okay, this may have been the tasting. Whatever.

~Joshua

The Trip: Day 6, June 30th, Liechtenstein, Die Strausse Romantische, and Augsburg (World Cup Style)

2006-07-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

We woke up in Zurich and headed out almost immediately. Driving east, we ended up in Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries in the world. We stopped briefly for a quick photo then headed to Neuschwanstein, a fantastic castle seated majestically atop a rocky outcropping. Dodging the tourists, we headed north into Germany on the Romantic Road. The Romantic Road took us through quite a few small, Bavarian towns. Both Tina and I recognized something that was mentioned in the movie "Band of Brothers": Germans are very tidy. Every lawn was mowed and there wasn't a speck of trash to be seen. National pride is still a major part of German life.

Here I am expressing my frustration at Tina's slow picture taking methods.

When we arrived in Augsburg, our stop for the night, we joined several very rowdy German businessmen in the lobby. A screen had been set up and the beer was flowing like wine. . .er. . .water. Germany was playing Argentina and the game was very tight. By the end of regulation time, the teams were tied and the energy in the hotel lobby was insane. Tina and I had been dragged into the excitement and were rooting for Germany (albeit in English).

By the end of overtime, all penalty kicks counted, the Germans had won. What happened next was enlightening. When we were in Paris, and the French won, there was excitement. In Augsburg, the town erupted. Tina and I took the time to walk downtown and observe the madness. Honking horns, painted faces, screaming fans: it was awesome. We ended up eating at a small Greek restaurant and, for desert, we headed to a biergarten. By that time, the Italians were playing their game and the town had refocused.

As we made our way back to the hotel room, we found out that the Italians had won. How did we find out? The Italians had joined the Germans in celebration.

This is just a little fun with the exposure time.

The Trip: Day 5, June 29th, Le Route du Vin, Schwarzwald, and Zurich

2006-07-24T14:15:00.000-05:00

We woke up early on the 29th, rejuvenated by the countryside and ready to explore. I had originally planned on heading across the Rhine early and dropping into the Black Forest, but Tina had done some research regarding the wine route in Alsace (very good, rewarding research), so, after crossing the river accidentally, we did a u-turn in Germany, returned to France, and headed south along the Rhine.

At first, we didn't see any vineyards at all and we were a little confused, but as soon as those thoughts were vocalized, the vines began to emerge on every open parcel of land. Le Route du Vin was real and we spent quite a bit of time meandering through it, taking the time to sample (read: steal) some grapes and stand amidst the vines.

Tina guided us to Riquewihr, a small hamlet that is still protected by the medieval walls that surround it. Of course, after settling on a town to explore, the heavens opened up and the small, quaint roads turned into rapids. Here I am braving the rain (notice the older ladies cowering beneath the ancient eaves.

Heading out of Riquewihr, we took a wrong turn and began to head into the mountains that create the shadows that Riquewihr hides in. The rain increased and, against my much worse judgment, Tina recommended turning around. It made sense a few minutes later when the visibility dropped to zero. Not a problem for SWOs like us, but our radar was down, so we took it slowly. Naturally, when we found our way back to the main road, the clouds parted, revealing a crystal blue sky.

On the way back up the wine route, we stopped at a winery and sampled the vintages. We bought a couple of bottles of pinot noir, and, more importantly, three bottles of the liqueurs that they had developed. Fantastic.

Tina took the reins of our rented stallion (since I took it upon myself to ensure the quality of wines purchased) and we ended up stopping at a Humanist library in Selestat. They had some fantastic examples of early incunabula (books printed before 1501) and quite a few fantastically illuminated manuscripts. While Tina and I were thoroughly intrigued, I’m sure that you are bored, so I’ll move on.

We crossed the Rhine into Germany and headed through some of the most beautiful country we had seen yet. The roads we were on were born in a motorcyclist’s dream. I would have been happy to blast the Mini through those curves, but all we had was the gutless Opel, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for loose switchbacks. I took some video of the experience and I will load it up to the internet and provide you with a link as soon as I get the chance. Moving on . . .

By the time we arrived in Zurich, we were done. Though we hadn’t logged as many miles as the first day, our time on the road was fairly substantial. Couple that with our poor knowledge of the urban sprawl known as Zurich, and the ensuing argument regarding appropriate navigation, and it was time to call it a day. When we found the hotel, we checked in and headed out for dinner. The cityscape was similar to some kind of SNL skit about Dieter, so we ate quickly and headed to bed, looking forward to the next day.

On a final note: if you end up heading to Alsace, a region of France that has changed hands between Germany and France for centuries, you’ll find a culture and a cuisine that reflects both countries. Here’s a picture of Tina with the pound of sauerkraut (a.k.a. choucrote). It was very good.

The Trip: Day 4, June 28th, Paris to Strasbourg by way of the Marne Valley, Belgium, and Luxembourg

2006-07-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

We woke early and walked back down to the Louvre, the location of the car rental agency. After signing the contract, picking up the Opel Astra, and loading the vehicle, we headed out of the city. Tina deftly guided me to the peripherique where we encountered some small traffic before blasting east on the freeway, so beginning our 2000 mile trek. We stopped in Verdun for lunch after checking out a small WWI monument honoring the supply train that fed the French lines. It was off a road dedicated to remembering the first world war. Verdun sits astride a river. Above is posted a photo of Tina on the converted drawbridge.

After leaving Verdun, we headed towards the national memorial commemorating World War I. The last statistic I heard was that there are less than fifty WWI veterans still alive (not bad, considering they would have to be at least 106 years old). The memorial looks like a giant ship overlooking the battlefield. I posted a couple of photographs of the memorial on http://www.joshandtina.com and one here. It was very impressive, very imposing, and nearly abandoned.

After spending some time at the memorial, we headed north, through Belgium, into Luxembourg. We arrived in the capital late in the afternoon, so we were starting to feel the effects of rush hour when we decided to head south to Metz.

This cathedral sits atop a hill, making it look twice as tall as it actually is. I would have to say that it came close to being one of the most impressive cathedrals that we visited. Even after the grandeur of Notre Dame, the cathedral at Metz had a cavernous presence that presented a kind of debilitating silence that no other house of worship yielded.

After taking a stroll around the inside of the cathedral (and observing the grafitti that marred the backside of the sacriste), we needed a break, so we stopped for some Belgian ale at a small pub across the street from the church.

The day turned out to be longer than we had planned and it encompassed about 500 miles worth of travel. It would be the longest day of our trip. We left Metz and arrived in Strasbourg around 2000. We checked in and went in search of dinner, settling for what looked like a touristy kind of place, but turned out to be quite good.

With Paris behind us, we looked forward to a slower pace in the coming days.

The Trip: Day 3, June 27th, Paris

2006-07-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

By the time the sun rose on day three, we had accomplished our two goals in Paris, so everything else was icing on the cake. We decided to head up to Montmartre to visit Sacre Coeur first thing. We took the metro to the nearest stop then shifted into low gear and hiked up to the highest point in the city. The crowds were considerably thinner and the atmosphere in the small neighborhood atop the hill was markedly different from where we were staying in Paris.

Before we left Jeremiah sent me a compass. Here I am trying to figure out where the basilica is. Unfortunately, I left the directions at home and have, instead, decided to make the ugliest face known to man.

After checking out the church, we headed back into town, arriving at the Champs d'Elysee. We walked all the way down from the Arc de Triomphe, past Grand Palais, Petit Palais, and Place de la Concorde. We were planning on hitting the Musee d'Orsay, but the line was outrageous. Instead, we headed to Ile de la Cite and boarded a river tour boat. This was undoubtedly one of our best decisions regarding Paris. The boat took us down the Seine and past numerous bridges. I've inserted a picture of one of the bridges. Apparently, during some serious flooding, the statue was up to its neck in water.

Take a look at http://www.joshandtina.com for more pictures.

The Trip: Day 2, June 26th, Paris

2006-07-17T17:46:00.000-05:00

The second day began much earlier than the first. We woke up and had a quick breakfast at a local cafe before heading to the Louvre. Of course, the Louvre is the most impressive museum in the world and we spent about five hours walking through the numerous halls and chambers. We were told that if you took thirty seconds to look at each picture, every single day, all day, it would take you three months to see everything. Pretty impressive.

We broke for lunch at a place behind the Louvre called Le Fumoir. Back in the thirties many Parisian literary figures and intellects would meet for lunch and smoke cigars at what was considered a pretty hip spot. For our part, we had a very good lunch with a fantastic mascarpone desert.

After touring the museum we headed to Saint Sulpice, a church made famous by Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. From there we toured the Jardin du Luxembourg. Afterwards, we headed back to the first arrondisement, had a snack, showered, then headed to the Latin Quarter for dinner. Though the dinner was marginal, the walk across the Pont Neuf wasn't, and it capped off an excellent first full day in Paris.

This is a picture of Tina and I taken in the reflection of a sculpture in the Jardin Royal.

Here is Tina trying to find the perfect angle of the Pyramids that act as the entrance to the Louvre.

Here's Tina in the Royal Gardens. I'll throw some more pictures onto a separate post.

~Joshua

The Trip: Day 1, June 25th, Arrival in Paris

2006-07-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

Our trip began around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. We got to the airport and wheeled our bags to check in. The flight out of Providence was delayed by two hours, so we were a little worried about making our connection in Newark. Thankfully, flights were delayed out of Newark as well and we didn't have any problems. We ended up leaving on our 10:40 p.m. flight around 12:15 a.m. Tina took the opportunity to sleep a little while we were airborne, but I was unable to do the same, so I occupied myself by attempting to defeat Zelda: The Minish Cap on Tina's Gameboy. The flight was six hours and I spent about four of those playing the game. We met a gentleman from New York who was headed to Paris for work named Michael. He was the first of many very nice Americans that we had the pleasure of meeting.

When we finally landed it was nearly noon and we were both pretty tired. We found a train to Gare du Nord, then hopped two metro lines until we arrived at Pyramides, a stop that landed us dead center in the Opera District, the location of our hotel. As soon as we got outside of the station, the heavens opened up. We caught a cab almost immediately and arrived at our hotel, Hotel Malte Opera, minutes later.

After checking in, we both crashed for about three or four hours. When we woke up, we took quick showers and headed into the Opera District. We ended up eating at a place called Le Chartier, a strange, cafeteria like restaurant. We explained that there were two of us and we were seated with a family of four from Finland. I had a steak au poivre and Tina had salmon. The Finnish father engaged us in a conversation that leaned towards the price of beer in Paris, which was about six to seven Euros (about $7.50-9.00).

After we left the restaurant, we stopped at a local cafe called Khedive Opera for a Kir Royal. The rain continued and we decided to retire for the evening. Our first full day awaited and we had plans to attack the Louvre early.

The Trip: An Introduction

2006-07-10T04:36:00.000-05:00

Tina and I arrived safely in Newport around 10:15 pm on Saturday evening. Here are a couple of statistics from the trip:

~3100 kilometers in the Opel Corsa (that's about 2000 miles)
~1200 photographs (many to be deleted)
~10 sovereign nations

I'll be posting pictures and providing inputs in the next couple of posts. This is just the introductory post. Here are a couple of photos of the journey for the impatient.

~Joshua

This is a picture of Tina and I atop the Basilica of Santa Maria Del Fiore in Florence. It is commonly referred to as the Duomo. The trip up was a bit arduous and, as Tina recalls, smelled terrible. It was 462 steps to the top and the view of what many claim to be the most beautiful city in the world was, in a word, spectacular. An American man travelling with his kids and sweating as much as me was kind enough to take the picture.

This second picture is of Tina and I in front of Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice. The gentleman who took this photo was also American and a bit of an amateur photographer, like myself. He took a couple of shots, adjusting the settings for the best possible exposure. It was a good effort. . .

This last shot was taken as we descnded from Sacre Coeur at Montmartre in Paris.

. . .and to answer your question: no. Not every photograph we took involved a church. More to come. . .

. . .and they're off!

2006-06-24T12:42:00.000-05:00

One last post before we head overseas. Tina's grandparents were up during the week for a couple of days, so we had the opportunity to tour The Breakers. It was 138000 square feet of opulence.

Today, we head to Paris and parts east. Some of our friends are watching Otto and the house and we are looking forward to our "honeymoon." We are going to check e-mail as often as we get the chance, but don't try to call. You'll just get the answering machine. We hope that this posting finds everyone well and we'll post photos and stories upon our return.

~Josh and Tina

Entitlement

2006-06-03T23:36:00.000-05:00

It started to creep in around the time that Tina and I returned from a wedding in Annapolis. Otto suddenly felt entitled to sleep in the bed. Granted, it is much more comfortable than his crate. This evening around 10:00, in a bold move, Otto decided to head to bed early. I found him patiently waiting outside the door to our bedroom. When I opened the door, he leapt on the bed, did the prerequisite four or five spins, then settled in. I continued to watch TV in the den and Otto continued to sleep on the bed. He has certainly made himself at home. He sleeps in the bed just about every night now. Usually, by the time Tina and I wake up, he has found his way to a small space between us or, lately, to the crook of my knee.

2006-06-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

I was on Brian Galloway's website/weblog and noticed that he had taken a quiz to determine which Star Wars character he most closely resembled in character. His character was R2-D2. I took the quiz. Me . . ?

Tina is up at Holy Cross this weekend with Susan Schumann at her five year college reunion, so Otto and I are holding down the fort. What did I do today? Oh, not much, I guess. Well, I did rewire the bottom floor. Had I intended on doing that? No. Last night, the breaker tripped on the circuit governing the livingroom. I smelled melted rubber, so this morning I took apart the receptacle. The plug shorted and melted the copper wiring. The good news is the house didn't burn down. The bad news is I had to take a crash course in electrical circuitry. I replaced the outlet and had voltage in the series, but it wasn't high enough to power anything. So, I snaked a new cable through the wall and got it working. If you can't tell, I'm very proud of my accomplishment.

~Joshua

A night at home . . .

2006-05-25T21:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a little insight into our evenings . . .

As the sun sets and the last vestiges of daylight recede, Tina and I eat dinner then settle in for a bit of television. We watch a number of shows, but pay less attention than most people. Why? It's because we're online. Certain scenes in certain shows spark conversations. Those conversations spark questions. The answers to those questions, we've decided, can be found online. Whether it's a trip to http://www.imdb.com to answer, "who played what part in which movie," or something else, we connect ourselves on a nightly basis to a much larger world. We've stumbled on some really interesting stuff, some scary stuff, and some very funny stuff. Just some thoughts. I've attached a classic photo. Elias is so intent on making sure the tractor goes in a circle that he doesn't know his 'Papa' is feigning . . . what? Death? Sleep? We hope all is well out there.

~Joshua

Summer Break is Here!

2006-05-21T18:14:00.000-05:00

It's here! The NAPSters graduated on Friday and I am in full summer mode! There are quite a few things I've been putting off in order to stay on top of duties at school. Well . . . those duties have come to an end. I have handed over my collateral duties, the track season is over, and all grades are in. I enjoyed my time at NAPS, but I am looking forward to DH school, which starts on July 31st. The next couple of weeks will be dedicated to planning our honeymoon, cleaning and organizing the house, and getting back into shape. We're looking forward to having Jodi, Justin, and the boys up in the next week, Chip and Mer later this summer, and anyone else who gets a chance to make it up north. This picture was taken at The Cloisters, a satellite building and collection that falls under the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It looks a bit like a castle and it overlooks the Hudson River.

~Joshua

Face Off!

2006-05-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

We had the opportunity to go to a NAPS Lacrosse game. While they were trouncing Winchendon and after Tina had left to do some dress shopping with a couple of her friends, Otto had a face off with Zorro, a ten month old Bull Mastiff. I think that he held his own pretty well (though Zorro's paws outweighed Otto by a bit).

~Joshua

Otto's Update

2006-05-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

Hope all is well out there in the world. Otto is doing very good. He is down to messing in the house less than once a week. He is learning that going wherever he wants gets him negative attention.

We've reserved hotel rooms along our route through Europe and are getting more excited everyday. We have about 50 days till we head east, but . . .

I am in the midst of grading 47 20-page papers for the my students' final grades. Once that is over, and after a graduation ball and ceremony, we will be in the midst of the high season. We're looking forward to having visitors this spring and summer. Chip and Meredith are planning on coming up from D.C., Susan (one of Tina's Bridesmaids), and Jodi, Justin, and the boys promised to try to find some time before they head to CA. Anyone else? We'd love to have you.

~The Johnsons

The Honeymoon is Set!

2006-04-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, all! We hope that things are well out there. We are doing great up in Newport. Tina has just finished teaching her first group of students and I am one week away from the end of teaching English Composition. We went ahead and purchased tickets for Europe, thus commencing our honeymoon planning. We will be flying into Paris on the 25th of June and flying out of Rome on the 8th of July. In between, we have plans to visit ten coutries/city-states. Before kids, before school, and in between duty stations, this may be our only opportunity for an intimate vacation until we're sixty (our planned retirement). It's weird to think retirement at this point, but, we do. Anyway, I've posted a photo of a church that sits on an island near the city of Bled, Slovenia, and the castle that overlooks the town. I visited Bled on a cruise and enjoyed it immensely. We're planning on visiting the town as a couple in July. Drop us a line if you get a chance.

~Joshua (Tina's on duty)

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T20:09:00.000-05:00

Hello, all, and Happy Easter! We put together a great dinner and had a really good time using our wedding china. I guess it isn't normal behavior, per se, but we felt like it was a pretty good opportunity to use some of the beautiful gifts from our wedding. We hope that everyone had a beautiful day!

~Josh and Tina

An Announcement from the Newlyweds

2006-04-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

Tina and I are doing very well. The weather has finally begun to change and we are really excited about the summer. I found out this past week that I am set to take over as Operations Officer on USS GERMANTOWN, an LSD based in San Diego. We won't be headed in that direction until February of next year, but we are looking forward to a change of scenery and an opportunity to try out Southern California. Anyway, we hope all is well out there and look forward to hosting folks in beautiful Newport while we're still here. I've inserted a photo of Tina and her Cheddar Tabasco Bread (baking has become a shared hobby for us).

~Josh and Tina

2006-03-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

Not much new in the now thawing north. Jodi and the boys are coming up this weekend, so we are looking forward to that. I'm sure that I'll have some new photos and (maybe) some videos of the kids. Tina is in the midst of teaching her first class and I have just begun the outdoor track season. Stand by for more information track meets, etc. Till then, here's another wedding picture. I will be adding more photos and information to the website when I get a chance (joshandtina.com). Until then, this is the best place to get information about what we are up to. Also, if you get a chance, go to mathewsfamilyblog.blogspot.com . Talk to you soon.

~Joshua

Website Update

2006-03-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

Well, the website has been updated. It is starting to look a little more like a real site. I am going to add more photos as they come. I will put some 'professional' photos on as soon as we get a few. For now, take a look at Brian attacking the photographers zebra . . . er . . . hummer. What you see here is a shot of the brewed beer (it's actually pretty good) and one of Tina talking to the dog (he is always guilty).

Our own website!

2006-03-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

We've bought a website and will begin to add pictures and movies to it as soon as my computer comes back from the shop. In the meantime, we'll keep the blog up for more updated information. If you want to see what we have thus far, go to http://www.joshandtina.com . More to come . . .

~Joshua

The Navy in Albuquerque

2006-02-26T21:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a little taste of New Mexico (the navy version).

~Joshua

Oh! I almost forgot . . .

2006-02-23T23:03:00.000-05:00

One more thing. If you go to the wedding photos link on the page, look up the Tina and Joshua's Wedding under Your Wedding and Events, you can see the photos that the professionals took. The password is "smile".
~Joshua and Tina

It's Done!

2006-02-23T22:46:00.000-05:00

Our day has come and gone and we are happy to be home. We've begun unpacking and opening gifts. We were so happy to see everyone there. Tina and I had a really good time and wouldn't change anything. Besides losing the video camera, we didn't have any problems at all. We took some time up in Santa Fe before heading back on Tuesday and had the opportunity to hang with Jason Priestley and his lovely wife, Naomi. Seriously. Anyway, the picture in this posting is of Brian Galloway, my positively mediocre man, riding centerline on the way to some event. If any of you have pictures, whether electronic or hardcopy, we'd love to collect as many as possible. We'll post what we have and, if you send us some good ones, we'll post yours too. Overall, our goal is to amass a collection of photos from every angle. Last thing: the invite. We'd love to host anyone who is willing to head up to Newport! Talk to you soon.
~Joshua

Less than a week away . . .

2006-02-12T19:53:00.000-05:00

We had a bit of a snowstorm today and Otto took the opportunity to stick his nose into every bank. Of course, Schnauzer, in German, literally means 'noser.'

Tina and I have packed our bags and are getting very excited about heading to ABQ. Everything is starting to fall into place.

Anyway, I'll probably do one more post before we head to New Mexico. I hope that everybody is as excited as we are to meet and share our moment. ~Joshua

ABQ a Week from Tomorrow

2006-02-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's me that was making the beer, but I'm sure that Tina will be the one who drinks it (if it is palatable). I realized the other day that this is going to be, in a way, the biggest Johnson/Busch reunion in some time combined with an Owens/Cavin reunion. We are really starting to look forward to next Saturday. See you soon.

~Joshua

Two Weeks to Go . . .

2006-02-04T17:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this has anything to do with the fact that we are two week's away from our nuptials, but I came out to the driveway this morning to find Tina brewing beer. She mumbled something about "stress relief" and "elixir of life," then continued to brew. I'm sure she'll be fine. . .

~Joshua

Seventeen Days Left

2006-02-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

Hello, all,

We're all just sitting around, waiting for the eighteenth. Just kidding. All of the plans are approaching boiling point and Tina and I are looking forward to seeing everyone in a couple of weeks and sharing our special day with you.
Otto is learning to sit and he asked me to take this picture of him to let everyone know that he is making progress. I'm pretty sure that he is giving me the stink eye here . . . but, I'll let it go.

~Joshua

Sleep Inn Mix-up Corrected

2006-01-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hey, all,

I called the Sleep Inn to make my own reservations and they had never heard of any wedding. I'm sure that someone in the office didn't talk to someone else. Whatever the reason, the situation has been resolved. Mention the Cavin/Johnson Wedding or rooms reserved under Joshua Johnson, and you shouldn't have any problems. There are at least ten rooms available from the 16th through the 19th. If you are planning on staying longer, let them know and they should extend the rate for you through Sunday. Your rate should be $49.99 per Patti's bargaining and my reminders. If you run into any other problems, give me a call or shoot us an e-mail. Days remaining . . . 40!

~Joshua

Back from Albuquerque

2006-01-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

We're back from New Mexico and, with the help of Bill and Patti, are several steps closer to a wonderful wedding. Patti's expert negotiations yielded some great prices at a couple of local hotels. If you are interested in making reservations, call the hotel and let them know that you are interested in the rate for the Cavin/Johnson Wedding. Check the links on this page for more information about those locations and some information about things to do in ABQ between the wedding events. Six weeks to go . . !

~Joshua and Tina

We're finally connected!

2005-12-21T17:29:00.000-05:00

It's weird to think that we were disconnected from the internet for three weeks (we still don't have cable). We are in! We moved into the new house at 23A Smith Avenue and we love it. There are about five boxes left to unpack, but we are ready to receive friends and family into our new home! On the 27th, we are headed to Albuquerque to visit Tina's family and tie up some loose ends regarding the wedding. If you are in the area any time soon, give us a call. We'd love to have you over!