Well, it was wonderful : ) After the weekend I settled into a schedule of waking up around 8:30am, having a relaxing breakfast, and watching a little TV or getting homework done until Philip’s lunch break. When he called I would suffer through the 15-35MPH “traffic” by driving to the other side of base to talk with him until he had to go back to class. After lunch I would work on homework, watch a movie with the girls, or just chill until he got done with work. Then I would pick him up and we would hang out that the house. On Tuesday I ran errands with Elise, Jennifer, and a friend of hers, and on Thursday we girls went to see a movie at the on base theater which was fun : ) Getting to spend lots of time with Philip was, of course, wonderful. I must confess I spent a large amount of time in classes on Monday wishing I was back in CA.

Getting home was an adventure! The original flight plan had me leaving CA at 7pm on Saturday night, having a layover in Phoenix AZ and Charlotte NC before finally flying into Tampa Sunday morning around 9:30am. However, when I was in Phoenix, they asked for volunteers to be bumped off the plane -- due to mass amounts of spring break travelers, a lot of flights were too full and forced to do this -- I jumped up there and got bumped! It was soooo cool!! I got to do so many things I had never done before! First, they gave me a gift certificate thing for future flights, then they gave me a $10 food voucher for the airport. THEN! they sent me in a *taxi* (I had never ridden in a taxi before! And it was even a yellow one!) to a hotel where they had a room arranged for me!

The taxi was fun! I didn’t get to sit in the back and be all cool about it because there was another couple who was in the same situation as me and were going to the same hotel, but I enjoyed talking with them and the taxi driver (They had been traveling in NM for three weeks and were from VA -- the taxi driver was named Hussain and had been a driver for three weeks -- just fyi). Once at the hotel, I must admit I was expecting a pretty lame one. However! It was a *really posh* one situated in downtown Phoenix! AND I got to stay in a king sized bed!! Ohhhhh it was so cool!! I was so excited that when I was talking to Philip on the phone I started giggling! Then, even though it was 1:30am, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep -- and I had to be at the airport by 6:30am!

To make a long story short, I only got about 2 hours of sleep and that was only because I overslept (which was not entirely my fault! I have no memory of my wake-up call that they were supposed to give me) -- and almost missed my flight. Luckily, after packing, riding another taxi, and standing in line for security I managed to come up to my gate just as they were announcing that the last zone/everyone could board. Phew!

So, new things I got to do:
- See CA
- See/experience a military base
- Visit a new city all by myself
- Stay in a *nice* hotel by myself
- Ride a taxi (x2)
- Oversleep for a flight
- Arrange and execute all of that without my family knowing about it until after the fact (hey, it was 3am their time -- didn’t think they wanted to know)

Fun times!
~ Alyssa


Happy things:
- Seeing Philip
- Getting one class’ week’s worth of homework done during break
- Dealing with extra nice people at the airport

Neener, neener, neener!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bwahahahahahaaaaa!

Your's Truely

Happy things:
Shooting 240s
Throwing hand grenades
PT

Well, I'm in CA! I'm staying with Jennifer -- Her husband is a marine who is currently away for job training in San Francisco. She hates being home alone so whenever he is gone, she invites people to come over to the house to stay. Philip met them at church. They live on base with their two dogs and cat. The dogs, Sky and Boot are still both puppies, very rambunctious, cute, and lovable. The cat, Marbles is older and very picky. He hates change (except, somehow doesn't mind all these new people coming to stay with him) and only drinks fresh water from a stream. Thus, whenever he gets thirsty, he meows and we turn on the bathroom facet for him. Now that he knows I understand how things work around here, pretty much every time I go to the bathroom for anything he jumps up on the counter and I water him while I'm in there. The only thing I worry about is someday I'm going to need to brush my teeth while he's trying to drink... Staying here with Jennifer is pretty cool. She and I haven't had a chance to talk a whole lot, but what we have, I enjoyed. There is also a couple staying here as well right now. They don't talk a whole lot so I don't know that much about them. I *think* that Elise is visiting from TX, and Shane is a Marine here.

I must admit that pre-coming out here I was not expecting to enjoy CA itself very much, but to merely be waiting all day for Philip to get off work and *then* be enjoying my time here. However, CA is *so beautiful*!! Saturday, after Jennifer was done running some errands, she let Philip and I have the car and we drove, and drove, and drove. We ran some errands that he needed to be done, and eventually (like, around 2pm -- I was soooo hungry!) went to Panara Bread for lunch. The mountains are so beautiful around here and they are everywhere!! They are very un-PA because there are almost no trees anywhere, especially on the mountains. Thus, they are really rugged looking -- some of them don't have *any* plant life on them are and are nothing but rocks. Then, right behind those there are taller mountains all covered in snow -- so awesome!! The "Pass" is my favorite part to drive along because the mountains are *right there* up against the road and you can look straight up them (they are super steep) -- very European. Also, these Joshua Trees that they have: Philip hates them, but I think they're so ugly that they're awesome! They look like a cross between a cactus and a tree -- so prickly looking and... weird :) The ones that bend over on themselves are the best! I think between them and spanish moss someone could make an epic Hitchcock film. I find it so amazing that one country can have such drastic changes in its landscape. God truly is amazing to have created such amazing things for us!

Oh yeah, Dad: aside from the mountains which I think you would also love (I want to go hike them so bad, but I know they would kill me!), there is also a good section of the highway that they have windmill fields! I know I'm really bad at judging amounts, but I have no hesitation in saying that there are over a thousand! It IS SO AWESOME!!!

The base is pretty cool. The only thing I don't like about it is the speed limit ;) Charlotte, you will enjoy this: Evidently the base police (I think they're called PMOs?) have almost nothing to do and are bored so they make a big deal out of anything. Annnd that includes the speed limit. They patrol *everywhere* and if you even *think* about going 1 mil over the speed limit, they get you! On top of that, the speed limit is really low. You can do 35 on the main road, but other than that it's lower. The residential roads are 15, and yesterday I was driving on a road equivalent to Penn St and was only doing 10-15 on it. Grrrr!

Church on Sunday was good. Last month they started having a singing on the first of the month so that's what we did. I mean, we had the regular services in the am, and then had a potluck, and then went back into the building for the singing. Because of that, they didn't have services in the evening. The singing was ok. I think I was the only alto in the room though *awkward turtle* and we sang some songs (*cough*Philip-led-some-songs*cough*) that I didn't know as well and that were dependent on the altos.... yeaaaah. But, they were all nice to me even after that so I guess they don't hate me too much ;) j/k! Also, the sermon was good. Although, is there something like, uber_amounts_of_statistics_for_preachers.com or something that I don't know about? Anyway, he talked about Daniel having to stand up in the corrupt world he was in and how we have to do that today. Philip led singing this morning annnnd pretty much everyone there things he's the bomb. Not sure how that's going to help him working on his pride.... ;) but he did do a very good job and I was proud of him. I think it must not be easy to lead in a group where hardly anyone sings out. (Seriously, in a group of around 30, I think Jennifer and one other woman had the soprano, I had alto, Philip had tenor, and I'm not sure if there was a bass... )

There is one older man who is probably retired and seems to have been there for a long time. Basically, the men walk in and he says, "hey, could you do___?" Luckily, Philip comes prepared with songs picked out. Jennifer said that kept happening to Gabe (her husband) about preaching. Talk about no preparation for preaching! So, now Gabe always comes prepared to preach and usually does it. There seems to be a lack of stability because everyone is moving in and out -- they don't really have anyone to fully rely on because they never know who will be there, who will be out of town for training... But, everyone there was very nice. Like I said, they all love Philip.

Today Philip is back to work so I'm just chillin' out at the house. I'm enjoying getting to bed early and sleep in though :) Also, since Shane is also back to work, it's just us girls here. I don't think we have any plans for the day, so I'm hoping to get a lot of homework done. We shall see.

~ Alyssa

Happy things:
- Having Philip 10min or less away from me
- Mountians
- Jennifer having coffee all ready for me when I get up

I'm off to California!



~ Alyssa

This is just a quick note to say that I’m alive and to get rid of that last post because I’m tired of looking at it :)

Things are going well here. Today I have two tests and a paper due. Tomorrow I have two tests and responses to questions due. *sigh* BUT!! After that Mr. H is going to make me strawberry LOL, and I will babysit Silas, and then I will sleep a lot on the plane as I fly out to see Philip!!

Anything else noteworthy going on in my life right now? Well, Sarah says she is ;)

umm… can’t think of anything – I’m too focused on my upcoming class and test, and enjoying the relief of having my paper written and one test out of the way.


~ Alyssa

Happy things:
- A daddy that takes care of things for me without me even knowing it
- Grande coffee
- Turning in my paper on The Black Cat with a paperclip that is shaped as a black cat

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