Peace Rose

We decided that today was a perfect day to plant our very first rose, which is something David has wanted to do for awhile now. David's parents are master rose growers so we thought it was time we started to follow in their steps. We were excited to find the perfect rose at Lowe's just begging to come home with us! So we loaded her up with some new soil/mulch and fertilizer and headed home to give this thing a try. It should be noted that David did all the dirty work, Zoey and I stood back and documented (which is just as important right?). David got right to work and looked like quite the natural! He dug that hole in no time at all and positioned the rose just perfectly. Here are some pictures of our very first multi-colored Peace Rose...looks pretty good right?

Hope this finds everyone doing well!!
Love from San Diego,
Lisa, David and Zoe-dog

SURFOR Ball!

Last night David and I attended our very first Navy ball, the 33rd annual Surface Warrior Ball at the Sheraton in San Diego. We weren't really sure what to expect but ended up having the BEST time! I really hope it's the first of many balls we are able to attend!!

The Navy holds this type of event to "congratulate surface Sailors on the year's successes, recognize families and provide an opportunity for different commands to interact outside of the work environment."

The evening kicked off with a centerpiece contest with entries from each command competing to best display the theme of the ball: "Surface Warriors Around the World." There were several other competitions that occurred throughout the previous week and of course, USS Bonhomme Richard cleaned house when it came to winning awards and trophies! They even broke the record in attendance with a grand total of 169 attendees!

It was a night full of good food, great friends, lots of laughs and crazy dance moves! I'll certainly never forget it.

Enjoy the pics!
Love,
Lisa

Temecula Getaway!

Hello again friends and family! From what we hear, those of you back home were able to enjoy some cooler weather today with a little less humidity, yay!! I bet that was a welcome relief!

Things here in San Diego are going great now that David's home! We got back into the swing of things with no strange/awkward transition at all (they say to expect that sometimes). Honestly, we both laugh because as soon as he's home it feels like he was never gone.

To celebrate his first full weekend home, we headed up north to spend some time in Temecula (aka Wine Country!). It's only about an hour drive and very worth it! Our main mission was to relax and I think we did just that. We got there Friday around lunch and left Sunday around noon. We ate at some really nice restaurants, of course did some wine tasting, and even listened to a little live music. All-in-all it was a very enjoyable weekend and now we're geared up for another work week. David's work days will be a bit longer starting this week and I start back to school this coming Tuesday (no students till the 25th though).

We hope this finds everyone doing well!! Enjoy the pics from our little vacay :)
Lots of love from San Diego!
Lisa & David

David ended up running into a pilot who was deployed with him (also named Dave).
Inside Cougar Winery
David ordering us a glass of dessert wine, yum!
The view from Gershon Bachus
Gershon Bachus Winery
Outside Smokehouse Restaurant at Ponte Family Estate Winery (this is where we ate Friday night)
Smokehouse Restaurant
Our appetizer.

SWO Pics!

I am SO proud of him!!















Once they get their SWO pin, their name gets engraved on here, neat right?

A close-up of his name plate!

SWO Pin...CHECK!

I am one VERY proud wife right now!!! David had his Surface Warfare Officer board today and passed with flying colors! I had no doubt in my mind that he would do anything less than wonderful. I just got off the phone with him and he sounds very relieved, excited and exhausted. I could hear the smile in his voice when he called :) So what does passing his SWO board mean exactly?

Once David was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, he began his journey towards getting his SWO pin. Yep, this typically takes anywhere from 18-24 months to obtain. It requires them to endure endless months of studying, weeks of training in Newport and securing signatures for tons of additional qualifications related to all aspects of the ship. All of that has led up to today!

After a very long 1.5 hrs of responding to questions and scenarios presented by the CO, XO, and all Department Heads, he is now sporting this shiny new pin on his uniform!

Someone on the ship was able to capture a picture of David after his board so as soon as I get my hands on a copy, I'll post it here :)

I hope this finds everyone doing well! Things here are wonderful and I am anxiously counting down the days until David is home!!! We're very excited because he actually gets to stay home for quite awhile this time, yay!!

Love,
Lisa