Mustache March Finale

I've received many comments (thanks Katy) over the past month about the "caterpillar" growing on my face. Most of those comments went something like "Hey there big man, do I know you? Here, here's my phone number, you can call whenever."



So, to fill in the gap - the AF is pretty strict on facial hair standards for men - did you know, for example, that your sideburns can't flare or extend past the bottom portion of the hole in your ear? Well, apparently the AF forgot that mustaches are totally eighties and look, well, downright ridiculous in uniform. So, of course, many of the guys across the AF - myself included - decide to exploit this fact - and once a year, grow out those sexy mustaches. It becomes a de facto contest to see who can grow the best mustache in a month as well. And this, my friends, is why we call it Mustache March.

Matt - bushy and proud, 31 Mar 08

Matt - feeling slightly exposed, 01 Apr 08

Bumbo Sitting

So I am pretty sure the Bumbo is one of the coolest things ever! We borrowed this one from cousin AJ and thought we would try it out. Now cousin AJ is about 30 pounds and 18 months old, and he tried to squish into it. He was successful getting in, but couldn't get out! We then tried it with Cecilia and it was a hit! Don't worry folks, she is on the chair, but we were all right by her in case she arched her back and was going to fall off! She just wanted to sit at the table with the big kids!

Gaviota Mountain

I was really surprised when I came out here to CA at how beautiful the area is (I'm about 2.5 hours north of LA, near Santa Maria) - it reminds me a lot of a lower-elevation Colorado. So one of the first things that I wanted to do was go hiking and climbing.

Gaviota Mountain

Another of the nearby mountains

I searched around online and found Gaviota Mountain, about 45 minutes south of base, which was supposed to be one of the more strenuous climbs in the area. It was pretty overcast at the base, so I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to see anything from the top of the mountain, but decided to give it a try anyway. So I packed up, jumped in the car, and, well, I'll let the photos do the talking...

Embarkation!

Well, the trail's a bit overgrown at places - which is bad news for ticks.

Good thing I wore the long sleeves/pants.

These wind tunnels were scattered about the mountain.

There were some cooler ones, but these pics turned out the best.

Rough terrain. The trail ended up going down the backside of the mountain without going to the top, but that wasn't stopping me. I just off-roaded it and blazed a few hundred yards up this stuff to the top. It was tough going, almost twisted my ankle a few times.

Ocean view from the top.

On the return...

This fishing pier was part of the park. Notice the two oil rigs on the horizon.

There were trees like this all up and down the mountain - blackened and charred - signs of recent fires in this area.

The mountain was kind of steep at points...

Sweet victory!

Turns out that I couldn't find those hot springs. Whatev, I've see plenty of them before.

All in all, not a shabby climb, eh? I think my entire family called me while I was in the car to/from the climb, or while I was hiking (I actually got reception!)

'Till next time...

Birthday!

Today was my birthday - 25 years old! I was lucky enough that it fell on a Saturday, so no classes to attend.

Carly and the Thomas' sent me a package - even though my wife and I had agreed to celebrate our birthdays when we returned to FL. I had to wait three days to open it. So when I finally was allowed to open it, I had Carly on the phone and tore into the package (note the bluetooth):

Attacking the package, Matt style.

A hug from Cecilia!

All three seasons of The Office, complete with a Dunder Mifflin lunch bag!

(I got a good laugh out of these.)

Thanks Carly, Mom, and Aunt Laura and Gram!

Happy Birthday Bowser!

So everyone else has been celebrating their birthdays, we couldn't forget this little lady. Happy 9th Birthday Bowsie! You're one of the best dogs ever!

Four Months Old!

Today was Cecilia's four month birthday!  I can't believe my little lady is growing up so fast! We had a wonderful day visiting my friends from college in Champaign. We visited with Katie Pisarczyk and her son Jude and daughter Hope, as well as Britta Kreps and her children Grace, Gianna, and Tobias (plus little Kreps #4 on the way).  We did great in the car all the way there and back. This was our trial run for our upcoming visit to Ohio to see Grandma and Grandpa Hale, as well as the aunts and uncles.  I took these pictures when we got back to my folks' house and were having dinner. Cecilia was sporting a new fleece outfit I scored on clearance at Babies R Us. Fleece is new for us, as we aren't used to the cold!

I think that is a little wave.

And a little smile.

Close up!

See how big she is! That's my girl!

Happy Easter Chicago Style

Well, since Matt created a post from good old Cali, I thought I needed to follow suit. We had a great Easter Sunday at Grandpa and Grandma's house. It was a lot of fun with Great Grandma Dobro, Great Aunt Laura, Lou, Aunt Amy, Uncle Jerry, cousin AJ, Uncle Marty, and Aunt Stephanie. We went to early Mass at 8am, in which Cecilia slept through the entire thing! What a treat for Mommy. We then came home and spent the day eating, sleeping and playing. The Easter Bunny left baskets for all! 

Matt's Easter Weekend with the Chadwicks

Happy Easter from the Hales!

So, considering that I'm all the way out here in Cali, and that Carly and Cecilia, well, aren't - I decided that an Easter trip to the Chadwick household for Easter was well in order. Who are the Chadwicks, you ask? Good question! The Chadwicks - Uncle Bill, Aunt Cheri, Arielle, Chelsea, and Kylie - are Carly's aunt, uncle, and cousins who live in L.A.

I drove down from Vandenberg on Friday, and hung out with the family until Sunday evening, so we had lots of time to chill. On Saturday, Chelsea and Kylie went with Aunt Cheri to buy First Communion dresses - so Arielle and I had an afternoon out on the town.

We went to Malibu pier for a bit. After which, we hit lunch at Howie's, a local Mexican venue. Then, Arielle and I walked a few blocks and looked at some shops in a shopping center.

Then we both got to talk to Carly for a bit.

I decided to teach a local statue to read.

But Arielle didn't help - she just made fun of the girl.

Then Arielle and I got some ice cream - she had chocolate chip cookie dough with gummy bears on top, I had my mocha....

After the yumminess, we went for a walk. We even stopped to smell the flowers.

Chelsea and Kylie wanted to get their share of the action too, so after they bought their dresses, guess who went back out for another round? The three of us! They shared - a pink lemonade snow cone and a cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears.

Sugar high! Of course, we all had to take a walk as well....

As you can tell, we had a bunch of fun on Saturday. Sunday - the Easter bunny dropped baskets off for the girls - and even one for me! - as well as some eggs for the Easter egg hunt later in the day. We got to spend the morning with our Lord, at Mass, after which we hit up a brunch at a fun little restaurant nearby. Later that afternoon, we had an Easter egg hunt - highlights include Uncle Bill not forgetting where he hid eleven eggs this year, and a stellar performance by Chelsea to find all of her eggs (guess who hid those eggs?) And then - a nice steak dinner was the perfect finishing touch to the evening.

Thanks Uncle Bill and Aunt Cheri!

And how could I not include this picture? This was taken from Uncle Bill's and Aunt Cheri's deck. Not too shabby, eh? The view from the deck, that is...

Matt - Live from CA

Howdy ya'll! Matt here - coming at ya from the beautiful-but-tree-hugging state out on the west coast. The AF sent me out here for seven weeks of training, they tell me to indoctrinate me as a space professional. I dunno, I guess we'll have to see how much geekier they can make me, right?

So anyway, Carly and I are sporting the long distance - again. But no big deal, we've gotta learn sometime, being a military family and all. She and our little lady headed back to Chicago to spend this time with her folks - which is a great opportunity for her! This way, Cecilia can meet some of her relatives from Momma's side...

In the meantime, I'm just settling into life here - the dorm room routine. Nothing too exciting, but I thought I'd show you around. Here goes:

Matt - Live from CA 19 Mar 08

We Made It!

After a long day of travel, Mommy and I finally made it safely to Chicago. We were so glad to see Grandma Rose at the airport, Mommy started to cry a little! We had a one hour delay in Orlando, and then I was a bit cranky on the plane. I wasn't the loudest baby though!

When we got to Grandma's house, I settled in nicely. Mommy went to put me in bed, but then my noisemaker didn't work. Silly Mommy, take out the batteries when we travel!  So she left to put in new batteries and I gave her a little treat when she came back to the crib.  I had rolled over! It was so exciting. I was able to go from my tummy to my back! Mommy was so excited she yelled to Grandma and she came running up the stairs. Mommy failed to tell grandma that it wasn't an emergency, but a good thing. I think Grandma had a little heart attack :)

All in all, we are so excited to be in Chicago and can't wait to tell you of our adventures in the FREEZING cold north. 

Cecilia's First Night Out

Tonight, I got to spend my first night out on the town! I chose to spend it with my friends who live across the street - Mr. Ron, Mrs. Candy, and Riley. Yeah, what can I say, they like me! We had a good time - Momma and Papa dropped me off at their place and let me hang out with them for a few hours. I think Momma and Papa felt bad - they made up some story about "spending time together" and "going out to dinner." Right, I'm sure.

Anyway, we had a good time without the 'rents, played a bit and all. They took some pics, I thought I'd share them:

Just More Cuteness

Hey - just a few more pics of our little lady, being as cute as ever. We took these during one of her "contented" periods where she just plays and talks to us... kind of fun, eh?

Cecilia Chillin at Home

Hey, me here. I had a busy day around the house today.

First, I swang some, while I waited for Momma and Papa to take me to go see Isaac. Isaac was just born yesterday, and only weighs 6 pounds. Momma and Papa told me that I used to be a little baby like that too once.

Swinging and Waiting

That's Me, Just Telling my Folks to Hurry

Then, I sat up for a while after I woke up from my nap.

And after a bit, I got tired again, and Momma held me for a while.

What can I say? All in a hard days work... For now, this is C. Rose, wishing you a good night!

FL Fowl

Somehow, a large dead fish from the pond in our backyard ended up on the bank. With a few guests....

(vultures)