The roads are icy and the animals somewhat furry, but our new rental house is packed with warmth and lots of love.. which we are sending to you right now! Hopefully we'll be able to pack more into this new home in the next few years, so the invitation is open. 5 extra beds and Ben's heaven of a basement (no dual chipping/putting green yet) are ready for visitors! All in all, God is in control and 2010 is another example of His wonderful blessings.
We started the year off finally getting the opportunity to adapt to life together (or "compromising" as Ben calls it) on a daily basis. Our first home on Mountain Home AFB in Idaho was surprisingly enjoyable. We think it has something to do with having a snuggle buddy... especially when you are living in a snowy place for the first time! "Rhi Rhi" fit right in with the squadron, and "Trap" seemed to never let the gas peddle up as the new Weapons Officer. Regular snowboarding trips to Bogus Basin were standard. You should see Rhiannon shred those cat tracks.. get outta the way! She also got a new job on base in the Family Practice Clinic. Being a phone nurse is not all it's cracked up to be, but we were thankful for the opportunity and the great M-F schedule.
Family time is obviously very important to us and included Levi and Katie's (Ben's sister) wedding in Houston, a De Jong family vacation to Whister/Seattle in May and a day in Newport with Rhiannon's brother Billy. Ben's parents visited us in July and we exchanged visits with the Dalton trio (Ben's sister Emily and hubby Joe... love that Nate-dogg kiddo!). We loved getting to play golf with Grandma Wirth and Bob as they made a stop in Idaho along their motor home road trip. Momma Kimberly graced our presence in temporary lodging on base (in Montana) in hopes of helping us move in. It has been a busy year!!! Somewhere in that blur, approximately June 19, we spent our romantic 1 year anniversary in beautiful San Diego. It just happened to coincide with one of Ben's TDYs and everything worked out like a champ.. got to share more memories with old friends from school and past assignments.
Already mentioned hobbies.. Ben can't get enough of mountain biking. So much so that he roped Rhiannon into that extreme sport. It resulted in an "over the handle bars" experience and only two scraped up knees and a bloody chin. We got our moneys worth in that helmet and count our blessings everyday. We also got to spend some time in the Sawtooth mountains on a camping trip. Ben continued to make time for his golf game and wound up qualifying for the US Mid-Amateur Championship in Sept. Didn't make the cut but he's still #1 is his wifey's heart ;-)
On a sad note, the 390th Fighter Squadron de-activated as an F-15C unit in September, which explained our move to Great Falls, MT. We sincerely enjoyed the wonderful friends and experiences Idaho brought us, even if Ben was constantly working and we were only there together for 9 months. We haven't stopped going since driving into "Big Sky" Country in early October. We were fortunate enough to get a month off from the Air Force and travel Europe. That trip started off in England with visits to old friend, Matt & Ashley Minkley and Rhiannon's cousin Matt Leusink and new bride Elizabeth. We then proceeded to Dublin, Prague, southern Germany and all over Italy. It was an incredible trip that went pretty smooth for our first big Euro-trip! Some of our favorites were the focaccia bread and hikes in Cinque Terre, art in Florence, parks in Dublin and ambience of Prague.
Rhiannon just finished unpacking the last box today and the final Christmas decorations have been hung. During this time we celebrate the birth of Jesus.. and pray for our country and the amazing life we are able to live. Hopefully our paths with cross again soon. Love to all and Merry Christmas!!
Ben and Rhiannon
