As 2011 comes to an end

2011 has been an awesome and extremely eventful year!! This year, we have gotten married, both graduated from college, lived in 3 different states, Clayton started his career, lived in a hotel about 2 months out of this year, lived in the desert and now nice wet tropical place, and made it through our first natural disaster (wild fire).  Wow has God blessed us this past year!! 

We have made so many fun memories and have met AMAZING people.  We have learned (from a steep learning curve) about the Army, all the new places we have visited and most importantly about each other!

I just wanted to take time to thank everyone for the support and prayers we have received this year. There is no way this year would have gone as well, or smoothly with out all the support from friends and family. 

Here is to a new year! Full of surprises and great opportunities! No resolutions this year, just another year to improve our self and strengthen relationships with those around us.  

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day."

       Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Our Christmas Card!

Dear Friends and Family,

Aloha and Merry Christmas!!

We are officially moved and settled into our house!  When we first arrived on the island, we spent a few weeks in some hotels but we are excited to have our house, and start putting some roots down.  Almost all of our wedding gifts have been in storage since the wedding, so being able to open them up again and use everything has been amazing! (Especially right before all the holidays)

Clayton is enjoying his job and likes the position he has been assigned here.  His job has been keeping him busy and lots of new things to learn but, like always, he is succeeding in everything he puts his mind to.

I have been setting up the house and loving it!  I have started volunteering in the FRG (Family Readiness Group) with Clayton’s company and have been able to meet some women and give back to the community. Still looking for a job, but I knows the right one is out there!!

We have been able to do some “touristy” things like snorkeling, hiking Diamond Head, sightseeing at Waikiki, and enjoying the views at North Shore!  So far we are enjoying Hawaii, but it has taken some time to get used to the roads (cannot pronounce any of the names) and new places but are enjoying the adventure.

We miss all of our friends and family so very much! Thank you to everyone for your prayers, and support! It has meant a great deal to us. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

            Love,

Clayton and Jocelyn Turner

Aloha

Sorry I have not updated lately but there has not to many new things going on. 

Clayton is enjoying his job and is learning a lot each day! Every day has new information to learn!

We SHOULD move into our house next week!!! I was able to look at it today and actually got to walk through it.  They are deep cleaning it and getting it ready, when I went to go check it out at it so I begged to walk in. haha No strange or bad smells! (that was the biggest worry going in) Went on a drive of the neighborhood for the first time and found the pool, tennis courts, basketball courts and gym! Getting more and more excited especially now that I can picture what the place looks like!

I have been occupying my time, looking and applying for jobs, running, meeting wonderful new people, running errands, and getting doctor visits out of the way!

Family and friends have asked if we are coming home for Christmas... The answer is Maybe. There is still so much unknown right now (if I get a job, Clayton's time off, finances) and we can't say yet but we are really wanting to and are going to try our very best. We miss our families and friends very very much.

 

Here is a picture of Clayton and I watching the sun set in our hammocks one weekend. Enjoying time together :) Been married 6 months!! Where does time go :)

Ups and the downs

Clayton's truck (Logan) has finally made it!! YAY!! The truck has drove from Georgia to California and is now in Hawaii!! We have had to do a ton of paper work and inspections and then some more paper work.  In Georgia they require a emissions tests, but in Hawaii they require a safety check.  No dents or scratches when it got here either. Many prayers answered! Now that Clayton has his truck, I can have a car now and starting applying for jobs and going to job fairs and maybe even making friends!

 I parallel parked Lola!! First time parallel parking in 6 years! Luckily the Lola, AKA the great white, is so small she made it easier for me.

The next day I had to park Logan, he was a bit harder but did it all the same! :)

Could we be anymore stereotypical! I man and I have Big truck. I woman and I have small car! haha It is working out great for us in this time of lives.

I have applied and sent some resumes out and had a little bit of feed back. Being my first "adult" job makes me a bit nervous and on edge that I will not be able to find something to do with my degree or need a degree at all. With little to zero experience, college education and a heart for learning and helping people I just hope someone will take a chance with me and train me! Trying to pick out the best first interview outfit that will show all of that, for whenever that first interview may happen. haha

Still no housing yet, but on post housing will be available in less than a month!!  There is big positives and negatives staying where we are right now.  We have the beach at our finger tips, park near by, have a place to stay, and food to eat!  We had to change rooms, which was more of a hassle than I ever thought it would be.  Luckily the move was only 10 floors down and we didn't have to move Hotels but we have acquired a lot of stuff along the way and me being the one to move it, it took a while. Luckily the room is larger and we have a full fridge now!! Yay! We are defiantly ready to have our own place, settle down and Clayton would love to be closer to work. But everything will happen with time. Just have to remember it is not our time but His time.

This has been a good week :)

Thursday was Family day for the new family's on base and I was able to go and learn a lot about the base, how things work, about the Hawaiian culture and ways the Army could help me find a job.  And I even won a door prize! :)  It was great to get some information and see other families in the same transition as we were. There were probably 100 military personnel and families, and they have one of these meetings for 100 families almost every week!! Made me relieve that is how many people are leaving at the same time and all those people in the room were looking for housing just like we were.

This weekend we did many of the tourist things and I loved it! IT was a 4 day weekend for Clayton and we took full advantage of it!  Diamond head was a ton of fun. We climbed up to the top and was able to see miles in every direction and the views were breath taking. I was imagining the hike being easier than it was.. I had a hard leg workout earlier that day and the 200 stairs really hurt. hahah  We went to Pearl Harbor yesterday and was able to see the sunken Arizona and watched a video about the epic day of December 7.  It was very interesting to see that part of history but I had a hard time not to think about the saddest of so many young men lives on that day.

We are still looking for places to live but the more we look the more and more we like on base housing! We will keep looking until on base housing is ready!  Still no room on the on base Inn so we are staying another week and a half in Waikiki.  There are positive and negatives about  both places.  The drive for Clayton is not the best, and it does keep me a little isolated here because we only have one car currently. Positive is we are right here on the beach, and we have a kitchen ! We are right where God wants us to be and we can work through everything.  Clayton and I are both starting to get the itch to have our own place and settle down but it will happen soon!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,  and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,  and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Our first fun day!

Today Clayton and I finally took some time off of the tedious house hunting and went snorkeling!! We rented the gear and went to Hanauma Bay.  It had to be the most beautiful thing I have seen in Hawaii so far.  There were beautiful fish everywhere and so close. It felt like we were in the aquarium! 

We are still in the process of looking for a house or townhouse to stay.  We looked at on post housing and it seems like our best bet so far! But we are going to keep looking and see what we find.  This experience has taught us and is continuing to teach us a ton. Some times we have to learn the lessons the hard way but I think it is making our relationship stronger and we are growing huge leaps as a newly married couple.  

 The view from my morning run. Wakiki

 Another view from my run

My "Proud To Be TMC" hat! Was running with my hat on and was thinking of TMC so I took a picture!

A few days ago on my run there was a man playing the ukulele on the beach, it was the perfect back drop and the stereotypical noise of Hawaii.  I recorded it on my phone but not sure how to get it off so others can hear it!

Hawaii has had so high ups and some pretty low parts to it to.  The culture and the people here are very very different from Arizona and Georgia.  We have never had experiences with non patriotism till we came here.  That has been a very interesting experience that caught me off guard. And I cannot pronounce anything here! haha All the street names and cities are foreign language! Kalakaua Avenue, Kapiolani Street, Ko' Olina. All street names and cities that I cannot even begin to pronounce. And it is very funny to hear the GPS try! 

The 6 hour time difference from friends and family on the east coast has been pretty interesting and sometimes frustrating.  6 hours is a huge difference and only allows certain times during the day to call. And that can sometimes sink. lol

More pictures to come!

Taking things one day at a time. 

If It Is Too Good To Be True…. It is!!

Aloha!! We have officially made it to the island! A bit of a rocky road getting here but we made it safe and sound.  Clayton and I experienced our first life lesson in searching for a house.  I am hoping if someone reads this it can help them in the future!!

                We found THE PERFECT HOUSE.  Was only $1,200 a month, all utilities included, 4 bedroom 3 bath, stand-alone home, in a safe neighborhood, and even had a fire place in it.  Too good to be true? OH YEA.  Clayton and I checked out the place and it was a good looking place, and we could save so much! I cannot believe this has not been snagged before!  The owner said she moved to London and could mail us the key only after we saw the place and filled out a renter’s application.

                We decided to look at other places while we were in the area. This owner said he moved to Africa for his job. (seemed strange that this was the second person renting their house but didn't live there!) When we pulled up to the cheap rent place there were still renters in it.  Clayton started talking to them and they told us about this scam going on people told them about for their house where the land lord said he was in Africa but they knew the land lord and he lived locally! The person would get their Social Security number and all info and money if they could get it and identity theft!   Then we started putting the dots together about the similarity about the “dream house”. The London lady would never answer direct questions about the house, kept wanting us to fill out paper work, and phone number was incorrect.  We called the real estate agent, which had the sign in the front lawn and said it was a big scam and we were lucky we never gave them any information.

                Clayton and I were very lucky all was hurt was our idea of our “dream house”. We are much more cautious about looking at houses and how we view the world to an extent.  Neither one of us thought this would ever happen nor there people out there like this that we would run into.  Lesson Learned.

                Great news is there is many houses out there and we know that we will find the right one for us!

Good bye Arizona!

Good bye Arizona.  It has been hot, dry, smoky, adventurous, sometimes lonely, a huge learning experience, a place my marriage has positively grown, some great laughs and mostly something totally new I never knew I would ever experience.  

Clayton's training came to an end today and he had his graduation.  He was given an award and did very very well in his class!  I could not be more proud of how hard he has worked, and achieved our 4ish months here!

 All smiles and ready to go to graduate!

Clayton receiving his statue as apart of his award.

Arizona in a whole has been great, and we are ready for this next chapter of life.  Through my internship with Cardiac Rehab and Clayton's training we have learned so very much and met some AMAZING people. We are both hoping that Hawaii has some great people that we will meet and can start a life there and connection.  I would really appreciate it if you could keep us in your prayers in the upcoming weeks with all the big changes and learning experiences coming upon us!

I found a quote that I think is very true and I need to keep in mind as life comes along..

"Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful"

Movers have come and gone

What a busy, adventurous, learning, and new things have happened in this last week!! 

I was WONDERFUL seeing my parents and grandma this past week and exploring just about all of Arizona with them!! We saw a ton of beautiful rocks, saw elk at the Grand Canyon, went rafting down the Colorado, climbed the Cathedral rock in Sedona, and even saw dinosaur foot prints! Here are a few pictures from our trip.

 Rafting through Colorado River the 15 minutes that it was not raining.... 

Cathedral Rock that we hiked!

Our group picture

Now that the Family week is over, and the packers have come and gone, and the Condo is empty this moving thing is feeling real! We just have a long drive and a plane flight left.  Next up is finding a house, a car, furniture, and find me a job! What an adventure Clayton and I have ahead of us.

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. - Antonio Smith

Cooking and cleaning.....

Another day at the condo, and I made today cooking and cleaning day!  I baked Mrs. Turners Snickerdoodle recipe.  It made a ton more cookies than I ever could have imagined but Clayton is going to take them to the guys and gals he is training with!  I am glad they will not go to waste and the everyone will enjoy them. They turned out Delicious!! Here is a picture of the finished product!

Then I made dinner, German Meatloaf.  We lost the recipe  of meat loaf that was so very good from the patient from Cardiac Rehab so we found a similar one online.  Hoping it turns out well and Clayton will enjoy it!! 

I enjoy cooking, learning and eating of course when I have the time.  And I have had so much of time lately.  The one thing that I REALLY want to make is cupcakes.  I have been watching the cooking channel and they always make the more interesting, unique cupcakes.  No cupcake pan with us here so it will have to wait till after the move.  If anyone has some neat cupcake recipes I would love to try it!! 

"When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste."  ~Laiko Bahrs

Married Life

People are always asking, how is married life??

Honestly I love it! It is not always easy living far away from family and friends and not knowing anyone but it is worth it to be with Clayton. Sharing this adventure together has defiantly made our relationship stronger and has made us both lean on each other. We are still trying to figure out who is so posed to do what. So we have come up with blue and pink jobs.  It  can become pretty humorous what we think is specific jobs for each gender. Trash, always blue job, keeping up with birthday and anniversary's pink job, But then we come to the problem of killing bugs.  Now what color is that?! I defiantly say if large or crunchy bug, BLUE. 

We have both learned from our parents marriages, and know that they are always for us ask questions we ma have about "adult" life.  Selling the car was a big adult learning experience for me.  I didn't know if you should keep the tag on the car (the answer is No) or the car insurance, and luckily my Diddy was only a phone call away.  And in this learning process mistakes are made, they have to! Luckily it was a small one, and semi easily fixed... I filled out the wrong part on the title, and the only way to fix it is by getting a notarized letter, and fax it to the DMV. Sounds easy, but I am currently without a car because I sold mine.!! lol So to get it fixed I had to walk to the bank and get everything figured out.  I was so lucky to meet the sweetest lady at the bank that helped me out and went well out of her way.  God has a reason for everything.  That is the motto that I must keep in mind at all times.

I Love this quote and feel it is the Truth.


"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but being the right mate. " ~Barnett R. Brickner

Another week as a stay at home wife

Almost the weekend!! I know that Clayton is excited and very ready for the weekend.  He has enjoyed his course work this week but the very early morning always makes him ready for the weekend!  Next week will be a tough one for him but he will do great and it will end in a long weekend of Labor Day!!

You may ask, Jocelyn, What do you do with yourself all day!? And I would tell you, I workout, clean, sometimes pool, have been cross stitching a ton and of course being Clayton's secretary.  I have a Christmas stocking that I would like to get done before December.... We will see if that actually happens! But enjoying cross stitching a ton so far! I will post picture of it as soon as i get Santa Claus done!! 

We found out our fly out date, which makes it so much more a necessity that we sell my car ASAP.  It would cost almost the price of my car to ship it over seas so we must sell it before we leave! ( Which is in less than a month!! Can you believe it?!)  I put it on Craigs List and have gotten very very slow feedback until yesterday.  Someone is driving 2 hours to come look at the car today!! So hopefully it will get sold and can be another thing checked off the list.  The ONLY bad thing about selling my car is it means I do not have a car till we leave.... And Clayton is at work with his car.  I am sure it will work out fine, just a little nervous that I may loose my mind here. lol Less than a month right? I can do this!

When taking pictures of the car I chose to be creative and take it to the place next to the mountains next to out place. My car could be a model. hahaha Check out the the picture!

My car has been so good to me and have many great memories in her!! ( I named her Maria Escape) My long drive out here, driving to my Bachlorette party in her, the wonderful hiking trips, and riding with windows down and singing my heart out.  Great memories but I am ready to make new ones!

Goodbye boiled peanuts and southern slang, welcome back home dry heat and road runners.

I am now back from Georgia.  What a great time I had there with friends, family, and great food!! It is defiantly a bitter sweet being back in AZ.  I missed Clayton very much and back to my own place but missing my family a ton and missing the people at my internship!! 

Today is Day 1 of being a stay at home wife.  And already trying to find things to do.  Getting ready for the move that is creeping up on us, making dinner and working out! Looking into volunteering at the local hospital to get me out of the house and bulk of my small resume.  Speaking of resume.... Whew I have been looking to find what job to do after the move.  Unknown is a little scarey but I know it will work out perfectly. It has to right? I have been told the Army will help me find a job, but I would prefer not to just have "a job" but one that uses my degree and one that I don't dread going to. Only time will tell!!

It feels strange not going back to school shopping, or figuring out my schedule or moving into a new place!  Graduation was amazing and I am so glad that friends and family were there to cheer me on. Originally I was not going to go to graduation but I am very glad that I was able to go and be there with my friends in our cap and gowns. (Thanks Mummy)

My parents and Grandma Bell will be here in less than a month!!! :) I am so excited to show them around and where I have been living at for the last few months.  And seeing the Grand Canyon! (A big whole in the earth as the Arizonians call it. haha)

Will keep you updated on how I occupying myself during my days ahead!!

Closing another chapter in Life.

The last day of my internship was yesterday.  It has been such a blessing to be with that group of people. I never could have imagined how much I would learn from them and how attached I would become!! It was very hard saying good bye but never a good bye always I will see you later.  I am just proud I held back tears till I walked out the door :) 

Check out this picture.  Two of my patients hand make lays for me and said "aloha Means hello and good bye and unconditional love."  How very very sweet.

My college years chapter is coming to a close but I am transitioning into a very exciting one! Adult life!! haha  Going to start looking for a "real" job soon, being the best wife I can be and moving oh so soon.  Such fun adventures to come! A little scarey of the unknown but Clayton and I can face whatever it is in front of us!

Finish Line in sight!!

Almost time for me to go home and graduation!!! I cannot believe I am almost done with school (for now at least) College at North Georgia has been awesome and I could not imagine a better experience but I am happy and relieved to graduate.

Here is a picture of me on my first day of college moving in 2007! Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed where I would end up by the time I graduated.  Married to a wonderful guy and living in Arizona!! 

The down side to about to graduate is all the papers and projects that are due!!! Holy cow.  Lucky I have not been procrastinating or I would be soooo stressed.

Excited about seeing my family and friends oh so soon!! I miss you all so very much.  T minus 9 days!!!