SNOW

For the first time since we've lived here...it snowed for real!

It snowed about an inch in Oak Harbor on Sunday, and has stayed below freezing since then. Here's how prissy they are here...the schools in and around Seattle have been opening 2 hours late both Monday and Tuesday because of "cold weather." By "cold weather" they mean sunny and 20-25 degrees.

Maya's first time in the snow

VACATION TIME!

We Spent 5 Days in Los Angeles this month
...Our first vacation since our honeymoon 2 years ago!

We had tons of fun soaking up sun in Santa Monica and Venice. We had brunch and toured the Queen Mary in Long Beach. We visited Disneyland and Griffith Park as well as spending time in Hollywood having our anniversary dinner at Eva Longoria's steakhouse 'Beso' (so yummy!) and seeing WICKED at the Pantages theater in Hollywood.

On the Ferris Wheel on Santa Monica Pier

Tomorrowland at Disneyland

On the roof of the Griffith Observatory after hiking up Mt. Hollywood, overlooking Los Angeles & Hollywood. (You can just make out the Hollywood sign over Nikki's shoulder.)

Outside the Pantages Theater after seeing WICKED!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Craig side of the family made the trek to Oak Harbor to visit us on Thanksgiving this year. We had a fantastic low-key weekend with some fantastic (not over-cooked) Prime Rib!

The Seattle (1/2) Marathon: November 30th, 2008

We both ran the Seattle 1/2 Marathon on November 30th

It was fantastic race; surprisingly beautiful weather (as in, only rained for about 15 minutes) for November in the Emerald City. Some of us met our goals...and some didn't because they didn't bother following a training program and thought they could just wing it. (Michael.)

Our only suggestion for next year would be more "bathrooms" along the race course. It's really not fun waiting in a 10 minute porta-potty line during the middle of your race...the bushes are ok though.

Next stop: Whidbey Island 1/2 Marathon and the Seafair Marathon for Nikki; and a wonky treadmill on the USS Eisenhower for Michael.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Whidbey Island, WA and Fallon, NV!

Congrats Mary & Adam!

Michael's sister Mary and her husband Adam are expecting!

Obviously, she's going to be a knock-out.

25th Anniversary WCSKS 2008

Nikki, Renee and Sipke went to the 25th Annual West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium in Pt. Townsend, WA

WCSKS is the largest and oldest sea kayak symposium in the world...and probably the coldest and foggiest too.

The highlight of the weekend was the cardboard kayak race (mostly because the sun finally came out for it.)

Annnnnnnnddddd...He's off!

Michael leaves....for a very long time. :-(

Michael in his Prowler:

Michael left this week for the better part of a year. He'll be gone for the next 30 days aboard the USS Eisenhower doing workups (practicing) for their upcoming deployment. He'll also be spending time in Fallon, NV and for a second time on the Eisenhower before deploying in February. He'll return in August 2009. Check back here, Nikki will post updates when she hears from Michael.

Michael will be home for the Holidays, and would like as many people to visit as possible. Give us a call, and we'd be happy to have you over for a few days!

View from Michael's seat in the Prowler:

Michael won't be available by phone while he is gone. You can e-mail him at mpcraig@uwalumni.com; but he'll only be able to check it once in a while.

(Also, please don't send pictures, forwards, etc as they will be filtered out of the system on the ship.)

If you'd like to send Michael mail while he is gone, please call Nikki and she'll give you the FPO address. (262) 374-0562 or (360) 682-6410

Prowlers:

Links:

Fallon Naval Air Station:

https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Fallon/index.htm

USS Eisenhower:

http://www.eisenhower.navy.mil/

VAQ-140 Patriots:

http://vaq140.ahf.nmci.navy.mil/

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island

http://naswi.ahf.nmci.navy.mil/index.htm

Maya's First Camping Trip

Maya got to go on her first camping trip on Labor Day weekend

We went to Snoqualmie, WA and braved some rain and some little kids at the campsite next to us...we had lots of fun!

She didn't like her backpack much...she refused to move while it was on.

Maya in the tent.

Michael and Nikki at the bottom of Snoqualmie Falls.

Maya at Rattlesnake Lake, WA

Prowler-Growler Ball 2008

Saturday was our 2nd time attending Prowler Ball at NAS Whidbey Island. Now that the first Growlers are here, they're calling it the Electronic Attack Ball. Some (ok, mostly Nikki) think that Prowler-Growler Ball sounds better.

Prowler Ball is like Prom for grown-ups: Get dressed up, pay lots of money to eat crappy food from a crappy buffet. Add throwing marshmallows and drinking yourself into oblivion and you've got yourself a fun night!

While Miss Jaeger was missed very much, it was wonderful to have Renee and Sipke attend with us this year.

This year was tons of fun. It was especially great actually KNOWING people outside of Michael's 4-person class at VAQ-129.Anglea, Janine and Nikki

John throwing marshmallows...he really had to get this close to actually hit anyone.

RAGNAR....complete!

...189 miles and 30 hours later, Team Slow n' Steady completed the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage.

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/northwestpassage/index.php

With an average pace of 9:31...we weren't last!

Nikki's Mom being her best cheerleader, as always!

RAGNAR RELAY this FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Ragnar was a 9th century Norse King. He was a pirate, a raider, a conqueror, an explorer, and a wild man.

It is in his spirit that 152 Teams will complete the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage this Friday and Saturday, July 25th and 26th. Blaine to Langley...8:00am Friday to 3:00pm Saturday.

12 people, 2 min-vans, 30 hours and 187 miles.

Come cheer us on! We'll be running through Oak Harbor between 6am and 8am on Saturday morning. Nikki will be leaving Crescent Harbor Elementary for her last leg around 6:20am, and arriving at North Whidbey Middle School around 7:00am.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from Whidbey Island!

We enjoyed the Keeva's tidelands and gorgeous beach home in Freeland during the day....

And AMAZED Maya with her first fireworks show that night.

Here's Your Happy News of the Week: Italy's Skeletons Come to VAQ-140

Everyone remember this?

NY Times Headline, February 4th, 1998:

20 Die in Italy As U.S. Jet Cuts A Ski Lift Cable

See the article here:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E4D8163DF937A35751C0A96E958260

The very same jet that cut a gondola cable in Cavalese, Italy, sending 20 people to their messy deaths, is now assigned to VAQ-140. Our sincere hope is that Michael is not part of any further incidents with the cursed Prowler. Wish him luck.

You can see the entire series of stories, including the court martial of the pilot and his navigator; as well as the relieving of their Commanding Officer when he ordered evidence of the incident destroyed, here:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/skiing/index.html?offset=0&s=newest&query=CAVALESE+%28ITALY%29&field=geo&match=exact

All that the Navy has to offer in May of 2008...

The Officers' Spouses Club held a fundraiser: "A Night at the Movies"

VAQ-140 went as "Average Joes" from the movie Dodgeball....and auctioned off a SuperBowl party to raise money:

The Navy sent one of the guys in Michael's squadron to Thailand for a month, and we offered to watch his dog, Tex, a four-year-old boxer. Tex is the dream-dog that we hope Maya will someday turn out to be: loving, polite, gentle and very nice. Tex even puts up with Maya:

Michael is currently in Las Vegas, helping the Air Force with something. All we know is what can be deduced from the bank statments we get at home: ESPN Zone anyone?

Dining Out with a bunch of people who don't know how to make it hurt:

VAQ-140 Held a Dining Out (History is here: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq89-1.htm ) which was our first squadron activity. After many stories about shenanigans of past-Dinings-Out, our expectations were high: A rule-book that included not leaving the room (even to pee) without permission from the Commanding Officer and no blow-up dolls allowed in the dining room (but the cocktail room is ok) left us terrified of re-living the tortures of being a freshman in band. Michael is after all the new guy.

But, we were sadly mistaken. The most exciting part of the evening was a guy without his shirt parading the beef before dinner.....WEAK.

After only a few trips to the grog (the toilet bowl filled with all-kee-hol) we decided that the only people getting us drunk were....well, each other.

Hats off to the one wife, who shall remain nameless, who was drunk when she got there....but otherwise...a few suggestions:

• If everyone is awake, still clothed, and not destroying something...nobody is drunk enough.
• Making fun of someone for being in band isn't creative. Do you really think we've never been made fun of for being in band before? Repeat after me..."This one time, at band camp...."
• Shots of whiskey hurt going down...but its Tequila that really makes the difference

Michael Graduates VAQ-129

Michael finished his final events at training squadron VAQ-129. He received his orders to report to the VAQ-140 Patriots in the next few days. (They don't have a website, sorry.) Soon after, Michael's helmet will be painted and taped in the style of Evel Knievel.

VAQ-140 is part of Carrier Air Wing Seven, which is based out of NAS Oceana, Virginia. (VAQ-140 is stationed in Whidbey Island, so we will not be moving anywhere.) Carrier Air Wing Seven is based on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower: http://www.eisenhower.navy.mil/

Right now, VAQ-140 is tentatively scheduled to deploy in early 2009. Michael will be in and around Oceana during the summer and fall of 2008 for work-ups.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

Happy Birthday to Michael!!!

Today, March 4th 2008, is the first time that Michael DIDN'T figure out what he was getting for his birthday before he actually got his gift.....

Michael received "Quarter" of Beef, (That's 1/4 of a cow, about 125lbs of meat.) The beef came from Three Sisters Cattle Co. here on Whidbey Island:

http://www.3sistersbeef.com/

Three Sisters is an AWESOME place, they have grass fed & hormone free beef, free range eggs, and lots of other fun stuff.

The oldest sister assured us it would fit in the freezer...as long as we didn't have anything else in there.

Michael opening his gift. (He originally thought he was getting a Keg-O-Rater since Nikki told him his gift was in the kitchen.)

Nikki's first creation with the new beef: Rib-eye steak with blu cheese, arugula and thyme.

(Eat me, Bobby Flay!)

Michael enjoying his birthday dinner

Cracked-out icing cupcake with Green & Yellow candles to celebrate (or in Michael's case mourn) the retirement of Brett Favre

Henry helping Michael re-arrange the beef:

Maya got some love too...$2 "dog bones" from Three Sisters:

Gimme gimme....

Yummmmmy!