These are a few of my favorite things

Hello Family and Friends, I hope that this blog post finds you all well. We made it through another week here in Virginia Beach, and though we miss you all, it is starting to feel more like home here on the East Coast. I thought I would share some of the things that we have found here that we love.

First of all, PIZZA! For those of you that know Ryan well...he loves pizza. We have made a Friday night tradition of getting pizza from a great local place called Chanellos. 5 dollars for a great pizza...mmm.

Second of all, our trail. I spend at least 2 hours on this trail almost every day. An hour by myself working out and then another hour walking Jazzy. This being the first place I have lived other than Indiana it is amazing to see this climate's wonderful plant life. I am obsessed with how the trees arch over the path. The beauty of it never ceases to amaze me.

We also love the people here in Virginia. They are all so nice and down to Earth (and a little crazy!) Below is a great example of this. We call the man who lives here Willie, because his garden is all Willie Nilly. It is hard to tell by this picture but there is a mermaid, skeleton, and flying man in his backyard! Willie caught me taking this picture...which made for an awkward conversation :).

Next we love the beach and all the wonderful free events it offers. Today we spent a portion of the day at the Neptune Beach Festival. It featured the North American Sand Sculpture Competition. Below is one of our favorite statues. It is hard to describe how amazingly intricate these sculptures were, the pictures just don't do them justice.

The last thing that we love is how close we have grown to each other. It has been great to spend so much time together! Below is my entry for the sand sculpture competition. Ryan said it would have won most romantic (please feel free to puke from all of this mushy stuff)!

Well we love you all and thanks for catching up with us. We will catch up with ya'll again next week!

Big Hug:

The Masons

Settling In

Hello family and friends. Thank you for your patience the last couple of weeks. Ryan and I have been busy adjusting to studying, working, and finding time for sleep! Unfortunately for Ryan this is just the beginning. He will have this busy schedule for the next 3 years. I on the other hand get some reprieve!

On Tuesday I took the ASTB, which is a standardized test for the Navy OCS program, I did well so I don't have to study anymore!!! Needless to say I am very happy. The next step in the application process is submitting a huge packet of information that details every last detail of my life. Then I send in my package and pray it is good enough to get in me in.

The Navy is not the only job prospect at this point in time. I also have an interview for the Virginia Beach Police Department on Oct. 2nd. If I am accepted I would start Police Academy in February. Obviously I am still pursuing jobs and applying for positions that would actually utilize my experience; but trusting that God knows best.

Ryan has enjoyed catching a glimpse at what his future will look like. He spent a large portion of this weekend grading his classes' first assignment. It was great to see what a wonderful professor he will make. He has been understanding with his students and still dedicated to teaching them the course material. I think it is a hard balance for him, but I think he is doing a great job.

This next week will be much of the same. I will share some more pics of our new home and the things that have started to make Virginia Beach special to us. We love and miss you all, but halftime is almost over and I have to get back to the game. GO MSU!

Big Hug:

The Masons

Busy

That is all that I have to say right now...because we are so busy! Tomorrow morning at 7 am I will be taking the ASTB for the Navy's OCS program. I have been working full time and then spending every free moment studying. Ryan has been doing the same, working and studying around the clock.. For those of you that have been checking this blog I am sorry for the lack of updates. After tomorrow I will have less studying to do and more blogging time. Thanks for your patience. I promise an excellent blog with pictures and updates about our new Virginian life by the end of this week.