This is most likely our last day with internet until I get back to Maryland...so...I think this will be us signing off as "team Townley" until Rob gets back next Spring. We had a great weekend in Virginia, took a drive out to Colonial Williamsburg



and came home for "Christmas Dinner" with the family.


Thanks for checking in with us while we've been getting ready for the deployment, and keep Rob in your prayers!

The boys are back in town

Our renters have found a new property! They are giving us the 12th of November as a tentative date for vacancy! (!!!) This said, I am officially taking volunteers (re: begging my friends) to help us (re: me and Scout) move back in. (Scout never does any heavy lifting). Anyway, I don't know what day of the week the 12th is... but if you're free - there will be free pizza and beer/soda available to anyone with nothing better to do. And knowing the Guenthers, we'll have a Dance Dance Revolution tournament at then end to break in the 'new' place... and say hi to Rita the only way we know how.

Woohoo! One crisis down!

Same old Song and Dance

Well the Marines have finally given us a hard date for Rob's deployment; Nov 1. A little late in the game, but still nice to know anyway. In addition they are keeping us warm at night with a new false hope. The new words of wisdom from above:
If the deployment gets delayed for some reason and has not taken off by 15 November, the deployment will be permanently cancelled.
Their reasoning being that deploying any later than 15 Nov will not be worth the time it takes to get spun up and then transition for the new team that replaces them in March.
Now, call me crazy, but if we're at a point where 15 days is going to make or break the entire functionality of the deployment... have we MAYBE not thought the whole deployment through in the first place? I would assume (because this is what I was told) that the only reason they are even calling these guys in at the eleventh hour is because the Marines can't function with the team they already deployed.
So imagine my surprise to find out that not only could the current team survive without them... but the new guys will be just another 15 mouths to feed if they can't show up before 15 November.


I'm really glad our nation isn't run by complete idiots.

Other Updates... just to show we care

So, we're back in Carolina... I have a LOT of time on my hands today while Rob is starting the check out process, so I figured I'd update some stuff that fell by the wayside lately.... and of course as always, I have pictures.

1.) Rob and I had a great 1st anniversary... we stayed in some uppity hotel in Baltimore and had a fantastic dinner at the Helmand; which is also the restaurant where we ate on our first date. This will make me sound 100 years old, but after all the craziness lately, it was nice to have a quiet night out together.


2.) Laura and Micah took us out for our "farewell dinner" in Columbia.

3.) a little more driving to VA




4.) This past weekend Rob ran in the Race for the Cure in Virginia Beach. It was freeeeeezing! I didn't run this one -- it was too early in the morning and we've been way too tired, but I went to support. I always like the races that serve as fund raisers for a good cause. It was very grounding to see so many women who have/are currently fighting breast cancer out there supporting each other. Events like this tend to restore my faith in humanity.



P.S. The pink bandana around his knee is the trademark of Race for the Cure. Each year they have a new one and it's pretty customary to wear it on race day.

Okay, well that's about it. Rob just called and is on his way home to take me out to lunch. The only other update I have is that we're pretty sure he's leaving either Monday or Tuesday of next week. Thanks again for all of your prayers! Catch you on the flip!

Interviewing for the future

Okay. So now we're in Maryland...yes, again. I just got through my second of two interviews. I remember when I first got out of college, I went to about 500 interviews (slight exaggeration) for "entry level" positions and I'd sit across from my potential hiring manager sweating and praying that they would pick me over the 100 other college grads sitting in the waiting area.
Times they are a-changing. Now that my resume has more on it than my name and "PLEASE HIRE ME" in bold (yes, that's a joke) it's a little easier to get companies to take an interest in me.
Rob and I have been super frustrated with the last two months...the false promises from the military, moving 400 miles away and then turning around to move back, leaving the security of my job, etc. We couldn't understand why our prayers for guidance weren't being answered (i.e. we would have NEVER moved had we known Rob was going to deploy). But my Dad made a really good point the other day-- Leaving my job to move to NC with Rob gave us 2 full months to spend together with no work-related interruptions. We have GREAT tenants who've agreed to give us our home back, and now I'm finding out through interviews that I'm worth more than I would have given myself credit for had I just stayed with my old company. Now I know all of this is happening because we have prayed so hard about each decision - and had terrific friends and family supporting and praying right along with us. Seeing the whole picture come together has been an amazing experience.

We have about 10 days before Rob deploys. As usual, we'll be up and down the East Coast getting everything squared away-- but I must say, I'm feeling much more confident about the next 5 months knowing that God is handling this.

on the road again...

So for those of you keeping track, we left North Carolina yesterday and are now visiting my parents in Virginia. We were hoping to spend a few days here with them but I just (literally JUST) got a call to come interview tomorrow afternoon for a company back in Maryland. (This is goooood news....bad timing, but good news). So it looks like we'll be back on 95 tomorrow morning. Shocking, I know. To those of you in the area that we promised to visit, we'll be back this weekend.
If you need me I'll be gassing up the jeep...

Amy Steinberg Rocks, or Fun times at WalMart.

Like the title? It's like a "choose your own adventure" novel

So...we're back in NC again for the moment. You never know where those Townleys will turn up next, huh? Last night we went back to the Juggling Gypsy hookah bar in Wilmington to see Amy Steinberg, an indie singer/songwriter about whom we knew absolutely nothing. Though we had to leave the performance a little early, Amy was awesome. One of the best new talents we've seen, and totally down to earth. She chatted with us for a while before the set (I think she needed to talk to someone, ANYONE, since she's been in the car touring for longer than she'd like)...very cool lady. Seriously folks, check her out (shamless plug - http://www.myspace.com/amysteinberg). Something akin to Ani Difranco meets the Indigo Girls with a little funk thrown in for good measure.

Anyhow, so more fun in Jacksonville (say it with a French accent and it sounds better). The other day I bought some lettuce at Wal Mart, only to take it home and find it infested with aphids. Nasty little crawly buggers. So, we took the receipt and tainted produce back the next morning more than anything to ensure that other people don't buy the rest of the bad batch of lettuce. I spoke to someone in the produce department about it, and they took the lettuce from me and told me to just go get another one. Yeah...I had to go get another one to show them that I CAN'T BUY ANOTHER ONE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL INFESTED. So, 20 minutes and a conversation with the manager later, they pulled all the lettuce from the shelves. Another 20 minutes in line at customer service, and we had our two dollars and forty-eight cents that the lettuce cost back in our pocket. We went back to WalMart yesterday to get some milk, and just thought to check up on the lettuce to see if we could buy some. Yeah, they put out the SAME lettuce, still shot through with bugs. So again, we yelled at the produce manager who immediately pulled the lettuce from the shelves. I'm sure the same stuff will be back on sale tomorrow. We're not buying veggies from WalMart anymore. I would write the management a letter, but I really think it would fall on deaf ears.

Love that drive on I-95

So... here we are again in North Carolina. (yay. hooray. yawn.) We drove in last night, watched the new episode of Grey's Anatomy with our neighbors (loved it), followed by the movie, Prairie Home Companion (not so much). Rob and I listen to NPR all the time on the road so we had great expectations for the Prairie Home Companion movie. Yeah. I thought it was boring...Rob fell asleep... good times.
Anyway, so I have no idea how long we're down here for -- hopefully just the weekend, but there is always the chance that we'll stay until Rob actually deploys. The new (ever-changing) window of deployment is now between 28 October - 1 November. This is the closest we've gotten to the Holidays since I've known Rob. In fact, I've been meaning to keep you guys updated with our activities, but people have been taking us out everywhere and I just haven't had time until now.
We actually had a "Thanksgiving/Christmas Holiday Meal" the other night with a bunch of our friends. We made all the stuff Rob's missed out on for the past few years - turkey, stuffing, pumpkin cake, hot apple cider, etc. and we all spent the evening playing board games, etc. It was something out of the fall catalogue of LL Bean or American Eagle.. you get my drift. It was a reminder to us that we can celebrate more than just Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Friends (and sisters) like ours are priceless. In case we didn't say it enough- thanks for a great week you guys!

Happy One Year Anniversary!

That's right, folks, one year ago today the coast guard was evacuating our flooded chapel in Yorktown, VA as we were tying the knot. Everyone kept saying that three days of terrential downpour was a sign of a REALLY happy marriage and so far, they have been right.
And so, my (abbreviated) list of why I'm looking forward to a lifetime as Boy Wonder's wife.
1.) You will try anything once (re: Tango lessons)
2.) You still laugh at 'short jokes'...and 'Batman and Robin' jokes...
3.) You are the road trip master. And you always let me take naps... MonkEH.
4.) You remember the little things... like where I left my cell phone or how I like my eggs cooked
5.) You're my favorite gym buddy
6.) You sleep next to the ruler of FIDGET LAND and you never get mad.
7.) You sing in the car.
8.) Because "I'm a diamond diamond"
9.) You call me every chance you get whenever you're deployed.
10.) Because I'm SO not perfect, and you love me anyway.

I love you, Rob! Thanks for marrying me!!

A picture of the happy couple before playing laser tag the other night....


















This is our laser tag 'war paint'
And this is us apparently torturing Scout into a big, cheesy family hug

Trailer Park(ing)

So, if you ever enter the wonderful land of truck rental and they ask if you'd like to buy their $60 insurance, you should always answer with a resounding "yes". If you don't , you just never know... you COULD one day forget to check the trailer hitch which then MIGHT come unhinged in a residential neighborhood, and then POSSIBLY veer off and hit a parked car.




I'm just sayin'.

M to the D

So, we're back in MD. After packing up our Penske truck and driving through the night to MD I literally feel like those people who live "in a van down by the river". Luckily we have awesome friends, Adam and Jess, who are housing us until Rob has to be back in NC for the deployment (insert curse words). That's right, in addition to them taking my husband for yet ANOTHER holiday season, we get to drive all the way back to NC for them to do it. Hopefully sometime soon after that our home will be ready and we can move back in. I really hate moving.
Scout is happy to be a Maryland pup again. I'm pretty sure he doesn't give a rip where we live anymore as long as he doesn't have to sit in the car for 8+ hours every weekend.
Anyway, for those of you who've been asking; that's all we have going on for now. We're up here until the 10th. Which gives us JUST enough time to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ON THE 8TH!!.
Team Townley, signing out.