Happy Birthday, Marines!

Sunday, November 10th, was the 238th birthday of the United States Marine Corps and boy do they know how to throw a birthday party! Saturday night, all the marines from DLI (Defense Language Institute) here in Monterey gathered at the Hyatt hotel ballroom to celebrate. Jim and I had a blast with our friend Mike (a fellow Olmsted Scholar who will be moving to St. Petersburg, Russia next Summer).

I got my dress from Rent the Runway which is a company that rents designer dresses for a fraction of the retail cost. I got to rock a Monique Lhuillier dress and had so much fun wearing it. I would highly recommend using them the next time you have an event! And Jim loved it too because it didn't add another dress to my closet!

All in all, we had a great evening celebrating the 238th birthday of the marines!

It's Fall in Monterey

As Jim and I were walking through Carmel after church and a fun lunch with Rob and Cora today we commented that it almost felt like Fall on the East coast for a minute. A brisk breeze blew a handful of crunchy red leaves down the sidewalk in front of us. It made me miss the beautiful colors and crisp Fall days in DC and our DC family but it also made me so very grateful for where we are right now. That is something I am currently working on. I want to be more present in every moment and more appreciative of what I have right now rather than focusing on the past or the future too much. When it was chilly here in Monterey this Summer, Jim reminded me to be grateful for that cool breeze because it was coming off of the Pacific ocean. The reason we can feel that cool breeze every day is because we can see the Pacific from our house! In my wildest dreams, I would have never imagined that my first house with my husband would have a view of the ocean. We are so blessed to have this experience.

I am also so grateful for the connections that we are beginning to make at Carmel Presbyterian Church. The folks at this small church in the quaint community of Carmel By-The-Sea have welcomed us with open arms. We have decided to adopt the method of jumping in head first and the CPC community has been a wonderful landing. Jim went on the men's retreat last weekend and had a great time getting to know men of all ages who go to CPC. While Jim was on the retreat, I met up with the ladies of the church to make a lovely Fall centerpiece. I enjoyed the fellowship of chatting with some wonderful women. It made such a difference at church today for us to know the names of several folks at the service and for them to know us! We look forward to continuing to get more involved here.

Thursday night we had a Halloween party at our place. We invited the folks from Jim's class, the fellow Olmsted Scholars in the area and several other friends we've made in Monterey. I put a big pot of chili on the stove and baked mom's famous cheese cornbread muffins. We had so much fun hanging out with our friends! Almost everyone dressed up and we had many more trick-or-treaters than I expected! It made us feel even more at home in our neighborhood! And, Jim carved an awesome pumpkin! I dressed up as a Spartan Cheerleader and Jim was a pirate!

Friday afternoon, Jim's class had a picnic. After an eventful morning of a pressure cooker of borscht (beet and cabbage stew) exploding all over our kitchen (long story...), I made it to the picnic to join up with the Serbian class. Most of the time, the students were speaking to each other in Serbian and the teachers were talking to all of us solely in Serbian. I was pretty proud of myself because I could understand about 50% of what they were saying and when the teachers would direct something at me I could understand (for the most part) but wasn't confidant enough to respond in Serbian. It was fun listening and trying to keep up with the conversations. I'm looking forward to telling my tutor about it this week. I want to continue to practice speaking so that I can actually respond in Serbian at the next picnic!

This weekend is the Marine Corps Birthday Ball so I'll be sure to post and update and pictures from it!

Much love,
The Adventuring Armstrongs

You've got to start somewhere!

I'm excited to start a blog to keep our friends and family updated on the Adventuring Armstrongs in Monterey, on to Montenegro and beyond!

The past five months have been quite an adventure and we've only more to come from here! On May 18, 2013, Jim and I married at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN surrounded by our favorite people. After a wonderful honeymoon in St. Lucia and a fun month living with the McCormack clan in Old Town Alexandria, we set off on our first adventure - heading out West. Over the course of a little over a week, we made our way across the country in the "Tonka Truck". Our route started in Virginia and took us through West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and finally to California. It covered parts of the United States that I had never seen before and that Jim was more than excited to show me. We even camped and fly fished in Montana. Those of you who know me well might be surprised at this but I can honestly say I had a fantastic time. My wonderful husband is quite the skilled camper and made me feel right at home which came in handy when we had to "camp" in our new home in Monterey for two weeks while we waited for our household goods to arrive! We quickly settled into a house in downtown Monterey and I had a blast decorating it and making it feel like home.

Jim started class at DLI (Defense Language Institute) on August 22nd. Unfortunately, there wasn't room in the class for me. In the beginning, this was very disappointing but I have come to realize, yet again, that the Lord has a "plan to prosper us and not to harm us"! I was able to find a wonderful tutor named Marina who I Skype with twice a week. She has customized lessons for me to learn exactly what I will need to know to survive and thrive in Montenegro. It is very challenging but fun! Jim and I try to speak Serbian words and phrases to each other as much as possible around the house. That's the hard part because his vocabulary and grammar skills far exceed mine!

So far we have really enjoyed Monterey. The cooler weather has been a little bit of an adjustment but on the days that it is sunny it is absolutely beautiful. The house that we live in is within walking distance from downtown Monterey, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row and so much more. One of my very favorite things to do is visit the sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is impossible not to smile when you see the joy and playfulness these adorable creatures exude. We even got memberships so that we can visit our sea otter neighbors whenever we want! We've also enjoyed all of the beautiful hiking in the Bay area, especially Big Sur.

With my spare time I decided to apply for a job at J.Crew. I've been working there part-time for two weeks now and I'm having a blast. How can you not like helping women pick out stylish clothes from your favorite store and get paid for it!

Jim and I have also been blessed with finding a great church. We are attending Carmel Presbyterian Church. The members there have welcomed us with open arms. We are grateful beyond belief to have found a church to call home. The Lord provides!

I look forward to keeping you updated on all the adventures that our life holds, big and small!