Written by Peter

 

So the time has come. The holidays are here and my lovely wife has reminded me that my contribution to her blog has been long over due. Last month we had the opportunity to go on a road trip to Nashville, TN. This trip was quite the treat as we were able to visit family, downtown Nashville, and of course Trader Joe's. On our way back home we made a brief detour to Montgomery, AL, which is the home of Maxwell AFB (the location of Commissioned Officer Training school also known as COT). Just a little over ten years ago I graduated from COT and my former pastor in PR, Dennis Kirkland, was able to attend. Fast forward ten years and now Dennis is a student at COT on the verge of graduating. Funny how things work.
There have been a several men who God has placed in my life over the years who have played a significant role in my development as a Christian man. Dennis, who is now a missionary to Guam, (and a Guam Air National Guard chaplain) is one of them. Dennis was the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Ceiba, PR when I was an impressionable teenager and he took a keen interest in both my brother and I. Dennis was a strong example of a Christian man and a wonderful mentor. Although our time in Alabama was quite brief we were able to reminisce over old times and talk about future plans. Most importantly I was able to introduce Jen to an old friend.

Dennis & Lora Kirkland visiting me at COT, July 2002

Jen and I visiting Dennis at COT, November 2012

 

Christmas can't be very far away...

Now that I'm living in the states, I'm taking advantage of all those stores that we didn't have in PR. I think the cashier at Michael's is starting to recognize me now, AND I wandered into a Hobby Lobby last month for the first time. That was a wonderful mistake. So now that the Christmas season has begun, I'm attempting all of those crafts and decorating ideas that I've collected on Pinterest. So this week I bought a package of six empty glass ornaments and started to play. These were the ornaments that happened today.

Sand from the beach my husband and I met on. <3

 

Tiny shells that needed a new home. : )

 

Some of my beach glass collection.

 

And the pinspired wedding invitation.

 

This has definitely given our tree a more personalized feeling. It will be fun to look at these ornaments over the years and "remember when..."

 

 

 

Quick trip to Texas

We took a three day trip to San Antonio to attend the funeral of an extended member of Peter's family. It was nice to be able to represent his family and remember Marianne. While there, I was also introduced to different friends and favorite places of Peter's from when he was stationed there for two years. We ate TexMex, Puertorican, and Indian food- all things that we don't get at home. We tried to visit the newly-opened Trader Joe's store, but got stuck in a traffic jam and had to revise our plans. Also drove past the Alamo, and listened to an audio book and a half. :) Good times.