Camping Trip in Virginia Beach

Oh boy, there is a lot of details and packing that goes into preparing for camping.

First of all this the first real vacation in 10 years.  Meaning there was not a long flight or trip to anywhere except to the beach for three (3) whole days with Mrs. Smith and the girls (AIAYF http://aiayf.blogspot.com/ and EIAYF - http://eiayf.blogspot.com/).

On the first day, Mrs. Smith and I setup our new tent while the girls played and watched us.  After we setup our camping site at the KOA, we went to the Oceanfront of VA Beach and we took turns with AIAYF in the water which was quite refreshing.  The water was a big relief with the humidity and the hot sun.  EIAYF was in the stroller (keeping out of the sun, even though she had sunscreen on).

Once we finished up we headed back to the camp site and got cleaned up (showered and refreshed). Mrs. Smith had prepared (some help from me, of course) meals.  One of the nights we cooked our burgers on the Coleman stove (not the fire pit, we didn't realize we should have had a flat grill piece to go over the pit), but we made out well.


















Our first full day, we enjoyed some more beach time and the pool at the KOA.  AIAYF and I had fun going down the water slide into the pool (which was 8 feet deep).  I had to propel her upward as I went into the water.  The ladder we took was not the typical one.  We actually had short crawl openings to each level whether to the blue or red slide.


























One of the other fun activities at the KOA was a large bouncing pillow that Mrs. Smith and AIAYF saw.  But the day AIAYF and I went was really hot, so chose not to go on it



Later in the day Mrs. Smith put EIAYF down for a nap which was needed, she was wiped out from the busy day, sun and heat.  We kept them hydrated especially EIAYF.  She would drink out of my water bottle to keep her hydrated and cooled down.  For two days for her day nap, I had EIAYF in her car seat and I drove around in our Odyssey Van to keep her cool and peaceful, she slept good!

In the evening we drove to visit friends of mine that I knew when I lived in VA Beach and Norfolk. We attended bible study fellowship and got to see good friends that I hadn't seen in awhile.  Needless to say we had a great time hearing about God's love for us and enjoy some delicious refreshments too.

It amazes me that anywhere that we go, we enjoy visiting friends and having great fellowship time!

One of the days we saw and heard the Navy's F18 Jets flying over the beach towards the Naval Air Station.  It was a good sound to hear, but not for little children to hear!  It can very loud.

I also enjoyed the slower pace of traffic versus the traffic in the Washington DC and Northern VA area. There are some great things that I miss about the Hampton Roads area are the people and the various fun things to do year round.

Check out the following websites:
http://hamptonroads.com/

Virgina Beach, VA
http://www.vbgov.com/Pages/home.aspx

Well, I am believing that those that read my blog will be inspired and excited to live life and have fun living one day at a time!

God Bless to all!

Family Lifestyle Versus Working Lifestyle

It appears that I have been on hiatus for quite sometime (almost 2 years)!  I guess that is called starting a family and working heartily unto the Lord.

A lot has happened since then.  I have been working in the Information Technology field (CADD - Computer Aided Drafting & Design) generating & revising Architectural floor plans (contracting world).  I have worked in various disciplines:  Architecture, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Civil and Electronics (IT) within the CADD field.  You might say I have become diverse and versatile in my skill set.  I have been able to travel to some countries for work (site surveys).

Well, enough of work!  Life has become an adventure and fun as a parent.  You may have wondered and thought that married life is not for you or being a parent!  Well I have to say from my experience it is all a joy.  Of course there is learning, loving, patience, patience and more patience in any relationship whether as a spouse or a parent.

The summer of 2014 has many new & fun activities and adventures.  In planning and preparation there is so much detail that Mrs. Smith and I have planned out what to do for the summer.

Well, living in Northern Virginia there are many things to do and see in the Washington DC area and in Virginia.  There are so many different museums, National Monuments, Concerts, Outdoor movies and various "Gardens" to see and do (good thing many are interactive things for the kids!).  For those Aviation fans, there is the "Air & Space" Museums (one in DC and one in Chantilly, VA called "Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center", website:  http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center/).

I went last year and it was awesomeeeeeee.  I went with Mrs. Smith nephew (he grew up in Germany, so it's his first time to the US).  He and I had a blast and we took a lot of pictures.

The family recently went out for "Father's Day" to a city called "Leesburg, VA"  It was such a beautiful and sunny day!  We enjoyed some German food at a place called "Doner Bistro." (http://www.doener-usa.com/)  It was packed but we were able to sit outside (under a canopy tent) and enjoyed meeting other people and enjoying some German beer (oh, so much better then American beer!) and food.

That is the family life...having fun anytime and anywhere.

The working lifestyle currently is great and I enjoy the company I work for.  One of the VP's comes by the office I work at in Northern VA.  I work as a contractor in a Gov. building, so he comes by to see how things are going.

My current working lifestyle has been good, but about a year I was working for another company that informed me that my CAD Designer position was being removed from the contract (which they informed me about 2 months before the last day).  I was grateful for that because I had worked for them for over 8 years.  For Christmas they would do a big holiday party (combined with their brother's company) for all employees.  Let's just say they took good care of their employees.

Once I left this company I started working for another company as a sub-contractor (Government) which lasted for about 4.5 months.  I then was unemployed due to "contract issues" and for two months applying and interviewing until I landed a part time job (contract with the US Navy) for three days and then I got an interview on my third day (Thursday) with a company (contract to Government) which I had known through my previous employer (of 8 years).  That following morning I received an offer letter which I gladly accepted (my current employer).  So God is good and never late!  I always been a believing man of God and taking the action.

A Baby Girl

It has been two months since my beautiful baby girl was born. She cried while she was being cleaned, weighed and measured by the nurse. I stood there smiling at a beautiful and healthy baby. I smiled and she returned a partial smile! She was born with some hair!

Since then she has grown more hair and gained weight progressively from here birth weight.

She continues to make me smile each day even while I change her diapers! These two months have been a big learning for both my wife and I. But the time has been going by quick. She got her first shots a few days ago. She cried a bit and I cringed a bit from her getting poked with a needle. We had a bottle of milk ready to sooth and comfort her.

Yesterday I took a walk with her (used the Bjorn) on a beautiful autmn day. She enjoyed looking around at everything. Watching her head turning left to right was amazing! She was quite observant to everything around us. It had rained pretty hard earlier in the day. Now with a cool breeze the trees were sprinkling the rain on us. Even the acorns were falling off the trees, I was trying to dodge these so she wouldn't get bonked!

Fatherhood has really been a trying but fun avenue for me. There will be a continuous learning for me and my wife, but with great love and compassion for both my loves.

Growing Up

As a young child I had loving parents who raised me with love and taught me about God and His Word. I had three siblings, one older brother, younger sister and a younger brother. We all were raised with love and discipline. Just like any family all the siblings had our bickering, arguing and yelling, but we were taught to make amends and tell each other "I am sorry". At times I solely got in trouble with one or both parents and I would get a tapped on the arm with a wooden spoon to get my attention. Then reprove and instruction followed.

As I grew up I learned the basic things in grade school through high school. My older brother started wrestling in junior high through high school and me I wanted to be like him. So I started learning how to wrestle when I was in sixth grade. At that time I was skinny and weighed probably around 60lbs or so. I started growing up mentally and physically and learning to push myself in learning the different moves when wrestling my opponent. I lost a few matches and won a few matches. Overall I liked the sport and it taught me about teamwork and individual confidence in myself.

Through junior and high school I made a few friends. When I was 12 and 1/2 years old I took a biblical research class called "The Power For Abundant Living". This class was awesome, this was on video (VHS)! I had taken it over the summer with other teenagers, my brother also took it, along with other teenagers that I knew. From that class I learned to have confidence in myself. Recognizing who I was as a Son of God I had the ability and willingness to overcome fear and worry. Since that time I am still learning and growing in God's wonderful Word. During seventh and eighth grade I had the confidence to stand up for myself. Their were sometimes in the past that bully's pushed me around. Now I don't allow that to happen. I stand my ground and tell them to leave me alone because I knew God had my back.

One of my interests that I had as far back that I can remember was finding various things like keys, coins or whatever it was and collect them. I would dream about one day being able to design and build something that no one else would. These ideas were influenced by my dad, he was a home builder. He would always find ways at work to be more time saving and cost to the customer.

When I was in eighth grade I started sketching out a floor plan of my dream home. I had designed it with an indoor pool and other details in mind. Throughout junior and high school I would sketch different ideas. I took an art class where I learned perspective and 3-dimensional drawing. That was when I got hooked on drafting (or sketching) buildings, airplanes, etc.

During my junior year, my parents moved to Fair Oaks, California. So my sister, younger brother and myself moved to California. It was a big change, literally! From a double "A" school to an "AAA" school. I finished my junior and senior At Del Campo High School in Carmichael, California.

One of my favorite classes during my senior year was Air Force Junior ROTC. It was a blast! I learned about Aerospace Science and the military lifestyle. There was a lot to learn about the Air Force from the Aerospace Science, uniforms, rank designations, research papers, etc. I wanted to become a flight sergeant for my class, so I did everything I could and obtained that goal. One area that I enjoyed was learning to march in formation as a class squadron. Eventually I became a flight sergeant and was calling out directions when marching in formation. During the year I also took part of a couple of trips to McCllelan Air Foce Base and got to fly in a C130. Another trip I got to sit and operate a flight simulator. That was a total blast! Throughout the year our squadron worked on marching in formation. Our Color Guard also worked throughout the year for their competition against other schools. By the end of the year our squadron had received an award as the top squadron in our region.

It was during my senior that I was attending a teenager biblical fellowship and an adult fellowship, bowling on a junior league, school and working at a Dairy Queen. So I stayed busy during my last year. I started also getting specific on goals that I wanted to achieve and before graduating I knew what I wanted to do and in a specific order. First was to attend a one year outreach program, join the US Navy, attend college, get married to a christian woman, start a family and attend a four year commitment lifestyle of research, teaching and practical walk in God's Word.

After I graduated from high school I went on a one year outreach program to Norman, Oklahoma. I had traveled with other Christian believers. That was the first time I had been away from my family, but I adjusted quickly to the adult mentality. I had fun meeting new people in a new area. I had developed good friendship with the believers that I lived with. We had planned out where we would go to witness to people that were looking to find answers to life. There were people that did get answers to their prayers and received wholeness in their lives. We had a biblical research class in the area we lived. We enjoyed living together moving God's Word. Despite the cold winter (verrryyy collddd days) we kept hot on God's Word and prevailed.

At the end of the assignment I went back home to stay with my parents in Medford, Oregon. During thanksgiving of 1989 I went to the Navy Recruiter's office and signed up. I had taken the ASVAB test during my senior year so my scores were validated for certain job placement with the Navy. I had quite a few to choose from. The one I chose was called the "Yeoman" rating, which was in Business Administration.