The Good, Bad, and Random

As the title suggests, this post is a bit of a recap of what's being going on and what's on my mind. (In the Navy, they would call this "goods and others", which I used to find strange and now realize is so typical of military-speak.) I think most people's lives are a constant mix of positive and negative, this is mine currently...

-Our June is filling up with family visiting! My aunt and uncle bought tickets for the end of the month and my mom, sister, and adorable niece are looking at tickets for the beginning of the month. We haven't seen any of them since my sister's wedding in October. I can't wait to show them the place that we've called home for 2 years! Sidenote: Can't believe it will be 2 years at that point. Whoa. 

-We've been making a knockoff version of one of our favorite pizzas (from El Horno de Leña in Puerto). It doesn't look that exciting but it is ridiculously good. Sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, honey, and oregano. Delicious combination of flavors and oh so simple. We had it for dinner Monday night, with spinach and balsamic vinaigrette salad. If goat cheese is your thing (and it should be) give it a try.

-A friend of ours from Norfolk happened to be in town Tuesday night. It was a short visit, but we went downtown for drinks, tapas, and the Real Madrid v. Barcelona match. It was great to catch up with someone we hadn't seen in a while and it made me a little nostalgic for our time in Virginia. One of the perks of this lifestyle is that the Navy really is a small world and you never know when you'll meet up with someone again. And Madrid won!

-Graham received his diploma and has now officially completed JPME, which is basically a master's degree for the military. We celebrated on Friday night with dinner at home and a bottle of rioja. So proud of him!

-An immediate family member has been fighting cancer for several years and the dynamics of that battle are changing. (I know that is vague, but as I've said before, I'm a private person and sensitive to sharing details of other people's lives.) This is one of those times where Graham and I acutely feel the distance of living an ocean away from family and friends. 

-The base lost a service member to suicide this past weekend and Graham was part of the response team. It was not someone we knew, but it hits hard in a small community like this one. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends, both here and at home. This is not something exclusive to the military, but has become all too common. Please, take care of yourselves and look out for each other.

-I took these photos on the way back from Porto last month. I never posted them, since they were a bit random and the quality isn't exceptional, but it was such a lovely drive. Bright green fields, golden sunlight, newborn lambs... It still surprises me just how beautiful the landscape in this region can be. And how patient Graham can be with my incessant photo snapping.

It may seem strange to group all of these thoughts and happenings into one post, but isn't that how life truly is? Constantly a random mix... I hope your "goods" are currently outweighing your "others".