Thank God for Friends and Family: Candace Clark's Corner

Me out at the beach house in Oxnard, CA

It feels as if life has been in slow motion since my husband took off for Air Force Officer Training about 6 weeks ago. I didn't want to spend this time of separation throwing pity parties, merely coping with his absence, but I wanted to use the time to expand my horizons as an individual, learning new things, and discovering new interests and hobbies. I must say though, the time has just been crawling by, and unfortunately I think I've resorted to just coping more than I had hoped.

With just two and a half weeks left, you would think I would be relieved that the worst part is over, but this week seems to inch by much slower than the previous weeks, and it makes two and a half weeks seem like an eternity. However, I am very grateful I have had such a wonderful support through this whole experience. Last week I had the chance to go out to California for a week to spend time with my family and a few friends from Orange County. I joined my friends for a night of pizza and wine at my friend Amy Risley's place, and got to see her adorable 3 month old baby. It's a wonderful experience seeing a good friend transform into the role of a mother instantaneously. Its these moments that do remind me that even though life seems to just scoot by right now, one day I'll look back and feel as if my life had just flown by, and I can't take my youth or even a day for granite.

After catching up with my friends, my parents and I headed up to San Luis Obispo to see my sister's new house! We spent just two days over in San Luis before heading out to the beach house in Oxnard California, owned by my mother in law Maggie and her husband Neville. Maggie and Neville were on vacation in South Africa for a couple weeks, and they said we could spend some time at their place on the beach for a bit...so I jumped at the chance :). Unfortunately, the weather was rather cold and windy the first day, so we spent most of the day indoors playing games. However, the next day was perfect, which was good timing, as Holly (my sister) and David her husband, came out to join us. We took lots of pictures that day, which I'm posting for you all to see. We were very lucky to have Maggie and Neville return early from their trip the day before we needed to leave, so we got to catch up with them and hear about their exciting adventures in South Africa.

As I said, I have been so grateful I have had my friends and family these past few weeks, as I'm sure this time apart from my husband would have been much tougher to deal with without them. I'm looking forward to this weekend, for I'll get to fly out to Alabama to visit him for a day or two! Of course it wont be for as long as I would like, but I will cherish every minute! I will have to let you know how it is in Alabama after I return in my next blog. For now, I've posted some pictures of my time in California.