Lots to report: A South tour, Deepwater overflight, Robin's orders end, Louisiana alligators, flight to California, a wedding. Next???

Hi friends and family! Robin here, writing from a Starbucks in Anaheim, California. Lots to report in the last few days. I've posted a ton of photos on our Picasa site (click on the link above or to the right) and that will explain more than I can write here. A quick update--In the last couple of weeks, Josh toured several states in the south and came to meet me in New Orleans, where I was wrapping up my time at the Unified Area Command in the Critical Resources Unit (moving Coast Guard bodies around). Much happened in the last few days there.

- My good friend Rob Lanier (CG Public Affairs Chief), reported to the UAC to serve as the Joint Information Center Chief; I was super excited to see him after several years.

- I was able to catch a ride on a Coast Guard plane out to the Deepwater Horizon explosion site, pretty amazing.
- Josh and I visited brother Erik and Heather on Dauphin Island, Alabama, where Erik was finishing his Coast Guard orders.
- Josh and I took a swamp tour in a Louisiana bayou and saw plenty of alligators.
- Lastly, Josh and I packed up all my gear and headed out of NOLA.

I had made some good friends there at the UAC and was sad to say bye to them. And the switch back to civilian mode, even after only 60 days on orders, is sometimes a funny brain switch. It's like changing toothpastes, swapping meals with someone during dinner, or putting on a pair of shoes you haven't worn in a while. The tempo is just different. It can take a few days to catch up with the rest of what's been going on and get in the groove again. The days at the UAC were longer--12 hours at least. And I realize that I haven't been good at keeping in touch while I've been checked out, or in. All in all, the deployment was a very good experience and I'm grateful that I had the opportunity. I'm looking forward to the next summer adventure!

So...after leaving NOLA, Josh and I flew west to Anaheim, where we are now staying with Josh's super cool grandma Maria for a few days. The first day here in Anaheim we went to the wedding of Amanda and Danny Arriaga (Josh's cousin) where we also saw a TON of Josh's relatives. I hadn't seen many of them since Josh's dad's (are you getting confused with all the 's?) wedding five years ago, so it was very cool to catch up with them.

Everyone keeps asking us what we are doing next. So, what ARE we doing next? I'm not sure is the answer! We know at least that we are going to another wedding on August 7th in Sausalito, California, and we are getting there via Dolphin. Before that, we have a couple mechanical checks on the Dolphin and some more Josh family time here in Anaheim (and I am enjoying the down time!). After that--it's sure to be either south, east, or north, and either driving, biking, backpacking, or swimming. Clear as mud!? That's the fun part. Check out the photos for lots more!

Signing out--Robin.