The Emotional Rollercoaster of Field Training

Field training arrived again and man was I not excited. But it is what it is, it’s an necessary evil of Army life. So began what I thought would be 29 days apart, but it was more challenging than I expected. But there was fun thrown in!

More Than a Military Spouse
Pumpkin carving party with my friends resulted in these gorgeous creations (mine is the Boo! one in the middle). Photo by Jessica Hall.

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Forks, WA: Home of Twilight

When we went on our trip to the Olympic National Park we stayed in Forks, WA. It’s the biggest town on the Western side of the park and if you didn’t know it is most known for (at least as of late) for being the setting of Twilight. The logging town has seen better days and it is definitely trying to capitalize on the popular books and movies. 

First off let me tell you this: I don’t like Twilight. I have not read the books but I saw the first movie and it was awful. I have heard they got a bit better, from a friend who had to watch them for her job at an entertainment magazine. But I’m not sold. But alas, it’s popular. And you can’t turn a corner in or around Forks and not be reminded that it’s set there. The movies weren’t filmed in the area, but the town has identified homes as those belonging to the main characters. And you can take a picture with Bella’s car (from the book version):

Bella's car (book version) in Forks. Photo by Jessica Hall.
Bella’s car (book version) in Forks. Photo by Jessica Hall.

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Baked Ravioli with Italian Sausage

It has been awhile since I shared a recipe and do I have the perfect one for fall! On Pinterest I found a baked ravioli recipe from Martha Stewart and it sounded delicious, but I wanted some meat in it. The vegetarian meal would no doubt be delicious but I decided to make some adjustments. And it was a home run.

Baked ravioli with tomato sausage sauce.

A post shared by Jessica Hall (@jessicanicolehall) on

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Visiting Colonial Virginia

This summer we returned to the East Coast to visit family, and some history. James and I are history buffs so when we planned this trip we added a weekend in Colonial Virginia, specifically Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.

We spent our first day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I had never been to a Busch Gardens before and was impressed. It was clean and the rides were fun! I’m a recent convert to big roller coasters so it was a big day to go on hanging rides and multiple loops. Also – if you are military you can get free tickets (which is a HUGE savings!). But the main attraction for me was the historical sites. What can I say? I was a history major in college after all!

Colonial Williamsburg street. Photo by Jessica Hall
Colonial Williamsburg street. Photo by Jessica Hall

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Dear Congress, WTF?

As I typed this on Thursday night, and edited on Saturday, we are approaching a week of government shutdown. Currently it is day 5. This all started when the House did not pass a matching spending bill as the Senate. The big stink was all about delaying the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare (yes they are one in the same) and basically undo the law in general. It’s such a BIG deal to the Republicans that they refused to pass a bill without it attached. And now there appears to be far less compromise as the week goes on, and more finger pointing, on all sides.

Most government websites look a lot like this.
Most government websites look a lot like this.

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Olympic National Park

We took a weekend getaway a few months ago now as a refresher. It was much needed to reconnect, relax, and recharge. Olympic National Park is HUGE! It’s about a million acres and with a giant glacier in the middle – you need to access the park from multiple points along the outside, which we found out when we got there (it was an impromptu trip). But we had a blast and plan on going back to do what we couldn’t fit into the weekend. What we did see: glacial lake, rainforest, and waterfalls.

Olympic National Park | More Than a Military Spouse
Madison Falls. Photo by Jessica Hall

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