Vacation!! We're officially on vacation!!

Dan, Cat and I left this morning at 4am for Orlando to visit with my parents, Scott and Barbara.  Some of you may have met them at our party last weekend.  We made great time and got here at about 4:30pm.  The condo is beautiful!!  I made a point of making sure that our camera and video camera are working and have extra batteries so we have actually taken some photos and we've only been here for 2hrs!!  We just got back from Macaroni Grill for dinner.  It was pretty darn good J  Enjoy the photos and thank you, again, to all for the well wishes on Dan’s advancement.  We truly appreciate it!!

Master Chief Boe Golf Outing & Family Photos

Brad Boe, Dan's brother, and photographer extraordinaire :)   Thank you for taking photos, Brad!!

Caitlyn!  What a smile :)  We conveniently forgot that she had a sprained ankle this last weekend .... she stopped golfing halfway through but still had a great time :)

Family Photo :)  From Bottom Left to Top Right (Dano Boe, Caitlyn Ulrickson, Lance Boe, Dan Boe, Heidi Boe and Brad Boe)

Dano Boe ... we were really happy to have him here!

Our neighbor Ed Rybat.  He and his wife Anna are fantastic!!  Ed is a retired E9 Master Chief.

Family Photo :)

I think it must have been a little warm out :)  Lance and Dan ... do you think they are brothers?

"I am the Master (Chief) of all I survey"

Paul Lombard our incredible neighbor (with his wife Kathy of course :) and his nephew Tony.  Paul is a retired E9 Master Chief, as well!

Jerry Lausen (on the phone ... working .... as usual ... Sharon you really must do something about this :) and Ed Rybat.  Jerry is a retired W4.

Its great to have the kids together.  Dano has a tee in his mouth :)

Scott Grainger (Heidi's Dad) on his practice swing.  Heidi's Mom and Dad came out for the weekend from AZ.  We really appreciate that they came out :)

Master Chief Dan Boe!!  I love this man :)

Paul ... you and Kathy are the best neighbors EVER!!  We love you both!  Thank you for everything that you do for us.

Jerry ... I know you had a better time than this :)  Thank you to you and Sharon for all of your help this weekend.  I really appreciate it!!

Mike Watson a retired W4 ... we hope he had a better time at Dan's advancement than his retirement ... he was sick at his own retirement party so we're looking forward to actually celebrating with him on his own day very soon :)

We have more photos from the party/weekend that we'll post soon.

Thank you, again, to everyone!  We had a great day and hope you did, as well.
Dan and Heidi

Ankle Sprain, Master Chief Pinning & Gardenia Tip of the Year!!

Good Evening - We must be livin right! We got to the Portsmouth Hospital in 32 minutes and we were out of there in less than an hour!!! That just doesn't happen on a holiday weekend, but we'll take it! Fortunately, Caitlyn only sprained her ankle so she has it wrapped and already had crutches and a boot from her stress fracture in April. Caitlyn wasn't exactly pleased that I brought my phone/camera in, but pictures were taken :)

I was hoping the Dr. wouldn't notice all of the bruises she has and question my parenting :)  We're not sure what happened to her legs, but it appears as though she is beating herself up at night with a quarter size object.  She has little round bruises all over her legs and arms.  Very very strange!

Here are some other photos that I have had to post for a few weeks.

Caitlyn and her friend Donovan at the Styx concert

Picture of Heidi on 7-4-10 ... with her "flippy" hair :)

Dan's pinning ceremony on 7-1-10.  His best friend and mentor Chuck Thompson (far left) and I pinned on his Master Chief anchors at a ceremony in his building in Norfolk, VA.  Caitlyn and our good friend Donna (used to live next door to us) were there to share in the momentous occasion. It was quite emotional and took me forever (I'm not kidding) to pin his anchor on, but I got it on without poking it into his shoulder.  Captain Nagle is the one to Dan's right.  He presented the award which was wonderful!  Dan has a lot of respect for him and it was really fortunate that he took the time to do this. 

I swear that we did not Photo shop this!!  Caitlyn took this of Gunner this weekend and it reminded us of those "Big Dog" cards you can get at the Hallmark store.  He was a little "crazed" because we had just given him a bone to eat from the pork butt that Dan smoked.  Can you tell that he really liked it :)

Another photo of Gunner ... this summer he has decided he doesn't mind the water so much.  He actually just climbs on the rafts with us now.  He's 11yrs old and the vet thought he was the youngest of the 3 of them.  We just spoke with someone who met a couple that had a German Shepherd that was 18yrs old and still really healthy.  They said that when he turned 11yrs old they fed him an Ensure drink for breakfast every morning.  So, I think we might just try that with our pups.  Gunner has joint problems so maybe this will help with that, as well.  We'll see :)

GARDENIA TIP OF THE YEAR!!!

I love gardenia's!!!  My grandparents had a huge gardenia at their front door and I remember walking into their house and smelling the beautiful scent of the gardenias.  Needless to say ... I have killed my fair share of Gardenias since we moved here.  Its been an ongoing bet between Dan and Caitlyn whenever I buy another one on how many months (or weeks) it will last.  On our last "Gardenia Home Depot Trip" where I convinced Dan to buy one more ... a woman was in front of us and she gave us the tip of the year!!  She said to put PICKLE JUICE on them!!  They like acidic ground and she said it will help them live.  She was right!  Our gardenias are flowering and growing like crazy!!  You wouldn't believe it.  I successfully emptied 4 jars of pickles on them leaving Cat with very wimpy pickles after sitting in the jar with no juice :)  Dan finally gave in and bought me the BIG jar of pickles at the commissary and I ground up the pickles and juice in our Vita Mix and put the mix on them.  I think its helping with bugs, too.  Its no wonder our backyard doesn't smell like a garlic farm :)

House of Boes Update

Happy 4th of July!! We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday and are enjoying an extra day off. Dan and I biked over to our friends, Donna and Craig, for a BBQ yesterday. Cat joined us for a bit and then went to her friends, Donovan, Grandmothers house and enjoyed fireworks at the beach. She drove Cat home afterwards so that she wouldn't have to drive with the crazies. She lives on 9th street across from the beach so Cat has enjoyed spending time with them and not having to worry about a parking spot. Very nice people! Donovan goes to Cats school and will be a sophomore this year.

Speaking of driving ... We would be remiss to not mark the historical event of Cats first fender bender ... July 4, 2010. It was very minor .. No one was hurt AND she was in the TBird NOT the Acura :). All in all it could have been a much more eventful day. She handled it well and got all of the pertinent information. The other car wasn't scratched and we just have to replace a front turn signal cover.

Dan and I have been enjoying riding our bikes on all of our errands ... Home Depot, commissary and down to the beach. Its been a lot of fun. We were riding before work until my tail bone was so bruised that I could barely sit at work!! I really couldn't sit without my entire staff hearing me cry. So, Dan had to ride by himself for a week and after I got a new bike seat. Its amazing how much you use your tail bone. If the new seat doesn't work I am contemplating how to attach one of those doughnut seats to my bike seat. The gentleman at the bike store said he deals a lot with men/womens rear end "issues" so I am thinking that this might be a new invention :)

Well, its time to go enjoy the pool with lots of sun block on. Until the next time we send our best wishes to you and your family!

Dan, Heidi and Cat

PS - I am now preparing to send this from my cell phone while we drive to Portsmouth Naval Hospital .. Caitlyn either twisted or broke her "right" ankle. I emphasized the right ankle because she won't be able to drive if its either of those. Hmnnmm seems that the man upstairs has his own way of disciplining for not paying attention at the wheel! Dan and I figure that getting out of the hospital any earlier of 12midnight will be a bonus. Well keep our fingers crossed for overreaction and that her ankle is fine.

House of Boe 1997 - 2003

Here is a video that we put together of photos from 1997 - 2003 from the House of Boe. It is amazing how many people we have in these photos. Not everybody, but darn close :) We hope you enjoy!

Save the Date ... July 10, 2010 to Celebrate Dan advancing to E9!!

Help us celebrate Dan's advancement to E9 - Master Chief!! 

We will have a golf and BBQ/swim event at our home on July 10th.  We hope you will save this date and plan to join us.

More details to come later this week via email from Heidi.  Also, please feel free to email any photos you have of Dan from his career to houseofboe@earthlink.net.  I will be putting together a digital photo collage.  Please feel free to invite anyone that has been left off of this list.

Heidi Boe
(757) 544-3103
houseofboe@earthlink.net
2484 Windy Pines Bend
Virginia Beach, VA  23456

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Its Official!! Master Chief Daniel Boe as of July 1, 2010!!

Dan just received the official advancement notice for July 1, 2010!! He will be a USCG Master Chief!!!! We are so very proud of him!! This has been his career goal and its official.

We will be having a part to celebrate in the very near future!!

Congrats Dan!!

Walneck's Tip of the Month in VIDEO by Mike Brown

New video tutorial for Walneck's Classic Cycle. I am testing to see how this video embeds into our blog for work. I manage Walneck's Classic Cycle and I am working with Mike Brown one of our incredible writers to create a video version for his monthly editorial called "Tip of the Month". This is his first video and I think it turned out great!

House of Boe Update - June '10

Hello Family and Friends and Happy Summer & Fathers Day!

My apologies for the delay in our update. It seems that we have been incredibly busy as we all are. No excuse is a good excuse, however. So, Ill just apologize for the belated update.

Happy Fathers Day out to Dad, Carl, Grandpa Grainger, John and Dan! I hope you all had a beautiful day! Dan and I started our day with a bike ride to Home Depot with the dogs in tow ... In our bike baskets. We had to get some materials to reconnect our pool pump (long story ...). It was only about 90 degrees with 100% humidity so we figured it was a beautiful day to take the dogs. Dan dropped the dogs and I off at an elementary school across and down the street from Home Depot. Usually the dogs enjoy running and playing at the school yards. It just so happened that there was NO wind and after about 10min Stanley s tongue started to turn blue and we were all dying of heat exhaustion. So, I put all 3 dogs in my bike basket (Stanley was not a comfortable Little Man I must say .. Squished between Liberty and Gunner) and off we went to Home Depot for Air Conditioning!!! I hooked my bike up to Dans so he wouldn't leave without us and put the dogs in a store basket. We enjoyed strolling around the store 3 times without finding Dan, but none of us cared! Finally a woman with kids stopped me and she said she saw Dan check out already. I didn't care ... The AC felt too good! I found Dan out front and asked him if he was sure he didn't want to stroll around HD a little longer :). Usually, Liberty is loud in stores, but today she just appreciated the cool air :). We left and came home for Dan to reconnect our pool pump ... The pool saga continues ....

We cannot imagine living (and doing anything outside) in VA without a pool. We LOVE our pool, but oh my goodness if its not one thing its another. We documented 3 years ago the french drain we had to put in so we could replace the liner ... Then we replaced the pump, the cell, the chlorination system, the Polaris (we call him Bubba) and now our pump has gone out again .. Fortunately its covered under our home warranty this time. So, I am sitting in our pool with the loudest pump EVER. It drove Dan from the pool, but its better than swimming in a pond. So, I appreciate the noise :). It means that no bugs collect around my raft :). Sometime this week the pool service company will come out and replace to pump and then we can enjoy the pool as a family, again :)

Since my last posting we have had a lot of life happening! Caitlyn just finished her Sophomore year, Dan is advancing to E9 (were not sure when yet but likely this summer), Caitlyn had a stress fracture in her foot, Cat played sand soccer in the annual tournament, Heidi had her 5yr anniversary with her company, Lance came out to visit, Cat got her "official drivers license", we re carpeted the entire house, we tiled the upstairs bathrooms and we (actually Dan did) took the wallpaper down in the master bathroom. Somewhere in there Caitlyn was accepted to Spanish Honor Society and Dan got his new orders (twilight tour) to Portsmouth, VA. So, we will be able to stay here until Cat graduates high school. It puts a bit of a crimp in our commuting to/from work together, but we don't have to work that out until September. My gut is telling me that another vehicle is in our near future. Dan and I were thinking about an old Mercedes diesel for Caitlyn. Preferably a 2 door so she isn't encouraged to be the "driver" :)

Dan and I are volunteering for a youth organization as an emergency response team. We will be available to pick teens up and take them to safe houses when needed. Its a great program and were excited to be able to help. Heidi will, also, be volunteering for a senior citizens organization. They need individuals with experience in the insurance field to be advocates for Seniors. I was licensed in property & casualty and life & health years (and years) ago so I have some knowledge, but I am no longer selling it so I am eligible. My Father and Mother have been truly incredible with my Grandparents insurance policies and making sure they get what they pay for and have the coverage required. It has truly been a full time job for them during a time when they have full time jobs. I worry about individuals that don't have such wonderful children to take care of them. I hope I can help in some small way. I hope I can bring Stanley, Gunner or Liberty to my visits, as well. I think the pups and the Seniors would get a lot out of that.

We recently had a friend diagnosed with breast cancer and without mentioning her name I wanted to ask everyone to say a special prayer for her. She is a great friend not only to Dan, Dano, Cat and I, but everyone whom she meets. She's always been active, never smoked and loves life to the fullest. We are always sending our best wishes and prayers and hope you will, as well. We have known many individuals recently that have cancer and never smoked and lived healthy lives. Its concerning. Dans Father gives to the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research each year for our BD/Xmas/etc gifts and we really appreciate the continued effort towards not only a cure but a cause. Cheers to good health!

The reason Carl gives to the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research is because of Dan's Mothers death on June 19, 1997. She passed 1 month before Dan and I met. I never had the opportunity to meet her, but you only have to know Dan to know that she was an incredible individual. He sure misses her and I miss not ever meeting her. She was obviously an incredible woman.

That reminds me ... We celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary last month. We celebrated at home just enjoying our family and home. I guess that Dan and I both had birthdays, too. Hmmnn let's just say were both a year older and working on feeling younger :)

We are looking forward to visiting Heidi's parents in July in Orlando for a few days. We will drive down and spend a long weekend with them. Scott (Heidi's Dad) has a conference during the day, but I think well fill our time with Disney or maybe just the pool :).

Well, I think we've caught everyone up on our activities. I am sure I've left activities out and I will post pictures later ... I am writing this while I float in the pool (yes .. With the pool pump humming along) so I can't post pictures/video. I have both to post, but Ill have to do it when I get on a real computer.

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Dan, Heidi and Cat

Downstairs Bathroom Before/After, Soccer, TBird, AC and Soccer

The hardest room so far ... the smallest room and the biggest pain in the a@@!!  The good news is that it looks great now and we just have a few touch ups to take care of.  Here are the before pics:

After a very busy week we just finished the bathroom with a beautiful green and purple (its prettier than it sounds :):

All of the paintings in this bathroom were done by Dan's Grandmother Ruth Hill (his mothers Mom).  They are absolutely beautiful!  We finished the upstairs hallway with our photo collages.  We still have many more photos to frame and put up, but this was a great start.  Its amazing how expensive photo frames get!  Here are some of the after photos:

In between finishing the upstairs hallway and the downstairs bathroom Dan has been busy with Caitlyn getting the TBird ready for her to drive.  He showed her how to change the oil, change a tire, windshield wipers and they put new spark plugs.  We, also, found out that there is a cleaner you can use to clean up your headlight lens on a car.  For $20 you can clean them instead of paying $200 per cover!  That was a lifesaver!!  So, the TBird is running tip top and looking great.  He, also, fixed our air conditioning temperature gauge.  Its been a very successful and eventful weekend!

We had our friend Jerry come visit us (he just retired) last week, as well.  He stayed for just two days, but we're looking forward to seeing he and his girlfriend over Easter.  And some where we fit in two soccer games.  Caitlyn's team (Kaos) is now undefeated and they are playing really well together!  I took video of the games and our visit with Jerry, but have to figure out how to transfer it from the camcorder to the website ... Our next task will be the family room downstairs and guest room downstairs.  That will complete the downstairs (except outside :().

We hope everyone is doing well.  All our best!

Dan, Heidi and Caitlyn