The big one

We went out hunting again on base on Friday, December 28, 2007. It was the last hunting day on base for the year, and Zev and I thought we would head out and sit in some stands that we hadn't hunted in yet, to try our luck. Well, at about 5.10pm, about 30 minutes before hunting was to stop for the day, two hogs came out, right by Zev's stand, about 60 yards away. Zev waited until the larger hog turned a little and then...BANG...he took the perfect shot and dropped her right on the spot. She didn't even run away. Zev had great shot placement. I was watching him from my stand, proud as punch, and then waited until Zev hopped down from his stand before I hopped down from mine. It got dark pretty quick though and the two of us couldn't even begin to haul that thing out of the woods, so we waited for some friends to come by with their four wheeler to help us drag it out. The hog ended up weighing in at 227.8 pounds which means...a lot of pork chops and sausages in our future!! We took it to the meat processing plant that very night and our local friends should have some yummy smoked sausages coming their way in the near future!!

Out on the Ba-you!!!

Well, actually out on the Red River which is the main river in our town. Zev surprised me with a fun day out on the river- he is quite the sea captain, especially when he almost runs us aground on a sand bank! It was a fun experience and interesting to get a close up view of the riverboats (or casinos on the water), which make up a large proportion of the local economy here.

A man and his toys...

I thought this picture of Zev, surrounded by his cleaning tools and his AR15 was cute....

Turkey Trot and T-Day!!

We started Thanksgiving Day 2007 off bright and early, with a 3.2 mile trail run along the river. It was freezing cold when we arrived at the starting line, but Zev and I kept each other warm and it was fun to cross the finish line holding hands!! It was a great start to our Thanksgiving Day at home. It was lovely running through the woods, and even more lovlier to come home to prepare our Cajun Thanksgiving dinner!! We decided to make our own "Cajun Stuffing" which had apples, andouille sausage, and cranberries to give it that spicy, cajun flavor. Zev passed out on the couch about 20 minutes after his meal for a nice turkey-induced coma!!

Hunting stories....

As the saying goes, "When in Louisiana....go hunting?!!" Zev and I like to immerse ourselves in the local culture and environment everywhere we are stationed, so it was only fitting that we take up the local sport- hunting. We were fortunate enough to go hunting right in our backyard- on base, and Fi was lucky to "bag" her first deer- a small one granted, but she got a deer nonetheless. And as the saying in the York household at least goes, "You eat what you hunt" and thereby ensuring proper wildlife management....

Hey Y'all!!!!

Hey y'all from sweet, sunny Louisiana!! Zev will probably kill me for adding this picture to our blog, but you've gotta admit- didn't it bring a smile to your face!!? There, it was worth it! We hope that everyone is doing great and that people this side of the moon, I mean planet, have enjoyed their summers, and that people in the land of milk and honey (Australia!!) are enjoying the end of winter, beginning of spring and summer!! Zev and I really enjoyed our summer this year and did lots of fun things together in our favorite place- the great outdoors. We went camping and fishing in Toledo Bend, went on plenty of visits to the shooting range and the trap and skeet range and finally today, Labor Day, went hunting!! Zev had a lovely time catching with our family in beautiful upstate New York and goes back tomorrow after a two week hiatus! Fi was happy that Zev could come and watch her in action in her latest criminal trial last week (hung jury baby!!- Good for the defense side!! ;-)) Anyhoo, enjoy the pics and drop us a line or even better a PHONE call when you get the chance! It's nice to hear accents from home every once in a while. Stay cool and keep smiling! Love Zev and Fi xoxoxo

Ever heard the song "I'm a redneck woman"??

Zev and I went dove hunting this morning out at a local Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Wildlife Management Area. It was a lot of fun- talk about an adrenalin rush when a big flock of doves flies overhead and you have to quickly re-load your shotgun! I am very lucky to have such a patient, enthusiastic and thorough teacher such as Zev to show me to ropes of good gun handling and safe hunting practices.

I love my Louisiana Red Neck

Need I say more- who wouldn't love this man!???

Dinner tonight.....

Well there's Fifi's first bird ladies and gentlemen!!! I have to say hunting is a lot of fun- especially because Zev and I have been out at the trap and skeet range so much, that is was cool to put our "practice into action" and hunt some real game. The cleaning-the-birds-in-the-field-part-after-we-killed-them was something that I still need to get used to, so Zev was gracious to do the gory part although he did make me take their heads off- ok too much info. Anyhoo, for those of you who prefer to buy their meat already nicely cleaned and processed and such, please rest assured that Zev and I practice good hunting and conservation, including only hunting what we plan to eat and only hunting what we are meant to hunt- easier said than done when you are trying to recognize different species of birds.....

Dunk tank!!

Good Sport ;-)

Zev was a very good sport in "volunteering" himself to be on the dunk tank at his squadron's recent picnic. (Ok, I volunteered him!!!) Anyway, it was all for a good cause- fundraising for the squadron. Some of the littlest girls were the best shots in getting Zev dunked though!!

Public Defender Girls

Sarah was my date for the Krewe of Justinian Coronation Ball as Zev was in New York visiting family and friends (he gets to go with me to the next one and maybe even dance with me if he's lucky!!! haha ;-))) Anyway, the lovely Sarah is my section mate in our criminal court. She and I make up with team of 3 Public Defenders that try felony cases, and we are the only all-female section in the courthouse!! Girl power, baby!!

Duchess of the Court

With Karen, who was crowned "Duchess" of the Krewe of Justinian for 2007-2008. She got to drink out of this large goblet the whole night. As each member of the "Royalty" was sworn in, they threw mardi gras beads out to the crowd (hence the "jewels" round my neck).

Queen for a Day!!!

In keeping with the Spirit of immersing ourselves in the local Louisiana community and culture, I (Fiona) accepted an invitation to join the Krewe of Justinian which is part of the Mardi Gras festivities here in Louisiana. In a nutshell, most people are familiar with the Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans and other cities in Louisiana. Most cities (like Shreveport-Bossier), have their own Krewes (like the Krewe of Centaur, the Krewe of Gemini etc etc) and those Krewes are made of "Royalty" which are elected and "coronated" each year. Anyway, Shreveport has the Krewe of Justinian which is the Krewe for judges and lawyers. A dear friend of mine, Karen, was chosen to be Duchess and thus as her friend, she asked me to be there to watch her get crowned. Really, the whole shebang is a lot of fun and an excuse for a party and a chance to wear a tiara and buy a new dress!! There are plenty more parties in the next "year" which culminates in Mardi Gras which is on "Fat Tuesday" (the day before Lent). Really very interesting!!! Whatever it takes to "merge" with the locals!!

End of Summer- Beginning of Fun Fall!!!

Well I can't believe it's the end of Summer- well according to the local tradition here in the States were Labor Day seems like the symbolic end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. I've got to say that the Fall in the South (or "Autumn" for my dear Aussie family and friends) is probably Zev and my favorite season. It's cooler but not cold and certainly not unbearably hot; it's football season (and if you have ever lived in the South, you'll understand what I mean- football is VERY IMPORTANT STUFF here); and it's just a fun season to cook-out (again, for the Aussies- "BBQ") and enjoy time with friends. At the beginning of summer I ent walk about on base because it was so pretty outside and just took a bunch of pictures so that we can always remember the beauty and history of this great base. I like this picture of Zev washing his dirt bike. It was really cute at one point to see Max, our 3 year old neighbor with bleached white hair and the cutest smile, walk up to Zev and just admire the red bike. We probably had our best summer in the South and it will always be a lovely memory....

My Bible Study Girls

My Women's Bible Study group starts up again next week. I am so excited to be meeting up with this awesome, Godly group of local women. We enjoy learning the Word, encouraging each other and sharing in each other's lives.

La La La, So happy on this swing!!!

Zev truly enjoying his vacation visiting family and friends in New York!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Zev with our darling sister-in-law, Lauren, before they all went out to celebrate Lauren's Birthday.

Zev and Fi's Summer 2007 Camping Trip

G'day from Louisiana everyone! Zev and I went camping for the 4th of July, near Toledo Bend Lake. As you can see from the pictures below, we enjoyed some boating, 4-wheeling, fishing and just good ol' downtime in this beautiful part of Louisiana. Toledo Bend Lake actually runs smack bang in the middle of the Texas/ Louisiana border, and is an area renowned for it's fishing-particularly bass and bream. We hope everyone around the world is doing well and enjoying the summer/winter-wherever in the world you may be! Love, Zev and Fi ;-)

Happy Little Camper

Zev trying to get our fire started by rubbing two rocks together- keep trying honey, I'll bring out the matches ;-)

Rest and Relaxation in the wilderness

We camped out in an A-frame cabin in Sabine National Park.

I'm just a country boy...

We had a lot of fun taking the 4-wheeler out
through a national park area that had some
fun (and muddy!) ATV trails...

Born on the Bayou....

Born and Raised yeah yeah yeah!

Watch out for the alligators!!!

Luckily, the alligators were not biting ;-)

Which way is up?

Zev doing a spot of fishing on Toledo Bend Lake (yes, it IS ironic that neither Zev nor Fi eat seafood- doesn't mean we can't still fish, right!?)

Who's your sexy boat driver?

Zev doing a great job at operating the john boat
we borrowed from the Outdoor Recreation
store on base.

The Pelican State

One thing Louisiana is known for (apart from beautiful wetlands and fishing), is it's beautiful birdlife-hence the term the "Pelican State". It was neat to see large birds such as Great Blue Herons and White Herons fly right past our boat.

Camping is FUN!!!

It really was awesome to get away and get

back to nature for a few days. We loved being

out on the water and exploring Toledo Bend Lake which runs between the Texas and Louisiana State borders.

Remember the Alamo!!

Of course, being in San Antonio, you MUST visiti the Alamo! It's located right in the heart of beautiful downtown San Antonio and it was fun to walk the Riverwalk and enjoy a margarita or three ;-)

When at the Alamo.....

Zev keeping up with a tradition that he partakes in every time he visits the Alamo- smoking a cigar in sexy sunglasses...well maybe not the sunglasses bit?!

I'm so pretty, so pretty, just sitting here in the sun....

(those are Fi's sunnies by the way ;-))

Sea World San Antonio

Zev and I had fun riding some of the roller coasters at Sea World and seeing the "Shamu" killer whale show (although our stomachs could only keep up with 3 roller coasters or so!!) It was awesome to also catch up with out dear friends, the Howard family while in San Antonio.

We did it!

After months of training and preparation, Kristi and Fi achieved their goal of running the Mardi Gras Half Marathon through downtown New Orleans. The race took them through the French Quarter, Garden District and other historic places, and they had an awesome race. They were blessed with great weather and especially by having their husbands to support them along the way! It looks like a full marathon may be the next goal on their agenda!

From all walks of life...

People from all walks of life entered the race- as you can see by this man who ran in his zebra print speedos.....chafing, anyone!?

Did I really sign up for this!!??

13.1 miles/ 21.1 kilometers, BABY!!

Our cheerleaders....

And we're off!

It was pretty amazing to start and finish the race at the New Orleans Superdome, considering the history of that place during Hurricane Katrina. We saw quite a few buildings with the windows still blown out, and ran past some houses that are still uninhabitable and with FEMA trailers out the front. The Mardi Gras Marathon committee raised over $30,000.00 towards local rebuilding efforts last year, so in light of the fact that they had an extra 1000 runners this year, hopefully they will be able to contribute more money towards rebuilding New Orleans.

The best part

The best part about the half-marathon, for Fi, was having Zev there to support and watch her. Zev, Mike and the kids positioned themselves at different points during the marathon to cheer us girls on and be true supportive husbands.

The finish line!!

Kristi and Fi were so proud to have finished the half-marathon in under two and a half hours- their personal best.

Esplanade Ave, New Orleans

Can you see the backs of Kristi and I, running up Esplanade Ave? This was actually probably the most scenic part of the race and we ran past some beautiful historic homes. It kind of made us forget that we were running....well maybe not entirely!!

Gatorade never tasted so good.....

We're BACK!!!

Yes, we are "back" from so many things. Praise God Zev is home safe and sound from Iraq; we are both back in Louisiana after a fabulous two weeks visiting family and friends in Australia and a little hop in Fiji, we are back at work (well Fi starts her new job next Thursday!! More on that later!!) and we are back "blogging" and trying to keep up with our website and keep in touch with you all! We hope that everyone is safe and well. It was awesome to catch up with those of you we were fortunate to catch up with in Australia- to those that we were unable to tee a catch up with, we will be sure to see you when we visit Oz next time.

Life is going well in the York Household. It is so good to have Zev home again, and great to taste his home cooking again!! Zev is back at work and is very grateful that his squadron was well looked after in the good hands of Mike, while he was deployed in Iraq. Mike and his lovely wife Kristi looked after Fi too while Zev was deployed and in fact, Kristi and Fi will be running the New Orleans half-marathon this weekend, which they have been diligently training for. Next week is also a big week for Fi as she starts her new job as a Public Defender for the Caddo Parish Public Defenders Office! Looking forward to a lot of courtroom time!

Anyway, feel free to comment on our site or drop us an email. Keep smiling and keep in touch!

Zev and Fi ;-)

The squadron that Zev commanded in Iraq, including the five detachments located across Iraq that were a part of this squadron....

Trying to stay warm with darling Leslie while watching last week's Mardi Gras parade through Shreveport....

The "New Year" float.