About Me
- Jeff and Karen Doherty
- We were married in September 2005. We're best friends, and we love traveling and exploring new places. We like sci-fi movies and watching the history channel. Our little boy was born February 1, 2010. He is named Jeff Jr. or JJ. Our daughter Moira was born July 28, 2011. We have a cat named Munchkin. Jeff is a career military officer, and Karen works for a family services program for the Army. We live in Monterey, California. We are making this blog for our family and friends who we miss and want to share our life with.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The Browns come to town (hey that rhymes!)
Jeff's mom and step-father, Linda and David, came to visit us during the week of April 16th.
We had a very nice time with them and took a trip into San Francisco on Tuesday. We stopped at the Hiller Aviation Museum along the way and Jeff and David got a chance to take a test ride in one of the retired Blue Angels' planes! We dropped Jeff off at Alacatraz after lunch, but he was let off with time served after he told the guards he was married. We had a lovely dinner in Chinatown at a rooftop garden overlooking the Bay. It was a fun day for everyone!
We had a very nice time with them and took a trip into San Francisco on Tuesday. We stopped at the Hiller Aviation Museum along the way and Jeff and David got a chance to take a test ride in one of the retired Blue Angels' planes! We dropped Jeff off at Alacatraz after lunch, but he was let off with time served after he told the guards he was married. We had a lovely dinner in Chinatown at a rooftop garden overlooking the Bay. It was a fun day for everyone!
New job for Jeff
Hi everyone, I know its been awhile since we have posted. We have been through some exciting changes.
Jeff has been offered the position of Officer in Charge (OIC) of the defense Language Institute's (DLI) Language Immersion Program. Jeff will be working with a civilian contractor to develop immersion programs for all of the languages taught here at the DLI. Currently, the students go for a short trip to a country where their language is spoken, near the end of their language program. DLI has decided this is great, but a little too late for many students, so they want something that will last a weekend or a few days for the students to be completely immersed in their language. Jeff will coordinate these arrangements and will have a few enlisted soldiers working for him.
Way to go Jeff!!!!
Jeff has been offered the position of Officer in Charge (OIC) of the defense Language Institute's (DLI) Language Immersion Program. Jeff will be working with a civilian contractor to develop immersion programs for all of the languages taught here at the DLI. Currently, the students go for a short trip to a country where their language is spoken, near the end of their language program. DLI has decided this is great, but a little too late for many students, so they want something that will last a weekend or a few days for the students to be completely immersed in their language. Jeff will coordinate these arrangements and will have a few enlisted soldiers working for him.
Way to go Jeff!!!!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
The yard is finished!
YAY! We got the backyard done this weekend, and it looks so pretty. We've been looking out the window every once in a while to admire it!! I have to say, we do have the nicest yard in our little neighborhood. I think part of the reason is that we don't have every toy our non-existent kids own thrown around the yard... ooops, I guess I shouldn't have said that. We are also going to buy some goldfish to put into the pond.
Karen is taking the Army Family Team Building II classes this week, and she also teaching a class on Adapting to Change. Last week she went to the Master Trainer class for Army Family Team Building. Army Family Team Building is a program that was initiated after the first Gulf War as a way of empowering the spouses that were left behind. Our husbands do and learn a lot of things they don't tell us, or have forgotten in all the time they have been in. These classes are designed to fill in the blanks and to give us things to ask our husbands about.
The first of these classes teaches about rank structure, paycheck, basic benefits and entitlements and other general information. The second classes talks more about change, family readiness groups, time management and financial planning. After the first class, one of the employees of the Army Community Service team asked Karen if she would like to volunteer by teaching classes. Karen took one of the training classes last week, and in April, the Department of Defense is going to send her for a week of training in St. Louis to become an Army Family Team Building Master Trainer. I am looking forward to this!
Last week, Karen also applied for a Spanish Professor position at the Defense Language Institute. It will take about a month to find out if she has an interview. They are going to hire several language teachers because they are going to build up the Spanish school again. If selected, they will pay for her to get a Master's Degree in Spanish!!!
Jeff's Arabic test did not go so well last week. Apparently, even though the class is in Chapter 3 in their books, they have been given the quantity of vocabulary and grammar that is the same as Chapter 5, in half the time that was allotted for chapter 3. (I hope that explanation made sense.) And, instead of being tested at the end of each chapter, the teachers tested them on Chapters 1 - 3 all at once. Jeff's class is a new test group to get the soldiers through Arabic faster. Well, this didn't work so well, all but few failed, and the ones who passed, barely passed. So, they are taking an extra 3 weeks to review the information and are being tested again on Chapters 1 - 3 after that. We are both greatly relieved!!!
We miss all of you and hope everything is going well!
Love,
Karen and Jeff
Karen is taking the Army Family Team Building II classes this week, and she also teaching a class on Adapting to Change. Last week she went to the Master Trainer class for Army Family Team Building. Army Family Team Building is a program that was initiated after the first Gulf War as a way of empowering the spouses that were left behind. Our husbands do and learn a lot of things they don't tell us, or have forgotten in all the time they have been in. These classes are designed to fill in the blanks and to give us things to ask our husbands about.
The first of these classes teaches about rank structure, paycheck, basic benefits and entitlements and other general information. The second classes talks more about change, family readiness groups, time management and financial planning. After the first class, one of the employees of the Army Community Service team asked Karen if she would like to volunteer by teaching classes. Karen took one of the training classes last week, and in April, the Department of Defense is going to send her for a week of training in St. Louis to become an Army Family Team Building Master Trainer. I am looking forward to this!
Last week, Karen also applied for a Spanish Professor position at the Defense Language Institute. It will take about a month to find out if she has an interview. They are going to hire several language teachers because they are going to build up the Spanish school again. If selected, they will pay for her to get a Master's Degree in Spanish!!!
Jeff's Arabic test did not go so well last week. Apparently, even though the class is in Chapter 3 in their books, they have been given the quantity of vocabulary and grammar that is the same as Chapter 5, in half the time that was allotted for chapter 3. (I hope that explanation made sense.) And, instead of being tested at the end of each chapter, the teachers tested them on Chapters 1 - 3 all at once. Jeff's class is a new test group to get the soldiers through Arabic faster. Well, this didn't work so well, all but few failed, and the ones who passed, barely passed. So, they are taking an extra 3 weeks to review the information and are being tested again on Chapters 1 - 3 after that. We are both greatly relieved!!!
We miss all of you and hope everything is going well!
Love,
Karen and Jeff
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Its been awhile....
Hi everyone, we know its been awhile since we've posted anything, but we are plugging along here.
Jeff has a big test coming tomorrow and Friday - yes, two days long - and we have been studying like fiends for the last two weeks. This test will cover three chapters of Arabic. Jeff is in a pilot program, and before they tested the classes at the end of each chapter. They are now trying a new teaching style, so they are testing three at once. It is truly a lot to learn, and our old brains are hurting.
We have been working on landscaping our backyard. Its approximately 15' x 30', and you can see in the picture that half is "grass." We use the term grass lightly here because in reality it was weeds and other green stuff that happened to grow. It took us two weekends to clear most of it out, filling our large yard recycle bin twice. There is still more to clear, but it is mainly soil now.
The theme of our yard is tranquility. We making one side of the yard an herb garden, shaped as a labyrinth and the other side will have a small pond with a waterfall and plants. Many gothic cathedrals had labyrinths built into the floor tile design.
The idea behind a labyrinth is that when you start, you can see your goal in the center surrounded by twists and turns. As you walk the design and meditate and pray on your goal, you will come closer and then away from the goal, as things tend to happen in life, and then you finally reach the center. In such a tiny yard (haha) we do not have the space of a cathedral, but have tried to capture the essence. I think we'll put something in Arabic in the center. Hopefully, the plants will grow around our goal as does our knowledge.
This weekend, we are going to put the little pond and waterfall in, if the weather holds for us. Most of the herbs have been planted. Then we will select some more flowers. We are hoping the make our little yard a great place to study and to have bbq's as the weather gets warmer.
Jeff has a big test coming tomorrow and Friday - yes, two days long - and we have been studying like fiends for the last two weeks. This test will cover three chapters of Arabic. Jeff is in a pilot program, and before they tested the classes at the end of each chapter. They are now trying a new teaching style, so they are testing three at once. It is truly a lot to learn, and our old brains are hurting.
We have been working on landscaping our backyard. Its approximately 15' x 30', and you can see in the picture that half is "grass." We use the term grass lightly here because in reality it was weeds and other green stuff that happened to grow. It took us two weekends to clear most of it out, filling our large yard recycle bin twice. There is still more to clear, but it is mainly soil now.
The theme of our yard is tranquility. We making one side of the yard an herb garden, shaped as a labyrinth and the other side will have a small pond with a waterfall and plants. Many gothic cathedrals had labyrinths built into the floor tile design.
The idea behind a labyrinth is that when you start, you can see your goal in the center surrounded by twists and turns. As you walk the design and meditate and pray on your goal, you will come closer and then away from the goal, as things tend to happen in life, and then you finally reach the center. In such a tiny yard (haha) we do not have the space of a cathedral, but have tried to capture the essence. I think we'll put something in Arabic in the center. Hopefully, the plants will grow around our goal as does our knowledge.
This weekend, we are going to put the little pond and waterfall in, if the weather holds for us. Most of the herbs have been planted. Then we will select some more flowers. We are hoping the make our little yard a great place to study and to have bbq's as the weather gets warmer.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Weekend in San Francisco
Hi everyone! We had a nice weekend exploring San Francisco. Two days weren't really enough to see the city, but we a great time. We are only 110 miles south of the city, so we can go back again. We both liked the city - the old buildings, the cable cars and the people.
Saturday afternoon was cold and rainy, so we didn't have a chance to do as many outside things as we had hoped. We stayed in a cute bed and breakfast in the mission district. The B&B was built in 1870, and survived both the great earthquake and fire in the city. They have a rooftop deck that we took a few pictures from, but it was so rainy they didn't turn out as good as we wanted. Saturday we rode the cable car down to fisherman's wharf and walked around. We watched the Patriots game at Knuckles sportsbar, supposedly the oldest bar in that area.
We went to Alcatraz on Sunday. WOW!! It was amazing. We took the walking tour and saw the cells and heard some of the stories. We didn't realize Alcatraz had been a military prison since the 1830's. And did you know the native Americans took over the island in 1970-71 to stage a protest? The island is full of buildings and gardens that the various inhabitants made over the years. Many of the buildings are off limits to the general public because they are falling apart. It would have been interesting to see Alcatraz when it was in good repair.... but as a tourist!
Karen is getting involved with the Monterey County Literacy Program as a teacher. She met with a mentor Tuesday morning to receive program materials and get some teaching ideas. Its been years since she has tutored people when she was in college. Karen's first student will be a Mexican lady named Rosario. She has a sixth grade education from Mexico. She can speak English, but she has trouble reading and writing. Rosario is married and has a 3 year old daughter, so part of our program will include helping Rosario read books that she can read to her daughter. Karen is excited to meet Rosario at the library next Wednesday!
That's all the news that's fit to print! Back to studying for us. These next few weeks we will focus on speaking.
love,
Karen and Jeff
Saturday afternoon was cold and rainy, so we didn't have a chance to do as many outside things as we had hoped. We stayed in a cute bed and breakfast in the mission district. The B&B was built in 1870, and survived both the great earthquake and fire in the city. They have a rooftop deck that we took a few pictures from, but it was so rainy they didn't turn out as good as we wanted. Saturday we rode the cable car down to fisherman's wharf and walked around. We watched the Patriots game at Knuckles sportsbar, supposedly the oldest bar in that area.
We went to Alcatraz on Sunday. WOW!! It was amazing. We took the walking tour and saw the cells and heard some of the stories. We didn't realize Alcatraz had been a military prison since the 1830's. And did you know the native Americans took over the island in 1970-71 to stage a protest? The island is full of buildings and gardens that the various inhabitants made over the years. Many of the buildings are off limits to the general public because they are falling apart. It would have been interesting to see Alcatraz when it was in good repair.... but as a tourist!
Karen is getting involved with the Monterey County Literacy Program as a teacher. She met with a mentor Tuesday morning to receive program materials and get some teaching ideas. Its been years since she has tutored people when she was in college. Karen's first student will be a Mexican lady named Rosario. She has a sixth grade education from Mexico. She can speak English, but she has trouble reading and writing. Rosario is married and has a 3 year old daughter, so part of our program will include helping Rosario read books that she can read to her daughter. Karen is excited to meet Rosario at the library next Wednesday!
That's all the news that's fit to print! Back to studying for us. These next few weeks we will focus on speaking.
love,
Karen and Jeff
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Group wedding picture
Here is a beautiful picture of us at the wedding - Jorgen, Jocelyn, Karen and Jeff.
Jeff and Mr. Snowman
Notice that gleem in Jeff's eyes? I think he wanted to eat the olive eyes and red pepper mouth from his creation....
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
New Year's greetings to all family and friends! Those of you we weren't able to be with during the holidays were in our hearts and thoughts. We are thankful for the family and friends we were able to be with over the last two weeks. We had a wonderful time and thank everyone again for their hospitality!
Where were we, you might ask? We had a great time traveling to the East Coast to spend Christmas and New Year's with Jeff's family.
We started with some beautiful snowy days in Vermont with Linda and David, Jeff's mom and step-dad, for Christmas. Their home was incredibly decorated with Christmas trees, family heirlooms and decorations from when Jeff was a child. Linda prepared a wonderful Turkey Christmas dinner for all of us after we opened presents on Christmas morning. We went skiing in New Hampshire, and everyone was able to spend some time showing Karen the scenic towns in between.
We returned to Jim and Caroline's house, Jeff's dad and his fiance, on the 30th in time to go to Jeff's cousin Kenneth's wedding. The wedding was at a gorgeous old church (sorry, I have no idea where we were as it was my first time to the area) and then we went onto the reception which was held near by. The hall was decorated like a fairy tale for Christmas with lights and poinsettias and Christmas decorations. It was breathtaking and I think everyone had a fabulous time!
Later that night, we left for Newport, RI to spend New Year's with Jocelyn and Jorgen, Jeff's sister and her boyfriend. Newport was great. Jocelyn took Karen on a tour of the island with Elaine, Jocelyn's friend. Jorgen had a great party later that night with food from Holland, his homeland. It started to snow just before midnight and we made a snowman in the backyard. (yes, that is a beer bottle on his head...) We had a great girls day on Monday with Jocelyn, Elaine and Karen going to get their nails done, while the guys stayed home and watched some sports game ;)
We ended our trip with a few more days with Jim and Caroline before we had to leave. It was nice to hang out and talk with them. We did get a little Arabic studying in too.
All in all, we had an awesome time! We are looking forward to a new year of fun and hard work.
love to all,
Jeff and Karen
Where were we, you might ask? We had a great time traveling to the East Coast to spend Christmas and New Year's with Jeff's family.
We started with some beautiful snowy days in Vermont with Linda and David, Jeff's mom and step-dad, for Christmas. Their home was incredibly decorated with Christmas trees, family heirlooms and decorations from when Jeff was a child. Linda prepared a wonderful Turkey Christmas dinner for all of us after we opened presents on Christmas morning. We went skiing in New Hampshire, and everyone was able to spend some time showing Karen the scenic towns in between.
We returned to Jim and Caroline's house, Jeff's dad and his fiance, on the 30th in time to go to Jeff's cousin Kenneth's wedding. The wedding was at a gorgeous old church (sorry, I have no idea where we were as it was my first time to the area) and then we went onto the reception which was held near by. The hall was decorated like a fairy tale for Christmas with lights and poinsettias and Christmas decorations. It was breathtaking and I think everyone had a fabulous time!
Later that night, we left for Newport, RI to spend New Year's with Jocelyn and Jorgen, Jeff's sister and her boyfriend. Newport was great. Jocelyn took Karen on a tour of the island with Elaine, Jocelyn's friend. Jorgen had a great party later that night with food from Holland, his homeland. It started to snow just before midnight and we made a snowman in the backyard. (yes, that is a beer bottle on his head...) We had a great girls day on Monday with Jocelyn, Elaine and Karen going to get their nails done, while the guys stayed home and watched some sports game ;)
We ended our trip with a few more days with Jim and Caroline before we had to leave. It was nice to hang out and talk with them. We did get a little Arabic studying in too.
All in all, we had an awesome time! We are looking forward to a new year of fun and hard work.
love to all,
Jeff and Karen
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