Month: November 2012

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

– John Lennon

Sunday afternoon walk in Holly Ridge. Looks like a place Bonni and I would have explored when we were little! We would have ridden our bikes and made our own fort and civilization. Oh, to be a kid again!

by

Christmastime is Here

Chuck and I managed to get the house decorated for Christmas before I dropped him off for pre-deployment training on Saturday morning… 3:30 AM came awfully early!! I always envy the beautiful themed Christmas trees (like the ones with ivory and gold ribbons and coordinated ornaments), but there’s something extra special about a tree that has all your old favorite trimmings on it. Needless to say, I never end up going the themed route 🙂 I opt for the nostalgia instead.

Anyway, the house is very quiet without Chuck. And clean!! Minimal laundry and dishes build-up too! But it’s lonely already. It should be interesting to see how this month goes with him gone, as a precursor to the big one in January. I do wish this month was part of that, and it was started already. By the time I get into a routine, he’ll be back, and then we’ll have to start over again! Ready to get the countdown started…!!

Regardless, Bean and I will stay plenty busy 🙂

P.S. Those two ornaments in the bottom right corner of the photo collage = Chuck’s and my baby’s first ornaments! 1984 babies all the way!

Had a lovely Thanksgiving here in Holly Ridge. Our friends Shane and Katy welcomed us into their home to celebrate with their family in town. Plenty of calories consumed and laughs shared! Lots to be thankful for this year. I feel like we’ve come a long way since our initial weeks here, as newlyweds!

Shane leaves for Djibouti next week, and Chuck leaves for 29 Palms tonight. It was good to get some time together before things change…

Now… off to get a Christmas tree! I’m making Chuck decorate with me even though he won’t be here most of the season, and we are spending Christmas in NoVA. But I love Christmas, so here goes! 😀

Last night we had an impromptu candlelit steak dinner with tomato caprese and red wine. Godiva chocolate bars for dessert. I feel like we should have used our nice china! But like I said – it was truly impromptu. The mood was killed when Chuck made me watch Mission Impossible 4 right afterwards anyway 😉

It’s Chuck’s last weekend before he leaves for 29 Palms for a month, for pre-deployment training. At least I get him for Thanksgiving Day – and he will be back just time for Christmas!

I’m actually so ready to get this deployment on the road! The limbo stage is annoying. I think both of us are ready…

Remember that diversity of thought and ideals (and the freedom to express them without fear of persecution) is what makes this country so great. I think that each of you is intelligent, principled, and patriotic, regardless of who you voted for today.

I honestly believe this, and know that every American has a passion AND logic for what he/she believes more so than in so many parts of the world today. I think it’s really sad that regardless of what my vote is, someone close to me on either side will respect my intellect, values, and patriotism less as a result…

I am embarrassed to say that I did not vote this year. I did order my absentee ballot weeks ago, but it never showed up. Not sure if I did something wrong or if they did…? Regardless, I should have stayed on top of it better. To be honest though, I really had a hard time this year in terms of who to vote for. That’s why I admire both my Obama supporter friends and my Romney supporter friends, because they are so convicted in what they want for this country. I, on the other hand, am more befuddled than ever! I agree that we are in such a pivotal, volatile time in our history, so I really felt the (hypothetical) power of my vote this year, and it scared me a little…

Too late now of course, but I’m looking forward to hear what America decides!