birthday

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Thirty, Flirty, & Thriving

30th-birthdayI haven’t blogged in a hot minute, which is surprising because I thought December was going to be a pretty chill month. Not so much. I got an unexpected – and not particularly desired – promotion at work, so my responsibilities have stepped up there.  I couldn’t even tell you what else I’ve been busy with, because in this moment I have no idea. It’s all a blur.

But somewhere in the midst of that blur, I turned 30. Continue reading →

Celebrated my friend’s 30th birthday last night. We had a great time, but I could tell she had mixed feelings about it all. We have this notion that we’ll be in a “good place” by the time we are 30, but I’m beginning to think that good place must be at 40…

Of course, it doesn’t help that she is a highly educated young woman transplanted into a place where finding a decent job is about as difficult as my cat catching the laser beam. And she is by herself, with her husband deployed, no less.

But hopefully we were able to show her a memorable time in spite of it all! We have all been there (and are there now, just not 30 yet!)

I don’t typically do much to celebrate my birthday, but this year it was really special. Chuck was gone for my actual bday, so my girl friends in the area took me out for dinner and drinks at an adorable French restaurant downtown called Caprice Bistro. It was delicious and so much fun. Then my co-workers surprised me at “staff meeting” with tiramisu cake and sweet (but embarrassing) fanfare. Then Chuck came home, a gift in and of itself. We drove home to NoVA, and he took me to the Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker and gave me some beautiful diamond earrings. 28 may not be so bad 🙂

Came into work today and the phones, Internet, and central network are down, so now is as good a time as any to update my Tumblr!

This past weekend was not only Veteran’s Day weekend, but the 237th Marine Corps birthday. The past three years, we celebrated with one of the elegant balls – Chuck in his dress blues, me in a gown, and a lot of pomp and circumstance to go around. They’re always lots of fun, but this year – since Chuck is now part of a motley 19-man team rather than a huge battalion – we celebrated with a low key “Ballbeque” at the Gunni’s house.

It was fun, if not a bit chilly for an outdoor party. I enjoyed the bonfire in particular 🙂 I didn’t so much enjoy the full roast pig all charred on the grill… It made me depressed.

Anyway, it was good to meet Chuck’s new leaders (I felt like I was at a parent teacher conference sometimes, with very drunk teachers!) It was also good to bond more with the Marines I already knew, and their wives and girlfriends.

We are all just gearing up for this deployment over here – won’t be too much longer now. Then I’ll have a two-time war veteran to be proud of and thankful for!

Happy birthday, Emily! My fab little trio down here in NC planned a girls’ night Downtown at The Little Dipper after work to celebrate. Fondue, cheesecake, and Honey Dew Me Martinis were the theme of the night. We all needed this 🙂

(Taken with Instagram)

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Happy birthday to my amazing hubby!

Chuck isn’t much into his birthday (which I actually kinda like about him), but it still makes for a great excuse to throw a BEACH bash in the middle of winter! We have company coming into town to help celebrate, and I got all sorts of fun goodies from Party City to help transform the house into a tiki bar. We have two other February birthdays, so it should be a raucous good time. 

Anyways, wishing the happiest of birthdays to the love of my life today!