Today at 5

... Ryan leaves. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this.

Ugh.

Swooooon Josh!

Of course a video from last night has to be for the Thursday Link Up!!





He performed this song, February Song, from the 'B' Stage, about four rows behind me!!! Love it love it love it!


Opening act ELEW, awesome.


Antoinette and I


Hey Josh!


Chattin with the crowd


Gosh I love my hubby for getting me this camera!


LOVE the lights


Oceano, can you spot the Josh sillouette?


"Hey, is that Budweiser??"


Stage


Drums!


Q & A from the crowd, "Time to open the box of chocolates and see where the nuts are!"


Singing Happy Birthday to someone, why didn't I think of that?!


Swoon


More lighting love from the B Stage


Singing


Soulful singing :P


Back on the main stage


Lucky ducks chosen to go on stage, a couple married 19 years and two 'single' ladies all got wine. Except the 20 year old who got a glass of milk!


Encore - Play Me


Encore explaining there is no gospel choir this time for you Raise Me Up so we all better sing along


Encore


Bows


Bows


Thank you DC!


Perfect way to end the night!

Oops, Hello Blog!

So when your mother calls you and says, "Allie you haven't updated your blog since Friday. You are being a slacker blogger!" you know that you're a bit behind. Properly chastized indeed! So here I am filling you all in on the past few days so my mom doesn't drive down here from Jersey and ground me for a lacking of blogging!


Friday apparently was the last time I blogged... since then Ryan and I have been spending a lot of quality time together before he goes to school. He has leave so he has been doing a lot of errands around the house and such and nights and weekends we do as much as we can! Friday we dragged a whole bunch of neighbors out in front of our building. It was literall 105 degrees, even when the sun went down, but we had wine and beer and liquor flowing so it was a blast! The dogs were out, people were chatting, cigars may have been lit, we had so much fun.

Saturday we slept in (finally for me!) and then went with our neighbor Adam to the indoor shooting range. We had about a two hour wait and once we got in there it was BOILING. Apprarently the fan or the AC was not functioning, so we literally had sweat pouring off of us. Icky. I was so hot I honestly had a hard time aiming, I did much better in March when it was cold! :P

When we got home I made Ryan these amazing grilled cheese jalepeno sandwiches that I borrowed from another blogger and he liked it so much he asked me to make them for his going away party on Saturday! Done deal my love. I am also making cheesey cornbread ala secret family recipe since I love you so.

Sunday was church, IHOP (tradition!) and then we went and saw Friends with Benefits. Hilarious at times, predictable at others.

Monday we hung out at the apartment, watched season 6 of Weeds on Netflix, then went and finally regsitered me at our church. We'd been going since January but we thought we were leaving, now knowing we, well I, have 8 months left I might as well.

Yesterday we had a delicious steak dinner, curtosey of my husband and George Foreman. It was so nice out we decided to walk down the street to King St and get some ice cream at Pops. We sat down at the waterfront and enjoyed that. Going back Ryan realized he had never ridden the free trolley, so on we went!



We snagged a seat and Ryan had his arm around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. The old lady behind us smacked his arm saying, "Stop that!" It was hilarious, she was joking around so it wasn't creepy I promise. I said, "I can't take him anywhere." to which Ryan looked quite affronted as the woman offered to call security! :P

We got off the trolley at our favorite bar Murphy's where they were having TRIVIA NIGHT. I was pretty stoked. I love pub trivia nights, even did one at my bachelorette day! We didn't win and ended up being out way too late for me (since I do have work in the mornings)so I was totally dragging today!

Tonight I am going to see JOSH GROBAN! So so so excited.

Tomorrow Ryan and I are going to Busch Gardens, gotta love places that let military in for free!

Notice how I am being upbeat? Trying not to panic that he is leaving in about four days? Yea... we'll pretend that is really working!

Part of the life...

While sitting at work today, frustrated because the phone won't stop ringing and it feels like 118 degrees outside (according to the weather channel) and other things, I was reading through my many blogs when I saw one of those entries that makes your breath catch and your heart hurt. It was actually posted on another blog I read.

So I diverted my phone and sat at my desk reading this entry with tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat.

Please head over to The Dudley Family's blog and leave some kind words on her entry
Three Knocks at the Door. Please send a prayer up tonight for SSgt Thomas Dudley who has paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, two weeks before he was due home from his sixth deployment. Please also pray for his wife and children.

It is a scary part of military wife that we all know can happen. It just takes your breath away and makes you want to hug your husband a little tighter tonight.

I may be extra emotional with Ryan's departure for school in just over a week, (Sunday will be a week). I did cry lying next to him in bed last night saying ridiculous things like "Who will block the air conditioner for me? And get the get its (bugs, since I usually point and yell Get it!)? And make sure I don't eat sandwiches for dinner?" I had serious ones too but he started trying to make me laugh and I was just a teary snotty mess. Sigh. Reality is sinking in that in nine days my husband is leaving for eight months to go 3000 miles away.

I know it is not a deployment.
I know he will be safe.
I know we can talk a lot. Or skype.

But damnit I am still going to miss him. A lot. I got uber spoiled having him around on a daily basis for a whole year. I was lucky and I know it. I don't care if people scoff because he is in school and the choice we made (which is our decision and it is logical and best for us financially and for him to study and train) but Ryan is still not going to be there. Our apartment will be emptier and I am going to miss him like crazy. I will cry, I know I will, and it will be lonely.

Ugh.

I am so all over the place this afternoon.

Stay cool my friends.

Bottle of red...

It has been a long time since I wrote an entry and no one commented, and now it happened twice! I feel like a failblogger. I know I don't need comments to validate my writing but it does make me feel like there is no one out there reading, which I know is silly as well. Ok I'll just shut up about it now.

Onto the link up!



I am feeling a little Billy Joel today. And I do love this song.

Wordless Wednesday: Alexandria Sesquicentennial

(Not so wordless part: This was awesome, we walked down to the park and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra was amazing! They played some Big Band, music from ET and Harry Potter (!!) as well as the Overture of 1812 complete with cannons shot by Marines from Quantico, we had a great time! And my pictures weren't too bad, especially coming from my tiny point and shoot digital camera.)

Family Weekend

Friday night Ryan and I went to the 9:55pm showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Oh my goodness did I love it! Yes I cried, twice, and yes I think certain aspects could have been truer (or more in depth) to the book, but overall a darn good movie. Sometimes watching a movie, especially one based on a book, I think Oh man they are only at this part and there is a lot more to go! no matter how good the movie is! I didn't think that once.

I do wish certain scenes were longer, like the pensieve scene, or that more histories were revealed, but I'll take it. Sorry I don't want to say too much for those who haven't seen it, but if you want to go nerdy like me and analyze it and talk it over, shoot me an email! I am dying to, Ryan doesn't read the books so he doesn't get the conversations I want to get into. We can talk about the movie, but if I start mentioning the book he gets that glazed look in his eyes... :P

So needless to say we went to bed pretty late, but we were up early and on the road to New Jersey by 10am the next morning. We arrived around 2:30 or so, not bad, and had a huge bbq lunch with my family. After I went around the house and took pictures like crazy. My family is moving to North Carolina in about three weeks so it was my last time in my childhood home! Then we went to mass and after the church threw a party for my mom. She has been the parish secretary there for eight years, and it was a great time!

This is the cake they had made for my mom, very cool! Our whole family is on it thanks to one of my wedding pictures!
I got to talk with my dear friend and email buddy Joan for awhile, it was good to see her and talk face to face for a bit rather than online!
Father Tom and Deacon Paul said some sweet things and my mom got teary of course. Then the presented her with a crystal cross inscribed with her favorite bible verse, Luke 29:12, "...don't worry."
And then they blessed it.
My family and Nicole... I do love this picture!
Ryan and Miss Fran 2.
Mom and Ruth and Joan, all the church ladies!
Stefan and Father Tom
I really wish I remember what we were talking about, I look quite obstinate!
Mom and her girls! She cried after this one was taken.

There was a ton of food, tears, hugs and laughter as well. I got to say goodbye to my Church Family and see a lot of wonderful people again. The party was just proof of how awesome my mom is at her job and how she will definitely be missed!! I was so glad Ryan and I were there to see it all.

After we headed back to the house and Sam was there! We got some definite quality girl time and even hung out with the boys in the pool a bit before retreating to the hot tub to chat. We were up pretty late once again and then out of bed early. My family had an anniversary to go to for my mom's cousin and Ryan and I had to get back on the road (after a huge breakfast of course). I definitely cried leaving my house. I know it is just a house, but I grew up there from the age of six on. I got ready there for school dances, dates, shows, prom, my wedding... I had sleepovers and family parties, graduation parties... so many amazing memories. I know those will always be with me, but I definitely struggled walking away.

We zoomed back to Virginia, getting pulled over once in Delaware but not gettign a ticket as Ryan managed to get a military loving cop! Lucky duck! I did give him a big I told you so and he did the speed limit again. At least until we hit Maryland.

Luckily we made it to Virginia before my mother in law and sister in law arrived! We did a speedy cleaning of the house and just as we finished they pulled in. Sunday night was mainly hanging out until we were hungry, then walking up the street for dinner. Hannah, my sister in law, has a birthday verrrrry soon so we got the restaurant to surprise her with a dessert! She is six shades of adorable!





They all got to hang out yesterday but I had to work :( After work more wine was enjoyed and then we walked up to King Street for a nice dinner together. We got home kind of late and I just passed out in bed shortly thereafter! After not sleeping in all weekend and being up so late I am exhauuuuusted!