USMC Birthday Ball 2015

This weekend we attended the 240th USMC Birthday Ball in Wilmington NC. It was an interesting weekend for us to say the least! I left my wallet at home, so I had no photo ID on me (no drinks for me!) or any of my cards. Not a good feeling. I also had a mini stomach attack in the car on the way down there that mercifully passed me by after just some very uncomfortable pain and nausea. Then we also thought the cocktail hour started at 6pm when it actually started at 5pm... and we found this out at 4:30pm. So needless to say I did not have time to do my hair this year! Oops. Luckily I got it cut and highlighted the day before so wearing it down wasn't too awful I guess? You would think we'd never done this before! But with all that going against us we still had a fantastic time.

We didn't really know anyone at our table, but we had other friends there to hang out with once the ceremony was over. This year's message from the Commandant spoke about the Legacy of the Corps and was really interesting to watch, as always.

We had some delicious food and were able to dance to a few songs together before it got pretty warm in the ballroom and we decided to call it a night.

Our professional picture... dang I wish I flipped my hair back or something!

Even though we had fun we ended up leaving earlier than we normally do... I realized that when we were snuggled in our pajamas in a giant hotel bed watching stand up comedy before 10pm! A surefire sign we are getting old. I can wear a fancy dress and heels and dance a lot or I can be in my pjs in a giant bed that is uber comfy? Hard choice! But we did have a great evening, I just didn't take that many pictures this year. We also ordered room service for the next morning to have breakfast in bed.

After we lazied about for awhile we met up with our friends Mark and Kayla to explore around Wilmington. We mostly ended up doing a lot of shopping and eating, but it was a lot of fun.

I love secondhand bookstores

We then found a painted mural that screamed photo opportunity! Mark and Ryan's came out the best I think... as nice as our couple-y shots were!

It was nice to have a day out with friends. We had a yummy lunch at Front Street Brewery, and I highly recommend their fried green tomato BLT!

Kayla and I enjoying downtown Wilmignton

After dinner Kayla and Mark introduced us to the deliciousness that is The Peppered Cupcake. Oh. My. Lanta. This stuff as heavenly good! All  natural ingredients, moist, delicious, wonderful flavors... I am a huge fan!

Hot Chocolate Cupcake

Shock O'lata Cupcake, my personal choice

After our cupcakes we headed home and watched the nail biter Giants vs Patriots game (SO. CLOSE.) and relax with some of the new tea we picked up that day. Even though we didn't get anything practical done (helloooo early morning vacuuming and laundry before work) it was really great to spend some time together and just relax and have fun. 

Very good weekend.

239th USMC Birthday Ball





Pardon the weird quality, it is a picture of a picture after all.



This past weekend we attended the 239th USMC Birthday Ball for SOI in Wilmington, NC. Even though Ryan is still in student status we decided to go to the SOI Ball rather than the ball his old unit was having (and the fact that one was on Saturday and one was Sunday had nothing to do with that decision!). Last year, Ryan was deployed during the ball season so we were pretty excited to go this year. I love seeing my husband in his dress blues and I love having an excuse to dress up. This year I wore my bridesmaid's dress from my best friend's wedding this past May... military spouses are definitely some of the few people in this world that wear them again!

 

We decided to make a weekend of it and get a hotel in Wilmington so we didn't have an hour drive home that night. We get to the hotel, grab some hot drinks since it got cold literally overnight, and then Ryan realized he hadn't gotten a hair cut! So he went off to do that while I got ready.

 

Naturally the day of the ball I had a huge breakout on my face, I cut my leg badly in the shower for the first time in months, and for good measure I wacked myself in the neck with a hot curling iron as I was doing my own hair. Geeze. Top that off with still feeling off from my gall bladder I barely ate all day. At least from far away you can't tell that I felt like a walking hot mess.

 

Obligatory mirror selfie

We took a cab to the Convention Center (all $4 it cost us) since it was chilly and got there with time to mingle. We got our Professional pictures taken early on since I knew Ryan has zero patience for such things and once we got going it would never happen. This year's picture (seen at the top of this post) is probably hands down our best one to date! We were both pretty stoked. I know it was good because my non social media using husband switched his facebook profile picture for the first time since 2011.... seriously.

 

Another new thing, we had to all get stamps inside our wrists if we were over 21 and wanted to drink, that was diferent for sure, but we were definitely buying us some overpriced alcohol so we obliged. It was nice to meet Ryan's other fellow students I had heard so much about. For the first time since we went to a ball in DC years ago I was pretty thrown by all the "brass" in the room. So many officers and higher ranking enlisted, it was a tad bit intimidating truth be told!

Ceremony

The itty bitty PFC that was the youngest Marine this year must have really felt it. She was born in 1996, the same year as my baby brother who is still in high school! Oy! Ryan and I bet on the year they'd be born, I sadly lost.

 

We had a decent view of the ceremony and the video, which dorky me absolutely loves every single year. This year got me teary (not a first) because the battles they mentioned in the video I know my Poppy fought in during WW2. Seeing some of the footage, especially talk of the bloodiest battles of the war at Peilalu and Guadalcanal, and knowing my Poppy was there was hard to wrap my brain around.

Our guest speaker

Our guest speaker was very good (they usually are!) and I am ashamed to say I forgot his name. I will have to edit this when I get home. My favorite part of his speech was that he ended with the following poem:

"The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
The love of a staunch, true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.
But the greatest of loves,
The quintessence of loves,
Even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another."

Now even though my stomach stinks I nibbled on some delicious food, the highlight being this chocolate cake. It was hands down some of the best chocolate cake I have had in my life. Seriously. I wanted to take what I could not finish home with me to eat later. If it could have fit in my purse I probably would have!

 

 

Proof I am getting old. I cannot take a selfie to save my life. Or a ussie? Whatever you want to call it! I cut myself out when I try to do it and when you turn it around the quality is pretty awful...

Thankfully one of my husband's fellow students was nice enough to take a picture for us... that one thankfully came out nice too! The large red carpet they had leading to the dance floor was a nice touch if you ask me.

 

 

We danced and hung out for awhile, had a few drinks, before everyone decided they wanted to go out. Any of you who know me know I am not a big partier by any means... but I did my best. We went back to our hotel to change because, well, really it was too cold for most of us! We started at City Limits, a country western bar that I was more than happy to stay in, especially since our cover fee was waived, but we were in the minority. Instead we ended up at Sputnik, another nightclub. Definitely not my typical scene, give me a quiet pub with trivia any day, but I made it a good three or four hours before I begged my husband to have us leave! Aside from a drunken pizza detour (for the Marines sadly, not me) we eventually collapsed into bed way past my bedtime.

Someone stole the VIP sign from another table after we managed to snag one... we aren't that cool, I promise!

 

All in all, another succesful Marine Corps birthday in my book! Happy birthday Marines!

 

Happy 239th Birthday Marines!

239 years and man, you still look damn good for your age!

Our Birthday Ball will be this weekend and I am pretty excited... not gonna lie. I have my bridesmaids dress from my best friends wedding I can wear, proof that you can actually wear them again! (Especially when you pick them out yourself.. thanks for that Sammy!) It will be with my husband's new assignment so I won't know anyone (hello SOI instructors, we will be your official n00bs for the evening) but I am really looking forward to Ryan and I having a nice night out together.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps! You will see another update next week from me I am sure. Don't forget to watch the Commandant's Birthday Message if you're not attending. I usually wait until the ball to watch it so I will just link it above for those interested.

Also, if you need some Marine Corps Birthday Ball Dos and Don'ts it is by far the most popular entry I have ever written on this blog. I update it yearly, so even though it is from 2011 it is still relevant for any google stalkers out there! Welcome!

237th Marine Corps Ball

This year our ball was actually held on base. Most people I talked to went to Greenville or Myrtle Beach, but due to some of the regiment being in 29 Palms and then a rifle range, ours was a little later than everyone else's and close to home. There are perks, like a shorter drive to and from, but it would have been nice to walk up to a hotel room and crash instead of just going home... or to a friend's house for a sweatpants party like we did!

My friend Lacey, from The Mousetrap, came over and did my hair and make up for me. I was so grateful as I am very cosmetically challenged! I think she did a wonderful job and it was nice to hang out with her while we got ready. She even drove us to the ball in Ryan's truck and dropped us off before returning to our house to get her car! It definitely saved us a lot of trouble getting cabs or returning for a car the next day.

The hair and make up

Once we got to the ball it was cocktail hour so we mingled and enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up (and naturally the few underdressed. Most I feel bad for but some in particular I knew were wives who had been before and still looked like they were going to the club)! Every year I take pictures of the cake and this one was huge!

 And a wife in the unit also made a cake that was displayed as well. Very cool!!! I was too full to try both cakes but this one did look awesome.

 After the cocktail hour we made our way into the ballroom on the right side for the ceremony. One ballroom was for the ceremony, the other for dinner. While we ate the ceremony room was cleaned out and set for dancing. Both bars were set up in between... interesting layout but it works!

Waiting for the ceremony to start. Luckily we had decent seats and I could actually see what was going on this year!

Ceremony

This year Ryan's Master Sgt was the oldest Marine in attendance, so I made sure to get a picture of him getting the piece of cake! The youngest Marine was born in 1993 (the same as last year's youngest) but it still makes me feel old.

 After the ceremony we made our way to the other ballroom for dinner. Unlike last year we knew everyone at our table, including some very good friends of ours, and it made a big difference! We were all talking and laughing and had a great time. We had a salad, then the entree of steak and chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes and then of course the cake. All the ladies received roses when we entered the ballroom and we all had unit coins and glass mugs at our place when we sat down. Bonus points for them not being stolen this year!

Ryan and I at dinner

My good friend Chelsea and I

Outside by the river... it was chilly!

The four of us

We also managed to get a few pictures of the entire shop where my husband works. A few serious ones, and then the guys got bored and started goofing off! We were just waiting for the next part of the ceremony to start after dinner so we had plenty of time for pictures.

One of my favorites



I realized I never saw the back of my hairstyle so Chelsea took this for me! I love how it came out!

After the pictures and a small break we went back into the ballroom for the guest speaker. Sgt Major Featherstone is now retired and working at the Pentagon. He was an extremely motivated speaker and definitely exemplified "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" quote... both in person and in his speech. I enjoyed listening to him and the room was ringing with OOHRAHs!

After the guest speaker we went and danced around a bit and talked to our friends. I got to meet some terrific people (and bloggers!) and really enjoyed myself. We only danced a few songs, one slow one and a few line dances and a ridiculous attempt at a tango that literally had me out of breath and made us the only people on the dance floor! But we are getting old now so we didn't cut a rug too much. My friend Jess took this picture of us on the way out and it is definitely one of my favorites from the entire evening.

After the ball Ben and Chelsea drove us home and we changed into sweats, jumped back in the car and went to their house to hang out and relax a bit. I was a little older than a lot of the other girls there but Chelsea and I are about the same age and get along great so I had a wonderful time. By the time we collapsed into bed at 4am I was out like a light!

Happy Birthday Marines! Thank you for giving my husband and I an amazing and meaningful night together.

236th Birthday Ball

Ok this is looooong overdue!! Sorry for the delay. I have been slightly jetlagged (shocked me, I didn't think I was there long enough!) and not sleeping and just trying to get through insanely busy work days. My poor blog has fallen by the wayside. So last week I packed like crazy the night before I was due to leave (surprised? not really) and could barely sit still at work until I could leave to go to the airport! I finally get to the airport, check in, battle security and get on my way. To Cleveland.


I think Nick at Nite lied to me, there was no Betty White and it was not hot.

Sorry, dorkiness over.

I did find a nice little bar where I got an overstuffed sandwich to tide me over. It was bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato, coleslaw and french fries on thick bread. $7. I think my beer was double that!

Anytime I fly I tend to get the wing. No matter what I do, I look and try and choose my flight and I am always in range. So on my grasshopper flight to Cleveland I was in seat 5. I was convinced I was golden. This was my view. I think I lost fillings from the darn vibrations for that two hour flight!



Ryan picked me up in LA, only after he got a little lost, and we made our way on the three hour drive to 29 Palms. In the middle of a dark desert road he stopped the car and made me get out. I was quite confused until I looked up. I had never seen a sky like that before. Stars like you would not believe... I could even see the band of the milky way, clear as day! It was gorgeous. But we finally got to the motel six near base and settled in. Ryan got up early for work the next day and I waited for him to come back. It ended up being 70 and gorgeous. I could not get over how big the sky is. In any direction it is just a giant, unobstructed dome. As warm as we were there was snow on the mountains!


We got some Sonic and made our way on the hour drive or so to the resort where the ball was held. It was at this place called La Qinta and it was stunning! Orange and grapefruit trees everywhere, fresh citrus beverage upon check in, pools and cacti and palm trees nestled in the mountain ring.... wow. We were in a little 'hacienda' with twenty foot ceilings and a fireplace! No time to marvel, we had to get ready. I think for doing my own hair and make up I did ok! But of course I stabbed myself with my eyeliner pencil and my eye turned BRIGHT red. I looked half stoned. Luckily by the time we took pictures it cleared up!

One of my favorites! We didn't know anyone at our table but it was neat to meet Ryan's classmates and chain of command. It was a student ball for MCCES and man did I feel old. Most of these guys were just out of bootcamp, which means six months ago a lot just out of highschool. The youngest Marine was born in 1993! I remember 1993 vividly!

Our favor was a coin that doubled as a bottle opener. Appropriate! The guest of honor was a retired Navy Chaplain and his speech was good, but the entire ceremony felt a little shorter than normal. The video of course had me in tears. Seeing 9/11 footage always gets me really riled and shaken, I remember it so well. And the thing that got me, most of the people in the room were only seven or eight years old when it happened. I am sure they remember it, but remembering something as a kid is very different from experiencing it as a teenager or an adult. I am not saying I was old and knowing at the time, but I know I was one of the minority in the room who not only lived nearby where the attacks were but was old enough to really understand (mostly) what was going on. Does that make sense? I hope it does. I was grateful to my husband allowing me to grip his hand in an iron grasp, he knows me so well. He was smart and watched it ahead of time and was much more prepared than I was.

And the POW MIA table always makes me sniffle a bit. Our cake was gorgeous, here is a side view...


And the front view. Actually this years cake was more impressive than 8th and I's last year. Shhh...

I did not realize until photos were taken that my dress was a teensy bit big in the arm holes. Lukily my bra was black but I am quite mad at myself for not noticing that the many times I tried it on!

Also, my posture still needs a LOT of work! Post surgery my back is 150% better but old habits die hard.
Ryan and some of his buddies from BEC.

And his entire new class. My hubby is the front row far right. Damn I am so proud of him!

This may be my favorite full length of us. It got a little chillier as the sun set so my shawl came in handy, but it also made me feel better about my fashion faux pas! After dancing and enjoying ourselves we hung out in the next hacienda with some of Ryan's friends and one other guy's date. After awhile we journeyed back to our room and lit the fire. In our sweats we curled up on the bed and... passed out. You know you are getting old when!! The next day we slept in and it was once again BEAUTIFUL outside! This was basically the view anywhere you looked.

We ate lunch at the bistro where all the food was farm to table. It was grown either at the resort or local and it was so delicious. I had fresh apple cider and we split a huge cobb salad and then a turkey club and roast beef au jus. Bliss.

Then we sat in the sun and basically digested. Man were we full.

The afternoon was spent idly wandering and taking pictures of the resort....

Gorgeous views

Our room/hacienda. Ryan ate a little too much so we went and laid down for a bit and watched NCIS before venturing back out to the outdoor restaurant. We had a margharita, a quesadilla and live music to keep us entertained. Then we splurged on a bottle of champagne and made our way to the hot tubs and spent the next few hours drinking and smoking and talking to some of his classmates. Awesome time.

Big damn cactus

Sunday morning we had to be up early to get back to LA in time for my flight but we took some more pictures before we left. Especially by our orange tree. We also got some Carls Jr to sustain us on the never ending car ride!


Our fireplace.

Ok, some iphone photos.... you may have seen these on facebook!!!


Ball

Orange Tree


Windmills/Turbines. These things were amazing. I drove to the resort part way through them and it was so windy my car was moving! I had to fight to keep it straight!


Ryan took this from my iphone as I drove... not bad for a camera phone! The rest were on our drive to the airport... and my regular camera again.








At the airport it was POURING rain. We wanted to go to the beach so Ryan could get his first ever view of the Pacific ocean... seriously. But the weather was so awful we scrapped it for my next visit, probably his graduation in April. I told him he should go anytime, but he wants me there for it (: I won't get our airline lady in trouble, but she was AWESOME and gave Ryan a gate pass to come through security with me!!! I loved having that extra hour or two and lunch with him. The only thing that kept me mostly composed saying goodbye (yea I cried a bit anyway) was knowing he'd be home for Thanksgiving. I am a lucky lucky lady.


I love to look out the window when I fly... I always take a window seat. It calms me and I just love the ever changing view. And I loved our weekend together. (: