Hungry Town Bike Tour and Fort Macon

In continuation of our redo of Labor Day Weekend we had reservations to do a Hungry Town Bike Tour of Beaufort and then to visit Fort Macon afterwards. I did the tour last year when Ryan was in Afghanistan and told him multiple times how much I enjoyed it, so he wanted to see for himself! When we woke up Saturday morning we saw a gray and drizzly sky. Checking the weather in Beaufort we did see it was raining and began to worry our bike tour would have to be cancelled. They called us and asked if we still wanted to try and we decided to go for it, luckily the rain stopped by the time we arrived and it didn't rain again the rest of the tour!

Ryan on his bike, license plate Chive ... of course!

No one else booked a tour for the day so we had our own private one! Betsy and David remembered me from last year and were once again so hospitable, they made the day so wonderful for us. We saw Blackbeard's house and went by the old cemeteries, gorgeous houses and other things all along the tour. It was different from the last one I went on so it was new for me too. With the rain making the usual lunch spot wet we were told our lunch would be at a local Bed and Breakfast, The Front Street Inn, which was absolutely gorgeous!

 

Outside the old cemetery.

 

The B&B was fantastic. The couple who owned it were really sweet and gave us a full tour of the entire house... I told Ryan we should come back for our anniversary or something one year to treat ourselves. We had dinner in their formal dining room and I almost felt guilty eating our sandwiches (albeit delicious ones) on their china!

 

 

My potato salad and croissant chicken salad sandwich were delicious. Ryan let me try one of his sweet potato chips and I even liked that (which says something since I don't like sweet potatoes)! And the accompanying glass of wine was lovely too.

 

 

Our bike tour came to an end all too quickly and we drove out to Fort Macon. It was interesting to walk through the visitor's center/museum and see all the conservation and nature work being done out there. When we made our way back outside it was drizzling a bit and the wind definitely picked up making it a bit chilly! Inside the fort itself we managed to stay warm and outside their were Civil War re-enactors to watch. We even got to see them shoot off one of the cannons!

 

 

Watching the re-enactors

 

On top of the fort

 

After the fort we did stop at the beach on our way back... compared to a lot of the other beaches we have been to lately it was huge! We will have to try and come back when it gets super warm again.

 

On our way home we stopped for Greek food at Santorini's, a new Mediterranean restaurant in Swansboro, and definitely were not disappointed. One of our favorite restaurants when we lived in Alexandria was a Greek Restaurant and we were sorely disappointed when we moved to North Carolina and saw none nearby. We had a sample platter of deliciousness that had us promising to return (dolamades, saganaki, and tzatziki), and that was before we had the baklava!

 

At home we cozied up and watch the Gamecocks win (unlike this past week) from the comfort of our living room couch.

 

It was definitely a terrific weekend!

 

 

Friday!

I am so excited it is Friday.

Not only is it Lee Denim Day at work (so I can wear Jeans!), it is also Client Appreciation Week so we had a chili lunch for all the clients , AND it is the start of a three day weekend. But the best news?? Ryan got out of work at noon so he came to go out to lunch with me and see my office... and he came in his Charlies. He looked soooo handsome. Plus he got to mee my co-worker Sarah, my boss Shawn, and a lot of our clients (a lot of whom are former military) looking all nice and sharp!

We walked over to Potbellys and had a nice lunch together. It made my day! Now he is home, having a run or a nap or both, and I will see him in an hour!


Friday Stuff!


MilSpouse Friday Fill in! Head on over to Wife of a Sailor to join in the fun.

1. What is the longest road trip you’ve ever taken?
Recently New Jersey to South Carolina, 13 hours straight, with Ryan last year on his pre-deployment leave. When I was six we drove to Canada and it took about two days I think.

2. Do you collect anything? Tell us a bit about it.
Random stuff from places I visit... post cards, napkins, souveniers... pictures. Ryan and I recently started a new tradition (since about a month before our wedding). We save important wine/champagne corks from special occassions. We write the date and occassion on them and have them lined up on our window sill in the living room. I love that.

3. What is your favorite part about being an adult?)
I love being able to get in the car and drive whenever I want. To have a drink or a cigarette without being illegal. I also love that my husband and I can make a lives for ourselves responsibly... yea dorky I know.

4. What song brings a tear to your eye?
I'm Already Home - Tim McGraw (SO sad)
It's Your Love - Faith Hill and Tim McGraw (our wedding song)
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban (Father daughter Dance)
And... ok don't laugh, the Christmas Shoes

5. Describe your first plane ride (how old you were, where you were heading, etc).
It was right before my first birthday, NJ to California to visit my aunt/godmother. I remember nothing. (:


And don't forget to head over to The Life of an Army Wife for the MilSpouse Weekly Roundup!

Magic Kingdom and Training

On Monday Sam came over and we explored Magic Kingdom together.... it was a great day. We did a lot of talking and officially caught up in one anothers lives. We went on tons of rides, had Captain Jack Sparrow flirt with us, and had a princess lunch at Cinderella's castle. It was a small splurge but totally worth it. We got pictures with Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine! I think I threw the poor girl who plays Ariel through a loop. She saw Sam and I were sitting just the two of us at a table for four and wanted to know where are princes were. We told her they weren't there and she said, "Well they better be protecting you or buying you jewelery, that are the only acceptable reasons to not be here." And I honestly could say my Prince was out protecting me. So she asked where he was exactly... so I said he was a Marine deployed in Iraq at the moment. Her response? "Oh my goodness! I hope he is alright, you make sure to tell him I say hi and to stay safe and come home soon." So like I said, I must have put that poor girl through a loop. I doubt she gets that answer too often! But the lunch was so good! We got five photo copies printed there (with Cinderella) included, as well as a wishing star, magic wand (boys get swords) and an appetizer, main course, and dessert for about $45 a person. Not a bad deal at all! And we lucked out not having a reservation and just managing to get in and get a table! We also met Stitch, Mickey, and Minnie!

We did some shopping, I got stuff to send Ryan in his first Florida care package and then I started a pin trading necklace. Then we got hit.... a huge thunderstorm settled over us and like typical Florida rain it didn't leave after an hour. It stayed. We were in the Monsters Inc comedy show when one of the screens went out. So we had to get the show cut short and we learned nearly all of Tomorrowland lost power in a power surge from the lightining. Boo. We decided to venture home a little after that... and we got soaked. And we had an umbrella!!!

I had work today and yesterday, still training, from 7:30am-4:15pm. Long days!! I am so tired! I need to go to bed early tonight. But I did Storm Struck for my first live audience today! It was so exhilirating, it reminded me why I love going up and performing in front of people. I didn't even mess up, I was pretty excited about that. Cinnamon is trying to convince me to do my assessment tomorrow and check out early, but we shall see how the morning goes. I think I could do it but I am not sure.. meh.

Ryan called me yesterday!!! The first twenty minutes were rough because he kept losing the call every five minutes or so. Then we got it to work and talked for a good 45 minutes! It was late for him, 6-8pm for me is almost 1-3am for him! He said they had been outside the wire all day and took a new dangerous route that had me worrying to hear. And he said, "Don't worry Sweetie, we haven't been hit yet." It was the yet that killed me. Plus the fact I found out the team he replaced was hit two weeks before he got there and other teams at his COP got hit. And weren't completely ok. Allie = Nervous Wreck. Moreso than before!! Ugh. But it was so good to hear from him and talk to him and to hear him laugh!! Oh that was amazing. He was a little jealous when I told him in my email to him that Captain Jack Sparrow hit on me and Sam, but we had a fun running joke out of it during the phone call.

Ok, enough for today. I need to have some food and get to bed. Not sure if anyone reads this thing, but just saying thanks and I appreciate it if you do!

Last Weekend

Well, this weekend was officially my last weekend with Ryan. Friday he came up to DC when I got out of rehearsal, and since he was off work, and it was so good to see him. He met me at Target because I was running an errand for the opera I am stage managing, and then we ran to Old Navy so I could get a shirt for the fourth of July. After that we went and saw Ice Age 3, which was a cute movie. Funny. Sequel-y. I love watching movies with him. The theatre behind my apartment has arm rests that can lift up so you can snuggle like on a loveseat and Ryan always sits with his arms around me, it is really the best way to watch a movie.

Once the movie was over we went back up to my place and made dinner together. I made macaroni and cheese, baked beans, as well as cucumbers in vinegar and pepper. Ryan defrosted and fried chicken and then smothered it in Maurice's yellow bbq sauce that was terrific. It was a damn good dinner. We were watching X-Men on tv while we cooked and ate, then watched Jeff Dunham which was absolutely hilarious.

I hope that works. That was the sketch that Ryan and I died laughing to. Achmed the Dead Terrorist. If it doesn't work, youtube it! Friday night finished off enjoyably... and it was the first time all week I fell asleep without using Tylenol Sleep.

Saturday we woke up and my Dad stopped by on his way back from North Carolina where he was house hunting. We went to the Red Rock Canyon Grill in Silver Spring for lunch and it was nice that we got to spend some time with him. Then Ryan and I went back to my place and watched Grease 2. Not really a fan.... but then we left and drove down to Quantico.

We spent the fourth behind the barracks hanging out with a bunch of guys on the Task Force. We had hot dogs and hamburgers, there was beer and beer pong, sparklers, and a bonfire. It was fun! Then the boys were all drunk and climbing trees to pull down branches to put on the fire. Drunk Marines in trees are not a good idea. But I met another girl named Megan who is on my yahoo group and her husband is deploying with Ryan. We talked for a bit and it is nice to know someone is going through the same things I am. Hopefully we'll keep in touch. I talked to a lot of the guys and had a nice evening. Then someone set off a firework and everyone ran and hid for a bit. No fireworks on base boys! Bad! :P One other guy in Ryan's unit actually has his wife working at Disney! She plays Mickey in Animal Kingdom and stuff. Very cool.

I got tired and went to bed around 1:30am. In the hour or hour and a half Ryan was out there without me he managed to burn his thumb, sprain his finger, and bruise his ankle playing football. Oy. But he eventually came up to bed and then proceeded to hog the blankets all night in the blazing Air Conditioner. He is never cold and then he steals the sheets when I need them most. Men.

Slept in sort of the next day. I slept til 11:30am and Ryan slept til 1pm. Showered and got ready. Then we went and met our friends Dell and Janos for lunch at Chilis. After they dropped us off at the barracks again we went upstairs to nap around 4pm. Four and a half hours later I wake up wondering where the hell I am! We passed out!! Then we scrambled to get air in Ryan's tire, gas, a quick McDonalds dinner, and then start driving me back to DC. We talked in the car on and off.... sort of promised to spend next Saint Patrick's Day together no matter what if possible.

Then when we got to my building it was so hard to say goodbye. Lots of hugging, tearing on my part, more hugging and kissing. Then I gave him my claddaugh ring. I was planning to save it for the busses but I doubted I'd be able to keep it together to tell him why I was doing it, so I did it last night. I have been wearing Ryan's ring since August so I figured he could take mine with him. The claddaugh symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty, all of which I think symbolize our relationship. I also wanted him to know he always has my heart and now he has a small physical piece of it with him. Last night when we spoke on the phone he told me he put it on his dog tags which made me tear again.

I cried when he really left and we made tentative plans to see one another Tuesday, pending he get off work early and I do not have rehearsal. I hope we can. Really badly.

Still no word on when they're officially leaving, what time or where from, but I am on pins and needles. I found myself randomly sobbing as I fell asleep last night and I couldn't control it. I was also pondering my own life and mortality which freaked me out and made me stay up until almost 3am. I woke up at 11am and now have rehearsal at 5:30.

I miss him so much already.