It has been ages...

It has been a long time.

So long in fact that my husband is no longer an active duty Marine. We live in South Carolina now. Will is 15 months old and the best thing I have ever done. I work at the State Library now. Ryan works for the DoT. We are ok. Life moves on after the military even if you miss it. We tragically lost my Poppy on the day Will turned six months old, December 29th. My other Marine in my life passed away after an amazing 94 years and I still miss him oh so much.

Ryan is considering going into the National Guard. If that goes through I may blog regularly again.

Consider this a hiatus.

I don't feel like I can truthfully blog at My Marine and Me when my husband is out... so for now this is a see you later. I don't want to delete my blog as their are things here I know people still use and read (aka my Do's and Don'ts of the Birthday Ball, Marriage Help, and dealing with Loss) and I will still answer comments and emails. My blog Facebook page is quiet but still there.

I am still around. If you need me.

Hopefully this next step works out and I will be blogging again, this time from a different perspective of military life.

Thanks for the journey dear readers. The friends I have made are amazing and I am so thankful to you all.

Until next time....

Love Always,

Tradition

My rings and my Babci's rings

My parents recently moved closer to us, so they are now two and a half hours away instead of six and a half! That definitely has its perks... especially since my grandparents are visiting. I haven't seen my Babci and Poppy since our last trip to New Jersey which was Memorial Day 2014 for my best friend's wedding. Too long. My Poppy is 93 and my Babci is now 90. I am so so blessed to have them around still and I hate that our visits are so infrequent. I call them every week at least. So my mom and dad recently decided to bring them down for an extended visit and I made sure the first weekend I did not have work we drove up there.

For years my Babci and I tried to plan a time for me to learn how to make pierogies from scratch, and this past weekend it finally happened! Ryan and I drove up Friday night. Saturday morning he and my dad went kayaking and fishing while three generations of women (and a Dup) took over the kitchen for pierogie making. My mom knows for the most part how to do it, so she was like our sous chef, while Babci taught me. There was no measuring cups or spoons... everything is done by eye and by feel. It may take me a few times on my own to get it right, but at least now I know. And I have this entry to coincide with this amazing memory.

First we started the mashed potatoes. I thought we'd have all these nice pictures, but my mom added her own touch. I know how to make mashed potatoes regularly, but instead of using milk for them we used sour cream. Next came the dough.

We started with about five cups or so of flour added an egg, then half a container of sour cream. It was worked by hand and feel. We also added milk and a bit more sour cream to make the feel just right. The dough then got worked and kneaded. My Babci showed me how with quick efficient movements that I then got to try. My forearms hurt after a few minutes but six or seven decades of doing this barely caused her to blink. I am a wimp!

After we worked the dough we let it rest for at least ten minutes under a glass bowl. This helps it rest and form and the bowl keeps the dough moist. It will stay under the dough the entire time, we cut pieces off to work it as we go.

While the dough rested we finished mashing the potatoes and added them to a separate bowl. This will be our filling. After the ten minutes or so were up we cut a small piece of the dough off the larger lump. A cutting board was floured to be our new work surface. At home my Babci has a giant wooden board that takes up basically the entire kitchen table that was once her mother's... you use what you have! Add some flour to the board to keep the dough from sticking and also on your hands. We then worked the dough in to a long snake and used a knife to cut smaller sections. Those small pieces were rolled into a ball in our hands then flattened onto the board. We then took a rolling pin and flattened the dough pieces. A few short rolls is all it takes, no vigorous quick back and forths, just make sure the dough is even all the way around. Then you pick it up in your hand and add a spoonful of mashed potatoes and make a sort of taco shape.

Using your fingers you mold and shape the dough around the potatoes so you can crimp the edges closed. This part was hard for me to get but by the end I was much better! Some of my pierogies were very stuffed, some not enough. Babci called one or two "hot dogs" and "pregnant". But she was a very good teacher! Much better than we she tried to show me how to knit/crochet and took one look at my work and said, "Oh honey, forget it. That is pretty awful. I'd just quit while you're ahead!"

But I got better! We made dozens and dozens of pierogies and by the end I was making them on my own. It is important to seal them well or when you boil the pierogies they can break open and give you potato soup. I used a fork to crimp the edges of my pierogies to ensure an extra seal. I am proud to say none of mine burst open! You put the pierogies in boiling water and once they float to the top they are ready. You can eat them then or do what we do... fry them in a pan with butter and onions! YUM. Dup Dup was on hand the entire time, keeping an eye on things. She may have been given a little bit of mashed potatoes for her effort. We placed our boiled pierogies in a long glass baking dish with saran wrap between the layers and fried them later in the evening. You can refrigerate them or even bag them up and freeze them for later (like we did to the three dozen or so I took home for a special occasion. So now I know. And I will make my own pierogies and hopefully pass that down to my own children someday.

I also learned how to make one of my favorite Babci recipes, string bean soup, which is pictured above... but I think I will keep that for a separate post. It is absolutely delicious!

I loved being able to see my Babci and my Poppy. Poppy is a lot weaker now. He needs a walker to go anywhere and spends most of his time on the couch. He watches a lot of tv, sneaks candy when no one is looking, and has his good days and his bad days. Most of our visit was great for him, I think having Ryan and I, then later on my brother Stefan and his friend Kenan, made a huge difference. When more people are around he does better. I was nervous about the Dup with Babci and Poppy, I didn't want her knocking them down! She hadn't seen them since she was six months old or so, Easter of 2012, which is the left picture above. The right picture is this weekend and you can see not much has changed. She was Poppy's buddy and loved to sit with him and get pet. Same with Babci. As excitable as she can be she did so well and it was never once an issue. I am proud of my little Duppy! We got Poppy to eat at the table with us all the meals and he even left the house to go to church with us.

My parents' house is surrounded by cotton fields and they harvested while we were there. It was pretty neat to see the giant machines going by and making huge rectangular pallets on the sides of the road.

Ryan and I also took Dup Dup on long walks through the neighborhood and saw some gorgeous sunsets over the river. Nights were getting cooler and sweaters were worn under borrowed jackets, but it was worth it.

This... this though was the most important thing. Time with my family. Time with my Babci and my Poppy. This was the first time in years and years my husband, brother, parents and grandparents were all together. The last few visits were either just Ryan and I, or my mom and I... but we all got some time together this weekend.

I hate saying goodbye to them. I always cry when I do... I have every time since I went to college basically. I know I am getting older and by default, so are they. But these moments are ones I cherish so so much. I am so blessed my family is close enough for me to visit and that we can make things like this happen.

My dad hates pictures and is rarely ever in them, but he was there too. Over in the office reading a new history book of some sort as soon as the cameras and phones came out... but we were all there.

Pierogies and family. You cannot get much better than that.

Memorial Day

Arlington Cemetery 2011

Today is the day we all need to remember that freedom is not free. Today we honor all of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It isn't about bar-b-ques, baseball, the beach and kicking off summer. Today is a solemn day, for some even a painful day, as we remember those who have given their lives for our great nation.

My uncle found this picture this past weekend. It is of my grandfather standing at the grave of his brother Joseph. Joseph was in the Merchant Marines and their ship was torpedoed by a German U-Boat... no traces of it or anyone on it was ever found. Although I never met my great uncle, I am honored to be a part of his lineage.

I never expected to know widows at my age who are my age or even younger. I never expected to be afraid of a knock at my door when I am home alone. I never expected to feel such strong feelings of anger when I see commercials posting their weekend sales and completely forgetting the true meaning of this weekend. I never expected to be a military wife, but I am, and I am proud to be one. I honor those who have given their lives in service to our country. To those my husband worked with, knew, and cared about... you are sorely missed. To those families feeling a little extra pain today, I am so sorry. I will always honor you.

238 Years (and lookin good!)

Happy Birthday US Marine Corps! You look good for 238! I hope all the Marines out there have a wonderful day. Ryan and I talked today and he told me he got to have two beers and a cigar to celebrate the birthday so he was a very happy camper.

Naturally I hope my two favorite Marines have a wonderful birthday. Semper Fi Poppy and Ryan!

Since Ryan isn't home this year we obviously will not be attending a ball this year, but if you want to look back at some past celebrations we attended they're all linked here. 

Better

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

- Isaiah 41:10

Things are better. My family had not one but two miracles this weekend. At least in my opinion. I won't share too much for the sake of privacy but one diagnosis for my aunt went from the worst possible to a fighting chance and the other for my poppy is amazing. My poppy, my beloved poppy, was not doing well. Yesterday he had a pacemaker put in and he is doing a thousand percent better. All the symptoms he's had for months are fixed from this miracle machine. It's incredible. So please keep my family in your prayers a little longer. We aren't out of the woods yet but we are getting closer to the other side. With my medicine my back has been feeling more manageable too, I can only hope it continues to get better. 

All last week my mom was visiting. It was a blessing. Friday we drove down to my mother in law's house and spent the night all together. I loved spending time with them both. My dad and brother came yesterday and we had dinner together before my family went home. I'm still at my mother in law's until tomorrow and I have loved my time with my family this week. It made things much more bearable. Thank you all. 

I am hopeful again. I'm thanking God for helping my family. I will continue to pray and say thank you. 

Thank you thank you thank you. 

 

Father's Day

Any man can be a father but it takes a special man to be a dad.

 My dad, the one I always mention in my blog, is not my biological father, but he is my dad. He has always been there for me in every way that matters. He met my mom before I was even two years old and as far back as I can remember, he has been there. I may not have called him Dad right away, but he is definitely the best dad I could ever ask for. He is the one who taught me to ride a bike, took me to the library on Saturday mornings and helped me with my math homework (and I don't just mean as a kid, that went on through college!). My dad is the one who went to band concerts (even if he filmed the wrong blonde girl the whole time... who played the trumpet whereas I played the flute), my plays, girl scout events and swim meets. He picked me up from meetings, drove me to school in the morning and took us on trips up and down the east coast.

My dad is the one who put me through college. He is the one who walked me down the aisle to Ryan and gave me away. He is the one who danced with me at my wedding to Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up and then gave a killer father of the bride speech that still brings tears to my eyes when I remember it or watch our wedding DVD. My dad helped us move in to our first home and clean and paint like crazy people. He is the one who talks to Ryan about stocks and business and politics. He is the quiet man who sends some of the funniest text messages and emails and constantly keeps me on my toes. We may not be blood but we are family in every way that matters... I am proud to be his daughter.

I am also blessed with some wonderful grandfathers, both here and not.

My Papa died when I was thirteen. He was a charming man, a former salesman, and a Korean War Veteran in the Air Force. He had a huge booming laugh and even though he has been gone twelve years I can still hear his rich baritone calling "Hi Honey!" every time he saw me. Even though Stefan, my brother, was not his biological grandchild he still treated him as if he was. My grandparents were always so sweet to him and to my mother... they kept ties with her long after my biological father went downhill. My Papa's gold cross still hangs around my neck on a daily basis and it is one of the most precious things I own. I miss him dearly.

I talk about my Poppy a lot on this blog... a World War II Marine Veteran and one of the best men I know. At 90 years old he is still going strong. My mom and I lived with my grandparents until I was six and my mom always said I was like his seventh kid. This picture is us sitting on the front porch watching the planes come in. Their house is in the landing zone of Newark Airport and by the time I was three I knew from the tail designs which planes were American Airlines, Delta or United. It's a gift. My Poppy helped pick me up from school (sneaking me chocolate pudding to eat on the way home using the foil lid geniusly as a spoon) and taught me my first jokes. I call him at least once a week to just talk and catch up. He stepped in and helped raise me and be a father until my own Dad did so officially. I am so blessed to have these amazing men be my father figures in life when the one who was supposed to do so failed spectaculalry.

I am also blessed to have been priviledged enough to know Ryan's grandfather. Like my own he stepped in and helped raise Ryan and was his dad as well as his Papa. Unfortunately he passed away when we were still newlyweds and I know our family misses him everyday. He was a long standing member of the Air Force and one of the kindest men I have ever met. He was actually the first member of Ryan's family I got to meet when he came up for a special DC visit way back when Ryan and I were still dating. My husband is the honorable, kind and wise man he is today because of his grandfather's amazing influence. I wish I could have spent more time as his granddaughter in law but I am so thankful for the time I did get to have with him.

I even get to have a terrific godfather in my life, my mom's cousin Ken. He was my sponsor for my confirmation and always came to see my shows whenever he got the chance. I road with him in my first convertible and got to hear some wonderful stories as he is an alumni of Catholic University, just like me. We even lived in some of the same dorms.

So, on this father's day I am remembering the dads in my life who are no longer with me and the ones who are still going strong. I hope all the dads, grandfathers, uncles, father figures, godfathers and every one else who celebrates this Father's Day has a wonderful day. And I am counting my blessings.

Memorial Day 2013

This year my Poppy was honored to be named the Grand Marshall in our hometown parade. At 90 years old I could not think of a more deserving man for the job and he was so wonderfully humble the entire time. Ryan and I drove up the Friday before the parade to surprise my grandparents and the next day my mom, dad and brother arrived also a surprise. I had not been home since last July so this was so desperately needed for me. I loved spending the time with my family and of course seeing my Poppy get a well deserved honor.

Saturday one of my cousin's had a high school graduation party so we got to see our entire New Jersey family and we had a great time.

Sunday was parade day. We got up and went to Church, Poppy in uniform in the choir, where he was acknowledged by the priest and congregation... so touching. Then we all ran around while they got ready for the parade itself. It was COLD in New Jersey, especially compared to my wimpy used to eastern North Carolina self, but Sunday was at least sunny. It was windy and it warmed up to the 60s (unlike the 40s and 50s the days prior) so I got to wear my red white and blue dress. Most of us went early to stake out good seats on the parade route... but we didn't realize there was a ceremony berfore the parade for Poppy. None of us knew! My Dad and Aunt happened to be there because they were dropping stuff off for Poppy and just stuck around.

My brother is in JROTC and wore his uniform for the event (so cute) and Poppy insisted he ride in the car with him!




Poppy, Babci and Stefan at the ceremony in the park.



I love this so so much.

I had a video of the parade with Poppy riding by but it won't load. I'll try later!

This is my cousin, aunt, great aunt and mom waiting for the parade to start. We decked out in leis and fun necklaces especially for it too!

Ryan was even willing to post for a picture with me! Shocking when that happens ;) My husband is so anti picture sometimes I want to kick him in the shins :P Luckily I love him so much. I just annoy the hell out of him until he cooperates most times!

My cousin then stole my camera and ran across the street to take some pictures of all of us before the parade arrived. My dad and other aunt made it back by this time so we had quite the nice cheering section. By the way, the chairs we are sitting on (we being my dad, Ryan, me, and my aunt) I think are older than me and nearly fell apart as we sat on them!

Then the parade started. Another vet offered to drive Poppy in his snazzy open top convertible. Poor Poppy is getting small in his old age so you couldn't see him too well!

My mom, cousin Jill, Ryan and I post parade. For me holding the camera out at arm's length it came out really nice!
 

We followed the convertible to grab Poppy to take him to the post parade free hot dogs. Ryan assisted.

He is so snazzy in uniform. I have seen this my entire life and I still am overwhelmed with pride when I see my grandfather in his dress blues. (Of course when I see Ryan in his too!)

After the hot dogs we ran back to the house to give Poppy a quick nap before running back out to the dinner. The dinner was nice and we showed up late... oops. Poppy needed a quick nap! But we were spread around at a few different tables (guest of honor or not!) and Ryan and I were asked to sit with Poppy and Babci at their table.

Multiple people came up to Poppy to congratulate him and even more gave speeches, including the mayor (who apparently is friends with my Mom from waaaay back in the day)!

My grandfather is quite humble and you can see in the picture below he actually teared up during one of the speeches when he received a standing ovation. Be as humble as you want Pop, no one deserves it more than you.

He then gave a quick speech of his own where he was sure to talk about the true importance of Memorial Day. How he was lucky to make it home and how so many didn't, how he remembers the faces of all the men he served with who did not make it back, even now almost seventy years later.

I was bursting with pride all day. I am so honored to be his granddaughter. I am fortunate to have a World War II veteran in my family, that he is still going strong at 90, that he helped raise me, and that I could be there for this amazing occassion.

Thank you for sharing this incredible day with us Poppy. Hopefully we can get back to New Jersey to see him again soon. Love you!