New Jersey Trip

Once my husband went on terminal leave from the Marine Corps I knew we had to take the chance to go to New Jersey for my Poppy's 94th birthday. My Babci is 91, so I really wanted Will to get to meet his great grandparents. It is a long drive, we broke it up with a few days at my mom's house, but it still took nearly 9 hours to go from their house to New Jersey since we had to stop and feed and change Will. But we made it, and surprised them! They were so so happy. Babci held Will as much as possible, she loves babies, and rarely ever put him down.

I am so grateful we were able to make this trip. Poppy is getting pretty frail and it is hard to see him so  weak, but he smiled big holding Will. Little Man is great grandchild number six and the fifth boy!

While in Jersey we tried to see as many people as possible and it still was not enough. On Saturday night we went to my old church, the one I grew up in and that Ryan and I got married in, so it was very special for us to have Will there.

I don't know if I will ever find another church like SEAS, but I hope we do someday! It still feels like home no matter how long we are gone and all our church friends loved cooing over Will in person instead of online! After mass we went someplace I never expected to bring my newborn and husband... my high school!

Our family friends we wanted to visit were there as their daughter had soccer practice, so we went and met up with them there. If you had told me ten years ago I'd be standing on the side of the football field with my family like that I would have thought you were absolutely insane. I was not popular or happy in my academic high school (my theatre high school was different) and my life only went up from there!

Sunday the 21st of August was Poppy's 94th birthday. Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins descended on the house and we had a giant dinner, lots of cake, and family time. I teared up more than once out of sheer joy. Poppy is playing the harmonica in the above photo to accompany our singing, which Will loved by the way!

All the present cousins (and spouses) with the birthday boy. The air conditioner was making Poppy cold, hence the blanket. The clock behind us a is a cookoo clock I bought back from Switzerland for them!

We also walked around the corner to where my brothers live so Little Man could meet his Uncle Sean and Uncle Shane! We even convinced Shane to hold him, which was impressive since he wouldn't hold our niece until she was nearly five months old!

Little Man also met his cousin Adrianna (and my brother's girlfriend Kelly, Adrianna's mom). They are almost exactly a year apart! Adriana was born on the fourth of July 2015 and Will was born June 29th of the following year, just five days shy! Naturally Will slept through the entire thing, but we took pictures as proof it happened.

On Monday Ryan took me in to New York City as an early birthday celebration. He hunted some Pokémon (and will never admit it) and we walked around a bit before stopping at Cabellas for lunch.

We shared a delicious plate of ravioli, since it is family style dining, delicious bread, and then cannoli. After we digested we walked to a place I always wanted to visit, the Museum of Modern Art.

For some reason in the two decades I lived in NJ I never made it to MoMA! I also really, really wanted to see my all time favorite painting, Starry Night. We may have gone back to that room two or three times before we left so I could glimpse again. Sure, I wish I wasn't holding on to some baby weight in this picture, but I am so glad Ryan forced me into it! There was a large crowd always gathered around it so it was a bit embarrassing to jump in front!

Ryan found Dali, so he was happy too. It was smaller than I expected! And Monet's Water Lilies took up an entire room! As did Jackson Pollock! When you only see it in books it is always surprising to see it in real life.

We also briefly met up with our friend Kim while she was at work. She was one of my bridesmaids when Ryan and I got married and went to my theatre high school with me, we have been friends over a decade now!

Four generations, one picture

It always breaks my heart to leave my grandparents, both my mother and I cried the first bit of the drive back to North Carolina. I am so grateful we were able to go visit and for the millionth time I wish I lived closer to them. It was an amazing trip and I think Will enjoyed his first visit to New Jersey!

And the best husband ever!

There are actually 3 balloons but I couldn't fit them in the picture!

Even when we are far apart you are always in my heart (:

And my co-workers got me too!





Thank you all (:

Poppy's 89th Birthday

Sorry it took me a few days to get this up, pictures needed to be uploaded and then there was that little thing of an earthquake and I was distracted.

So Saturday morning I was up at 9 (shocker) and I got up, showered and packed, and was on the road around 10:20. I didn't rush because I didn't think I'd hit traffic or anything but boy I was wrong. I did pretty well the first hour and until I got past Baltimore. The it stopped. Oh my GOD it was awful. Delays to exit 67. Get there, it opens, I go 70... delays exit 71... stop. No rhyme or reason. It would just stop and we would go 5 miles an hour for NO reason! It was awful. Usually I get to my typical rest stop after an hour and a half or so, this time it took over three hours!




I was so not happy. My butt was numb, my feet hurt, my neck and shoulders hurt... it was awful.

In Delaware when 95 split with 295 it mercifully opened again. I got through Wilmington and into PA and stopped AGAIN. But once I hit Phili it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. My 3 and a half hour drive took 6 hours!!

It was weird driving past my usual turn for my street and not taking it. It made me kinda sad! But I made it to Sam's house finally.



We had a blast. Her sister Danielle hung out with us and we hung out for a bit before taking the necessary trip to the farmer's market. I loaded up on tomatoes, cucumbers, and bicolored corn. SO GOOD. We also saw some hot air balloons which made my day.









Back at the house we made an amazing dinner. First was tomato basil and mozerella with oil and vinegar salad. YUM. Then we had flank steak and fried green tomatoes (recipe and instructions to follow!) as well as corn. Some good food and good company. (: Chick flicks inevitably followed.









The next day I got up and went to my grandparents' house, another hour in the car. When I was a block away I called my grandparents house to wish Poppy a Happy Birthday. I told him, "I wish I could be there! Ryan and I arranged to have a delivery sent to you and they promised it would be there by 12:30. Can you go outside and see if it is there?" Poppy was all confused, asking what I sent him and if I was home or not, but he eventually came outside, still on the phone, and I was standing there on the sidewalk!





He looked so surprised, a huge smile and a little teary. I had him fooled and he loved it! Babci and Poppy were definitely happy to see me and I got to spend about four hours with them just catching up. We looked at pictures (my professional wedding album that was an early birthday gift from my mom and my Poppy's old album) and talked and talked. Of course Babci made I was fed (glumpkes and stuffed peppers) and I helped her make chocolate cake and lemon meringue.





Sadly I had to leave around 5. The rest of my family arrived in the last hour or so I was there but there was a storm coming in and I had to go. Of course half an hour into my drive the sky opens up. The sky was black and buckets were pouring from the sky. Lightening flashed so much I could barely see and the thunder was so loud. I may or may not have said a whooooole lot of Hail Marys, out loud as I drove with my flashers on on the turnpike at 25 miles per hour. It was like this exit 8 to exit 4.



Then the sun came out.

I made it home in five hours. A little better.

Birthday Part 2!

Last night Ryan came home with a bottle of Rose Champagne to celebrate my first day of work, and he only keeps surprising me!!! It is my first birthday I have ever gotten to celebrate with him (and the third we've been together) and he has just been wonderful.

First, thank you for the birthday wishes! My facebook of course got flooded. It is interesting people I never talk to anymore still feel the need to write on my wall for my birthday...but whatever! I still love it. I still have lots of texts and I got a fun box from my mom. She sent me some money for work clothes, moonshine jelly from North Carolina, a coca cola bag and bottle opener (<3 Diet Coke! and vintage coke stuff), some candy and candles. Mom even tried to send me flowers and chocolate at the office but I didn't get them :( And thanks for the touching entry on your blog Mommy (:

The girl I work with at the front desk said Happy Birthday but that was it for work for most of the day. So imagine my surprise when at 4:30 we got told to put the phones on Do Not Disturb and to go to the cafe for a "meeting". We go inside and they got me a cake!!!! And a card!! On my second day of work! I was very touched. (:

Now we have a tradition in my family where we hang this special sign every birthday for every person. It was up in my living room when I came home!!! Along with...



My Present from my AMAZING Husband...



Going way back in the blog to this I Want it Wednesday entry you can see how long I have wanted an amazing camera like this. My glorious hubby did me one better, he asked the guy at the camera store his opinion and got a better camera than the one I wanted! I am the proud owner of a Nikon Coolpix P100!! It is AWESOME. I am currently reading the manual cover to cover and we plan to go to the park this weekend to play so I can take pictures and learn while doing. SO psyched.


Ryan had a long day so he is napping before we go to dinner. We're going up to the Italian place right up the street that I have been dying to try, it has sidewalk tables and white lights and looks wonderful.


I love birthdays. And my Ryan <3

Surprises!

So I had a pretty long day today. Ryan left for the Iwo parade at 5:30, I woke up less than an hour later and got ready. Drove to work. Work all day with typical camp drama and lots of six year olds. I even worked OT (Over Time) today, so I was at camp three hours longer. Worth $30? Maybe. I am trying to save up to go home August 20th to surprise my Poppy for his 88th birthday so every bit helps! It wasn't too bad, just a long day.

Then I am driving home. I even took the beltway as it was post rush hour! Ryan texts me and asks me to go to Bolling to get him a 6-pack, he needed it after a parade day so I had no problem. I tried to use my GPS to get there faster instead of driving home and then going and I ended up all sorts of turned around. Not good. But I get what I need at the Class 6, crack and grab Burger King (ew I know) on base, and go home. I have my backpack, dinner, two bags, my drink, and my phone in my hand when I walk in the door. Or stagger depending on how you look at it. I throw my stuff down and flip on the light and see this...



A DESK! (Don't mind the dark awful quality of my cell phone picture)

My husband somehow between 5:30 and 8:00 and a PARADE went out, got a desk, got it in the apartment, and all set up! He was telling me he worked all day, only got half an hour comp time to come home and eat before the parade, and he somehow did this! I literally gasped and cried out, "We have a desk!!" before I tripped over my backpack and literally ate some of our Turkish Rug.

Still happy. Despite the rug burn. I cannot wait to tackle him in appreciation when he walks through the door!

6 Days!

It is official. Ryan will be here in Disney in six days!!!!!!!!!!! He told me the other night and I am so excited. My family will be here in one week and I will have everyone who matters most to me in a place that means so much to me. Words cannot describe how hapy all that makes me.

I am still pretty sick on and off. I had the heida scan thing done yesterday. I got injected with a nuclear isotope and laid under a huge box thing for about three hours. Then I got another medicine that made my gall bladder squeeze which felt bizarre. You wouldn't expect lying still for so long would make you sore, but it did. I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic on tv and Wife Swap (some people in this world...).

My stomach still hurts and I have been nauseous, and worse, for days. I just cannot wait for this all to be figured out and over. I cannot wait until I do not need percocet to sleep or I can keep food down or eat whatever I want whenever I want. To not be in pain. It will be amazing. I go back to the doctor on Monday and I hope they finally have something to tell me!

6 Days. I just need to make it six more days and I will be with the love of my life!

AMAZING

Yes! Some of you lovely ladies guessed it........... THEY'RE COMING HOME EARLY!!! I am so flippin' excited I do not know what to do with myself!

He called me yesterday and I was in tears on the phone since I was so happy! Since the dates are not perfectly exact, just a small range, I can't request off of work yet. So I am going to go talk to my managers today to give them a heads up and also email the Professor of my upcoming entertainment class and say there is a probably conflict with one of the dates and if it is ok to miss it. It is a pretty darn good excuse in my book!

I am so happy. I just cannot believe he is coming home!

<3

!!!!!!!!!!!

Give me 12 hours and one of the best updates EVER will take place. Stay tuned!!!