Belts and Medals

Nate has some exciting Marine Corps news that I thought I'd share since he's busy with school...again.

That's the first bit of news, aviation supply school has officially commenced. It's going to be a long, demanding 4 months for our boy, but it'll be spectacular when he finishes. We'll be going back to NC just in time for summer (YAY!) and he'll actually have something to do at work besides twiddle his thumbs.

In other news, last week before we left for Rhode Island Nate tested for the next level belt in MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). He earned the lowest level belt (tan belt) while at TBS in May and has spent the last few months training for the second level belt, the gray belt. Gray belt techniques expand on the tan belt's basic techniques to include:

* intermediate bayonet techniques
* intermediate upper-body strikes including knife-hands (karate chops) and elbow strikes
* intermediate lower-body strikes including kicks, knee strikes, and stomps
* intermediate chokes, joint locks, and throws
* counters to strikes, chokes, and holds
* intermediate unarmed restraints and armed manipulations
* intermediate knife techniques
* basic ground fighting
* intermediate weapons of opportunity

Needless to say, Nate successfully passed his gray belt exam! He thoroughly enjoys MCMAP and would love to work his way up to a black belt, but is happy to have had time to train up a level while waiting for school. I'm super proud of him and glad he made it through with only a few cuts, scrapes, bruises, and one chipped tooth :)

And finally, on January 6th Nate was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal! This is awarded for direct support in service to the Global War on Terrorism. He's delighted to have something else beside his "ketchup and mustard stain" that is the National Defense Service Medal. These are both medals that basically everyone's getting right now since we're in a war (for the National Defense) and, particularly, fighting in the Global War on Terrorism. But since not many people are too keen on joining the military during a time of war, I think they've earned it!

I am so overwhelmingly proud of my husband!

* Fun In The Sun * Winter Getaway

I know you all are waiting for pictures and news from our move to Rhode Island and we even have some fun Marine news to share, but you also asked for pictures from our vacation. So that's first.

The whole reason we ended up heading down south was for a wedding. Miami in January? Yes, please! Our Marine friends Stephanie and Ritchey were tying the knot and wanted a sword detail (you know, the arch of swords that the bride and groom walk under). They kindly invited us to share in their special day and Nate was a member of their sword detail. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding that not only celebrated their marriage, but also Ritchey and Nate's 1 year anniversary in the Marine Corps! They left for OCS on January 15, 2010 and the wedding was January 15, 2011. It's crazy to think about everything that's happened in the past year... But back to the wedding, it was BEAUTIFUL! Stephanie was a gorgeous bride and the reception was a blast. Here are some pictures.

The beautiful bride

Sword detail

We figured that if we were going to spend a good bit of money on plane tickets to Miami, then we might as well stay for a while and make a vacation out of it! A cruise out of Miami was just the ticket :)

The rest of my family (my parents, sister, and brother) were trying to plan a family vacation for Mom's 50th birthday and my sister's 21st birthday so we invited them to come along with us. Since Mom really wanted all of us to be together it wasn't hard to convince them to come and we had a truly wonderful family vacation in the western Caribbean.

Here's a recap!

We left out of Miami on Sunday. My family got in and were able to get on the ship without a hitch. Us on the other hand...well we had a sword. Nate had needed it for the wedding the night before and what were we supposed to do with it? We should have called Carnival before we left, but didn't. Oops. Lesson learned. So we had to stand around and ended up being told that we couldn't take it on-board (not surprising), but that they wouldn't hold it either! So... Luckily we had arrived early and they suggested we get a taxi and go find somewhere to mail it home. Someone ended up suggesting that we walk across the street to a place that was known to mail things home for cruise ship staff and passengers who had things they couldn't bring on board. We go over and the guy looks around at his boxes (clearly there's nothing big enough) and then says that he can just hold it for us on his shelf until we get back, he'll give us a receipt, and that he does this all the time. Sketchy. And yet, that's exactly what we did and prayed that it would still be there when we got back...

Monday was a day at sea. We had determined not to worry about the sword for the week and so it was a relaxing day spent reading by the pool. It was also our first formal night.

Tuesday we were in Grand Cayman! It was beautiful when we arrived. The island itself wasn't as pretty as I expected, but the water was breathtaking. Here's our day in pictures.

Beautiful sunrise taking a ferry from the ship to the dock

First on the schedule, we swam with Darwin the dolphin! It was the earliest time slot for this excursion and we were the only ones there! Can you say private session :) We got to pet him, feed him fish, let him kiss our cheek, kiss his nose, and dance with him. We also got to go for two different kinds of rides! The first was to put your upper body on a boogie board, put your legs straight out with your knees locked, and he came up behind you and pushed you forward with his nose on the bottom of your foot. Very speedy and super fun! The second time he swam up to you on his back, you grabbed both of his flippers, and he pulled you along. That one was slower paced, but a little more intimate. Overall it was a wonderful experience and a highlight for everyone.

Next up, we spent some time in a sting ray tank (sorry, no pictures) and then headed across the street to a turtle farm! We got to hold several turtles of varying sizes and see some full grown, very large sea turtles.

Then we headed over to Margaritaville for lunch where Dad took a shot of tequila, DJ had his first legal drink, and Brit and DJ did the cha-cha slide on stage! Fun times.

After lunch Nate and I headed off on our own. We ended up taking the public transportation (basically a 15 passenger van they consider the city bus) to Hell. Yes, that's right. It's a group of short, black, limestone formations in the middle to green, lush Grand Cayman. They have all kinds souvenirs playing on the name, you can mail postcards "sent from Hell", and they will even stamp your passport.

Hell

Beautiful waters of Grand Cayman

Wednesday was spent on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico. It was beautiful, drinks were included, there was a water trampoline, an inflated "iceberg" to climb up and jump off of, and snorkeling gear. What more could a person ask for?

Thursday we were in Belize. Nate and I went to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich (shoo-NAHN-too-nich) while everyone else went snorkeling. The ruins are on the western side of Belize (almost into Guatemala), which meant we got to drive through the country. For some people this means a boring 2 hour bus ride, but for me it was a chance to see the country. The countryside was beautiful and the ruins were cool to see.

We hand to take a hand cranked ferry across the river to get to the ruins

El Castillo, the major pyramid and second tallest structure in Belize

We got to climb to the top of El Castillo! This is something that isn't allowed at ruins in other countries, yay Belize! This was Nate's favorite part of Blize.

My facial expression during my favorite part of Belize. Can you guess what I'm looking at?

Wild MONKEYS!!!

Our final stop was at Isla Roatan, an island 40 miles of the coast of Honduras. It was by far the most beautiful countryside. We just spent the day hanging out on the beach right by the port. Dad and Nate did take a cab ride into the closest town, but wouldn't even get out because it was so sketchy.

Saturday was our final day and it was spent at sea. Having had enough sun (I got pretty burnt in Honduras) we stayed inside - watched a movie, played Bingo, and rescued a boat. That's right our ship rescued three Americans and a cat on our way home. The water was really rough that day, we're talking 6-8 foot seas, and it was super windy. Mom, Dad, Nate, and I were sitting by a window enjoying an all chocolate dessert buffet when we spot what appeared to be boat so far out that you could barely see it and realize that we're turning/not moving very fast. Turns out the boat had lost power and was signaling us with mirrors for assistance. After getting clearance from the Coast Guard we pulled up next to the boat and pulled the passengers on board (once the boat got close you could really tell how rough the water was, they were rocking like crazy). Unfortunately, they had to leave the boat behind, but I'm sure they were glad to be rescued.

Sunday we arrived back in port slightly anxious about whether Nate's sword would still be where we left it. We disembarked the ship, got our luggage, went through customs, and needed to catch a bus to the airport sooner rather than later because was had an 11:30am flight. So Nate runs over as soon as he's able and returns empty handed. My stomach sinks. The sword is kind of like a wedding ring. It can be replaced, but it'll never be the original. Turns out they're not open, I can stop having a heart attack. It's a little before 8, they open at 9. Great. Well, we have no other option than to wait and we should still have enough time to catch our flight. I look over a few minutes later and see that the door is open, maybe they're open? So Nate goes back AND...

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RETURNS WITH HIS SWORD!!! Thank you, Jesus! What a relief.

We made it to the airport in plenty of time to spare only to have our plane delayed until 5:30pm due to a mechanical issue with the engine and the earliest connecting flight we could make in Atlanta wasn't until 11pm, which put us in Raleigh around 12:30am and we still had a 2.5 hour drive home. Basically we spent all day Sunday waiting around in the airport. But, we did finally make it home around 3am just in time to catch a few hours of sleep before Nate needed to be at work and I had to start packing...

It was a crazy week to follow, but it was wonderful to spend a week with family enjoying one another, God's creation, and relaxing.

Craziest Weeks of My Life

The past few weeks have been CraZy!

We did spend a quiet Christmas here in North Carolina since we'd gone to MD the weekend before for Christmas parties galore. Four days of relaxing and lounging around the house together were wonderful after moving, traveling, and otherwise being busy over the past...year, really.

New Years was another whirlwind trip in MD. We spent New Years Eve visiting with friends and rang in midnight with some of our WONDERFUL friends from college. It was a fabulous, much needed, reunion.

Now we're already at the end of the second week of January! Where has the month gone?!?

For those of you who haven't heard the latest on whether I'd be joining Nate in Rhode Island, I decided to go! We're renting a small house in Middletown and I'm excited to explore Rhode Island and the northeast in general. BUT, that means packing up again! Thankfully our house is furnished, but we still need to get everything out of our Jacksonville apartment and into our storage unit (which should be akin to a game of Tetris) in 2 weeks.

So what are we doing about it?

Spending the next few days in Miami for a wedding and then a week in the Caribbean on a cruise with my family!

We'll get back and have exactly 1 week to get ourselves to Rhode Island :) Yes, I'm crazy. But, hey, what's life without a crazy adventure now and then? At least it's planned craziness.

To summarize, you've got excuses about why I haven't been blogging and excuses for why I probably won't be blogging for the next few weeks. I do love you and I promise to blog when we get to Rhode Island.

Refrigerator

Exactly two and a half years ago I started life with my very best friend. It was a beautiful and fun day, but not without it's mishaps. No wedding can be perfect, right? If you weren't there or were sitting too far in the back to really hear what was happening, let me enlighten you.

We got through the first half of our ceremony without a hitch. Then came the vows. Nate's grandfather, sweet and loving as he is, is getting old and not as mentally on top of things as he used to be. So for our vows he says to Nate, "Repeat after me" and then proceeds to start reading the entire paragraph that is our vows. "I, Nathaniel, take you, Jaime, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold..." It should have been, "I, Nathaniel, take you, Jaime" (pause while Nate repeats), "to be my wedded wife." (pause while Nate repeats), and so on. My dad is sitting in the front row really impressed that Nate's memorized the whole thing. Um, no. So while Nate looks like a deer in the headlights, I lean over to Poppy and say, "Poppy, he's not going to remember all that." To which Poppy replies, drum roll please, "That's alright, we'll just put in on the refrigerator." *Badum-CHI*

Um, did that really just happen...?

In the middle of my wedding ceremony?

My dad is about to pee his pants he thinks it's so funny.

I'm not sure weather to laugh or cry.

It makes me sad not because my wedding wasn't perfect, but because that's supposed to be a special moment where you look into your husband's eyes and promise to love him forever. You hear the words given you and you repeat them with all the love in your heart while lost in the depths of his eyes. At least, that's how I imagined it.

I couldn't exactly stop the entire ceremony to explain to Poppy where he had gone amiss and how to do it correctly. So in an effort to salvage what was supposed to be a special moment, I just turned the paper in Poppy's hands toward Nate so he could read it. Then, turned them toward me so I could read them. Once in a lifetime, fairy tale moment lost.

At any rate, in retrospect, Poppy's response was hilarious. And several times over the past two and half years Dad has commented that something is missing from our refrigerator. Most recently it was directed at the picture I posted on here of the kitchen in our apartment. Apparently, it was missing something. To rectify the problem I got this for Nate and Dad for Christmas.

It's a magnet.

When they opened them we all laughed. Hard. I laughed so hard I cried. And my dad ran to the refrigerator so he could have his up before Nate.

It was a special moment in it's own right ♥

Christmas tree, Christmas tree

Sing to the tune of "Jingle bells, jingle bells". It's short, sweet, and expresses my complete happiness at having an 8 foot real tree in my living room. Oh how I adore Christmas!

And my husband who helped decorate it ;)

Winston-Salem Snow Day

This past weekend Nate and I made the 4 hour trek to Winston-Salem to visit one of my best friends, Cat, and her fiance, Clay. Nate had duty Thursday night so Friday he had an "easy day". So we were able to leave Jacksonville early afternoon to be in Winston early enough for me to make it to Cat's first wedding dress shopping trip! She has honored me by asking me to be a bridesmaid so I was able to try on dresses too. The trip was surprisingly successful. Cat picked out the bridesmaids dresses AND HER WEDDING DRESS! I was so glad I was able to be there :) We spent the night with her and had plans to go tour Wake Forest (where her and Clay both went to school) the next day but our plans changed due to SNOW!!! Since we're not likely to get snow here in Jacksonville, it was a nice surprise. Daisy LOVED it! She was absolutely hilarious to watch. And our plans changed to include playing the Wii, a game of Life, and watching Duke basketball. It was a wonderful time with friends made all the better by the wintery wonderland. And, of course, here's some pictures :)

Cat and Clay

Daisy figuring out this wet cold stuff (real quick - see snowball about to hit her)
Me and Daisy running around

Crazy Daisy

Daisy attacking the snowball in Nate's hand :)

River Court

We made our first trek down to Wilmington this past weekend. Jacksonville isn't exactly a booming metropolis and, while it has most everything you need, some things you just have to drive to Wilmington for. This time it was NY & Co. Everything was 50% off this weekend and I needed some new winter clothes, so to Wilmington we went. We had great success shopping and the shopping center we were at was decorated with "reindeer". We decided to make it a photo op :) We definitely turned a few heads, but the pictures are amusing.



After shopping, we decided to go see the USS North Carolina Battleship. It was dark, but Nate had heard on the radio that they put Christmas lights on it so we decided to go check it out. Definitely not nearly as cool as it sounded and taking a good picture was pretty well impossible. We'll probably go back to monkey around on it sometime, but the location is great because right across the river is downtown Wilmington complete with a Christmas tree and lights!


I wanted to get a picture of the tree and lights so we walked across a grassy area to the edge of the river. Once we were finished taking pictures and walking back to the car I looked to my left and saw something that looked suspiciously like a basketball court with a set of bleachers (which was the give away). Once we were in the car I had Nate shine the headlights on aforementioned suspect area and sure enough, basketball court. Many of you probably think I'm crazy for ranting about some basketball court on the side of a river next to a battleship. But if you've ever watched One Tree Hill (which is filmed in Wilmington), you'd understand my excitement at stumbling across the River Court. All things important on that show happen at the River Court and it was just funny to find it without even trying (yes, at some point my sister and I will drive around and take pictures of all the locations on the show - don't judge).

However, I must say that a scene at the River Court will never be quite the same. I'll forever be seeing the battleship they're filming next too.