So Long NOB...for a while

So today was the last day that I will have to drive to the Naval Base in Norfolk!! Kind of sad actually...hmm...well anyway, as of tomorrow IKE will be in the shipyards. Good? It is bittersweet. Mark will not be out to sea BUT he will have duty every 4 days. Yuck! But it will be nice having Mark home more than he will gone.

Well let me see Mark and I went out the other night and had a great time...of course!!! We kind of make it a point to have a date night at least once a month. You know, those days where he says "So I was thinking that we would go out to (name of restaurant) on (day of the week)" or "I was thinking I would take you out to (name of restaurant) on (day of the week)." Those are so much fun. So here are a few pictures from our date on January 20, 2008.

Mark and I started getting ready and Bailey and Roxie were so excited, though we were not really sure why. haha But they were so excited and running around and following us wagging their tails...so cute! After Mark and I were getting ready we pulled the camera out and although I caught Roxie off guard by taking her picture...Bailey was all about posing... Next came the pictures of Mark and I by ourselves...
Of course his turned out wonderful on the first try!!! He took a few of me and well...not all of them came out well. In fact I didn't get a good shot of just me. BUT I did get a good one with Bailey...

So Mark tried again and I didn't like the way that my alone shot came out so we were trying again and as Mark was getting the shot set up and all and the camera in focus Bailey had gone and sat right in front of him and was just looking at me. He was so excited still and I was looking at him out of my peripheral vision and I just knew that he was going to charge me; I was just waiting for it. As soon as Mark takes the picture Bailey I guess knew it and he tackled me...as much as I was expecting it it all happened so fast that it surprised me...

After all of that excitement Mark and I left for dinner. He took me to Terra Cotta Cafe which is a very nice restaurant. We had a great time!!

Of course, the night would not have been complete without our infamous tongue picture...

That is the latest in our lives right now!!

Ciao!

What's Going On??

Well the time is coming when Mark will be on shore duty!! That means he will not go out to sea for 3 years!! He has been on the ship for 4 already I believe. So here is where we are right now...

IKE is not scheduled to go back on deployment until 2009 and if Mark can stay on the ship through the first month of deployment than he can reenlist tax free! You know how nice that will be?! NICE!! Well the Navy may not allow him to extend onboard that long because there are too many 1st class Nukes on sea duty right now and not enough on shore duty. If they allow him to stay than he will. If not than there are a few things that we are looking into...

--He can go to prototype, which he does not want to do because that is shift work and shift work is long hours and a different schedule every week including working overnight.
--He can teach. If he teaches we will move to Charleston, South Carolina. If I remember correctly he told me that not too many 1st classes get to teach, it is usually officers.
--He can go recruiting, which he would be great at! I think that this is what we are looking into the most right now. If he goes recruiting than I think that we are looking into going to the Oklahoma/Texas area for the fact that the economy out there is crazy and what we would make off of selling our house here in Virginia we could put into a real nice house out there or even build one! It would be nice to go somewhere where it is not always hustle and bustle and go go go! Somewhere where things are more laid back and the people are actually NICE! haha

Mark and I are not sure what is going to happen but as soon as we know I will let you all know!

Ciao!

Christmas and all that Jazz

I know that it has been a while since we have updated but a lot has gone on here lately. Let's start with the 14th. On December 14 Mark and I loaded up the dogs and headed down to Florida so that his mom could watch them while we went to Oklahoma and Texas for Christmas. The way that the trip was supposed to go was we were going to be gone to OKC/Christmas from the 15th to the 24th and then we would fly back to Jacksonville and spend time there until the day after Christmas when we would drive back to Virginia because Mark had to be back to work on the 27th. Well it all started out well and we got to Florida on the 14th and left on the 15th to fly to Oklahoma. That all went fine and well and we got there and Mark's dad picked us up from the airport and we went out to lunch. Over the next few days we went bowling and to play pool and we also went fishing...good times! Mark and his Dad

After a few days in Oklahoma Mark and I borrowed his stepmom's car and drove down to Round Rock Texas. We decided that we would drive to Round Rock and see that side of the family and then stop in Fort Worth to see family there on the way back through. On Saturday while we were at the dinner table at Aunt Jeanie's house mom got a phone call. It was the phone call that we all expected to get but not at this time...Papaw had passed away. We found out on Saturday and they think that he died Thursday night. Aunt Judy was the last one to talk to him on Thursday night and then on Saturday when Aunt Judy and Aunt Joyce went to see him there were two newspapers on his doorstep. They were not able to get inside the house and had to get the police to break in through a window because Papaw had bolted the storm door. Anyway, his fineral was set for the day after Christmas. Remember: Mark was supposed to be back at work on the 27th. Well he called his Senior Chief and told them what had happend and they extended his leave until the 2nd. *whew* I was so happy for that!

The funeral was very nice. The night before, Uncle Jerry had the family gather around and share stories about Papaw and then he took those stories and used them in the service. It was so nice. There was also a slide show of a bunch of picture of Papaw and Biggie and everything. It was all so nice. Since the viewing, which was 2 hours before the service, I had not gone up to the casket to see Papaw. I just couldn't do it. I knew that at the end of the service everyone walks by and pays their last respects so I knew by then I would be ready to do the same. So how about when it came time for the family to pay their last respects I was the first one! That much I did not expect...haha

I am so glad that Mark was able to take the extra time and be there with me. We had talked about if he for some reason was not able to stay than I would stay and fly back later...I did not want to do that at all. He was wonderful through it all!! I am so glad that he was there with me. He is so amazing.

A couple of days after the funeral Mark and I headed back to Oklahoma 1. to take the car back and 2. cause that is where we were flying out of. We flew back to Jacksonville and was able to stay there until New Years Day when we drove back up to Virginia.

I must say that after so long away from home it was SO nice to be home!!! We have spent the time home fixing our house. I am not sure exactly what has gotten into us but we have redone our kitchen and cleaned it all out and up, gone BIG TIME grocery shopping, cleaned up the living room, and even steam cleaned the carpet!! It has been so much fun though! I love doing things like that with Mark. *smile*

So all in all, my Christmas holiday was bitter sweet. It was great to see everyone and spend time together, Mark and I got a Wii (YAY!!) from his dad and stepmom, and then it was hard with Papaw passing cause where we all expected that this would probably be his last Christmas I don't think that any of us expected him to go a few days before Christmas. I took it pretty hard actually. I am much better now but I took his passing very hard for about 3 days after the funeral. I guess I just wasn't ready.

Well that was Christmas!!

Mark is on duty and I am taking dinner to him so I guess I better go get things together so that when he emails me and lets me know what time to be there I can start dinner.

I'll update again soon!!

Ciao!