Ch-ch-check it out!
We're Taking The Plunge!
Showing posts with label Life Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life Update. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Life Update - May 2008 (Part...what are we on now, Five?)
Packin' up and headin' out!
So after the fun and excitement of graduation and getting a new car, it was time to stop procrastinating and start getting all our Virginia crap ready to be packed, moved and transformed into Texas crap.
This was our first experience with a military move and let me tell you, it's FABULOUS!! They pack everything, put it all on the truck, move it and deliver it. The truck and moving clan was coming about a week before we were to leave and it was supposed to be delivered a few days after we were scheduled to arrive in Texas. This meant we had to: a) set everything out we wanted to be moved so the packers didn't have to dig through drawers, cabinets, etc. and b) decide what all we would need at the apartment in Norfolk for the rest of the week, what we would need on the drive down, and what we would need at the new apartment in Texas for a few days until the movers arrived.
This was the end result...(Cue Sanford and Son theme) All of our precious belongings were out and ready to be boxed up. (Yes, I used an empty Bud Light box to pack my *precious* belongings!)
After living like this for about a week:
It was a relief to come home from work one afternoon for lunch and be greeted by this site:
No, we didn't have enough crap to need two moving trucks...one of Justin's classmates lived in the same apartment complex and their moving trucks arrived on the same day to take them to Arizona!
Goodbye, Stuff! We'll see you in Texas!
That night, we ate dinner in our empty apartment, on the floor of our empty bedroom. And drank wine out of SOLO Cups.
Ready for the next adventure!
So after the fun and excitement of graduation and getting a new car, it was time to stop procrastinating and start getting all our Virginia crap ready to be packed, moved and transformed into Texas crap.
This was our first experience with a military move and let me tell you, it's FABULOUS!! They pack everything, put it all on the truck, move it and deliver it. The truck and moving clan was coming about a week before we were to leave and it was supposed to be delivered a few days after we were scheduled to arrive in Texas. This meant we had to: a) set everything out we wanted to be moved so the packers didn't have to dig through drawers, cabinets, etc. and b) decide what all we would need at the apartment in Norfolk for the rest of the week, what we would need on the drive down, and what we would need at the new apartment in Texas for a few days until the movers arrived.
This was the end result...(Cue Sanford and Son theme) All of our precious belongings were out and ready to be boxed up. (Yes, I used an empty Bud Light box to pack my *precious* belongings!)
It was a relief to come home from work one afternoon for lunch and be greeted by this site:
No, we didn't have enough crap to need two moving trucks...one of Justin's classmates lived in the same apartment complex and their moving trucks arrived on the same day to take them to Arizona!
Ready for the next adventure!Monday, September 01, 2008
Life Update - May 2008 (Part Three)
Justin's Graduation from Medical School!
On May 17, 2008, 22 loooong years of education and hard work paid off! Justin graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School! His entire family (minus 2 grandparents and 1 aunt) came down for the festivities!
The school held a super fancy banquet the night before at the Marriott Downtown. We ate until we couldn't move! Then we had dessert.
Us with Andrew, Justin's roommate, and Marketa, Andrew's girlfriend
We woke up the next morning and it was...GRADUATION DAY!!!
The graduation was held at Chrysler Hall in Downtown Norfolk...the site where I attended many ballets and performances of Peter Pan by the Hurrah Players while growing up.
Doors were to open at 8am so we all (all 28 of us!) arrived promptly at 7:30 to make sure we were first in line, which we were. You couldn't save any seats so if you wanted to sit together, you had to show up together. Doors opened and we rushed in and scored the entire row directly behind the taped off area for the students to sit. Everyone else's families and friends sauntered in and filled the rows behind us, until the entire first floor seating was filled! This wouldn't matter at all, unless the Usher came up to you and said "I'm sorry we didn't rope off enough seats for the students. All 28 of you will have to find seats elsewhere."
WHAT?!?! IS HE SERIOUS!?!?
I burst into tears when I realized the only place to go was up...to the balcony. 2 miles away from the stage. I was so upset and so angry! So needless to say, the pictures from inside the graduation kinda suck. The lighting was really crappy and we were in another time zone.
The tall dot to the right of the flower arrangement on stage is MY MAN GETTING HIS MEDICAL SCHOOL DIPLOMA!!!! WOOHOO!!!
Justin and his Dad
In case you're wondering why he doesn't look as smart as he does in the photo above, that's because this was taken before he had graduated!
After graduation, we headed to Guadalajara, a Mexican restaurant on Granby St. (that is also a bar late night...and I may or may not have celebrated my 19th birthday there with my Fake ID...nothin' like goin' somewhere that makes you reminisce!) We got to spend time with Justin's family and celebrate! The day was bittersweet...Since it would be the last time we saw his aunts, uncles and cousins before we moved, the goodbyes were filled with LOTS of tears and hugs. I can't WAIT to go home and see everyone at Christmas!
On May 17, 2008, 22 loooong years of education and hard work paid off! Justin graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School! His entire family (minus 2 grandparents and 1 aunt) came down for the festivities!
The school held a super fancy banquet the night before at the Marriott Downtown. We ate until we couldn't move! Then we had dessert.
We woke up the next morning and it was...GRADUATION DAY!!!
The graduation was held at Chrysler Hall in Downtown Norfolk...the site where I attended many ballets and performances of Peter Pan by the Hurrah Players while growing up.Doors were to open at 8am so we all (all 28 of us!) arrived promptly at 7:30 to make sure we were first in line, which we were. You couldn't save any seats so if you wanted to sit together, you had to show up together. Doors opened and we rushed in and scored the entire row directly behind the taped off area for the students to sit. Everyone else's families and friends sauntered in and filled the rows behind us, until the entire first floor seating was filled! This wouldn't matter at all, unless the Usher came up to you and said "I'm sorry we didn't rope off enough seats for the students. All 28 of you will have to find seats elsewhere."
WHAT?!?! IS HE SERIOUS!?!?
I burst into tears when I realized the only place to go was up...to the balcony. 2 miles away from the stage. I was so upset and so angry! So needless to say, the pictures from inside the graduation kinda suck. The lighting was really crappy and we were in another time zone.
Justin and his Dad
In case you're wondering why he doesn't look as smart as he does in the photo above, that's because this was taken before he had graduated!
After graduation, we headed to Guadalajara, a Mexican restaurant on Granby St. (that is also a bar late night...and I may or may not have celebrated my 19th birthday there with my Fake ID...nothin' like goin' somewhere that makes you reminisce!) We got to spend time with Justin's family and celebrate! The day was bittersweet...Since it would be the last time we saw his aunts, uncles and cousins before we moved, the goodbyes were filled with LOTS of tears and hugs. I can't WAIT to go home and see everyone at Christmas!
Life Update - May 2008
My New Car!
With an upcoming Halfway-cross-the-country-with-everything-I-own-in-my-backseat Drive looming in the upcoming month (cue "Wide Open Spaces" by Dixie Chicks), I sadly stared out the window at Julio, AKA The Little Honda That Could. My 2002 Civic had been with me through a lot and we had a strong bond, a solid connection. Julio always kept me safe in his youth...but now we had come to point in our relationship where I couldn't think with my heart, I had to think with my head. And I knew there was a pretty good chance I would probably end up stranded on the side of the road in Arkansas somewhere during my drive out to my new home.
We had been through a lot...I had carted sorority paraphernalia (and sisters)around town in him all through college, I always knew that my trusty beach chair and towel would be in the trunk whenever I needed them, and he hadn't gotten mad at me when I was learning how to drive a manual and I would grind his gears or peel out at every stop light. But the non-working A/C, the failing clutch, and the dented bumpers just weren't cuttin' it anymore. (Okay, so the dented bumpers may have been attributed to my stellar driving skills, so I can't hold that against him...)
After Justin's Commissioning Ceremony, my parents and I headed out to Greenbrier Chrysler, the same venue where I had traded in my 1995 Ford Explorer (RIP Charles) for Julio, just four years prior. He looked so sparkling new back then. Now, okay, not so much. I browsed through the selection and carefully selected my newest sidekick for the next three years!
Meet Rhonda Honda!
With an upcoming Halfway-cross-the-country-with-everything-I-own-in-my-backseat Drive looming in the upcoming month (cue "Wide Open Spaces" by Dixie Chicks), I sadly stared out the window at Julio, AKA The Little Honda That Could. My 2002 Civic had been with me through a lot and we had a strong bond, a solid connection. Julio always kept me safe in his youth...but now we had come to point in our relationship where I couldn't think with my heart, I had to think with my head. And I knew there was a pretty good chance I would probably end up stranded on the side of the road in Arkansas somewhere during my drive out to my new home.
We had been through a lot...I had carted sorority paraphernalia (and sisters)around town in him all through college, I always knew that my trusty beach chair and towel would be in the trunk whenever I needed them, and he hadn't gotten mad at me when I was learning how to drive a manual and I would grind his gears or peel out at every stop light. But the non-working A/C, the failing clutch, and the dented bumpers just weren't cuttin' it anymore. (Okay, so the dented bumpers may have been attributed to my stellar driving skills, so I can't hold that against him...)After Justin's Commissioning Ceremony, my parents and I headed out to Greenbrier Chrysler, the same venue where I had traded in my 1995 Ford Explorer (RIP Charles) for Julio, just four years prior. He looked so sparkling new back then. Now, okay, not so much. I browsed through the selection and carefully selected my newest sidekick for the next three years!
Life Update - Where To Start!?!? May 2008 (Part Uno)
Justin's Commissioning Ceremony
It was a cold, stormy night...ok, actually it was a gorgeous day, May 15, and I ventured out to the USS Wisconsin in Downtown Norfolk to watch my fiancee be commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army! This was also an important event because it was the first time my parents met his parents! (DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE!) Just kidding...everything went great!
I'm so proud of him!
Neat shot that I took!
Justin's Dad pinning on his new Captain Bars!
...and then we went to No Frill Grill to celebrate!
Just a fun little tidbit...Austin recently got commissioned into the US Navy and Adam is now an Air Force Chaplin! Who woulda thought that three OSL chicks would land them some sexy military men?! Not me! I wonder what the odds are of us all getting stationed real close to each other!
Air Force? Check! Navy? Check! Army? Check!
(Haley, think your Justin might consider a career in the Marines so we'll have all branches covered?!)
It was a cold, stormy night...ok, actually it was a gorgeous day, May 15, and I ventured out to the USS Wisconsin in Downtown Norfolk to watch my fiancee be commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army! This was also an important event because it was the first time my parents met his parents! (DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE!) Just kidding...everything went great!
...and then we went to No Frill Grill to celebrate!
Just a fun little tidbit...Austin recently got commissioned into the US Navy and Adam is now an Air Force Chaplin! Who woulda thought that three OSL chicks would land them some sexy military men?! Not me! I wonder what the odds are of us all getting stationed real close to each other!
Air Force? Check! Navy? Check! Army? Check!
(Haley, think your Justin might consider a career in the Marines so we'll have all branches covered?!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)