Promotion Pictures

We're back from camping! We had a totally great time, but I am glad we have another 2 days of this weekend left. I'm tired! Pictures to come soon.

But first, I promised pictures from Nick's promotion on Thursday! It was a pretty quick ceremony- maybe like 10 minutes overall, and that was with 6 other guys getting promoted with him. They did it outside at afternoon formation, which was pretty interesting because of the weather. It was CRAZY humid and hot, then ended up raining a little (which actually ended up feeling really good) with some thunder in the distance. The rest of Nick's classmates are getting promoted this coming Tuesday or so, but because the rest of Nick's unit is going to Louisiana next week, they decided to do it early.

Alice tagged along as my photographer & did a fantastic job! Unfortunately there isn't a good picture of me putting Nick's new Captain's rank on his chest (and punching him, which is tradition, ha ha), the Colonel (his battalion commander) was completely in the way. The rest of the pictures turned out awesome though:

All the guys getting promoted from the unit

Joined by the wives, fiancees and girlfriends (and the colonel in front)

You can't see me, but I'm taking the old 1st Lieutenant rank off Nick's chest & putting the new Captain one on

Then the Colonel put the new rank on Nick's stetson (because that's how we do it in Texas. Seriously, that's part of their uniform)

Salutes and hand shakes

Nick doing a little thank you speech

Thanking me :)

Funny story...when Nick was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant after graduating from college, I got to put the new rank on his beret. Well, it's a big deal, & I was nervous & put it on all crooked, which he continues to make fun of me for. So, this time, he wanted the Colonel to put it on his stetson, which was totally fine with me. But, of course, the colonel had a hard time & it ended up being totally crooked anyway. Easily fixable of course, but funny nonetheless.

Fixing his stetson


My Captain hubby!

Yay for promotions!

Big Day

As per usual lately, we have been crazy busy. We have 2 friends moving this week, so we've been trying to spend time with them before they go. We haven't done any actual goodbyes yet (trying to hold out as long as possible), but unfortunately, they will be coming soon.

Today is a big day though because Nick is getting promoted to Captain in a matter of hours. WOOHOO! They're doing it a little bit early since most of the unit will be going to Louisiana in June and with it being Memorial day this weekend (and a 4 day weekend!), it was either yesterday, today or Tuesday. And, of course, it being the Army, they officially scheduled it yesterday. I'm posting about the promotion now because we're (FINALLY) going camping pretty much right when Nick gets home from work tonight. So, I'm not anticipating being able to post the pictures of his promotion until we get back. I have already put my camera in my purse so I won't forget, so there will definitely be pictures!

I'm excited that we're finally going camping though. We're both really excited about the prospect of a relaxing mini vacation and finally getting to use all of our camping equipment! Should be a fantastic weekend and it's starting off great today!

Adventures

We have been busy, busy, busy lately. I just figured out that we have been out of the house doing something every single day since Wednesday. I, for one, am exhausted!

Wednesday we had that town hall meeting for Nick's unit. Then, Thursday was the baseball game, which we got home from at about midnight. Then, last night, one of the guys Nick works with invited us out on his boat on the lake. It's been super hot and humid here lately, so it was the perfect time to go out on the lake. And Nick thoroughly enjoyed himself riding on a jet ski- which apparently he's never done before.

Today, we picked up our friend Jennifer and her dog Bruno and went down to a dog park in one of the nearby towns. Our favorite BBQ place happened to be in the same town and Jennifer hadn't been there before, so we picked some up for lunch. It was nice just hanging out outside all day, and the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and behaved really well.

I meant to grab a camera before we left, but of course, I totally forgot. So, you'll have to take my word for the awesomeness of this dog park. There was agility training equipment, a tunnel, and all sorts of water, which of course, Scout loved. I'm sure we'll be going back sometime soon. We're thinking it might have to be a monthly occurrence!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Last night we went to a local minor league baseball game. Oh so much fun! We had just picked up the schedule for the team (a feeder to the Houston Astros) a few weeks ago and were planning on going sometime soon. Then, Alice & her husband invited us and another couple, and we just couldn't turn it down.

Group picture

We had lots of fun, if you couldn't tell

There were many reasons why it was awesome. First of all, we got 2 tickets for less than $25, and our seats were really good:

Our view of the game. If you look closely at the screen, that is Will Ferrel with a moustache. Sadly, he wasn't at our game, but was at one recently

Reason #2- It was "Thirsty Thursday", so drinks were super cheap.

Reason #3- Nick caught a foul ball that almost hit me (his first one ever!)

Very proud of his foul ball


Reason #4- I signed up to be a designated driver since I'm not a beer fan, and got a free hot dog & soda...and then won a T-shirt!

Very excited about our winnings! We should've played the lottery last night since we were so lucky!

We are definitely planning on going back again sometime soon! I think next time we're going to sit on one of the grassy areas they have- the tickets for those are even cheaper! Oh, and the game was actually pretty good too, we won 9-3! And there were a couple home runs too! But that was kind of secondary anyway. We just had fun cheering and being ridiculous and hanging out. It was just a really good time all around!

Just In Case You Were Wondering...

...it looks like Nick is NOT going to Louisiana for the month of June. Can I get a WOOHOO?!

We had a riveting last-minute town hall meeting about it today, where they also talked about leave dates for the summer. We're still figuring out what we're doing and when, but we're happy that we are able to start figuring that out.

Time to relax, it's been a looong day!

My Trip Home

I know, I have been home for a week now and never updated about my trip. I finally managed to steal a few pictures from my family members from that weekend.

Like I said, it was a great trip home. I got to babysit my niece K and my nephew D and hold my other nephew L lots and lots:

Such a cutie! I just want to constantly kiss on those adorable chubby cheeks!

Funny story...I put this picture on Facebook as my profile picture because it is oh-so-cute and one of my friends from college definitely thought he was mine. Uh yes, here is my 11 month old who I've never mentioned. I definitely had a good laugh about that one. Although I'm not usually quite this tan (and I haven't even hit up the pool yet!), so I can see where she could get that idea.

Anyway, I got lots of smiles and giggles and snuggles from little L. I simply adore him. I also played on my dad's "eye-patch" (a.k.a. iPad) with D & K tons and just enjoyed being around them, which I can't do enough.

It was also a big weekend because my "little" brother graduated from college! And my alma mater with the same major, nonetheless! It was a gorgeous day and a great ceremony and we had a scrumptious lunch afterward, as well.

Sibling picture!

The alums

Somehow, 3 out of the 4 of us all ended up going to the same school, and it was for a consecutive 10 years. Crazy! And neither of my parents, nor anyone in our family went there before. We joke that my other sister is the black sheep, although I don't think she minds at all where she went to college (lets just say it's a school with a very well-known football team). And she went to my mom's alma mater anyway.

It really was a great weekend to go home as it was also Mother's Day that weekend. It started off with a tasty brunch with my mom & both of my grandmothers. Then, my siblings, my mom & I went on a nice afternoon hike. And then we played a really weird, but fun board game called Quelf. At one point, my dad & I played leap frog, and at another, my brother had to keep one hand on the floor at all times. It was definitely quite memorable!

All in all, a fantastic weekend!

Busy, Busy

Things have been really busy since I got back! A lot of the normal stuff (appointments, volunteering, etc), but also a couple of fun lunch dates. On Tuesday I went out with a couple of the wives from Nick's unit, one of whom is moving soon. On one hand, I'm totally jealous, because she's moving up to WA state. On the other hand, she's awesome and the unit will definitely not be the same without her. I just found out we're going to try to go out to lunch again before she leaves in a couple weeks.

I also went out to lunch in a really cute little Texas-y town called Salado yesterday with Alice and a friend of hers. I wish our town had that much character! I also wish I was going to be here around Christmastime because I would totally get all of my Christmas presents there. All of the little shops are filled with really cool artsy/homemade stuff and lots of antiques. OH, and there was a really awesome fudge place. I'm not even that big of a fudge fan, but they had like 15 different kinds (mint, espresso, etc.), and they gave huge free samples. Totally a fun afternoon!

Time with Alice is starting to get bittersweet though. I've definitely started tearing up a little bit at the mention of her leaving. I'm trying to pretend it's not happening, although at this point, it's only a couple weeks away. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do without her! It's not like I don't have other friends, but she is by far my best friend. Nick recently described her as my doppleganger because we have so much in common. I can only hope the Army will bring us back together sometime soon. And, for now, she'll only thankfully be a few hours away, although it's still going to be different.

Home Again

I had an absolutely wonderful visit back home in California. But boy, is it good to be home! I got in yesterday afternoon and I think Nick was counting down the seconds until he got to come pick me up at the airport. I don't think he could have lasted any longer!

I definitely didn't anticipate missing Nick as much as I did. I mean, we didn't see each other face to face for 9 months last year, and I was gone for all of 4 days this time. I think any separation helps you appreciate all the little things though. It's sad that it sometimes takes time away to realize what you've been taking for granted, but I'm happy for it nonetheless.

I know I can be easily distracted by all the little things sometimes. And I could feel a funk coming on with chores and all that fun stuff. So, a break from all that was a very nice and welcome refreshment. Now I'm all excited do be domestic again and even made scones today!

I think Nick got a new understanding of what it was like for me while he was deployed too. He repeatedly asked if this was what it was like while he was gone. It's nice to know he has a further appreciation of what I went through, but I definitely wouldn't wish that on anyone.

On the way home yesterday, we stopped at our favorite BBQ place to pick up dinner. Nick was in his uniform since he had left work early and some really nice guy came up and thanked him for his service and insisted on paying for our food! So nice! This is definitely not something I would expect all the time (this is the first time it's happened to me), but it's always nice to feel appreciated for our sacrifice.

I'll write about my trip home soon. I need to collect pictures from my family first though. They're all amazing photographers, so I tend to neglect picture taking when I'm around them. I don't think I even touched the camera I packed! It was a great trip though. I'm so glad I went and got to spend time with everyone!

To California!

I am officially on my way to California! Woohoo! Right now, I have a short layover in Phoenix, but I'll be on my way to Orange County soon!

It was slightly stressful getting to the airport this morning, but thankfully, I made it without a problem. The stressful part was that I had to leave work early since my flight was at the major airport 1.5 hours away.

Thankfully, the woman I work with is awesome and had no problem covering for me. I felt bad leaving her with 8 kids nonetheless, although it was thankfully only for about 45 minutes. And I made sure to wear the kids out as much as I could before I left. They're all really good kids, but being alone with 8 kids is always busy, no matter how good they are.

Nick was able to get a little time off work and take me to the airport, which was really nice. He should be able to pick me up on Monday too, which he really wants to do. Somehow, he's never picked me up at the airport in the 7 years we've been together. Don't know how that happened, especially since I've picked him up too many times to count. Such is the Army life though, I guess.

Anyway, I still can't believe my "little" brother is graduating from college this weekend! I feel like my graduation day was just yesterday, although in reality it was 3 years ago yesterday. When did that happen?!

- Posted from Court's iPhone

Getting Excited

Yes, I know I've been horrible about updating, especially after updating so regularly for a bit. My gramma wrote me an E-mail about this very fact, so I decided it was probably time to do so.

There hasn't been much excitement recently. Pretty much the same old, same old. Nick tried, yet again, to get a turkey on Saturday, and was sadly, unsuccessful. There are only 2 more weekends left in hunting season, so it's crunch time. Thankfully, he'll have a lot of time this weekend to attempt to get those darn turkeys because...

I am going home for my brother's college graduation, woohoo! I'm starting to get really excited about it. For some reason, I thought it was next weekend, not this weekend, so it definitely snuck up on me a little bit. But, I am extremely excited anyway, and thankfully not unprepared because I realized my mistake like a week ago.

The last time I was home was in January, so it's been awhile! I'm anticipating lots of quality time with the fam. AND I get to babysit the niece and nephews, which is always a good time! And it's pretty cool that this weekend happens to be Mother's Day as well. It should definitely be a good time, and I will try to take lots of pictures!