Overheard: At a seafood Restaurant

Her: Oh my god. Oh my god, I just killed a crab.

Him: That's okay, I just ate like four.

The Replacement

This is what my friend Mary's husband, Mark, now refers to me as. He is a pilot in the US Air Force and therefore has a rather unpredictable schedule. This has definitely worked to my advantage. For example, back in June I got to attend a very awesome Toby Keith concert in his place. Mary and I had a girls night dinner at La Hacienda where a few waiters tried to buy the VW. Then we met our double date at the concert :o)

Mary, Meredith, & Tim (they drive a Mini!)

Toby

Pretty nice huh? Well it gets better. In July he got called away on a very special and important mission and was unable to go on their Palm Beach vacation. I felt a little bad taking his place this time until I heard he got to go skiing in New Zealand! Wow! Still it was very sweet of Mary and Hannah to share their vacation (including their beds) with us. It was so relaxing and just what I needed.

We had a fantastic daily schedule, it went something like this; eat, pool, eat, nap, beach, eat, sleep. Except one day we went to see the sea turtle rescue and the PlayMobile play place, but the girls kept asking to go back and go to the pool...so we did.

Here are some photos from the trip.

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Get your own

Nora and Morgan significantly increased their comfort in the water. Nora is diving with goggles and Morgan...well see for yourself.

Thank you so much Mary and Hannah for letting us join you! It was a wonderful vacation we will remember always!

Orders

I know everyone has been wondering...looks like we are headed to Kings Bay, GA. This was our first choice and I think we are excited, but is also starting to sink in that this will really be what Navy life is like. However, it will be nice to not have to move all the way across the country this time. We will probably make the move at the end of November. Ben will be away at submarine training from September 15th until the end of November, so feel free to make a visit to keep us company :o)

Morgan Turned Two!

Here are some photos from Morgan's big day. Thank you to everyone who came and helped us celebrate. It was a very fun party!

Morgan & Tweety

Morgan & Hannah

Morgan...the last time she had possession of Miffy

Brooke, Brittany, & Morgan

Visitors, visitors

So in the month that I wasn't blogging it was also in part to all the wonderful visitors we had. Normally they would all receive a post detailing everything we did while they were here...due to the circumstances here are the highlights.

Sometime back in June my friend Sharon came into town for a quick get away from Pennsylvania. She used to live in Charleston and we used to work together at Blackbaud. While she was here we ate some yummy food, hung out with friends, and hit up the beach with the girls (which is much more crowded in the summer!) It was too short a visit and I hope she comes to see us at our new home.

Sharon and the girls at IOP

The next guests to arrive were my Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim. The were just passing through on their way home from NC. We were able to celebrate the 4th of July with them out at my Uncle Rick and Aunt Carol's lake house. It was a short but sweet visit and the girls always ask for them when the leave.

Aunt Betty and Nora

Uncle Jim, Uncle Rick, & Ben

Arriving just a few hours after Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim was Ben's friend from college Matt and his fiancee Kristen. They were in town to see the Dave Mathews Band on the 4th. It was great getting to know them and thanks to our next guest we were able go out to dinner with just the grown ups! I can't decide if my favorite part of Matt and Kristen's visit was Matt nearly crying when he had breakfast, the Smithfield's BBQ they brought from NC, or that they found my highly sought after Wii to replace the one the lightning got. No, I'm sure it was the Wii!!!!!! I was a pro golfer again in no time and wii, I mean we have been playing it quite a bit. Thank you soooooo much!! Hopefully we will be able to see them again this fall when they tie the knot.

Matt & Kristen at Bowen's Island

The day that my Aunt and Uncle left, my Aunt Pat (who was in town helping my Aunt Carol recover from hip surgery) came to spend a few nights with us. It was a special time getting to know her better. And I think she had fun spending time with the girls. Especially reading and painting watercolors. I know the girls had fun! Also, while she was here Ben and I were able to go out on a few dates. Thanks for all the help!

Aunt Pat

Next, my Mom came to visit to help with the girls so I could get some pre-moving stuff done and to celebrate Morgan's birthday. I'm sure she also enjoyed getting to spend some time with her sisters. We also got to have some girl time together!

Aunt Carol, my Mom (Katie), & Aunt Pat

Lastly, my cousin Lynne and her boyfriend Chris came to town. I don't know if they count as our visitors because they really only spent time in my car. In fact, I didn't even hang out with them enough to get a photo. But I know the girls had a good time swimming with them out at the lake.

Thank you all for sharing part of your summer with us!

Bee City

So sometime back in the middle of June my tennis friend Silvia (you remember the one that had the great bbq) and her daughter Charris were helping me get out the house so Ben could sleep since he was working nights.

We went to Bee City! There were so many fun animals. And I promise you that if I had gone to this petting zoo as a child I wouldn't have had issues identifying the ring tailed lemur on Nora's wooden puzzle. They have the softest little fingers. They had tons of other animals too and they had all different types of food to feed them. It was great fun, even if I did get rammed by a goat...twice.

The ring tailed lemur

I think this one speaks for its self

Charris and the ferret

Nora and Silvia

Morgan eating her ice cream cone from the bottom up

Lightning Strike

Okay, so way back at the end of June it was raining, well storming. Not really a surprise it rains a lot in the South, especially during the summer. I was getting a show ready for the girls to watch and there was a really bright flash and a loud pop. Then my tv went off and the room smelled of melted plastic. I look into the kitchen and there are lights on. Not a good sign. So I grab the screaming girls and we head for the hall. I wait a few minutes for the storm to pass then head outside to inspect the house for damage. I can't make out where the lightning hit, but luckily happen upon my neighbors in their garage. Turns out they had some issues too. Ben is at work so my nice neighbors come in and flip all my circuit breakers back and get my refrigerators back on. Then I can turn the tv on, good sign...wait no cable...wait no wii...wait no internet. Ugh. Thank god for insurance! Because this is just the beginning. I spend the next week and a half calling repair men, taking the computer to Best Buy, and getting quotes on how much it will cost to fix everything. Then just as I think I have a complete list of everything something else turns up and something else and something else.

So I guess I learned that we have insurance for a reason and you really should unplug stuff when it is storming. Oh and while you are being safe, go ahead and stay home when the dryer is running.