Happy New Year...

.. and as 2009 rolls to an end I wish you all well. Just a little update on the sailor and his bride. He will be at school in Pensacola Florida to learn his Navy job until around March and then will learn where their home base will be. My darling daughter in law ever the adventuress took off to drive there with two sisters and a friend. Made it after a few nights on the road and one visit to Texas grandma. She was insistant to not allow him to have Christmas without her so they have been in the rented condo since arrival on Dec. 21st. Sis Ashley will stay on while Tiffany waits for Dan to be ready to go after he graduates from this school. So once again we are empty nesters which made for a very quiet holiday. So Auld Lang Syne, Happy New Year etc. Stay happy and healthy. Watch as the postings for The Fridge Magnet Chronicles continue.

Happy Holidays!

Well, I know of a very happy newly married couple who are going to have a happy one. Tiffany's traveling road show headed to Pensacola on Wednesday 12/16 after finals and we got the text yesterday at 6pm our time that they had just arrived. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Dan, Tiff, Ash, Tess and whoever the friend is that at the last minute tagged along.

final graduation post

And so graduation ended, we found our new sailor and "adopted" another one. Dan had invited along his buddy Mat who's family hadn't been able to come from Texas for the graduation. We fiddled around at the base too long to make the last shuttle to the hotel so got a cab back then comisserated on what to do for the afternoon. The hotel desk person kind of persuaded us that it might be too late in the day to head for Chicago without getting in the middle of Friday rush hour traffic and the train was a commute train and would take an hour and a half each way. Ended up a few miles away at the Gurnee Mills Mall. Ate, shopped, the kids hit an arcade. Another busy day and so pooped out we went back to the room and packed to be ready to head back to the airport on Saturday. The next day we were relieved to not have it be snowy on the road as the kids would have the rental car and take us back to O'Hare. Only mishap on the ride was an asshole local driver who decided Tiff wasn't driving fast enough and tailgated, laying on his horn then passed us and came back around to our lane and pulled in front then stood on the brakes! And so we ended our visit to Chicago without even seeing the city but proud as can be of our boy. He's in Florida now going to the school that will teach him the job he will do on the aircraft carrier. Tiff heads there with her sis Ash to have xmas with Dan. Whew and that is the recap of our whirlwind trip. Watch for more postings of info while the sailor is in Pensacola. Have a great week.

continuing graduation installment

Well, according to wunderweather, with wind chill it is -3 degrees in Chicago today! I'm sure Dan is happy to have left there yesterday and flown to Pensacola Florida where it is actually a little chili there, 56 degrees. But I digress, need to get back to the graduation. We were shuttled to the base from our hotel, lots of recruits families staying there, so 2 shuttles left and had to come back for the rest of us. It had snowed through the night so there was white covering everything, don't personally care much for that stuff but it was kind of pretty. We walked through the front gate where we had to be processed to make sure we had id's and were on the guest list then headed to the huge building where we were to see almost 1000 recruits graduate. The ceremony was amazing, very pomp and circumstance. They really get into the long history of the U.S. Navy, you know all that propoganda and stuff. Ok, need to stop having my liberal pacifist come out. Truth be told, I was so proud I thought my heart would burst. Dan's division was first place and out of the 60 or so in his section there he was standing at attention 4th row in 4th back from the front. Ok, let me compose myself and continue this later.

Home from Great Lakes

What a whirlwind few days. Last Thursday headed to meet airport express @ 3am, caught flight to Chicago at 6. Took my pill when I woke we were almost there! Can't say enough about the Ramada in Waukegan, they really cater to the families of the graduates, a couple of fantastic rooms at a super discount, a meet and greet in the bar the first night to give other parents a chance to mingle, and the next morning a free shuttle to the Naval base. Ok, just thinking about it is giving me a lump in my throat so will close this installment for now. Watch for more later.