Well, it was my first anniversary. :) My command gave me a "96", meaning I had four days (including the weekend) to have special liberty... it wasn't counted against my earned leave days!
I had to report for Indoc training Friday morning, but other than that I had that day off as well. Mostly waited around for a ride to the airport, and then enjoyed a night at a swank hotel before heading off to see my Darling, Michael, the next morning, early. For the first time ever, I added costs to my hotel tab, eating at the restaurant in the lobby and getting a late-night snack and toothpaste from their little pantry after I got back from a shopping trip to the nearby mall. Found a very nice, purple silk evening dress with a flower print for the wedding, plus shoes and purse! I walked the mile+ to the mall, but got a cab ride back, as it was dark and I had bags.
Saturday morning, the hotel provided a van ride to the airport and I was there in plenty of time. TSA was a breeze, and I had printed out my tickets the night before at the hotel. Didn't have long to wait before I boarded... and soon we were off! I was so excited to see my husband! It had been three months!
Landed in Charlotte, NC, a little late, then found out what gate Mike would be coming in at. He ended up being a little early, and we talked on the phone as I saw his plane taxiing to where I was waiting. While on the phone, I heard his pilot announce they had to wait a moment for another plane at the gate. I was dumbfounded, as the one they had on the arrivals board was very empty and ready... things must have got straightened out quick though, because a minute later they were coming in.
Met Mike as he de-boarded... just like in the good old days when you could meet people at their gates. We got the car from Alamo (best company for one-way trips, BTW), then stopped for brunch at the nearest Cracker Barrel as soon as we could. So relaxing and good, although it weirded Mike out a little to feel like he was back in the one in Norman just after a full morning of flying! From there we drove the hour-and-a-half north to the hotel in Winston-Salem, crashed on the bed for a full three minutes, changed into our nice clothes and were off to the nearby wedding of our nephew Scott. It's a wonder we made it through it all! We exchanged our anniversary gifts while we got dressed... I got Mike a leather wallet, and he gave me a beautiful white gold necklace with a diamond sitting inside two loops (suggesting a hug) and sort of resembling the Christian fish symbol, which is perfect for me in several ways! How sweet of him!
The service was very formal, but beautiful too. Friends of the bride sang Latin to the accompaniment of a small string orchestra up front! Tracy, who conducted our own wedding last year helped perform this one as well. It was wonderful to meet Scott and his bride as well as see the rest of the family again! After blowing bubbles as they "left", and then doing a family photo shoot in the chapel, we followed them to the reception at the courtyard of an art museum in the historic part of town. The weather was perfect for the entire evening and the food was delicious! There was a small crisis that came up from the folks watching Mike's house (they called)... but the Lord answered our prayer instantaneously (as soon as we started to pray), and it was easily resolved to our great relief. The reception went along very well... we even danced together when they played "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (lots of great classic love songs during the whole thing) and stayed for the short and sweet toasts and cake before getting way too tired to stay up any more. :)
Next morning we were able to sleep in for a while, then got the car packed before meeting family for a leisurely brunch at the hip place in town. I had a sausage and egg toasted sandwich with apple-butter jam on it! Yum! Mike tried the fried corn cakes, and also found them to his liking. From there we started our trip to Charleston, SC, for our anniversary day the next day. On our way we stopped at the North Carolina Zoo outside Asheboro (saw a flier at the hotel). Lots of fun there! Even saw them feed the seals!
It was pretty late by the time we got to the hotel in Mt Pleasant, across the big bridge from downtown, but we had already stopped for dinner in Rockingham so we were ready for bed after Mike had a smoke and we sat outside and talked for a few minutes, unwinding.
Saturday we did way too much! :) Started out with the Quality Inn breakfast (that was descent), then caught the late-morning ferry to Fort Sumter National Park. What can I say? Sort of odd to visit the place commemorating the commencement of a civil war on one's anniversary... Thanks for that, Darling! :) It was attractive to us not only because of the historical value, but also because of the 30 minute ferry ride both ways. Looked at the nearby USS Yorktown (CV 10) before we went downtown for a late lunch and for a visit to the Charleston Museum... which is the oldest museum in the country... and has everything under the sun in it! Big collection and very interesting. We also took a break on a bench before starting and when we finished. Not enough time in the day! I loved the model of the CSS Hunley sitting outside as well. Gosh, they have lots of neat stuff there!
Went back to the hotel to rest for a while before we came downtown to have a fancy anniversary dinner at Hank's Seafood Restaurant. It was so full we had to wait outside for a while, but it was worth it. I had a delicious dish of shrimp curry for the first time, and we enjoyed our decaff coffees before and afterwords!
Tuesday was a long day of driving, that Mike did nearly all the way. We changed after our goodbye dinner at Red Lobster near the Jacksonville airport, then actually said goodbye at the shipyard after having a bit of time at the Little Talbot Island State Park beach just down the road from it. What a time we had!
Jw
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
A Fun, Full, Friendly Weekend
It was last Sunday that I wrote all about last Saturday. That day I took pretty easy, getting the phone camera fixed, getting a haircut in the same mall, having lunch at Panera Bread, returning the car, crossing the river on the ferry for the first time in the taxi on the way back to the ship. So glad I found out where it was! Everything is so vague and confusing until you see it with your own eyes. So thank goodness for the cabbie who suggested it.
This weekend started out on Friday night. After finishing Black Beauty in my rack, I decided to go ride the bus to the Town Center Mall after they announced it was leaving in a half-hour from the parking lot. Turned out the other people I work with (who got off earlier) were still waiting for it too. So I joined them for dinner at Applebees (it was also a birthday celebration). Such good food! I had a small steak with veggies and a decaf coffee.
I had come prepared to stay overnight if I decided to plunk down for a hotel... and I'm glad I did. Happened to see on Google maps that there was a hotel just around the corner there... the Homewood Suites by Hilton. Figured it would be super-expensive, but after I showed my military ID, I got $50 off the price, making it very reasonable. Staying in such luxury was so very nice after a solid week on the barge.
Next morning I explored the mall until I could get picked up by the car rental place... got a neat book from B&N about the English Monarchy, and flipped through books about Masonic history and about misunderstood Catholic beliefs. Brief little religion class. :)
Then I got the car, a little red Chevy Aveo... and then returned to the mall for lunch at Chipotle, and a browse through Best Buy for a couple movies to watch. Then I had a walk-in full-body massage that was exactly what I needed. The rest of the day I spent exploring the islands north of the dry dock (on recommendation from the taxi and Hertz drivers I met over the last two weekends), and then picked up a few of the food service people from the ship for a dinner together at Golden Corral.
Sunday was so much fun!!! I picked up my friend and sponsor, Cassie, from the ship and we spent the rest of the weekend together. First to Walmart to get a few things (I bought a cheap fishing pole for the barge), then sushi for lunch (I tried eel! I liked it! We also had shrimp, salmon and avocado.), then back to Amelia Island, north of the ship, to go horseback riding on the beach! What a find that was from Saturday! It was a lovely, hour-long ride on Western saddles. Too bad we couldn't go faster!
There was no plans beyond this, but I had an hankering to see Fort Clinch (a Civil War era fort) at the tip of the island and at the northernmost point of Florida's coast. It was a lot of fun, especially with a friend. A volunteer told us all about the history, and we enjoyed walking the walls and going through the few brick buildings. I loved the detail of the 1864 US flag flying above the compound.
From there we returned to the mall, had Chipotle for dinner, stopped by a sporting goods store, went back to the hotel, went swimming, then walked to a nearby ice cream parlor for a treat, and watched one of the films I bought the day before: My Way (a foreign war film about a Korean runner and a Japanese colonel in WWII... from Manchuria to Siberia, to Normandy, France... what a story!) before going to sleep.
Monday, after breakfast, Cassie got picked up by another Sonar Tech, and I went back to Walmart to get a cheap bike and take it back to the ship. Then I crossed the ferry to get back to them at the beach, and went swimming in the warm Atlantic with them for a short while. Had dinner at the Third Street Diner, on my recommendation (had sandwiches), then went to the movies... I saw The Expendables 2, and laughed my head off, especially at Chuck Norris. The others saw Dark Knight Rises again, and I poked my head in until it was done. We headed back to the ship after a Whataburger for a late dinner.
What a time I had!
This afternoon I got off around 2:30, since it was my early day, and planned on finding a Starbucks for some Internet. Well, the bike had a flat, so I waited for the ship's bus to get me to Mayport so I could get a cab and a bike shop. Unbelievably, it all worked out! Thank you, Lord! Even though the shop I went to was supposed to be closing when I got there. Anyway, found a fantastic seafood grill for dinner, got a book at the bookstore nearby (a compact Nat Geo picture collection) and then biked to the Starbucks down the street... way better than I was planning! :)
Time to get back though!
Jw
This weekend started out on Friday night. After finishing Black Beauty in my rack, I decided to go ride the bus to the Town Center Mall after they announced it was leaving in a half-hour from the parking lot. Turned out the other people I work with (who got off earlier) were still waiting for it too. So I joined them for dinner at Applebees (it was also a birthday celebration). Such good food! I had a small steak with veggies and a decaf coffee.
I had come prepared to stay overnight if I decided to plunk down for a hotel... and I'm glad I did. Happened to see on Google maps that there was a hotel just around the corner there... the Homewood Suites by Hilton. Figured it would be super-expensive, but after I showed my military ID, I got $50 off the price, making it very reasonable. Staying in such luxury was so very nice after a solid week on the barge.
Next morning I explored the mall until I could get picked up by the car rental place... got a neat book from B&N about the English Monarchy, and flipped through books about Masonic history and about misunderstood Catholic beliefs. Brief little religion class. :)
Then I got the car, a little red Chevy Aveo... and then returned to the mall for lunch at Chipotle, and a browse through Best Buy for a couple movies to watch. Then I had a walk-in full-body massage that was exactly what I needed. The rest of the day I spent exploring the islands north of the dry dock (on recommendation from the taxi and Hertz drivers I met over the last two weekends), and then picked up a few of the food service people from the ship for a dinner together at Golden Corral.
Sunday was so much fun!!! I picked up my friend and sponsor, Cassie, from the ship and we spent the rest of the weekend together. First to Walmart to get a few things (I bought a cheap fishing pole for the barge), then sushi for lunch (I tried eel! I liked it! We also had shrimp, salmon and avocado.), then back to Amelia Island, north of the ship, to go horseback riding on the beach! What a find that was from Saturday! It was a lovely, hour-long ride on Western saddles. Too bad we couldn't go faster!
There was no plans beyond this, but I had an hankering to see Fort Clinch (a Civil War era fort) at the tip of the island and at the northernmost point of Florida's coast. It was a lot of fun, especially with a friend. A volunteer told us all about the history, and we enjoyed walking the walls and going through the few brick buildings. I loved the detail of the 1864 US flag flying above the compound.
From there we returned to the mall, had Chipotle for dinner, stopped by a sporting goods store, went back to the hotel, went swimming, then walked to a nearby ice cream parlor for a treat, and watched one of the films I bought the day before: My Way (a foreign war film about a Korean runner and a Japanese colonel in WWII... from Manchuria to Siberia, to Normandy, France... what a story!) before going to sleep.
Monday, after breakfast, Cassie got picked up by another Sonar Tech, and I went back to Walmart to get a cheap bike and take it back to the ship. Then I crossed the ferry to get back to them at the beach, and went swimming in the warm Atlantic with them for a short while. Had dinner at the Third Street Diner, on my recommendation (had sandwiches), then went to the movies... I saw The Expendables 2, and laughed my head off, especially at Chuck Norris. The others saw Dark Knight Rises again, and I poked my head in until it was done. We headed back to the ship after a Whataburger for a late dinner.
What a time I had!
This afternoon I got off around 2:30, since it was my early day, and planned on finding a Starbucks for some Internet. Well, the bike had a flat, so I waited for the ship's bus to get me to Mayport so I could get a cab and a bike shop. Unbelievably, it all worked out! Thank you, Lord! Even though the shop I went to was supposed to be closing when I got there. Anyway, found a fantastic seafood grill for dinner, got a book at the bookstore nearby (a compact Nat Geo picture collection) and then biked to the Starbucks down the street... way better than I was planning! :)
Time to get back though!
Jw
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