Long Weekend with My Dearest Family

I was able to go on leave, starting Thursday afternoon (the 21st) and ending very early this morning in order to have ample time to visit with my parents who were driving over from visiting my Grandparents in North Carolina and my husband who flew in for the occasion.

It was a good thing that Mom called me a couple hours before they arrived. I took a nap immediately upon getting home... still in my black turtleneck and long johns. This gave me time to straighten up the house a little and do the things I was putting off for so long... like clean off the table and do the dishes. They arrived just when they said... around 5:30. Showed them the house for a second, then we went to check in to their motel along Ocean View Ave. They even had a room with a view of the bay! Then I introduced them to our nice, local seafood restaurant, the Ship's Cabin, another couple miles up the road. Mom tried scallops for the first time, Dad had some well done swordfish, and I was happy with jumbo shrimp. We were the only ones in the dining room for a long time (and at a booth by the window on the bay) and had a good time just sitting and visiting. They were duly impressed with the piping hot, delicious bread they serve. On our way to pick up Mike from the airport (just afterwards) we swung by the local grocery store to pick up the makings of the next day's dinner. Also stopped by Hampton Blvd. to get Mike a late night snack of his favorite fried chicken so he would have something to eat after a weary journey.

Friday! We had a big breakfast at home, and my, was it a pleasure to host my Mom & Dad. We had eight scrambled eggs between us, bacon, toast and muffins, besides milk and juice. Since the weather promised to get worse the next day, we decided this would be the best for a trip to the Jamestown Settlement, just a mile south of the original archaeological site (will have to go back to see that sometime soon). I loved the people in costume, and especially the firing of the sixteenth century reproduction rifles. And the reproductions of the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery were very interesting to look over. We came back the long way around, crossing the James river by ferry to Scotland, then stopping in Surry for gas and getting back on I-64 via the James River Bridge and Mercury Blvd. When we got home, we made a feast for dinner: 2 hamburgers each, french fries, applesauce, and corn-on-the-cob. Then we set my laptop on the coffee table and sat down to watch a Bugs Bunny cartoon and the film Thor because no one wanted to say goodnight yet.

Saturday we managed to start a little earlier with more of a rest. Along with what we had the day before for breakfast, we added Eggo waffles to the mix, as well as eggs individually prepared. On the agenda this day was a trip to the Naval Base for a tour of it and my ship. I didn't mind coming in like this on my day off to show them around; it ended up being a lot of fun, and I know they all enjoyed it too. Finished going around the base, then we stopped at the NEX complex so Mom could get a magnet. :) Right from there we headed off to Virginia Beach to a Cafe Theater to watch last year's Les Miserables with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russel Crowe... all of which I usually like, and which I was very surprised at their ability to sing. I thought it very bold of Hollywood to do a musical; although long, it was very well done. We went back down Independence Blvd. to V.B. Blvd. where we had a marvelous dinner at the Macaroni Grill just before the rush. I got a build-your-own again with bow-tie pasta, Alfredo, chicken, mushrooms, asparagus and sweet peas. So good! Went back home and watched OSS-117 (with our famous French couple from The Artist) and laughed at it's silliness. Unfortunately, Mom & Dad's time was short here as they had to drive back to North Carolina in the morning. It was a wonderful thing to show them my place here in Virginia.

So Mike and I had a wonderful Sunday and Monday to ourselves. Sunday morning, we took the Lord's advice and rested. And how sweet that was! We went to breakfast at the Sandfiddler Cafe just after noon... and then we continued on to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (a 17.6 mile span), stopping at the gift shop (LOL), then going on to Kiptopeke State Park on the bay-side of Virginia's Eastern Shore. We walked along the beach, listening to the waves and the tinkling of the broken shells as we picked up a few good shells. There was only one other couple there and they had a very playful pup with them. After returning to Virginia Beach, we had dinner at the Abby Road Pub & Restaurant for some Beatles-themed burgers. Not only did we listen to Beatles songs on the way there, but they played lots of them as we ate. Poor Mike could barely finish his dinner, he was singing along nearly the entire time... lol! For laughs, we watched the world's worst movie ever (accompanied by Rifftrax), which is Birdemic: Shock and Terror from 2005. Goodness, it was so shockingly awful... it's not even worth mentioning.

Our last day of this marvelous weekend, and we took a day trip down to North Carolina. I have always wanted to visit the Wright Memorial at Kill Devil Hills (near Kitty Hawk), so we did. The fact that Roanoke Island (the lost colony) and one of North Carolina's 3 state aquariums were nearby didn't hinder us either. It was less than a 2-hour drive each way, and on the way back we were treated to a lovely sunset nearly the entire way as we listened to some Newsboys praise music. Everything we saw was really lovely... and it wasn't crowded at all since the weather was so invigoratingly cold. Back in Virginia Beach on the way back home, we stopped at Red Lobster to spend our Christmas gift cards for our goodbye dinner.

Very early the next morning (3:45 wake up!) we got ready fast and I dropped him off at the airport on my way to the ship for my duty day.

Jw

A Breather

A two-day respite for the weary! After a month at sea, two afternoons and evenings at home really felt like a holiday, times two!

Monday, which actually was a holiday (to honor our Presidents), we pulled into Norfolk. They put out the Liberty Call at 11:15, and by 11:30, I was dropped off at my car with my bags. Didn't even have to get worn out with a long walk. The first thing I did was get some groceries on Hampton Blvd. I dropped them off at home, tried to locate a couple packages I had shipped here, talked to Mom for a few minutes, then drove over to Little Creek Blvd. for a fantastic Mexican dinner. Stopped by the thrift store down that way (where I had gotten a few things when I first came to Virginia), including a two-volume illustrated history of the presidents, fittingly.

Tuesday we were let off in the early afternoon again. I came home and made my salmon and shrimp dinner that I had in the fridge from the day before. I was so pleased to just spend another evening at home. It felt like another holiday, even though I had duty the next day. The package of things I sent to Mike while in Florida was sitting on my doorstep when I got back from work and it was a little trip down memory lane. There were things in there that I had completely forgotten about: the decorative tile with a koi swimming in a lily pond from the Jacksonville Zoo... it was like Christmas. :) I managed to find my Soaps & Suds laundry card in there, so that evening I went out to Ocean View and did a big load. While it was drying, I crossed the street and picked up a couple movies at the rental store with a coupon that had come in the mail and got a cup of coffee at McDonald's as well.

Jw