A Beautiful Wedding

We spent the weekend in Charleston again, this time to celebrate the wedding of my cousin Shirley. The wedding was so much fun! Shirley looked breathtaking and the ceremony was so sweet and heartfelt, filled with plenty of laughter (my favorite type of ceremony!) It was held at a beautiful house by the water, and the food was delicious. I got to see some relatives that I haven't seen for quite a while, which was awesome. Laura got to play with all of her cousins, and the Army Man even went so far as to dance with me. Must have been something in the drinks….

As usual I did a terrible job of taking pictures. I never remembered to get a picture of the three of us together. In fact, I don’t have any good pictures of us! I can vouch for us though-Laura was adorable, the Army Man looked great and my dress was very cute (at least I thought so). Enjoy the few pictures I did take!

Laura and Daddy before the ceremonyLaura and Mommy before the ceremony

Shirley dancing with her father

Sam and Fisher not understanding what all the fuss is about

Eden and Estelle, proving that our family produces the most adorable kids

Laura and Campbell at the brunch after the wedding

Charleston Trip

It's not often that the Army Man informs me that we are taking a weekend trip anywhere, so when he does, I say "yes please!" without even worrying about where we're heading. He chose a great spot to go last weekend-Charleston, South Carolina. He went a few weeks back on some training and had a great time, and he wanted to go back again with the whole family (except Moxie. Sorry, dog). It was a short trip, just Friday-Sunday, and although I was momentarily afraid for our safety when I saw our hotel, it was a fantastic trip!

If you live in California, surely you know of the Roxford exit off of the 5? Well that should give you an idea of what the area our hotel was in was like. Charleston is a beautiful town, so we were quite shocked when our directions directed us to a rather shabby looking hotel in an even shabbier part of town. Inside the hotel and was nice and clean, and with the Army Man there to protect the family, I knew we would be fine. But I learned my lesson about booking hotels online!

Friday we walked around in the beautiful downtown area and ate dinner right by the water. Saturday we hit up the aquarium and the beach. The aquarium was nice but small, and the four penguins that call the aquarium home were the saddest looking bunch I've ever seen. They made me much too sad to enjoy them, even though Laura kept reminding me how much I like penguins (in case I forgot). Right next to the aquarium was a small Ft. Sumter museum with the tattered remains of the giant American flag that once lived at Ft. Sumter. A replica hung on the wall-it was gigantic!

After that, we went to the beach which was so much fun. It was ridiculously crowded, but the water was very warm and the weather was great. We all went pretty far into the water and I was loving it until a wave knocked me over and swept away my sunglasses. The Army Man and I searched in vain for them-the most perfect sunglasses I've ever owned. Later, I rested on the sand while Laura and the Army Man went far, far into the water to see just how tense Mommy could get. At one point they were out farther than anyone else! But of course Laura loved it and the Army Man was pleased that his plan to torture me worked. That evening we visited all too briefly with my cousin Shirley and her daughter Eden. Eden just turned 2 and is so stinkin' cute! Laura was too glued to the TV to pay much attention to Eden, and it was weird for me seeing that Laura really is a big kid now-she looked so much older and bigger than Eden.

Sunday was a lazy day for us and we never did make it to Ft. Sumter. I guess we'll have to save that for the next trip! Now, what you've all been waiting for: the pictures. I have a ton of Laura from the beach, and couldn't decide which ones were the best, so I posted a lot. Enjoy!

Laura and Daddy, enjoying dinner by the water Me at dinner, getting the obligatory photo take to prove I was thereThe USS YorktownThe source of my near panic attackLooking at Ft. SumterLaura being cute

The Gospel Truth

According to Laura, after she stumbled over the words in a song:

I am not a professional singer because I'm not that good, but I am a professional draw-er.

PS. We are currently delighting in all that Charleston, SC has to offer our family. Since we love history, shopping, the beach, and cool architecture, it turns out it has quite a bit to offer. I'll post pictures soon after we return home, provided I don't die of a panic attack when we have to drive over yet another of the highest and longest bridges I have ever seen. My water and heights phobias have never been better, thanks for asking!

The Delinquency Continues

I believed I promised I’d be back with more vacation pictures, right? And then I never came back and instead only posted about turning 30 in six months? I know, I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to post pictures and give a rundown of our trip, but of course, life got in the way. My excuses are good ones! They include: bronchitis (me and Laura), errands and chores (lots), dress orders to fill (two), a dog acting weird (Moxie), and a husband going back to work and being told they are leaving again on Saturday (Army Man).

So today things have finally calmed down, although it’s only due to Laura being sick and us being forced to stay home all day, to include missing her first swimming lesson today (not that she's upset by that). When the Army Man came home from work today, the house was a mess, I wasn't showered, Laura was still sick, but at least I had started this blog post. I have priorities, people!

I can't possibly describe the whole trip, so here's a brief recap. On Tuesday morning, Laura and I left bright and early to meet the Army Man in Savannah, Georgia. It was so wonderful to finally see him in the flesh and know that he really had survived his training. Laura was thrilled to be reunited with Daddy and we spent the day freezing to death in Savannah which, I'm sorry to report, is kind of boring. The next day, we left and drove through the worst rain I've ever driven in, but luckily the Army Man did some great driving and we all arrived safe and sound. We got to Florida in enough time to go to Downtown Disney and eat dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, where Mommy enjoyed a delicious beverage that may or may not have had alcohol in it.

Over the next five days, we went to the Magic Kingdom (twice!), Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Typhoon Lagoon, and Sea World. We went to Downtown Disney twice. We swam in the hotel pool. We saw a movie. We got rained on and we sweated to death in the sweltering heat that greeted us when it wasn’t raining. When you ask Laura what her favorite part was, she says, “Everything!” so I take that as a good sign. The Army Man and I had fun too, of course. We got to ride lots of rides and I totally beat the Army Man on the Buzz Lightyear ride.

Laura and Cinderella

Laura, enraptured by Belle

Jack Sparrow, or the next best thing

Laura took a picture of us

Shamu, doing his thing

Laura and Mommy in front of Mommy's favorite ride

Laura in front of Cinderella's fountain right before we left

It was a great family vacation, and I can't wait to do it again in a few years!

The Delinquent Blogger

Yes, yes, I know you all are dying to know how Disney World was. I'm afraid I must keep you in suspense a bit longer. You see, I caught a bad cold on our last day there, and I haven't been the same since. Luckily the Army Man is off of work until Monday, and is taking care of Laura. I still feel overwhelmed though: I am on load number 8 of laundry and still not done, and I also have pre-K applications to fill out, dresses to make, and a multitude of other things to do.

But enough of my complaining! I'll share a few pictures for now, and hopefully be back tomorrow or the weekend with more pictures, and full details. For now, the recap is: Laura was thrilled with her surprise, we had a lot of fun, and it rained every SINGLE day we were there. Full on storms too, not just a light sprinkle. But we were at the happiest place on earth, so it didn't really matter. Although it didn't help me in my quest for a tan.

Laura talking with Ariel. She was in awe of her.Laura and I on our first day at the Magic KingdomLaura and Daddy in the Robinson Family Treehouse

Laura on Shamu at Sea World. She was in heaven there, as was the Army Man.

Disney World, Here We Come!

Before I leave you all hanging for over a week with no Claire fix, I wanted to pop in and let you know that the Army Man survived his survival training. He called yesterday afternoon and sounded really good. Apparently he lost 15 pounds in just 3 weeks (sign me up for that program, minus the torture, please!) and ate, among other things, a grasshopper, clover, a snake, and a rabbit heart. But I don’t want to tell his story for him. Maybe I can convince him to write a guest post when he gets home.

Home from where, you ask? Oh, that would be DISNEY WORLD! Or, as I have been calling it, “D-World”. That is my most excellent code name, as I decided to keep it a secret from Laura where we were going. I figured if she ever had a really rough day of missing Daddy, I would whip out that little bit of info, but I never needed to tell her, and I’ve been successful at keeping my lips zipped. I mean seriously-when you’re 4, how awesome will it be to just roll up to Disney World one day? She’s beside herself with excitement as it is: she gets to see Daddy tomorrow, and stay in a “hoe-and-tell” (that would be a hotel for those who don’t speak Lauraese) with a big pool.

She has been harassing me nonstop today, asking what the surprise is, but I’m remaining strong. Although with the weather forecasting rain EVERY SINGLE DAY of our trip, the surprise might be that Mommy and Daddy spent a nice sum of money to sit in a hotel room all day.

Pittsburgh

I’ve been meaning to post about our trip to Pittsburgh, and since my blogging mojo is still MIA, I have to admit that I’ve been putting it off. I guess with this particular post, there’s not much witty to say, no clever way to write about attending my Grandfather’s memorial.

I think the thing that was the most interesting for me about this trip and the memorial was realizing how little I knew about Grandpap. So much of his personal history was unknown to me, but even more upsetting is how much of his personality was a mystery to me. I suppose such a thing was to be expected-when I was born, he had just turned 67. I grew up in California, and I didn’t see him that frequently. As I child, I knew him to be quiet, yet kind. Still, I couldn’t help but be intimidated by him. When I did see him, I never thought I had much to say that would interest him, and never could quite figure out how to talk to him. Our whole dynamic makes me so sad for what I missed out on, and I have to be honest-it scares me since I don’t want that situation repeating for Laura and her grandparents.

We live far away from both sets of Laura's grandparents, and I want her to be close to them, to be able to talk to them on the phone if she wants. I want her to feel like she knows them. I have heard so many wonderful things about Grandpap from my Dad, and I heard so many more interesting things at the memorial. I’m so happy I was able to attend and to celebrate his life and his family. And I’m grateful for the wake-up call, that NOW is the time to get to know our family members. I got to talk quite a bit to some of my cousins, and surprise, surprise, they are all really interesting and fun people! I suppose that is why memorials and funerals are so bittersweet. They remind us, all too clearly, of what has been taken from us, yet seem to nudge us even closer to our loved ones.

It was a great memorial, and a wonderful trip. I was so sad my Mom couldn’t come. We all missed her, and my two brothers, and my two cousins who couldn't come. The day after the memorial we did a little bit of sightseeing in Pittsburgh, one of my favorite cities. I have some pictures to share, and except for the picture of Pittsburgh, they were all taken by my sister Marla. She has a much nicer camera than me, and is also a lot more skilled than me when it comes to taking pictures.

I also want to recommend this post written by Citizen Grouch (aka my Dad) which is his very moving tribute to his father. He read it at the memorial and had me in tears, and it will give you a glimpse into my Grandpap’s life.

Me at lunch after the memorialOur table, with Dad, Aunt Louise, and JuliannaMe with my Godmother, JuliannaLaura, harassing her cousin FisherLaura with Fisher and Sam-they had a blast togetherGroup shot of the family (most of us)Laura and Grandad, at the Soldiers and Sailors MuseumAfter much searching, Dad found the name of his great uncle who had fought in Gettysburg!

Pittsburgh, in all her glory

There were so many more great pictures, but if I add any more it may be the longest blog post ever. And while the writing itself may have been a bit vague, I don't feel like there is much else I can say. Even though we weren't as close as we could have been, I think it's safe to say-I love you Grandpap.

A Day At The Aquarium

We’ve been so busy at our house over the last few days, and I have a lot of pictures to share! So many pictures in fact, that it might take 2 posts to get them all in. Friday was the Army Man’s last day with us before he left for more training, so to celebrate we drove 2.5 hours to Wilmington to see the aquarium at Fort Fisher. It was a very nice aquarium, and Laura was thrilled because she loves fish, but the two adults in attendance agreed that it wasn’t enough to make our 5 hour round trip worthwhile.

Once we finished up there, we drove along the beach for a bit and found a tiny little restaurant and had some lunch. While there we discovered the most delicious barbecue sauce ever created, and even got the name of it from the waitress. Too bad it is a food service brand and apparently not available for the general public to buy. I don’t think I’m going to let that stop me in my search for it-it really is that good.

After lunch we walked down to the beach (too bad we hadn’t brought any beach attire or equipment). Last summer Laura nearly died of a heart attack at the beach, she was that scared. This time around, she was in heaven. I couldn’t believe how much fun she was having. Her dress got totally soaked, but luckily I had my handy hurricane emergency kit in my car complete with a change of clothes. And yes, she was still able to fit into the 2T sized clothing. Just barely though! Guess it's time to update the kit.

Laura and Daddy posing with an alligator

The Army Man is so brave

Laura checking out a real alligator

The free-range quail I wanted to birdnapLaura and Daddy in the waterLaura hard at workLaura was thrilled to show this to meLaura running from the "waves"Totally soaked

An Afternoon At The Lake

Did you all miss me? Did you not know what to do with your life without my posts to read? Well luckily I am here to remedy that for you!

The Army Man has been on leave since Friday and we've been busy and I haven't had much time left to post. Today however, I've found a few spare minutes and want to share pictures from this afternoon's trip to the local lake. For those who aren't local, this lake actually was dry from 2003 until just a few months ago. Since we arrived here in 2004, we had never seen it in any form other than a rather ugly dried up lake-until the replacement dam was finally finished last year. It looks beautiful now, and today we finally got a chance to check it out in person.

Apparently people are allowed (and do!) swim in this lake, but you couldn't pay me enough money to go in there. The Army Man and Laura stuck their feet in (they said it was very cold). Moxie, the dog who is terrified of water, refused to enter. We also walked over the footbridge that gives a great view of the dam below, and all the rushing water as it overflows and heads downriver. The noise is much more significant that I expected it to be, and both Laura and Moxie had to be dragged across. Apparently fear of noise runs in the family, whether or not you are adopted.

There's a playground there, and a stand selling shaved ice, so all in all, a fun place to go on a nice day like today. Now, on to the pictures!

Laura before we started out

It's a bit blurry, but I love this picture of her running

My picture of the token wildlife

Before crossing the bridge. Notice the grimace on Laura's face!

Moxie refusing to cross the bridge, and being draggedLaura and Daddy wading in the lake

Phew, that was a lot of pictures! I'll be back to post again in a few days, with a review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As promised, there has been plenty of zombie gore so far!