Home for Christmas!

Well, unlike the public school sysytem, our school still has one more day to go until the break starts. Boy, does it show. The girls at work are crazy!
We are so excited to come home. This time we will actually be able to stay for a while and visit. We get to stay for 6 days. Joe might stay a little longer, but I have to go back to work on the 30th. Hope you all are doing well! I can't wait to see everyone!!!!
Carey-
Thank you so much for the Glamour subscription! I love it!!!

Happy Birthday Joe!

Please stand for birthday pictures. I'll post them later tonight.

Joe hit the big time!

As most of you know, Joe has started flying now. I thought you all might like to see him with all of his gear.

Henry at the beach!

Last weekend we took Henry to the beach for the first time. It has been a long time since Joe had been down there. It was a little cool, but it was fun. We collected some neat shells that the tide had washed up. Henry also discovered seagulls on this trip. You'll note that in one picture Joe is running down the beach to try to catch Henry as he took off to attack the birds. They were not afraid of such a tiny dog. Joe had to save him. They were swooping down and getting really close to scooping him up!

It's been a while!

Hey everyone! I have been neglecting my blogspot, but I have a lot of pictures to share. I am going to try to get them up tonight. I have been really busy at work, so the only hobby I have took a backseat! Joe and I have just been getting some shopping done and working. We were sure sorry that we couldn't make Lily's baptism. I did look at Carey's site to see how it went though! Ok, I'm at work, so I should be going now. Look for new stuff later tonight!
Can't wait to see you all next week!!!!!

Christmas in July

Ok, so it's not quite July, but it's way to warm for Christmas! We went out and got a tree and a bunch of other decorations. I know it's a little early, but I figured this way when we came back from Thanksgiving, everything would be already be done! We can't wait to come home and see everyone! Especially that baby!!!

College Football

To commemorate what I've been told was the "biggest day in college football" the marines around Eaton Square did some celebrating. Due to the fact that everyone is from a different part of the country, each person had a different game that they were particularly interested in. Notre Dame v. Syracuse, Alabama v. Auburn, and Penn State v. Michigan just to name a few.
We started the day with a big game at the University of West Florida. Since the guys could not make it back to their respective schools, they decided to have their own game of two hand touch.
Following the game was the big "tailgate". I think that everyone should know that this is not your usual tailgate. These guys go to great links to get all the games on seperate tvs, outside!
Yes that's right, outside. They run cable cords, haul TVs from everywhere and line their truck up so they can make their own mini sports bar outside in the parking lot. Unfortunately, I did not get as many pictures as I would have liked. The only one I have doesn't really give you the whole view, but you can use your imaginations!

Congratulations Natalie and Jeff!

Mark your calendars, July 25th (or somewhere near that) Natalie and Jeff are due to have their first baby!!! Laura, Kate and I are all looking forward to becoming aunts! Lucky for me this will be my second time!
We can't wait!

Henry's got a Girlfriend-

This is Lucy Thorn. She belongs to my co-worker Amy Thorn. Last night we all got together at our friend Amanda's house. We brought Henry and Amy brought Lucy. They fell in love.
They spent the entire night playing. Henry doesn't get out much, so this was a big night for him.

Carey, Is this True?

Joe says that Carey has a blogspot. Is this true? Since he is known for spreading rumors and gossiping, I'll need to hear it from a credible source! Just Kidding. I hope you all are having a good weekend. I was going to take Henry to the beach today, but it's a little cloudy. Joe's busy studying up before the Notre Dame game starts. So anyway, if anyone has any info about Carey's blogspot fill us in!
Bye!
Oh-Abbie, I also heard you were having a bonfire, if this is accurate, let us know how it went!!

RE: Blogspots and Dog Pee on the Carpet

Well ok, at first I was really worried that one more spot on the carptet might send me over the edge. BUT, just in the knick of time Henry realized that Riley was teaching him to go OUTSIDE! So after a few mishaps to the couch and a few more threats to his life, he finally got it. We are happy to report that Henry is finally going outside. The carpet (and the couch) were cleaned on Saturday and there have been no more accidents. I give Riley all of the credit although I might have mentioned that Henry would be thrown off the balcony if the couch situation did not improve! Either way, he' s finally on track. Oh, and he lost a tooth today! I tell you the fun never ends around here!

Marine Corps Ball

Happy 230th Marines!
Saturday was the Marine Corps Ball. It was slightly smaller than the one last year in Richmond, but it was a lot of fun. It was held at the Naval Air Museum, which was nice. These are Joe's buddies. Most of them have been up here before, so you'll probably recognize some of them!

Girls Night!

While Joe was out painting the town with his Dad and Matt, I decided that this would be a good time to go out with my girls from work. First we went to an Art exhibit. Some of our girls had art worked displayed at a Domestic Violence show. Then we went to a little place called Hubbs with our bosses. Let me just tell you that they know how to have a good time. They would kill me and any of the others who showed the pictures we have, so I'll just show you the one of my friends. Amanda(transition counselor), Krissy(science teacher) and Amy(my partner in crime and counselor). The weeks at work are quite busy, so it's nice to have them on the weekends!

We Miss Our Friends!

The Terminal. No matter how much time passes between visits, we always end up there. It's always fun. Joe needs a reason to break out the shoulder shake. That's his dance for those of you who haven't seen it.
Well gang, we'll be back for Thanksgiving so make sure you save us a seat!

Allie and Ali

Homecoming weekend was big for Allie. She was in the parade with her cheerleading squad. This is a picture of Allie and her best friend Ali who is also a new cheerleader at Honey Creek.

The Kids!

One of my favorite things to do while we are home is to visit the little ones. They are a big help out at the barn. Maddie was a great help to me during the haunted maze! She warned me when something scary was about to happen! Cole and Maddie both took card of Henry while we were there. Allie was a lead, and took us through the maze so we wouldn't get lost!

Pumpkins!

While we were at home we went out to Pumpkin Fest(that name was brought to you by Joe). We went through the maze and rode on the haunted hayride with Matt and Taryn. It was a short visit, but it was fun.

Lilian!

Well I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but now we have pictures of the new baby! She is so cute! She was born October 13th and weighed 6lbs 13ounces!

Congratualtions Carey and Barclay!

The Maze!

Hi All! Yay for Friday. I just looked online to see what's going on at Scarecrow fest this weekend. I had no idea how big the maze was this year, but I was shocked when I saw it. It's huge.
You guys can go to the website and see it if you're interested, otherwise go and eat some good food for us!
Have a good weekend.

More from McGuire's

Here are some more pictures of our outing to McGuire's.

The Real World-YUCK!

Well, don't get me wrong, I love my job. But I just found out that I can't use any of my vacation time or personal days until I've been there for 90 days. BUMMER! We were really looking forward to coming back to see everyone. However, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I'll be able to take it then and see everyone for whole week!

Good Ol'Matty

Matt came to visit us this weekend! We had a good time. He and Joe went to see the sights and we went to McGuire's! For those of you who didn't know, our Matt is very skilled- he does an Irish jig that will knock your socks off- These are some pictures of his dancing at our house and at the pub!

Yay for Joe!

Well after weeks of 4am alarms and hours of studying Joe finally graduated from API! So now he has a lovely 3 to 4 week vacation before he starts flying!

Cleaning House!

Yes that's right, It's Joe with a vacuum. Today we went to church and then spent the day cleaning up. Here are some pictures of the apartment for those of you who haven't seen it yet.
Hope you all had a good weekend.

What's new with Joe

Joe started flight school a few weeks ago. As you can see from the pictures, he got his flight suit last week. He was very excited. He has been working very hard going to class and studying. He just finished his last test this past Friday!

Birthday

This was the first birthday away from home. I missed everyone, but Joe and our friends here made it fun for me. I got my cool new camera so now I can share all of my pictures with everyone at home:) My mom and the gang sent me these flowers. I also received phone messages, emails and cards, all of which I greatly appreciated!

Our Friends

We live in an apartment complex with a lot of other Marines. They are a ton of fun, and our little family down here.
On the left is Joe and our friends Brian and Steve. Top left is also Joe. He lives across the hall and is Henry's favorite neighbor. Next to him is Talbot Harlan, Joe's friend from OCS and TBS. We were out on my birthday in this picture, but they all live here with us.

Henry

Henry is doing very well. Potty training is finally coming along, and he doesn't have to stay in his kennel nearly as much. We love him. Beth asked me if he is getting bigger, but I can't tell. To me he looks the same but he might look a little bigger to you if you haven't seen him in a while.

My New Job

They call me Ms. Melissa
I started my new job at "Pace Center for Girls" on August 8th. It's super busy and pretty stressful, but I love it. The staff there is awesome and the girls are great. I love them!

When I first got my office it was all white with nothing on the walls. Fortunately my boss allowed me to do some shopping and order things to make it look nicer! It took a while, but I am happy with the way it turned out. This past week we had two car washes and two communtiy service projects. My friend Amy and I organized a bake sale and volunteer work at the Ronald McDonald house to help the families living there.

Since We Left

Hi Everyone-
Hope all is well in good ol' Indiana! I thought this might be a fun way for all of us to stay in touch!
Since we left, Joe started flight school, I got a new job and things have been really busy!