TBS IS OVER!!!

So, we finally made it to NC, and TBS is over! We've had sooo much going on, so I haven't been able to keep up with blogging lately, but I'm back, I promise. :) The last few weeks have been nonstop work. Fun work, but work none the less.



Our house, Hasell Cottage, from the front

One weekend we went down to NC for a house hunting mission, and we found a cute little house in Hubert. We told the people we'd take it, and then just had to wait until Jordan got paid so we could put down the deposit. The property management company called me on Monday, though, and said that they couldn't hold the property for us for the three days until payday. It made me SO mad! So I decided to call another company, and it ended up working out for the best, without a doubt! The house we've ended up with is a vacation rental, so it's fully furnished. They don't charge pet rent, and all the utilities are included in our rent, which is so awesome!!! It's a super cute, though pretty old, house on Emerald Isle, and it's only four houses down from the beach itself. I'm in hog heaven!
  
 



Our kitchen - an oldie but goodie!



 So after we got back from house hunting, I finished up my last week of work in Virginia. The following weekend, we went down to Charleston for our church reception, which was a really good time. The food was amazing all weekend, and I got to see my very first UGA game of the season, since Virginia sucks and doesn't show Georgia football. Yet another dreadful thing about that place to add to the reasons we're glad to say goodbye to it!

  







My favorite part - the screened porch!



The following week was a big one! On Monday the packing company came and took aaaall our stuff away to CA to wait for us in storage. Well, I say all, but we still managed to pack our cars so full we thought they were going to explode. I was really lucky that my friend Justyne was willing to come over and spend the whole day with me, which kept me from having to be alone with the packers. I really didn't want that to happen. My friend Jessica also came over, and she brought her two boys, Ethan and Logan. Logan was just born on the 20th, and I got to go to the hospital and see him on his first night in the world. :) I may have hated Virginia, but I sure am going to miss those two girls!



 

Me, Jessica, and Justyne kissing Logan,
 and Ethan trying to stop us.

Wednesday was Warrior Day, and it was soooo awesome. I guess I got the "true TBS eperience" though, because this is how our day went: We got up at 4:00, dressed, went to McDonald's for breakfast, and then got to TBS by 5:20. They changed the schedule from the one I had last seen, and we missed the memo, so then we had two hours to wait until it was time to start registration. After registration, it was time to head to the range!!  We went out to the line for the buses, and had the privilege of standing around for two fabulous hours while we waited. In order to shoot I had to wear a flak vest and kevlar helmet, which were so heavy that after I shot the M16 (a rifle) in the kneeling position, I fell over backwards trying to stand up. It was super embarassing and Jordan called me a wimp, because it's nothing compared to the weight he has to carry around on a regular basis in the USMC.



Us on Warrior Day



 We went out to the line for the buses, and had the privilege of standing around for two fabulous hours while we waited. In order to shoot I had to wear a flak vest and kevlar helmet, which were so heavy that after I shot the M16 (a rifle) in the kneeling position, I fell over backwards trying to stand up. It was super embarassing and Jordan called me a wimp, because it's nothing compared to the weight he has to carry around on a regular basis in the USMC. 

 

In front of a CH-53, which is the kind
of helicopter they used to helo Jordan
out to the field (when they weren't marching).

After the M16, I got to shoot the SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon), which is a freaking MACHINE GUN!!! It was sooooo cool! Then it was on to the grenade launcher, which was fun, but not nearly so fun as the SAW. Another really cool part of the day was the different vehicles we got to see. There were two helicopters, which we actually got to watch come in and land. It was awesome! We also got to see a bunch of MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected), which are the vehicles they use in the war. Both of us were able to climb up in the turrets and sit in the drivers seats of the vehicles, and it was so cool.



I know it's blurry, but here's a picture

of Jordan finally taking that

well-earned walk across the stage

 of the FBI Academy.

I am SOOO proud of my man!!



The next day was Graduation! David (Jordan's dad) and his girlfriend Jane came into town to be there, and we had such a great time with them! We did a lot of talking and a LOT of eating!





The next day we finished packing the cars and made the long drive down here to NC. I had Carolina in my car, and Jordan had Gunner in his Jeep. It was long and boring, but we finally made it!



Carolina sleeping in the
box in front of her seat

Now that we're here, we've just been getting settled in and playing a LOT of Call of Duty. :) For those of you who don't know, I finally gave in to one of Jordan's greatest wishes and got him a PlayStation 3. I've been saying no for well over a year, but I figured that since he graduated from TBS and his birthday is coming up in a week and a half, he deserved it. We got the system and several games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, which just came out this morning at midnight. As I'm sitting here, Jordan's sitting next to me playing the heck out of it. :)

When we aren't playing the new PS3, we're enjoying our time off together, and we've taken the dogs out to the beach as often as possible to run around and get some of that energy out. To wrap up, here are two more pictures...