MAG-29's Christmas Party

During the week before Christmas, Joel and I went to his unit's Christmas party at Mike's Farm. There were several activities already planned for everyone to do before dinner. When we first arrived, we went on a hayride through the woods to see the display of thousands of Christmas lights as well as a live nativity. After the hayride there was time to spare before dinner and Joel was determined to find the petting zoo he had heard people from work talk about. We found the petting zoo and fed several goats, but it was too dark to venture around to see the other animals. It was cold and rainy so to stay dry before dinner we discovered a gift shop and bakery. After wasting time in the gift shop, we enjoy a delicious country home-made meal.

Deck the Halls

Since it was our first Christmas, we could not wait to decorate with all the beautiful decorations everyone gave us at our Christmas Shower. I do not think either of us realized that we had received more decorations than either of us knew what to do with. When Joel and I began talking about getting married we always thought there would be a huge arugement over what color lights to put on our Christmas tree. Would it be colored lights like Joel wanted or white lights to please me? Well, after a few coin tosses and as always the winner being Joel I thought our tree would be covered in as many colored lights as Joel could find, but I was wrong. Although Joel won, he refused to put colored lights on our tree and helped me put white lights on the tree.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving was a little different from most since Joel and I were not able to come to Birmingham to spend it with both of our families. My parents were able to come and starting about a week before, all my dad and Joel could talk about was frying a turkey. Joel and I finally found a turkey fryer at the PX and Joel could not wait to put it to use! The closer it got to Thanksgiving, both Joel and my dad were getting a little nervous about frying the turkey since Joel had a brief on how dangerous it can be and several of my dad's friends were telling him horrifying stories. Despite the stories and everything they had heard, they decided to fry the turkey anyway. The night before Thanksgiving, while I was drugged up and asleep because of my gallbladder, my parents and Joel injected the turkey with seasoning and prepared to cook for the next day. On Thanksgiving morning, Joel and I woke up and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade and then everyone began preparing for our Thanksgiving feast. Luckily, everyone was able to accomplish frying the turkey without any injuries or anything catching fire.

Happy Birthday Troy!

On November 11th, our little man, Troy, celebrated his first birthday. After I got home from work that day, Joel and I took Troy to Pet Smart and let him pick out his birthday presents and a treat. Troy found a duck and stuffed dog toy and Joel picked out the treats. Since we could not get a cake, we found gourmet cookies for dogs that Troy and Taz could enjoy during the birthday celebration. When we got home from Pet Smart, Troy patiently waited at Joel's feet while Joel cooked him a small steak. After Troy ate, he and Taz played all night long.

233rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball

On November 8th, Joel and I drove to New Bern, North Carolina to attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. This year, Joel received a special honor to be in the sword detail guarding the ceremonial cake and performing sword drill movements during the ceremony. We both had a lot of fun being able to dress up, have a nice dinner, dance and socialize with all the Marines in Joel's unit. The ceremony was located in the Ballroom of the New Bern, Sheraton.

Happy Halloween!!

Joel and I could not wait to carve a pumpkin together for our first Halloween! We got a pumpkin carving kit and decided to carve a skull and crossbones. Joel cut the lid in the pumpkin and we both scooped out the seeds and goop. Before we realized it, Troy and Taz were trying to eat everything we scooped out of the pumpkin. After we gutted the inside, we took turns tracing the design and Joel carved the design. We had a lot of fun, but it took us a lot longer than we ever imagined.

Our First House

We now live in a rental house in a small community called Deerfield. It is a three bedroom and two bathroom house with a large garage that has been converted into a storage area. We finally have a big yard for the dogs to play in and do not have to walk from the third floor to take the dogs out.