My two Navy Boys!

James and David are too cute in uniform!! Someone at OCS finally realized that OC Gouger's wife is sending stuff to OC Walsh, and they were really confused. I think it's funny! :-)

Visiting OC Gouger!

I never thought I could be so thankful for four hours until this past Sunday, when I was able to spend almost an entire four hours with James!! I went to church with him for an hour, and then we got to spend an awesome three hours in the fellowship hall, drinking coffee and eating cookies. It was great! I got to meet some of his new friends, and listen to all of their crazy stories. Good news… James passed inspection!! :-) That means he is moving on to the next stage, which is great, and he should still be graduating on Dec. 21st. James was exhausted, because he had stayed up with a friend the last two nights trying to help him pass inspection. He still didn't pass, but he didn't seem to be doing two poorly. James two friends fell asleep on each others shoulders in church...it was sooo sad. They are soooo exhausted, the poor guys! I can’t wait to see James again soon! I got to see David Walsh, too, which was awesome, and I am actually going to be able to go to his graduation too! They are both doing great, and have high spirits! And James is too cute in his uniform. It’s weird seeing him in uniform, but he can’t wait until he gets real khakis, as these aren’t the real ones. These ones are essentially made to get PT’d in, and he won’t get his real ones until the 8th or 9th week, I think. James really enjoys getting mail from everyone, and wants everyone to keep on writing! :-) I can’t wait to see him again!!!!! :-)

Hokie Fan For Life...even after BC!

It really shouldn’t surprise me after five years of watching Hokie football…I mean… we do this all the time. Our inconsistencies (other than always being inconsistent, always having a weak offense, and always loosing big games) are overwhelming, and the fans can only do so much. I have to remind myself that these are just young kids, some of them right out of high school, all of them are younger than me and James. That being said, I’m still super disappointed.
At the collegiate level, these young athletes should know that game, and know how to play it. They shouldn’t be confused all of the time (OFFENSE) and they should know when to expect an on-side kick, which we never do. How could you not expect that? I’m a girl…and I expected that!?! Sitting in the rain for three hours soaking wet was almost worth it…until the last two minutes of the game. Enter Sandman was blaring, the stadium was roaring, the rain had finally stopped, and then complete silence. Only two minutes left in the game and we lose it? How does that happen? Sarah and I were in disbelief, and we might have been agreeing with all of the curse words coming out of the mouths of everyone around us. As a fan, we put so much into the game, so much heart and soul, and energy and time. The most exciting part of the game was getting a picture taken with a Boston college guy with a crazy hat. The guy taking the picture cut off most of the hat, but you still get the picture of what the immensity of it looked like. And the hot cocoa…the hot cocoa was definitely a positive. For a few minutes on Thursday night, I saw us going to an awesome bowl game, being a top five team, and looking back on the season thinking, LSU was just a fluke. But minutes later, those dreams were gone, and I was laughing in disbelief as Boston College scored another touchdown. When is it our year?? We’ll just keep on hoping…I believe.

Pumpkin Lovin!

My favorite thing about October is pumpkins! I’ve always loved pumpkins, and for as long as I can remember, they have been a part of my Octobers. As a little girl, I was a pumpkin for Halloween, we always went to an awesome pumpkin patch, we carved intense pumpkins every year, we roasted pumpkin seeds, and we lit our pumpkins up. I love them!! I don’t know what it is about them, but I love the shapes, the colors, and the flavors. Speaking of flavors…pumpkin ice-cream is out in stores! :-) In honor of the pumpkins, I went to my second favorite pumpkin patch ever with some awesome co-workers. My favorite one is in California, but this Southwest Virginian treasure is right up there at the top. It has been particularly dry year, and many of the pumpkins were covered with dust, leaving us disgusting by the time we got home. Tabatha and David’s adorable kids came with us, whom I adore, and we had a great time. We had fun watching Conner run around and jump on the tractors while Kayleigh called him crazy. A bluegrass band played in the background as we enjoyed hot cider and an awesome fall day in the mountains. Courtney, Justin, and I were meticulous about picking the perfect pumpkins from the rolling hills. Of course Courtney and I fell in love with the adorable tiny ones, and Justin was looking for a ‘real’ pumpkin. I picked out three tiny pumpkins and a cute gourd, which I am really excited about. I love pumpkins!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

So...I can see how AJ might have scared the maintenance man. He was scared even when I was here with him!! But AJ is usually so sweet!

Southwest Virginia

The view from our balcony never gets old! You can't beat a sunset in southwest Virginia.

James in Uniform!