Thank you, Chipper!

This pretty much sums it up for me. Every word is true--

"It will seem quite odd to watch a Braves game next year.

A constant will be gone.

The last man from Atlanta's historic run of division championships will retire.

Every time one of them left it was painful--

first Maddux, then Smoltz, and now Chipper Jones."

-Morgan Carter, Bleacher Report

It's sad to see that era officially come to a close.

no Skip Caray on the radio...

no Bobby at the helm...

no Chipper at 3B...

so odd. 

Atlanta Braves, NL East Champs for 2013... 

I don't even want to mess around with the bogus wild card spots! 

Sweet Friends

I don't know a more typical "welcome to the Army" than your husband being sent away only a week after your wedding. Right after we were married RC was sent to Ft. Knox. Being 7+ hours away for long 4 months while newlyweds was tough, but there were some positives.

One. He was in the states. He could easily be reached by phone or Skype (most of the time), and he was not deployed. It could have been worse.

Two. So RC met this guy. Why is that important?

Well, that guy just happens to be married to this awesome girl!

And guess where they were headed for BOLC? Ft. Benning!

Sam and RC are eerily similar. They both have this weird obsession with living in Montana, have serious dreams of becoming Doomsday Preppers (although I think Sam is well on his way), and can do some serious damage on a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts.

Meghan is just the sweetest thing. I don't know a more perfect example of that than the going away present they gave us. Every little detail was personalized to RC and I. From the Charleston tin to red velvet cupcakes. Plus she gave us sweet reminders of our time in Georgia with railroad ties from the tracks downtown Columbus and a mixed CD with songs about Georgia. 

When someone puts so much thought into a gift it means so much! 

Oh, and did I mention she she designs jewelry? She is seriously so talented!

Check out Swallows Heart's Facebook page, Etsy shop, and blog! 

----

I know that saying goodbye is just part of the Army lifestyle that I'm going to have to get used to, but it still sucks. Then again, we never would have met these dear friends if it weren't for the Army! I really hope that someday our paths will cross again and we'll end up at the same duty station! We always have so much fun together. Until then, goodbye our North Carolina friends! ;)

Opening Weekend at Turner Field

With April being our last month in the States we've been trying to soak up all things American and spend as much time as we can with family and friends. If you know anything about my family you know that baseball, especially Braves baseball, is big! We've been going to games since I was like 10. So a trip to Atlanta to see a game with my entire family and grandparents was a must. 

Before we went into the game I made sure we got some pictures outside the stadium. 

This is probably my favorite picture from the trip. They've added Bobby Cox's number to the plaza outside the stadium so we had to get a picture. We love and miss Bobby... it's just not the same without him!

Once we got inside RC and I "recreated" our engagement. :) 

Obviously we switched things up a bit, but you can see the original picture here.

I also got a picture with my brothers. Between Joe never wanting to smile 

and Chris' eyes always being closed we have to take about 10 pictures to get 

a good one, but it's worth it! :)

Once the game started I pretty much put the DSLR away and kept the iPhone out. 

So to wrap things up here's some Instragram photos...

The bottom right picture is my younger brother with his iPad. With this new app you can use the wireless network in the stadium to see live stats, watch highlights, and all kinds of other cool features.

We had a great time at the game and it was so good to see my family one last time. It was a little bittersweet. It's crazy to think that in just a couple weeks we'll be flying out of Atlanta on our way to Germany!

AIRBORNE!

RC graduated from airborne school this week! With a couple hundred graduates, it was a huge ceremony with bleachers full of family and friends. They even had an aerial demonstration by Ft. Benning's SilverWings. I got the chance to pin his wings and luckily one of the NCOs from BOLC was nearby to snap a picture!  

P.S. Now that he's an airborne graduate we're able to schedule our flight to Germany! 

I love my sky soldier. 

Happy Opening Day!

GO BRAVES! :)

March Update

A lot happened in the month of March and I just wanted to post a quick recap!

First of all this stud graduated from ARC: Army Reconnaissance Course! So proud. It was a much smaller ceremony and maybe 5 family members were there for a class of 40-50. It was sad to see such a small turnout, but I understand because (one) it's a long commute for a lot of family members and (two) most LTs, at least the ones around here, aren't married.

After RC's graduation he was able to put in a pass so we took a 4 day trip to Charleston with a pit stop in Savannah. If you didn't know Savannah is #2 behind Boston, of course, for the best St. Patty's day parade. We had to stop by! Even though it was the day before St. Patrick's day the party was still in full force! Marching bands, drink specials, and of course a lot of green!

While in Charleston we had Sunday brunch with RC's family at Heirloom Eats. The food was delicious, but the highlight was definitely meeting Catherine Bell (Denise from Army Wives)! She permanently moved to Charleston after filming started with Army Wives and I mean, come on, who can blame her! I've had friends be extras on the show and driven by a filming session on the way to work (otherwise I would have stopped), but never had the chance to meet someone from the show! Catherine was so gracious, introduced herself to every one of RC's family members, and was absolutely gorgeous in person! 

Last update! Earlier this month I had to say goodbye to one of my first "Army friends". Maryann and I met at this awful Icebreaker and were awkwardly forced to met by an NCO. After nudging by our sweet boys, we exchanged numbers and grabbed coffee a couple days later. Our friendship grew and eventually she and her man ended up moving into the same apartment complex as us after a horrible experience with their previous place! I am so glad we had each other during the long weeks when our boys were in the field. We would cope with walks at Flat Rock Park and trashy tv nights with wine. Hello, Real Housewives!

I'd always heard that you form close friendships very quickly while in the military. I would definitely agree! You almost have to. You learn how to appreciate each other because they are the company you desperately need when you've been thrown into a new town, and ultimately they're going through the same thing as you. You need each other! I've also found that it's a different kind of friendship. I don't know how to explain it... I've never gone into a friendship knowing that there's a certain time frame involved. It still cracks me up that by this summer we will be spread all over the world. If our goofy picture doesn't make sense we'll be going to Texas (yeehaw), Kansas (Oz), and Germany (schnitzel) for our first duty stations! I just hope that somewhere down the line we'll end up at the same post again! I have been so blessed by these girls and their friendships! 

Graduation Weekend

The time has finally come! RC graduated BOLC this past weekend! It was a really nice ceremony and we were so happy my parents were able to make the trip down! At the end of the ceremony we were able to take a look at both a Stryker and an Abrams; some of the fun toys RC gets to play with. (Don't quote me on that though- I'm like 95% I got the names right. Ha!) While RC and I were taking a picture together on the Stryker a lady called out "looks like the perfect Christmas card". I don't know if that's exactly the look we'll be going for come Christmas, but it definitely made me laugh!

I was and still am so proud of him. Unfortunately, there is no rest for the weary as he's started up another class that's comprised of a lot of field time. Maybe with a PCS coming up they'll give him a week or two off beforehand? Who knows.

Our weekend fun continued as we (RC, my parents, and I) decided to take the quick trip over to Auburn. RC and I have been talking about visiting Auburn since we got here. I'd heard before that Clemson and Auburn's campuses were very similar. In fact, it's even been quoted that "Clemson is Auburn with a lake". So that was my main motivation in wanting to go. I think RC's main reason was to see where Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley, Tim Hudson, and Cam Newton went to school and walk on the same grounds they did. :)  

I'd definitely agree about the similarities between campuses! There are less rolling hills at Auburn and newer buildings overall, but the orange brick buildings and small college town feel was dead on! In fact, Clemson's Tillman Hall and Auburn's Samford Hall were designed by the same architect. Overall, we loved our trip to Auburn. We got a box of Girl Scout cookies. RC "got his picture" with Cam Newton. And we got to see a beautiful campus! Also, I was so glad we were able to see Toomer's Corner before those poor trees die. Crazy Alabama fans. 

P.S. Clemson's stil prettier. :)

Georgia Happenings- Savannah

This past Thursday, January 12th, was my 23rd birthday! Unfortunately RC was in the field and we weren't able to celebrate together on my birthday, but no worries we definitely celebrated the weekend before. He baked me a delicious red velvet cake and surprised me with beautiful diamond earrings. 

On my actual birthday my mom and I met in Savannah. The last time I had been in Savannah was for my Sweet 16! My mom took my girlfriends and I to Savannah for the works- carriage ride, a trip to River Street Sweets, a yummy dinner, and shopping. We had a blast then and definitely as much fun 7 year later! 

River Street

More of River Street

The weather was perfect for walking around and we fit a lot into the day and a half we were there. The first day we walked around River Street and the City Market, bought these AWESOME new aluminum Coke bottles, and ate at River House Seafood. We ended up sharing fried calamari, shrimp & grits, and shrimp sauté! It was delicious!! Instead of a birthday cake I decided to just get a box of treats from River Street Sweats. We also stopped by Paula Dean's restaurant. The next day we did a little antique shopping and then hit the road to go home. 

Dinner: River House Seafood

Shrimp Saute

Paula Dean's Restaurant

Just me!

Savannah's suspension bridge(Talmadge Memorial Bridge) at sunset

My "birthday cake"

 I am so happy my mom and I got to spend time together on my birthday! We haven't been able to celebrate together since high school due to the spring semester always starting right around or on my birthday. I'm really loving the quality time I've been getting to spend with my family before our big move to Germany! Blessed!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Today marks one week that we've been in Army Town #1. And what a week it has been! This past week has been a lot of fun as we've figured out how to navigate around town/post, worked out at the amazing facility center on post, cooked some yummy food, and watched lots and lots of football. (Extra bonus: I caught up on my guilty pleasures... Keeping up with the Kardashians and the Real Housewives.) It has been beyond amazing to spend this much time with my husband. I love living with him. :) I mean, really... how cute is he?

I also loved the time I was able to spend time with dear friends before we left for Army Town #1. Saturday night I was reunited with 2/3 of my roomies! We hit up TTT's, had a few beers, went to Spittoono's, and it felt like I was in college all over again. :) During my Clemson trip I made sure to bring back some Clemson Sushi for the hubby. Great wife, huh? ;) If you are ever in the Clemson area you seriously need to stop by Clemson Sushi. YUM! I just wish I had a picture to show you how delicious they are. Best flavor and biggest rolls I've ever seen. I love Clemson Sushi and just wish there would be one with us where ever the Army sends us!

Happy Wednesday, y;all!

Update in Army Town #1

Likes:
So far life in Army Town #1 has been wonderful! If only for the fact that RC and I have been able to spend a ridiculous amount of time together. We've literally spent like every waking second together and I love it. This will soon change as RC has to get back to work, but actually living together with my husband has been wonderful!

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I've cooked 4 not only edible, but reeally good meals. After a summer of no cooking I was nervous about filling my hungry man's belly. So far I'd say I've succeeded. :) The menu? 1. chicken perlo 2. chicken spaghetti 3. chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes 4. pot roast.

Dislikes:

I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate our internet right now. Our cable tv= awesome. Our internet? Not so much. I've spent over 2 hours with wireless router companies trying to get our wireless set up. TWO different brands and neither will connect to the modem. After wireless router brand #2 attempt, our internet completely went out. This was on Sunday and nobody could come to replace our modem until today (Tuesday). Hopefully, by noon today Mr. Internet Repairman will have shown up and fixed our internet. All I have to say is thank God for our iPhones and for the nice man/woman who hasn't locked their wireless network.

Tropical Storm Lee is being a pesky little bugger and leaving us with a lot of rain.

Happy Tuesday y'all! :)