So if I don't blog about this soon I am never going to get to it I'm afraid. So last weekend May 15 thru the 18th was Joe's graduation weekend. I stayed at a hotel called the Red Carpet Inn which was like 1 mile away from the base so it was amazingly close. I was there Thursday night thru Sunday morning.
Basically I worked half a night (not even only 3 hours) on Thursday and then made the drive to Great Lakes, IL to my hotel. I arrived there around 11 and made a call to both of our parents to let them know I was alright. It really was only like a 2 hour drive which was also very nice and short. So I unpacked some things and figured out what I was going to wear the next morning and climbed into bed probably around 11:30. I didn't feel tired so I turned on the T.V. (tv is a treat to me because I haven't had cable for like 4 months now) and just watched True tv because that's what channel it was on. So I watched two episodes of speeders and it was like 12:30 and I was thinking that I was sup post to be getting up around 5:30 to be ready by the time Joe's parents showed up for us all to go together. So I turned off the tv and lied there for a really long time. I would guess close to a half hour of just adjusting and readjusting myself to sleepy. So I finally fall asleep and around 2:30 I awake to the sound of luggage wheels rolling on the sidewalk outside of my hotel room. So I was awake the rest of the night. I just read and didn't feel tired at all, it was bad!
So the next morning (Friday) I think I got out of bed (mind you only getting like an hour and a half of sleep) around 5:20 and showering and getting ready for the graduation. So the free breakfast started at 6 which I had a donut and juice because that's all their free breakfast consisted of. So after I was ready and ate my donut I just waited for Joe's parents and Joe's nephew Brok who showed up around 8:00 and we headed over to the base.
The ceremony started at 9:00 which they had the naval band play, and the choir sing, and the flag people do their thing. So it was fun to watch and listen. They also played a little video that showed of some of the stuff they had to go thru like the gas chamber and how they folded their clothes. So the ceremony only went till 10:30 and there was this big rush of people trying to get out to see their recruit. So I got separated from my party and all the recruits looked the same! I just looked for tall ones and that didn't help. I saw Joe's nephew Brok and Joe's dad and followed them. Joe was so handsome! He lifted me off the ground with a great big hug and a kiss! It was so cute!
After Joe reported for guard (which they let him go right away, but still had to report) we wondered around the NEX which is a military store that has everything from sanitary needs to watches to t shirts that you'd send to your family. So after we had all got what we wanted we went looking for somewhere to eat. That was fun! Not really! Joe's mom seemed to know where we were going but not really. She had me go off some exit and then make several turns and then every place that looked good (even though Joe was sup post to be picking a place) wasn't good enough or to fancy. So we ended up at this Italian place that was kinda pricey, but I didn't care. Joe and I were snuggled up close in the booth and nothing else seemed to matter. Even when Joe's mom had told Joe of last weeks events (which was the big story of the previous Saturday night) things seemed good. Plus it was so cute how Joe and I couldn't help but be super cuddly! I love it!
After eatting we went back to the hotel and Joe's family left and Joe and I got some alone time. That's all I need to say about that! I had to have Joe back at the base by 8 so we left around 7:15 because even though I was really close he had to change out of his dress whites (the uniform he was wearing) into something else before he could report back in. After dropping him off I decided that I wanted to find some food so I go wondering and end up by six flags and get some Quezon's where Joe's dad calls me and tells me Joe's mom went off at Brok and now he was trying to get my to drive 2 hours round trip to go get Brok so he can come stay with me. I told him I had to think about that (I am very directionally challenged and didn't want to get lost going to look for this place plus I didn't want to do it) and he told me that was fine so I start eatting my food and he calls me again telling me that he will bring Brok to me and I said that fine. So Brok is like 16 and he was very upset when he got to the hotel. There wasn't a pool or anything I could tempt him with so I just set him on the wifi and my laptop and pretty much watched a little tv and around 10:00 I was done for and fell asleep.
I didn't hear my alarm clock go off but thankfully Joe had called me around 7:45 and said it was ok for me to come pick him up. I went to get him in my pjs and brought him back to the hotel. We had two friends Nate and Jeremy coming down from Fond du Lac to go to six flags with us. So we went to the Gurney Mills mall to wait for them. We got there like 9:45 and only 1 store was open. It was bed bath and beyond so we wondered around there. We ended up running into Walter who is a guy Joe met the day he left Fondy and they went to basic at the same time, but weren't in the same division so they didn't see each other but a couple times. So that was cool. So we went the arcade and Jeremy called and said he was there so we went outside and waited for them. I had accidentally told them the wrong exit and we didn't meet up till around 11 and then we went to six flags.
We get to six flags and it's packed. The bright side is that we only paid $26 a ticket thanks to a promotion we found online. We road Superman, some weird one that was an indoor coaster and American Eagle and decided to go see Start Trek in the IMax and left. So we went to Steak and Shake for lunch and found out the IMax theater was an hour away. So we thought we should have gotten are hands stamped so we could have gotten back in six flags, but none of us had. So then we decide to go back to Gurney Mills mall and just watch it in their theater. So it was an ok movie. We had Jeremy and Nate take Brok back to town and Joe and I had some more alone time. I had to get him back by 7 that night.
So Sunday morning I get up around 5:30 because church starts at 7 on base and Joe told me to get there early. So i get to the base around 6:50 and they tell me they aren't letting people onto the base till 7. So i find a parking lot and just wait till 7 to get back. So when I get to the base there is a small line of cars and then when I get to the chapel (all the Churches met in the same building just had different rooms for each denomination) I can't find Joe. The guy at the door pretty much tells me that I should just wait for Joe. So I'm waiting and it's like 7:15 and I start getting nervous, mind you I am in like a strapy sandal high heel shoe and a knee length dress when everyone else is in uniform so I feel really out of place. So someone else comes up to me and ask me what church I am looking for and helps me find it. I was there right at the same time. I guess they use the first 15 minutes to do some kind of opening thing so I didn't miss anything. So they started with relief society which consisted of 2 solders and a teacher a member missionary. So it was small! So it was nice though. I didn't say anything unless if asked to because I didn't want to take anything away from the 2 solders. I read whatever I was asked to read and that was that.
Sacrament meeting was also pretty small. I bet there was less than 50 people there. One of the solders from relief society her name was Bishop (last name) and she was super nice. She said she could wear a dress and makeup like I was. She was great and kept me occupied till the boys came in. Joe passed the sacrament (the bread was kinda hard and the water was in those paper cups which always taste bad) with 3 other guys. It was nice to see him passing because he didn't get to do it much at home. There were 3 talks and they were all really uplifting. I really enjoyed it.
After church we went to the hotel so I could change my clothes and we set off to find something to eat. We found an Olive Garden in Gurney and are waitress was nice enough to take a picture of us outside in front of the restaurant. We wondered around the mall again just talking. We found and Internet cafe and did that for a half an hour. We then went to the hotel to pack up my stuff and we set off again. We found a park and Joe make some phone calls to friends and family. We also just talked. We also wondered around the base for alittle bit. It was nice to just be the two of us, but it also meant that it was are last day together. So when the mighty clock got close to 8 I started to get nervous. I didn't want him to go. But he had to. He was so nice! I told him how much that I love him and it felt so good to say it because I didn't say it last time that we departed. He then walked off back to his barracks and I drove away. I miss him a lot!
I have never loved him more or been more proud of him!
Basically I worked half a night (not even only 3 hours) on Thursday and then made the drive to Great Lakes, IL to my hotel. I arrived there around 11 and made a call to both of our parents to let them know I was alright. It really was only like a 2 hour drive which was also very nice and short. So I unpacked some things and figured out what I was going to wear the next morning and climbed into bed probably around 11:30. I didn't feel tired so I turned on the T.V. (tv is a treat to me because I haven't had cable for like 4 months now) and just watched True tv because that's what channel it was on. So I watched two episodes of speeders and it was like 12:30 and I was thinking that I was sup post to be getting up around 5:30 to be ready by the time Joe's parents showed up for us all to go together. So I turned off the tv and lied there for a really long time. I would guess close to a half hour of just adjusting and readjusting myself to sleepy. So I finally fall asleep and around 2:30 I awake to the sound of luggage wheels rolling on the sidewalk outside of my hotel room. So I was awake the rest of the night. I just read and didn't feel tired at all, it was bad!
So the next morning (Friday) I think I got out of bed (mind you only getting like an hour and a half of sleep) around 5:20 and showering and getting ready for the graduation. So the free breakfast started at 6 which I had a donut and juice because that's all their free breakfast consisted of. So after I was ready and ate my donut I just waited for Joe's parents and Joe's nephew Brok who showed up around 8:00 and we headed over to the base.
The ceremony started at 9:00 which they had the naval band play, and the choir sing, and the flag people do their thing. So it was fun to watch and listen. They also played a little video that showed of some of the stuff they had to go thru like the gas chamber and how they folded their clothes. So the ceremony only went till 10:30 and there was this big rush of people trying to get out to see their recruit. So I got separated from my party and all the recruits looked the same! I just looked for tall ones and that didn't help. I saw Joe's nephew Brok and Joe's dad and followed them. Joe was so handsome! He lifted me off the ground with a great big hug and a kiss! It was so cute!
After Joe reported for guard (which they let him go right away, but still had to report) we wondered around the NEX which is a military store that has everything from sanitary needs to watches to t shirts that you'd send to your family. So after we had all got what we wanted we went looking for somewhere to eat. That was fun! Not really! Joe's mom seemed to know where we were going but not really. She had me go off some exit and then make several turns and then every place that looked good (even though Joe was sup post to be picking a place) wasn't good enough or to fancy. So we ended up at this Italian place that was kinda pricey, but I didn't care. Joe and I were snuggled up close in the booth and nothing else seemed to matter. Even when Joe's mom had told Joe of last weeks events (which was the big story of the previous Saturday night) things seemed good. Plus it was so cute how Joe and I couldn't help but be super cuddly! I love it!
After eatting we went back to the hotel and Joe's family left and Joe and I got some alone time. That's all I need to say about that! I had to have Joe back at the base by 8 so we left around 7:15 because even though I was really close he had to change out of his dress whites (the uniform he was wearing) into something else before he could report back in. After dropping him off I decided that I wanted to find some food so I go wondering and end up by six flags and get some Quezon's where Joe's dad calls me and tells me Joe's mom went off at Brok and now he was trying to get my to drive 2 hours round trip to go get Brok so he can come stay with me. I told him I had to think about that (I am very directionally challenged and didn't want to get lost going to look for this place plus I didn't want to do it) and he told me that was fine so I start eatting my food and he calls me again telling me that he will bring Brok to me and I said that fine. So Brok is like 16 and he was very upset when he got to the hotel. There wasn't a pool or anything I could tempt him with so I just set him on the wifi and my laptop and pretty much watched a little tv and around 10:00 I was done for and fell asleep.
I didn't hear my alarm clock go off but thankfully Joe had called me around 7:45 and said it was ok for me to come pick him up. I went to get him in my pjs and brought him back to the hotel. We had two friends Nate and Jeremy coming down from Fond du Lac to go to six flags with us. So we went to the Gurney Mills mall to wait for them. We got there like 9:45 and only 1 store was open. It was bed bath and beyond so we wondered around there. We ended up running into Walter who is a guy Joe met the day he left Fondy and they went to basic at the same time, but weren't in the same division so they didn't see each other but a couple times. So that was cool. So we went the arcade and Jeremy called and said he was there so we went outside and waited for them. I had accidentally told them the wrong exit and we didn't meet up till around 11 and then we went to six flags.
We get to six flags and it's packed. The bright side is that we only paid $26 a ticket thanks to a promotion we found online. We road Superman, some weird one that was an indoor coaster and American Eagle and decided to go see Start Trek in the IMax and left. So we went to Steak and Shake for lunch and found out the IMax theater was an hour away. So we thought we should have gotten are hands stamped so we could have gotten back in six flags, but none of us had. So then we decide to go back to Gurney Mills mall and just watch it in their theater. So it was an ok movie. We had Jeremy and Nate take Brok back to town and Joe and I had some more alone time. I had to get him back by 7 that night.
So Sunday morning I get up around 5:30 because church starts at 7 on base and Joe told me to get there early. So i get to the base around 6:50 and they tell me they aren't letting people onto the base till 7. So i find a parking lot and just wait till 7 to get back. So when I get to the base there is a small line of cars and then when I get to the chapel (all the Churches met in the same building just had different rooms for each denomination) I can't find Joe. The guy at the door pretty much tells me that I should just wait for Joe. So I'm waiting and it's like 7:15 and I start getting nervous, mind you I am in like a strapy sandal high heel shoe and a knee length dress when everyone else is in uniform so I feel really out of place. So someone else comes up to me and ask me what church I am looking for and helps me find it. I was there right at the same time. I guess they use the first 15 minutes to do some kind of opening thing so I didn't miss anything. So they started with relief society which consisted of 2 solders and a teacher a member missionary. So it was small! So it was nice though. I didn't say anything unless if asked to because I didn't want to take anything away from the 2 solders. I read whatever I was asked to read and that was that.
Sacrament meeting was also pretty small. I bet there was less than 50 people there. One of the solders from relief society her name was Bishop (last name) and she was super nice. She said she could wear a dress and makeup like I was. She was great and kept me occupied till the boys came in. Joe passed the sacrament (the bread was kinda hard and the water was in those paper cups which always taste bad) with 3 other guys. It was nice to see him passing because he didn't get to do it much at home. There were 3 talks and they were all really uplifting. I really enjoyed it.
After church we went to the hotel so I could change my clothes and we set off to find something to eat. We found an Olive Garden in Gurney and are waitress was nice enough to take a picture of us outside in front of the restaurant. We wondered around the mall again just talking. We found and Internet cafe and did that for a half an hour. We then went to the hotel to pack up my stuff and we set off again. We found a park and Joe make some phone calls to friends and family. We also just talked. We also wondered around the base for alittle bit. It was nice to just be the two of us, but it also meant that it was are last day together. So when the mighty clock got close to 8 I started to get nervous. I didn't want him to go. But he had to. He was so nice! I told him how much that I love him and it felt so good to say it because I didn't say it last time that we departed. He then walked off back to his barracks and I drove away. I miss him a lot!
I have never loved him more or been more proud of him!
This is what I'm talking about! It was good to see you yesterday!
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice to see you too!
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