Merry (Belated) Christmas!

I missed my Internet while we were on vacation. Auntie Anne has Internet, of course, but she had no idea what the password was and I never got around to trying to use her computer; so I've been deprived for 5 days.

We had such an awesome time in Maryland. We had plenty of time to relax, but still got out and saw some of the sights. The one thing that I wish we had had time to do was wander around 'old' Annapolis and maybe tour the Citadel. We drove through but didn't get out of the car and walk around. Maybe next time. Maryland is gorgeous, especially the Chesapeake Bay area where they live. I wouldn't mind living there someday at all.

Although we did have to cross this horrible bridge - the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - that was four and a half miles long in order to get to their house. It was completely scary, and my gephyrophobia kicked in full-force the entire time we were crossing it. Sean thought I was nuts because I insisted on having the window rolled all the way down; and I always keep my hand on the seatbelt release. You see, if the bridge collapsed and we were plunged into the water below, theoretically at least I'd have a better chance of escaping the sinking car and not being trapped inside, thereby slowly drowning while the car filled with water. Granted, the car would fill with water faster if the window were down, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about trying to kick the window out (which would be basically impossible due to the magnitude of the water pressure against it). And yes, I do know that this makes me sound like some sort of crazy with a paranoid death obsession; and no, I don't care.

So I finally got to meet Auntie Anne and Uncle Phil, and Natalie and Toni and their families, and it was so enjoyable. I was just a teeny bit nervous about spending Christmas with all these people I hadn't even met, but I needn't have bothered. They were all so warm and welcoming that I felt at home right away. Ken and Laurie and Brooke drove down from Michigan, too, so we ended up have a fairly large Christmas gathering. I ate myself silly the entire time we were there. It didn't help that Uncle Phil cooked us all a huge breakfast every morning, either. It was definitely one of the more relaxing vacations I've taken. Some pics of Christmas here in Charleston, and in Maryland:

Finally Friday!

Holy shit, I am thrilled that this day is over.

I did indeed force myself to buckle down this week, and studied hard enough to get an amazing 3.91 on my Chemistry exam today.

As if that isn't satisfaction enough, I'm officially on leave until January 5, so I'm already having the best vacation ever and it hasn't even started yet.

The weather here has been gorgeous lately, today was 75 and sunny. Almost too hot; we had to wear our dress blues today for Power School pictures, and it was sweltering standing outside in that heavy winter uniform for half an hour waiting to have our picture taken.

Today was just a ridiculous day in general.

After the exam this morning, everyone in the class just shut down mentally and began acting like 5 year-olds at Disney World; and I was the weary chaperone trying to maintain some semblance of order amidst all the chaos. I love my section. They are good people, and everyone gets along really well for the most part (or at least does a decent job of pretending to tolerate each other). In spite of the fact that I like my section, though, I can't wait to be away from them for a few weeks.

Anyways, first official Christmas present of 2008.... a package arrived today from Michigan, and we were given 'permission' to open it early. Sean's parents gave us a Garmin Nuvi 255W. This thing is the shit.

I know we live in a modern, technologically advanced society, but I will never stop being amazed at the fact that someone invents all these gadgets, and then actually manufactures them and makes them work. I mean, I'm pretty smart, but I have a hard time figuring out how to turn the damn thing on.

I'm exhausted. I know this sounds lame and I don't even care... I am completely and utterly happy to sprawl out on my couch tonite and watch Nip/Tuck re-runs with Hubs.

Three Days...

... and counting! Three more days until Christmas break.

I rocked my RP test this morning with a 3.87. One down, one to go! Now to just stay motivated enough to study hard tomorrow and Thursday in order to get a good grade on my CMR test on Friday morning, and I'll be scot free.

Sean and I are leaving next week for a few days, to spend Christmas with his Auntie Anne and Uncle Phil, whom I've never met. I'm so excited!

I know it seems silly, but as someone who grew up travel-deprived ~ family vacations do not count ~ I get excited about these things. I've never been to Maryland before, and I love going anywhere I've never been.

I was shocked to discover that I'm going to miss my family, this will be my first Christmas away from 'home'. However, flying is expensive; and neither one of us really wanted to drive 13 hours home and 13 hours back, and probably in the middle of a good old Michigan blizzard to boot.

Besides, I'm probably not going to be able to go back to Michigan as often as I'd like in the next 5 or so years, so... I might as well start getting my mother used to the idea now. The umbilical cord is gently being severed this Christmas.

One thing I don't miss about Michigan is winter. Six months of walking like a penguin and staring at ugly, dirty, road-salty snow piled up in huge mounds on every street corner. Blech.

It was 70-ish and sunny today and it was sooooooo delicious to come home and put on a tank top and crank the heat way down. ♥

Random Ramblings And Pictures

Things are going good here... one more week until Christmas stand down.

I've been trying really hard to stay motivated, because, well... all I can think about is my vacation.

I have 2 difficult tests coming up this week, one on Tuesday and the other on Friday. I need to go put in a metric ass-ton of hours at school today because I know nothing for my test on Tuesday. (Pause. Sigh.) Okay, lies. All lies. Quite possibly I could not study for it at all and still bullshit my way to getting a 3.3. However, that just won't do for me.

The only reason I do so well in Nuke school is because I freak out a few days before a test, think I don't know anything, and then frantically study my ass off for it.

I remember an A-School instructor informing us that we "better learn how to study the right way now, because you can memorize your way through this shit, but there's no way you'll ever be able to memorize your way through Power School". Not true. It's worked out very well for me so far.

I really can't wait for Prototype. I'm sure it's going to be just as difficult. But it's not going to be such long hours, and no extra studying; which means when I have days off, I actually have those days completely off. None of this going-in-to-do-hours-on-the-weeklends shit.

Some pics from Thanksgiving, and also pictures from last night of the beginning of Sean's new arm sleeve! Incredibly sexy, in my opinion. It's going to go all the way up to the top of his shoulder by his neck when it's finished. The style is called 'bio-mechanical' and I guess it's pretty new; I've never really seen anything like it before this.

Relief

Relief. That feeling I always feel after one more Power School exam is over and out of the way.

Chem 2 is done with... 3.82 and top score in my section. ELT, here I come.

For me, the exams are stepping stones through Power School. Every time I take an exam and do well on it, I am one step closer to accomplishing my goal. Which is: to make it through Power School before I injure myself, my brain, or another shipmate.

I don't always put in 110% every day, but my goal is to be the best.

My RDC in boot camp constantly told us "Strive for perfection in order to achieve greatness" and those words have stuck with me ever since. To me this mantra means that in order to accomplish great things, you must work hard to do your best at anything you do, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time.

Sooooooo... I keep plugging away in this Nuclear Pipeline. Even though in the grand scheme of things, my Navy career is not going to hinge on whether I finish Power School with a 3.8 or a 2.8 GPA, it's not about the grade.

It's about the personal satisfaction that comes from knowing that I worked as hard as I could to be the best. It doesn't necessarily mean being better than everyone else, but being better than myself. It doesn't mean that I am perfect, it means I'm trying to be as perfect as I am capable of becoming. It means that when you have nothing left to give... you give a little more anyways.

Enough said. I'll scamper down off my little soapbox now.

Still can't wait for this weekend so I can relax a little bit.

Holiday Craziness

Jeez. Regular normal life is crazy enough, without the added stress of the holidays. Now in addition to the multitude of thoughts and ideas that I try to keep in order inside my whirlwind brain all day long, I have these random ideas for Christmas presents popping up as well. Things to look for online, wondering if Sean would like this thing or that gadget, wondering if I should attempt to mail a Christmas package home, or just send money instead? Oh yeah, and I still have to find a Christmas tree. Blech.

Back to the daily grind after a long Thanksgiving weekend... it was so nice to have Sean's family in town for the weekend. We had a great time running around doing tourist-y things with them. It's sad, but I think we explored the area more in the past 3 days than we have in the entire time that we've been living down here. We went to Patriot's Point with them (again). It's a really cool place but I've been there 3 times now, and I just don't think I can go there anymore; I've pretty much seen everything there is to see on the carrier and the submarine. We went to Boone Hall Plantation later that afternoon. Boone Hall is the oldest working plantation in the United States, and has been used as the setting in several films, including Gone With The Wind, The Notebook, and Forrest Gump. Sean's mom and grandma tried to pick some of the cotton until we noticed the sign saying it was illegal... oops! Then a lady who was as tall as her hoop skirt was wide, and who looked very much like a short red-haired troll, gave us a tour and history of the house. I like tourist attractions, but I can only stomach so much of the "guided tour" crap before I feel smothered. And we weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside of the mansion at all, which I thought was strange. The grounds and gardens were beautifully manicured, and I wish that it was summertime instead of fall because there wasn't much color anywhere.

Anyways, it was good to have the H fam here. I miss being around them so much. Life is so busy here that sometimes I forget just how much I miss everyone back home. It made me miss "back when". Back when I wasn't in the military and I had no clue what this whole Navy deal was all about. Back when I didn't have to be to work until 9 and was always home by 5 or 6. Back when I had such an easy life, even though I didn't realize it at the time.

Our anniversary is coming up next Sunday, and I was shocked to discover that Sean and I have been married for a whole year already. It seems like it's been forever, and yet it seems like it's flown by in a few seconds. A year ago feels like a whole lifetime ago for some strange reason. I feel like I'm the same person I was back then, and yet I know that I'm not. The Navy has done a lot in making me much mentally tougher than I ever thought was possible. I'm pretty sure Sean feels the same way; the "obstacles" have been good for us. :) We've been through a lot of changes in the past 12 months, and there are even more on the road ahead of us. But I've come to realize that change is not always a bad thing, even if it is sometimes a very hard thing.

Enough for tonite. More pictures of our Thanksgiving weekend to come soon...