16 Days and Counting…

So here is my last entry for September 2010…yet another “last” that is bittersweet.

This week has been nothing short of amazing! As I mentioned earlier, David and I enjoyed our “last” vacay together this past weekend before he ships out to Officer’s Basic Training. It rained ALL weekend, but it was A-OK since we were able to enjoy the whole weekend together <3>

I must say though, it was VERY difficult keeping a certain secret from him ALL weekend long! David’s very thoughtful and caring co-workers planned a covert surprise for him and they let me in loop about a week and a half out from the day =) I am NOT good at keeping secrets from anyone (David especially) but I was DETERMINED to achieve my task ;-) Mission accomplished!

The CFO of Florida, Alex Sink, in conjunction with the Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, and Cabinet, recognized David for his dedicated, selfless service as a representative of the Department of Environmental Protection for the past six years, and for his decision to serve our great country. If you would like to hear it with your own ears, this is the audio link to the September 28, 2010 Meeting of the Governor and Cabinet. Feel free to enjoy the entire Cabinet meeting, or if you are short on time, David's recognition begins approximately around the one hour mark ;-)

http://www.myflorida.com/myflorida/cabinet/agenda10/0928/audioindex.html

Also a point of interest, David was introduced to three Lieutenant Generals…that would be a Three Star General. Lieutenant General Kent Keen was one of those Generals David met, and General Keen was also recognized by the Governor and Cabinet for his leadership during the Haitian earthquake relief response. So here is all this THREE business popping up in our lives ~ again ;-) Coincidence? You decide.

Here are some pics from this fabulous encounter with Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida; Bill McCollum, Attorney General of Florida; Alex Sink, Chief Financial Officer of Florida; and Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner of Florida.

So, what have I learned from all this? That a WHOLE LOTTA people care a WHOLE LOT about my hubs and they are going to miss him just as much as I will!!! THANK YOU to everyone that is on this journey with us ~ your support and understanding means more than we can express! We are truly blessed more than we deserve.

24 Days and Counting...

There are four weeks remaining before David leaves for Basic; two of which I am out of town traveling for work. =(

This week, I have been in Gatorville, Florida, and we are scheduled to return to Tally tomorrow afternoon. Tonight we went to a very nice sushi place for dinner called the Dragon Fly. It was pretty much amazing and I am not even a sushi lover. I ordered the stir fry scallops and the grilled chicken roll ~ ok, maybe that's not REAL sushi, but like I said, it was really yummo!! My co-workers ordered the wantons and the Dragonfly, which were both just as wonderful! I will definitely be going back when I am going through Gainesville or Orlando =) I really hope to have the hubs with me next time I go!!! He would absolutely LOVE it too!

It's been a lot of fun having the opportunity to travel the state for work. It will be a true blessing once David is going full speed and I no longer have him to come home to each evening. We are hoping it will help keep me so busy I won't even realize he is away...ok, maybe that is getting my hopes too high. But, I will get to travel to some pretty neat places...Vero Beach, The Forgotten Coast, Palm Beach, and even the Florida Keys =)

I've got plans for just about every weekend he is gone with the exception of maybe two weekends...and I'm sure those will fill quickly.

This upcoming weekend, David and I will be heading to the beach for a nice, long, relaxing weekend - our last weekend vacation together before he leaves...like so many things, this too is bittersweet.

Til next time =)

TLH to ATL and back again =)

OK – So I have had quite the case of writers block over the past few months…probably my way of subconsciously ignoring the obvious.

Anyways, to bring all of my faithful blog followers up to speed, the 30 day countdown to takeoff has officially begun (as of yesterday…I procrastinate, remember?)

Last weekend we went to Atlanta to watch the Braves v. Cardinals baseball game – the only thing that would have made it even more perfect is if Muses Supermassive Blackhole was playing in the background when the homerun was hit in the 12th inning to win the game - I guess you would have to be a Twilight fan to understand that one…

We are going to the FSU game tomorrow...we are both really excited and are looking forward to it!

We have one more trip planned to go to the beach before the BIG DAY. We have a couple little day trips and activities around the town to do between now and then…and who knows what else will pop up between now and then ;-)

Til next time...