Friday, February 29, 2008

And something for Sonya

Neither Chris nor I had much furniture to speak of before moving into our apartment and what we do have are things we’ve been given or purchased cheaply so at this point nothing really matches but we are making do! Currently in our living room we have the new TV, the man couch (both ends recline, the middle folds down to reveal cup holders and it massages….clearly things a man would look for when purchasing furniture)and now three beautiful new tables! Since we are keeping the couch for a while, we decided that a table set (two end tables and a coffee table) would be very handy and spruce up the look of the couch as well. We liked this set because of the nice finish, great color and amount of storage in the drawers and shelf areas. When we got them home we realized that the coffee table may be a little large for our current living room but I think I just need to move the furniture around to find the best arrangement.


One of two end tables
Chris working on pins for his dress blues at the coffee table while watching the Office

In addition to shopping for new tables, we have been spending lots of time getting things in order in the new place. Here are some photos of what we’ve done so far:

Our bed is currently sitting on the floor, bedroom furniture is next on the list!

Our Dining Room, perfect for dinners for two but we did manage to fit seven people in there for a dinner party we threw on Sunday.

The kitchen (where I made our first completely from scratch dinner last night)
Check out the artwork on the fridge, it is from Will, Emma and Jack when they were here to see Chris come home.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

New Toy for Chris


As you know, Chris loves gadgets and anything electronic (it comes from his father) and over the weekend he bought a new toy: a Sony Bravia 40” Flat Screen TV. We had been watching our favorite programs on his 19” flat screen that he purchased and used in Iraq but it was making our eyes hurt and he had been wanting a new TV for some time, especially when his sister Danielle and her fiancĂ© got a brand new flat screen at Thanksgiving time. We spent a couple days checking out the local electronics stores and he spent time doing research online for this purchase. In the end, we decided on BestBuy because we had a 10% off coupon. Currently, Chris is setting up his X-Box Live on the new TV so they can get together to play their favorite games together online (shooting games, of course!)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ryan-Age 18
Ryan-Age 3

Today my brother Ryan (brother number 2, child number 3) turns 19! He is a senior in high school and enjoying every minute of it. He will be heading to Florida with his class for their Senior Trip in March. In the fall he will attend a local college (either Tiffin University or Bowling Green) to study business. Tonight his basketball team is playing in the tournament round at Liberty Benton if it doesn't get snowed out. Good Luck Jackets!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Sonya's Last Day at Work

Sonya, Jean, Bonita and Carol
Sonya with the cake
Joe and Joe
Jean, Diana, Gary, Patty, Jill, Donna, Laura and Mike
Sonya, Bill, Carol and Jean
Laura, Mike and Bointa

On my last day at work we had a going away luncheon and ordered from one of my favorite places, Noodles and Company. If you are not familiar with them you pick a noodle dish, the size and then your protein to make an upscale fast food type of lunch (I would put them in the same category as Panera or Chipotle). I ordered one of my favorites, the Indonesian Peanut Saute with chicken and it was delicious as always. We had a nice crowd at lunch and finished off our meal with a cake. Carol presented me with a plaque of the 1955 Good Housekeeping article “The Good Wife’s Guide”. It has been a running joke in the office that this will be the standard in my home upon moving to NC as I’ve received it several times in the past couple of weeks! If you haven’t read the article here it is: http://j-walk.com/other/goodwife/images/goodwifeguide.gif. Now if you really know me, you would understand that under no circumstances will this be followed! I love my husband dearly but I’m not prepared to time travel back to 1955 for his enjoyment because in this decade most households have two working members and everyone should pitch in to keep things running smoothly!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Homecoming!

This posting has been a long time coming…about 15 months in the works! Chris has now been home for five days and things are going extremely well. On Friday, I received a call from his Commander’s wife to say that he was due to come home on an earlier flight than expected (Yay!) He was scheduled to arrive in New Jersey on Tuesday and have to be bused to Ft. Bragg but luckily flew directly into Pope Air Force Base (attached to Ft. Bragg) at 4am on Sunday. On Friday I met my Mom for lunch at her school, had the Jeep checked out by my Dad, picked up the U-Haul trailer and watched my brother Ryan’s last regular season basketball game as a senior and then we hit the road! We had originally planned on leaving on Saturday but due to the change in Chris’s arrival time, my Mom and I drove the Jeep and U-Haul to Columbus (Ohio) where all of my things were and we met Steve and Sharon (Chris’s parents) and his cousin Aaron to load up the U-Haul. We got to bed around 1am and were up by 5:30am to meet Grandma and Grandpa Kimmet who were driving my car to NC for us. By 6:10am our caravan hit the road for an uneventful but long trip. We arrived at the apartment around 5pm and two aunts (Sandy and Pat); one uncle (Larry) and a family of cousins (Tanna, Allan, Will, Emma and Jack) met us to help unload the trailer and got all of Chris’s things out of storage. I cannot express how blessed we were to have so many willing hands to help unpack and offer their support! Within hours we had everything in the apartment and somewhat set up. I think it will take a couple of weeks to get everything in place but right now we are able to function effectively every day. After unpacking and eating dinner (thanks to the family for stocking our fridge and cabinets full) we all took naps before leaving for Pope AFB at 2am to see the plane land and finally see Chris. We arrived at “Green Ramp” a warehouse off the landing strip where the plane would land around 2:30am and everyone chatted, took pictures and filled up on snacks provided to stay awake for the next couple hours until we saw our favorite soldier. Announcements were made every half hour followed by cheers from the 500+ family members awaiting the planes arrival. Time moved both fast and slow as we got closer to the arrival of the troops. When we heard the plane land, people surged toward the door of the building to see it. After what seemed like forever, the soldiers in neat rows marched in the building! There was a short prayer by the Chaplin, a speech by a General, the Star Spangled Banner, a couple of Army songs and then the soldiers were released for 15 minutes to say hello to family members. It was a flood of hugs and kisses as everyone welcomed Chris home! One moment that stands out in my mind is the awe that Will (Chris’s 7 year old cousin) had at the pistol Chris was carrying. After the 15 minutes, the soldiers loaded up on busses to head back to their offices to get everything accounted for and pick up their bags. We went back to the apartment to catch up on sleep until Chris arrived at 8:30am and we all caught up on the last 15 months over breakfast. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better homecoming experience!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Chris is home!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Chris is home! He arrived at Ft. Pope Air Force Base on Sunday at 4am. We have been busy setting up the new apartment and spending time with his family!

Friday, February 8, 2008

Moving Madness-Part I

A photo of the pool at our new apartment complex in NC

My room at the Westwood house
(it will all go in our guest room in NC)

The moving has commenced and I'm not sure how long this process will take. Aaron, Danielle and I are moving out of the Westwood house because we found a couple to sublease it until our lease is up in June (great because we don't have to pay rent here and in NC after the move). So this weekend we're moving to Danielle and Tim's house and then next weekend my Mom and I will rent a U-haul to pull behind the Jeep to move everything to North Carolina. I'm starting to get over-whelmed by the sheer amount of objects to be moved and most of them are in storage yet! If you weren’t aware, Chris and I agreed not to use the wedding gifts until we could use them together because we wanted them to be new to both of us so they have been in a storage unit for the past 15+ months since the wedding. Also, he has a storage unit in NC to hold his things during the deployment. It will be very nice to have everything in one place….in one state! Luckily, Chris and I have awesome families who are willing it pitch in and help us get everything to NC and set up before he arrives so he can just relax and enjoy being back in the USA. THANK YOU to everyone who has offered to help, we both appreciate it greatly! I’m sad to be leaving the Westwood house because I’ve really enjoyed living here but am very excited because I know that means Chris and I are one step closer to (finally) being able to start our married life together.



Sunday, February 3, 2008

Senior Night


Sonya, Ryan and Jason at Senior Night


My (middle) brother Ryan is a senior in high school this year and is on the Varsity Basketball team. Since my parents are enjoying the sun and sand in the Dominican Republic, Jason and I escorted Ryan during Senior Night. The night is dedicated to the parents of the senior athletes and band members in recognition of all their support of their children’s efforts over the past 12 years or so in their extra-curricular activities. It was a great night to go home and watch some basketball! Eric, Chris’ brother, plays on the JV team and scored 2 3-point shots to help secure a victory for the JV Jacket team. Andrew (a freshman and my youngest brother) even saw some playing time at the end of the JV game. The Varsity game ended 89-78 in the Blue Jackets favor. Ryan did a great job despite a sore throat with 16 points, including 4 3-pointers! I’m trying to get to as many basketball games as possible before the move to NC and to enjoy watching Ryan’s senior year.