Lunch with Mary

Over lunch last week Jannette and I were talking about how much we missed visiting with Mary. So we decided to call and invite her to lunch with the girls before Jannette went home to South Carolina. We met at the Boardwalk for lunch and had a great time catching up and sharing fond memories. I hope we can continue to keep in touch and do lunch every once in a while!

John’s Change of Command

I’m proud to say that my brother is the new commanding officer of the VMFA-122 Werewolves! Kenneth, Sarah and I took a trip to Beaufort for the ceremony and celebration. We were originally supposed to fly but when our flight was delayed indefinitely because of a broken plane we decided to drive. Sarah is a real trooper on road trips – what did we ever do without a rear seat entertainment system?

We hit the ground running on Thursday as soon as we arrived. Jannette had goody bags with squadron t-shirts waiting for us and lots of fun family activities planned. Our first task was to pick Darlene up from the airport. She came all the way from Hawaii for the change of command weekend! Jannette, Kelli and I had appetizers while we waited for her flight. Back at home Jennifer arrived from Rhode Island and Leigh came in from North Carolina. We all sat on the back porch after dinner, enjoying the sunset and drinking good wine! We all really enjoyed getting to know Adrienne’s boyfriend Diego from Brazil too.

Friday morning was the change of command ceremony. The ceremony was outside in the 102 degree heat but it turned out really well. We really enjoyed catching up with out of town family and friends. Uncle Bill and Aunt Jackie came in from Georgia; Aunt Amy and Uncle Steve and David drove from Florida; Dave and Gay (John and Jannette’s neighbors from Jacksonville) drove up too; Jannette’s mom and dad came across from Mississippi; and Cindy, Tony and Madeleine (Jannette’s sister and family) flew in from San Diego. We all missed having Papa Pete with us but knew he was there in spirit – we know that he was so proud of John. We got to take some family pictures in front of John’s jet, and the little ones got to climb up and see a jet up close.

Then we went to a lovely reception at the officer’s club. Jannette had planned a great kid’s table with all kinds of neat toys and crafts so the adults could relax and enjoy some brunch. When the reception was nearing its end, we noticed Sarah running off across the room and then reappearing a minute later. We wondered what she was up to, so Kenneth followed her. He watched while Sarah grabbed a muffin, ate the top off and put the rest back on the tray. She then reached for a bagel, took a bite, and put it back. Kenneth couldn’t be mad at her for long since she really didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to be doing that!

That night the whole family came over for low country boil (shrimp, corn and potatoes) for dinner. We convinced David to stay and go out on the town with us. There are only a couple of bars in downtown Beaufort, so we couldn’t get into too much trouble! I don’t think I have ever seen so many pictures of John smiling – he genuinely enjoyed himself that night!

The next morning we had breakfast at Blackstone’s. Madeleine and Lolo taught Sarah how to play her new leapster game while we waited for our food.

That evening all of the officers from John’s squadron and their wives came over to celebrate. We had bar-b-que to eat and lots of cool drinks. The sunset was gorgeous, and John built a fire in the firepit down by the water. We sat around the fire talking until we finally got to bed at 3! John and Jannette are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends that we have had the pleasure of getting to know as well!

Sunday Kenneth took Sarah and Kaitlyn to the movies while Jannette and I drove Adrienne’s boyfriend, Diego, back to Charleston. We made sure to stop at our favorite sushi restaurant for lunch and ate way too much! The weekend went by way too fast – we really missed seeing Jim and Rie, Michael, and Amy. We’re trying to plan a little reunion for the cousins when Jim and Rie come to the States to visit??

*Click on the slideshow to see the picture gallery*