Mom & Dad in Independence Hall in the room the Declaration was signed!
The Liberty Bell
Rocky Statue!
The Birthplace of the Marine Corps
We went to Hershey, PA! The Hershey Factory was fun and had some tasty treats. :)
Kyle thought this was pretty funny. ;) Lancaster County is home to the Amish community.
Horse and Buggy!
On our way back to VA we decided to do a DC night trip! :)
Beautiful picture of the Lincoln Memorial
One of my favorite pictures! Standing in the Lincoln, looking at the Washington Monument.
D.C. at night is amazing!
The 3 of us went to DC the next day (Monday) to visit museums. :) Here we are in front of the Capitol.
Also on Monday, Kyle's parents, Larry and Rhonda, made it to VA! :) Monday was the last night we would have any pots, pans, dishes, silverware, etc since there would be movers coming on Tuesday to get our "express" shipment (things we would need first thing) off to Hawaii. And when I say express I mean a 45 day shipment! So to be a Suzy Homemaker I wanted to make something for our parents. I decided to make my chicken fajitas, which are delicious and Kyle's favorite! Here is the recipe if you'd like it:
(Not my picture, but looks very similar!)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon chile powder
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup water
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch strips
- 2 green bell pepper-cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper-cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 8-10 corn tortillas, warmed in microwave
- Salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, for serving
Directions
- In a resealable plastic bag, combine chile powder, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, water and 4 tablespoons olive oil. Seal bag and shake until it is completely mixed.
- Add chicken, bell pepper and onion. Seal and knead gently to coat all contents. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Empty the contents of the bag into the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the limejuice.
- Serve in warmed tortillas and add desired extras (salsa, sour cream, etc.)
Tuesday the movers came to get our express shipment and were in and out in 30 minutes! It was quick, but it was only our kitchen things plus sleeping bags, snorkel gear, and some other necessities. :) Then we spent the day with family.
Wednesday was a LONG day. We had to be on base at 0700 for Warrior Day. At the end of TBS (The Basic School), they have Warrior Day, which is for family and friends. We were greeted by the Major of TBS and we watched a slide show of Charlie Company's time at TBS (I wish I had it to post on here). Then we went outside and they had all different vehicles lined up that the men used throughout TBS, along with weapons. They also had an AAV ride! This is the vehicle Kyle is going to be working with. It was a very bumpy ride and a little bit scary! But it was fun to experience it knowing that is what Kyle is working with. We also were able to shoot some of the guns the men used during training, which we all had a blast doing! Here are a few pictures of our day:
The whole gang in a 7 ton!
In front of an AAV!
With Rhonda & Larry with our flak jackets and kevlars on ready for our AAV ride!
Here I am shooting an M16
Dad in the prone position shooting the SAW. He had fun. :)
After Warrior Day, we headed back to our apartment to get all done up for the graduation ceremony. Kyle was definitely ready for this day! It couldn't have come soon enough for him. We both couldn't believe how quickly 6 months had passed. Graduation was a great way to celebrate Kyle's big accomplishment. I know he doesn't think it's a huge accomplishment, but I know the time he had to put in, whether that was in the field, at home working on an order, doing reading, or studying for tests. We're all proud of you Kyle! :)
My handsome Marine.
With our parents.
Kyle walking across stage
Mandee and her kiddos Marcella and Maddox!
Not the best picture of everyone, but these are 3 other couples in Kyle's platoon who we enjoyed hanging out with.
After graduation, while everyone was outside taking pictures and celebrating, I realized, "Oh my gosh. This is probably the last time I will see some of these wives!" So, I hurried around and tried to find as many of the wives as I could to say goodbye. Luckily, we had a Recipe Party 2 weeks before that for a final farewell. It was fantastic! We made recipe books with each of our favorite recipes. When the books were made we had a party and brought a sample of our food. It was a wonderful idea! It was such a weird feeling knowing that these ladies I've spent so much time with and have become so close with in the last 6 months are going to be stationed around the globe. I am sure going to miss them! And I am so thankful for Facebook and Skype!
We were successful in taking a self-timed picture! Here are the majority of the wives and their kiddos from Charlie Company.
The day after graduation (Thursday 30th) the movers came. They needed 2 days to pack up our things. The first day there were these 4 ladies who packed all of our items up and Friday there were 3 men who loaded all our items into the moving truck. Those were two long days and Friday was pretty rough...I had to say goodbye to my great friend Mandee and her kids, Marcella and Maddox. We were saying our "goodbyes" and it was such a weird feeling...not knowing if we would even see each other again! At the time, they didn't know where their permanent duty station would be. After about 5 hugs and lots of tears we said goodbye. And now for the amazing news...Mandee's family is coming to Hawaii!!!! :) :) :) I could not believe it when she called me and told me! Her husband, Stu, is deploying in April, so she isn't coming to Hawaii till October when he returns, but I will still have her and her kids with me for 2 years! :)
After packing up our stuff on Friday we said goodbye to Stafford, VA. Both our families went into historic Alexandria and spent our last evening together walking around and enjoying each others company. The next day, Kyle and I were up bright and early, ready for our long flight/move from D.C. to Chicago and Chicago to Honolulu...where we now call home. Aloha!
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