Callie's Trip

I'm sad today. Today we had to take Callie to the airport so she could fly back to Texas and start her second semester of Nursing School.

We had such a good time while she was here. I SO miss having another female in the house.
Not only did she help out last Sunday at her reception, but she and I got to spend time doing fun things together.
We spent one day in Seattle doing a little sight seeing. I had not been to the top of the Space Needle and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do that. There is actually a restaurant at the top that rotates as you sit and eat. It can make for a little motion sickness if you are prone to that!
We had a great seat and magnificent views. The day was unusually clear and we could see for miles.

 Here we are in the restaurant with a bit of the view behind us. We had a delicious lunch and it was truly a treat.

 Here is a view of the Space Needle from the ground looking up. It's magnificent.

 Speaking of magnificent.. check out this view. This was from the observation deck after lunch. That mountain is such a presence here. On a clear day you can see it from almost anywhere it still looks HUGE.

Here are a few views of our trip up to Mt. Rainier. It was a very snowy day and we could only go up so far, but Callie got a dose of snow and that's really all she wanted.

 Check out the size of this tree!  I actually have other photos of this tree. We have been up this road every month since October. It's interesting to see how the weather changed every month. I will share those in another post.

Nick and Alex attempting to put snow chains on the car. We borrowed those chains and didn't realize that they were too big for our vehicle. So, we didn't go all the way up as far as we could go. It's probably best, because the weather was getting really nasty.

My snow bunny. She is such a little southern girl and truly loves to see a little snow. It really doesn't take much of it to make her happy.

After being here for a week and a half, she was ready to head back to Texas to warmer weather. She's a bit of a wimp like her mother when it comes to the cold.

Holiday Reception & Etiquette

I mentioned in my last post that Nick and I hosted our very first New Year's Reception this past Sunday. The tradition has been that the commander would host his senior leaders (because there are just too many to have everyone over) to his or her home on New Year's Day. However, who really wants to do this on New Year's Day?  Not the commander and certainly not the Soldiers who work for him.
So, our decision was to do it on the 8th of January. We did it from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM in one hour rotations. We had a group at 1:00 who stayed until 2:00, then had a 30 minute break to re-stock food, drinks, etc. and then had the second group at 2:30 and so on. We saw the last group out at 5:00.
Tips for hosting this kind of event:
Cater if you can. Seriously, it's a lot of work and I was overwhelmed.
If you can't cater, go to Costco or a similar store and buy stuff that is easily put together or simply warmed in the oven at the last minute. I did lots of this and it was good.
Have help in the kitchen. My friend Carla, my daughter Callie and Nick's deputy's wife were all there and helped me so much. They completely took the stress out of the day.
Block off your kitchen if you want no one in there. I closed the door from the kitchen to the dining room, and hung a sheer curtain over the other doorway. Even then, people looked in to find a place to put empty plates, cups etc. (have someone walk through and gather trash, plates, etc. That helps too)
Have a guest book. You will want to look back after the rush and see who was really there.
At the end of the rotation, take everyone OUTSIDE to take a group photo. It ensures they are out of the house at the end of their time. Don't let them come back in! 
Mingle and have a great time!
Now for those of you attending a reception such as this.  Here are the do's and don'ts.
Don't bring a hostess gift. It's not that kind of party. It's a reception and more formal, so you are really only required to show up. For the service member invited.. it's a command performance. Don't think because it's an invitation and you can RSVP that you have the option NOT to go. Go.. you'll thank me later.
Don't ask for a tour of the home. Yes, I live in a beautiful historic home. No, I do not want 50 people at a time wandering through it. If your host/hostess want to give you a tour, they'll offer. (no one did this to me, but did to some of my neighbors who hosted receptions)
Don't take your children. Don't ask if you can bring your children. This is an official event and not a place for toddlers to be running around.
Do speak to the commander and his/her enlisted counterpart. (The Command Sergeant Major) they are a team and should always be included in a greeting, thank you, good-bye etc.
Thank everyone involved for inviting you and for opening their home. It is just the right thing to do.

I will have to say, my group was fabulous. No one was out of line, no one brought kids, wandered through my house etc.
It's a reflection on the wonderful officers and NCO's who are working for my husband. We are very blessed and humbled to be able to serve in this way.

I will leave you with a photo of Nick and me outside our home as we were getting started on Sunday. It was a blast!!

A Party for Grandma

Since my last post, right after Christmas, I have been super busy.
Nick decided that he wanted to embrace some of the old Army traditions that we've moved away from since we've been fighting all these wars. He wanted to host a New Year's Reception. At our house.  I have never thrown a party of this size in my home.
Granted, it's not every Soldier in the brigade, but a lot of them.
So, we sent out invitations, figured out the time frame (they come in rotations because of the size of the group) and I started making lists.
On Sunday, Jan 8, we hosted 80-100 people in three rotations at our house. I think it went very well because of the amazing help I had. My friend Carla came over and manned the kitchen, my daughter Callie was here to do whatever needed, and the boy helped out with hat and coat check and trash duty. It was truly a team effort.

The highlight of my day, however, was a text message I got about five minutes before the first group arrived. I knew my daughter in Hawaii was in labor and about to give birth to my first grandbaby, and I was checking my phone every few minutes.
Like I said, right before the first group, I got this from my son-in-law:
"Congratulations you are now a grandmother!!  At 0924 we had Jackson. He came out 6 lbs 20 oz, and 18 1/2 inches long. 
I started crying!
Then I got this:

The water works really started flowing. Nick walked in the kitchen to see if I was ready to greet our guests, and I'm sobbing!  He said, "Seriously?  You're crying?  You're going to mess up your face!" 

Needless to say, everyone at our reception Sunday got to see a photo of my new grandbaby.

We had a wonderful day, and at every break I was texting or calling my daughter until she asked me to stop because she needed to rest.

My flight to Hawaii has been booked. I am leaving on Feburary 1 to go see the little angel. I absolutely can't wait. I love him so much already.

A picture of mama and baby. Aren't they beautiful?

I guess I need to get hopping and finish the little man's quilt now. Oy.. it's always a project hanging over me!!