I AM SOOOOO GLAD THAT WORKED OUT!!

As you know, the plan was for a wedding on the day of graduation!  Taylor and I had been researching and researching and she was posting and corresponding with people on Facebook that gotten married on graduation day!  With the information that we had we thought that it was doable but knew we would have to rush you guys to the Clerk's office to get it done - little did we know. . . . .

As soon as graduation was over and you had gotten some of your things from your ship we hopped in the cars and headed to the Clerk's Office.  Well, where do I start?  I guess I don't need to itemize the happenings for you because you were there but I will go through a brief run down in case people who weren't there read this blog!

After passing through security (everyone made it through succesfully except your dad who got held up because of his belt).  We got to the Clerk's office for you all to complete the paperwork.  Your dad realized he had left his phone in the car and you had forgotten your jacket so I volunteered to go back to the car to get the stuff since I made it through security without having to empty pockets, etc.  Got to the parking garage and couldn't find the car - in all the rush I didn't pay one bit of attention to where we parked or how we got in the building.  After searching for the car for a while (even honking the horn using the remote didn't work - I could hear the car but couldn't find it) I gave up and went back inside to find that your dad had gone back out to find me.  We finally found one another and went to the car to get the items - coming back in was 3 trips through security for me and 2 for your dad!  You all got your paperwork done and we headed down to the lower level - more forms to complete then we were sent to an office that was closed for lunch so we took a lunch break!  Afer lunch we headed back to accomplish our mission!!  We were sent from that office to the Judge's Office and after multiple trips from the Judge's Office back down to the office in the lower level the judge was able to marry you two! 

I am so glad that it worked out for the two of you and we welcome Taylor to our family!  I hope the two of you have many, many years of happiness!!

More Photos From Your Wedding Ceremony!

GRADUATION DAY!

Our alarms were set for times beginning at 5 am if I remember correctly.  Our plan was to leave by 6 am to head over to base for the graduation.  I'm not sure Taylor slept much at all that night (which I believe had become the norm for quite a while!)  We got ready and headed over to Graduation.  Taylor had talked to her friend, Christy who said she was there at 6 am and was second in line and she was already in and waiting for the building to be open.  Thankfully we had run our test routes the day before and knew where we were going and made really good time (I had to put that in so your dad would not think that the test routes were  a waste of time!)  By the time we got there at 6:30 am the traffic was backed up for quite some way but it didn't take us long to get through the line.  We parked in the parking garage and headed in.  We were even able to get Brandi in with us right away!  We got into the building and began to look for your divisions section.  We took our seats and the wait began.  The time moved along somewhat quickly and before you knew it the ceremony was starting.  of course I was already taking pictures and made a friends with a picture guy in the crowd who had a camera with a really big zoom lens - I knew his pictures would be good!!  He gave me his card and I told him I'd be in touch to see about trading pictures with him!  Turns out he was there for his nephew and they were from Indianapolis!!  Small world!!

Graduation was awesome and very entertaining.  I, of course moved here and there to get where I needed to be to get the best picture!  I was trying to hold open about 3 extra spots so I could have plenty of room to move to different levels of the bleachers but I made the mistake of having to go to the bathroom and while I was gone your dad let people move into the seats . . . I know I can't be selfish and had to share but I really want those extra spaces BUT in the end it all turned out great since you were so near the front and so much taller than everyone else!!

When the divisions marched out it was awesome - the way you marched all the way around the entire facility - of course when you are taking pictures you get wrapped up behind the camera so I CANNOT wait to get my hands on the dvd and be able to watch it all again!  I was a little concerned when you were on the very back but then when you all did your march and rotated around to the opposite of where you originally were I was thrilled!!  You were in the perfect spot for great photos!! 

At the end of the ceremony when the called for Liberty my heart was racing and I headed down the bleachers keeping an eye on your whereabouts so I could make sure to get pictures!  I think mission accomplished as I ended up with a couple of pretty cool ones!  It sort of reminded me of when we all would storm the football fields your Junior year!! 

Graduation was done and we were on to more excitement for the day!!

More Graduation Day Photos!

HEADING TO GRADUATION AND MEET AND GREET!

I guess let me start out with heading to Graduation . . . Taylor spent the night at our house Wednesday night so we could hit the road Thursday night.  Your dad and I were sleeping with alarm clocks set when we heard someone racing through the kitchen.  Your fiance (at the time) hopped up to go out to her car for something and was follwed by a very loud pack of labrador retrievers . . .so after that we were up and started getting ready to go! 

The trip went pretty smooth until we got right to Chicago . . . . except for the fact that we were waiting on a phone call from you and hadn't received it and were a little unnerved by that but the traffic through Chicago sort of took our minds off that (at least mine and Taylors!)  All I will say is your poor dad!!  I had already typed in my text messages to everyone announcing that we had gotten the call and you were now a solider.  Stephanie told me to delete them as that is probably why you hadn't called yet - I had jinxed it.  I didn't do as she told and you called just as we pulled in the hotel parking lot and I started sending out my text messages!! 

Your dad, Taylor and I went to a Meet and Greet that was held at one of the other Hotels.  It was sort of neat.  The neatest part (I thought anyway) was that they invited people to come up and talk about their SR.  I told your dad and Taylor that the needed to go up there.  Of course your dad wouldn't but eventually we talked Taylor into going up there . . . I swear I heard the man say that the person who got the most applause would get a shirt of something but I could have been mistaken BUT when your fiance announced that she was the crazy girl getting married tomorrow she got one heck of a lot of applause!! 

We stayed a short time longer and then headed back to our hotel.  You know me, Mrs. Organization, I had already told your dad that we needed to run test routes to figure out where we were headed, how long it would take, etc.  At first he said no but then when I threatened that Taylor and I would go on our own he broke down and took us!!   Before we left, when we were still home trying to figure out if the marriage thing was going to work and if we would have time, etc. I told Taylor we would just get there on Thursday and keep driving to the courthouse to see how quickly we could get there!! 

More Pictures from Navy Meet and Greet

AND THEN THINGS GOT A LITTLE CRAZY . . .

Thought I'd better get this blog caught up since you are now out of graduated from bootcamp and I need to give you the link so you can see what has been going on! 

Back to 4th of July weekend!!  Not a lot went on that weekend - at this point things have gotten CRAZY at work and I've been very busy!!  Taylor was gone to Indy for a week then to Florida so we didn't see very much of you and honestly I can't remember at this point (sorry that is a 41 year old mind for you) what happened in between my last post and 4th of July - I did look back at my calendar and there were just a few things on there but they were things that wouldn't be of any interest to you so we fast forward to 4th of July weekend! 

Again, not alot went on that weekend.  I mostly worked around the house.  I knew that the next week would be a short one for me since we would be leaving out to head up for your graduation.  So, I was trying wrap things up at home and at work and that is what consumed the largest part of my time! 

But, on Sunday, July 3, there were a few get togethers.  Your dad was on evenings and had to work.  Sarah and Wes were having a few people over so I went to their house and Taylor joined me after a get together she went to with her mom.  We left Sarah's and ran to the Sanford's to watch fireworks with them at dark.  It had been rainy most of the late part of the day so we were not sure if they would be doing the fireworks or not but Mary texted me and said they were "on" so we hopped in the car and headed over there.  As usual, it was a good show!  I think we told you over the weekend that it was cute when we walked up with all the spectators lined up in their chairs to watch - you know a get together with the Sanfords is ALWAYS a crowd!!  As we watched the fire works we would get small things dropping on us from the sky but then bigger pieces of debris began to fall - Taylor looked behind us and everyone except for us and Grandpa Bill had moved further back in the yard - I believe her comment was something along the lines that we were the only silly ones still sitting up there or we didn't get the memo or something along those lines (again, sorry the 41 year old mind isn't as good as it once was!). 

We went back to Sarah's for a short bit - and then headed home.  Monday I went to work for a while to get a jump start on things - as I mentioned it was a very short week! 

Not a very eventful post and sorry, no pictures!