big rock days 2 & 3

hey carlos!
i write my blogs small so i can type more & not be a blog-hog! so like it or lump it!
so, all is well here! day 2 of the big rock...teddy's crew had the 1st place tuna, winning the dock calcutta again ( & lots of bragging right) & also the daily for the 1st place tuna...they are currently 1st w/their tuna for the week & second w/their wahoo from monday for the week! so they are off to a great start! here are pix of his boat owner & his sons w/the 2 fish...

no boats fishing today, alberto is here & it is BLOWING! teddy is at cherry point....he thinks they will lay again tomorrow & fish fri & sat, but we'll see! chuck & crew also weighed a dolphin...3rd place though which does not pay, but still fun to go to the scales & weigh one...as you can see charlie met them there & then got to ride back to the marina on the boat...he was thrilled!

anyway, just wanted to say hi, & keep you up to date! carlie & i went to her doctor for her 18mth checkup today...can't believe she is that old already! time really flies! it is teddy's bday tomorrow, so carlie & i went shopping for him after the doctor...we have been practicing saying happy birthday daddy...but so far it comes out happy happy daddy! too cute! take care, email soon:))
olive juice,
carenos
xoxoxo

Hello,
Caren you are putting me to shame with the numerous blogs. I do have an excuse my internet is down at home, I need to call the cable company today and fix the problem. I am at work, I think people get fired for this so I better make it quick. Maybe this counts as a smoking break since I don't smoke. Well we weathered the storm, lots of wind and a few inches of rain but the lights never went out so everything is fine now I guess we just wait for number two. Here are a few pics of Nate's latest tricks . Back to work. I will write more when my internet is fixed. We miss you DAD come home soon! Love , Mom and Nate

Lots of blogs - I love it!

Hi everyone! Lots of blogs to respond to, that's great! First to Amy - boy times have changed haven't they? The hurrican party has become the "play-more-with-Nate-inside" party haha...probably for the better, but boy does that Miller Lite taste good (not that either of us would know right now!)!

Charlie, thankyou very much for sending me a message. I'm sure I can bring something back from Iraq for you, and I promise I will be safe! I can't wait for you to meet your cousin Nate, and he can't wait to meet you either (although you've already seen him when he was a little baby - he's much bigger now!). Can I ask you to do something for me? Can you teach your Aunt Caren how to use normal-sized letters that we can all read on this post? Ha ha ...

Mom, thanks for typing out the note for Charlie, I bet you both had fun! I wish I could post a picture waving hi back to Charlie, but since we don't have cameras out here that's problematic.

And Caren, last but not least - I hope the fishing goes well for everyone this week - it would be great to be in the running! I'll check the big rock web page after this to see how your tues went! And thankyou for the brownies too - haha they were gone in 2 days!! They stayed very fresh, although I think you used a whole roll of saran wrap to make them stay that way - thank you very yummy!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well, Amy survived the storm well with no flooding (that I know of) and only lots of books and games with story, sounds pretty good to me! I miss everyone and can't wait to see you all when I get back.

Love,
Carl

big rock day 1

hola carlos!
day 1 of the big rock...teddy's crew won the 2nd place wahoo for today w/a 49 #er. they also won the dock calcutta (a town creek marina competition) for the day...so there should be some cash in it! no blues today for them...2 weighed in...451, 432 - they can be beaten! we'll keep you posted! talked to amy this am...she said the rain was starting, but not much else at that point. looks like it will get here early wednes am, so they guys are definitely fishing tomorrow & we'll see from there! anyway, take care...will keep you posted! love ya, caren

charlie

hi uncle carl@!
can you bring me more marine stuff? please. i want you to come help me find my small stuff for my big airplane. if you don't find it, please bring me another one. please during war, please don't get hurt. come back home soon enough for me to see you. please can you come home later on in the day one day on friday - please can you do it? & say hi to aunt amy for me. & come to my house soon enough for me to see you. if you get any cuts, go to the hospital. can you please, please come home? thanks.
love charlie

ps - we asked charlie if he wanted to post you a message, & this is what you got...word for word!:)

big rock update

hola carlos!
teddy went fishing for lady's day on saturday...had a blue marlin...first release of the day...but of course someone else released 2 that day, so no win, but still exciting! he said it was jumping up right near the boat & was really exciting...they took some pix, so if they make it to us i will post some! the tournament is fish 4 out of 6 days, mon - sat. so of course, everyone is watching the tropical storm closely hoping it will get here slowly & they can fish their 4 days before it roughs up the ocean. makes me nauseous just to type it! guess i am not ready to try offshore adventures yet!

am here w/mom & carlie & the boys at claire's...killing time until the pigpicking this evening at 7. we were thinking about you & wanted to type you a note! mom talked to amy this am & she said it wasn't raining yet, but we will keep in close contact w/her from here...did you get the brownies yet?

okay, will post again soon!
we miss & love you!
caren & mom
xoxoxoxox
& carlie, charlie, max, daisy, fink, & weezey, & big fat freddy the fish (that was charlie's addition!)

Storm # 1

This was not supposed to be a storm, so why is the wind blowing harder than it did during most hurricanes and it is not supposed to start until tomorrow. WHy is my cable out and my power has flickered twice in the past ten minutes. CARL COME HOME! Don't worry even though the cable is out , Nate is going to let me read him 8 silly monkeys for the 50th time today. No kidding! Don't worry I have every thing we need for survial, which used to mean Miller Lite and chips and Salsa, now I have Ritz crackers, and cheerios! oh boy!
Amy

Hi Everybody

We've been pretty busy here lately, as I guess you can imagine, but obviously I can't go into any details. In any case, we remain generally as busy as ever, but I still find time to check the blog for new posts! Thanks for posting Mom and Caren - and little Carlie is too cute, all decked out in the 06-line of kiddie swimwear! The pool looks awesome, next time I'm bringing one of those over here with me!!! (now why didn't I think of that before!) Many thanks too to Mom Poe - the cookies are YUMMY!!!!!! I don't know how you manage to ship cookies 3000+ miles and they're still that perfect mix of crunchy and chewy - it must be an art!!! Everyone here says thankyou, I've made sure to share the delicious treats (but I've had my fair share too hahah!). I hope everyone is well there. Good luck to Teddy (and Chuck too, if he's fishing) in the Big Rock this week in Morehead City/Beaufort, wouldn't it be nice to bring home the big one?!!!
Honey, I can't wait to see more pics of Nate, too bad it's getting too hot to move down there in all-too-sunny Fla! Now when exactly can we retire and begin our 6 month rotation between Fla and NC??? You just say when, I'm ready now! I'll type more soon,
Love,
Carlos

the pool!

hola carlos!
check out the pool! & carlie on the back deck in her beach chair, her cool shades, & her floaty swimsuit! we have had a busy week! i only worked mon & fri b/c carolyn was home (teddy's cousin) w/her little girl, reagan, who is carlie's age. we have had a blast...the girls had fun together, the big ones too! busy week ahead also...the big rock! teddy is fishing on the 'sweet margalit', so keep your fingers crossed! his bday is thurs & he brought one to the scales on his bday once, so we are hoping for a lucky day again! not too much else new here...

saw the news this week...guess you got that warm fuzzy feeling we talked about when something good happens at work! i couldn't help but think about you & how you all must be celebrating! success!

take care! we miss & love you, & think about you lots! i miss our daily phone calls & comparing baby notes! stay safe!

olive juice,

carenos

ps- did you get the brownies?

Hi Carl!

Hi Carl,It was great to talk to you last Sunday, I had a good birthday with everyone, only sorry your family were not there with us all. Charlie talks a lot about baby Nate so I share all the pictures with them. Amy sent me great pictures and a lovely birthday card from Nate.Things are very busy here as big rock weekend starts today, the parking lot has four portapotties for the first time I think. I work tomorrow then get Carlie overnight so Caren can go with Teddy to the Captain's party. Sunday I get the boys from Peggy and will take them to the pig picking at the marina in the afternoon and babysit for the evening so busy time, good job I am not old!!!! That's the latest on this end. Mike got a new job working for Tom at the campground so he is happy,he is heading the maintenance team so has traded a ladder for a riding lawnmower.Will talk to you soon. Take care and stay safe.Lots of Love Mum
1:01 PM

Great pictures

hey honey - WOW what hilariosus pictures!! baby nate is a RIOT, man do i miss playing with him i can't wait to be home soon, under 2 months left now and ticking down quickly!!! i haven't had a chance to call in the last few days but will try to call you tomorrow if i can, i love you and miss you a ton!!!

love,
me

More pics

He found the sun coming in the window today and discovered his shawdow he had to sit down and spin around in circles to watch it move it was funny!


Well I thought after he ate a bite of my raisin bread on Sunday we were really going to get somewhere with the food issues this week . We have introduced cheese about 50 times and now he picks it up just long enough to feed it to the dog! COME ON KID JUST TRY IT.

















THats all for now time for mom to get some work done and then some much need sleep!
we miss you Carl we can't wait for you to come home

What a week

Nate smiles for the camera after he gets down when mom discovers him standing on the table!
Nate got a new mega blocks wagon and he even learned how to put the blocks together this week.

Oh wait its only Wednesday. Well nothing much going on just work as usual. Nate's vocabulary has really started picking up this week we say fish sounds like "dish" . He is really good at the d words "dooggeee" "Dadddy" and my favorite night night "nigh nigh". He brings me my shoes at least twice a day as if to say its time to go outside now, usually I give in unless its just to hot. Okay well a stranger asked me if I was pregnant today so I guess I am getting that nice belly or fat ass , not sure which or maybe both.

Sunday night dinners

Hey honey, remember Sun night dinners at 713 Oxford? Yeah, those were good times...why'd we have to grow up anyway? Nate doesn't know how good he has it right now...

Did you have fun at the Janicki's pool? I could use a pool around here, in fact I think I'll try to get across base to the pool tomorrow afternoon for some PT, that would be great since it's too hot for anything else. Hmm...

Happy birthday to my mom, she's...well, a little older now that 5 Jun has arrived, maybe we should just leave it at that hahah! Everyone in NC had a nice birthday dinner for her tonight and I even had a chance to call and say hi! See, that definitely makes up for my card being late, right? Right? Anyone? Hmm...

Anyway, hope everyone's well, talk to you more later,
Carl

Another exciting Saturday

Hi Honey,
Well Nate was very fussy this morning I think his teeth are bothering him, I have been giving him tylenol. He did take two naps today for a total of 3 hours, after a rough start things are better. After lunch I took him to target and let him pick out a toy, the mega blocks wagon. He pulls the wagon around while I build things. We were thinking about going clubing tonight but I can't find a fake id for Nate. So I guess we will watch TV and push the wagon around the house. OH what fun, I am so bored! Okay well I took some pictures today I will post them later. I have big plans tonight to make you a DVD. Hugs and kisses,
me

From Mom

Hi Carl,Iam trying again to send you a note. Talked to Amy this morning she sounded good but Nate was a little fussy. Sorry to have missed your call on Tuesday evening, we were having dinner with our firends as planned to leave Ga on Wednesday. The monkey is off our back yeah. Spent Sun & Mon sorting out all the stuff we took to the mountains but it is all done,next time we go it will be to have a vacation! Love and miss you lots. My cell didn't work in the mountains.Lots of Love Mum

Hello again...

Hi everyone, making a quick trip to the computer before heading to dinner. I normally try to get to the gym right now but I ran for the last two days and am taking a night off, so I thought I'd post another quick hello! Not much new to say here, still busy, still hot! I hope everyone's having a good weekend, post when you can!
Carl

No beach in site here...

Hi everyone! Just sending a quick post before turning in, it has been a long day and I only had 4 hrs of sleep last night so time to try and catch up a little. Things still going well here, although the heat just saps my energy down - I definitely feel for the guys outside on patrol during the days, it's "ugly" hot out here, our 4th day of being 115 and more to follow for the next few days. Even the evenings are staying warm...

Thanks for the new pictures honey - but poor Nate, he's going to have to live with that picture for the rest of his life! At least I have a good alibi for not being the one to make him wear it hahaha!!! I'm glad you're able to take baby Nate out to the beach, I can't wait to come back and play with him, he always looks like he's having so much fun (I guess you don't take too many pictures of him being fussy!). Anyway, time to go to bed, I'm glad you got your package honey, did I get the right size for the shirts? And did you see the coin - how funny! What does Nate think about the teddy bear? There wasn't much of a selection...

Anyway, I'll type more later, I love you and miss you!
Me

Another day at the beach

Hello,
Well we were off to the beach again this morning. This time we had Robin and Nora join us. It really was the best day ever. The water was like glass and the water was so clear you could see to the bottom. We saw a pod of dolphins playing in the distance. We also saw some very large objects swimming towards us, I think they were very big rays but not one to take chances and they were quite large we headed toward shore a bit. Okay, well don't you just love the hats! We miss you Carl we really hate the weekends without you here its just no fun! Miss you and love you. P.S. We got your package today I love my goodies

HI DAD

Hi Carl,
Just a few pics from Nate. Well we had such a fun weekend. Now its back to work for me and do I have a ton of it. I can't blog long but here are some pics. Nate got two new teeth today , molars in the back, maybe now he will eat. He has been fussy for a few days which explains the mood. He loves to bring me books to read him after I put on his jammies for bed time. Tonight I took a picture. His favorite book is 8 monkeys from my friend Shelly. If anyone reads this blog keep Shelly in your prayers. My good friend lost her twin boys at 20 weeks on Friday and today her father in law passed away. Why do bad things always happen to good people. Its just not fair. We miss you and We love you Carl,
Nate, Amy , Neshie and Bimini

hey carl

Carl,
Just want to send our regards and say hello.We appreciate you and all of our Military guys.We're doing great here.Stay safe and we'll see you when you get home.Nina

back from baghdad

Hey everybody! Amy, I LOVE the pictures - and boy do I wish I was there, Nate looks like he's having a BLAST!!! Does he like playing on the beach? What fun - we've got some sand castles to build when I get back, make sure to tell him so. The beach looks perfect, too bad by the time I'll be home it will be a million degrees (like it is here right now). I bet he was shrieking in the picture of him in the floatie raft - he always screams when he's excited. Not much new here, although I went to Baghdad a few days back for an overnight trip, it was fun getting to travel a little bit. I stayed in the Green / International Zone, it was safe don't worry... summer has definitely arrived, the heat has moved in with a vengeance, makes that pool and beach look even better! Anyway, I miss everyone at home, I hope everyone's having extra fun this long memorial day weekend - drink a beer (or something) for me!
Love,
Carlos

Hello,
Hello, It has been a great weekend. Aunt Ali and Uncle Paul arrived on Thursday Evening. On Friday morning we hit the beach. Fort De Soto State Park , rated the number #1 beach in America for 2005, oh the water was clear, the sun was perfect and the temp felt just right. After a day at the beach we hit the mall for a bit and grabbed a bite to eat. Saturday we woke up and Nate got to stay with a babysitter while we went fishing. The fish were biting. Paul caught the most, a few speckled trout, lady fish, lizard fish. I caught the least, 2 cats and a trout. Ali takes the award for biggest with a bonnethead shark! After our afternoon naps we headed over to the Janicki's for a great afternoon in the pool. Nate got a new pool toys from Susan (spoiled) and we were spoiled with an awesome dinner. Today Sunday we were off the beach in the morning. Not sure what our afternoon plans entail but we will eat a nice dinner somewhere. Tomorrow we will wake up early for a road trip to Venice Beach about an hour south, the shark tooth capital of the world so they say. Then a nice quiet picnic and with dogs and burgers in the afternoon. We miss you Carl we love you!

hola carlos

hola carlos!
talked to mom...she tried to post, unsuccessfully! & she asked me to let you know she tried! & lucy is trying to conquer also, & nina also...mom is in atlanta now until next week...they have a closing scheduled on their house for friday...so they are ready to celebrate if all goes well! per claire, george was out of surgery, doing well...not even on icu as anticipated & the surgery was completed quicker than expected...so it all sounds good so far. i will post again when i talk to dad myself & let you know more (& if any across the ponders are reading, post us w/an update!).

we are doing well. had some excitement over the last few days w/jackson (the dog!). there was a female roaming dog in heat...he even ended up at nina's one night! pretty far! then yesterday as i left for work he was missing...(had escaped from his kennel)...so i rode around the block once before going to work...there he was, w/10 other dogs or so! someone else pulled up to get his 2 dogs at the same time...his 2 jumped right in his truck...my sweet jackson made me chase him thru 8 yards yelling like an idiot & then drag him back to my car...all at 7am in my work clothes! so i get him home, & lock him in the kennel & reinforce where he broke out.

got home last night & he as on the front porch & could barely stand! so i missed work today to take him to the vet. $200 later...antibiotics for infection, pain pills, wound washes 2x/day, a cortisone shot for inflammation, & iv fluids for dehydration...he has multiple multiple wounds from dog fighting, including in his gums making it hard for him to eat, & on his front leg, & he won't walk on it except to pee. didn't know i would be nursing the dog! gotta love animals! needless to say, he will be getting fixed in the near future! & to top it off, the cat pooped on the bathroom rug this am also...why did we want pets??

so, that is my excitement! we did get our pool set up this week...still needs the pump assembled/attached before we fill it, but i will post a picture when it is done! okay, take care, email /post soon! we love & miss you, as always!
olive juice, carenosssss

hello everybody

Hey Mandy, thanks for the blog! I hope all's well with you, Caren has kept me up to date (okay, so up to the point I came over here to the sandbox anyway) with you, congratulations on your marriage as well! I hope everyone else is doing well also - I'm going to bed early today (only 4:30am!) so won't be on the blog long, but life here is going fine, the days pass pretty quickly which is a good thing, and I am lucky enough to get some time to go running in 3-4 times a week in the evenings usually when the sun is setting, which helps relieve the monotony of sitting behind a computer for the rest of the time. Anyway, time to sign off for now, will talk to everyone later!
Carl

hey carl!

Hey Carl!! It is so good to hear about all the things that you are doing. Hope you remember me--your neighborhood friend Mandy Ariail (Arnell now)!! Caren keeps me in the loop of what is going on with you. Congrats on your son and your marriage!!! I am soo happy for you!! It sounds like you are really doing well!! Keep up all the good work!!!Caren--thanks for sharing this with me!!!**Mandy

Playground w/our friends

fun w/our friends at the playground! samantha, jayden, carlie & charlie!

Carlie & Charlie

what a fun weekend! these pix were at shell point feeding the seagulls!

Carlie's new shoes:)

how about these new shoes! she loves them:)

charlie-fest

hey!
we just finished our few days w/charlie! we had a blast! he kept us busy though! yesterday we went to a park near here w/some other friends & their kids. then over to nina's to jump on her neighbor's trampoline! then home, where carlie loudly protested bedtime for over an hour...not like her at all, & quite frustrating for charlie, as i was busy w/her! today we went to shell point (the end of the island) & fed seagulls...& wet our toes...then took charlie home & grammy picked him up for the night. carlie & i picked up granny & went shopping for a bit followed by mexican dinner w/granny & granddad. home at last, home at last! & carlie went right to bed tonight...guess she was just missing charlie time last night, but i was worried it was an ear infection! teddy is back tomorrow from his fishing tournament...they were hoping to hold onto the 2nd place wahoo, ($4000), but no luck! he is fishing sat & sun this weekend also in the swansboro bluewater tournament, so we'll see! but they just fish from beaufort for that, so at least he is home for bedtime! & we'll do some boating memorial day monday i'm sure! talked to dad today...got him on his cell as he & annie mary were bumping down the mile road...i was talking to him as mary opened the sheppey gate & i could hear the little boy in dad come out! sheppey...wouldn't we all love to be there! george's surgery is monday...dad plans to see him again thursday...anyway, i will post pix soon from our excursions this weekend...just don't have the patience to download them to the computer right now the way i have to do it w/my camera...i've earned some couch time:) love the pix amy, the water looks awesome down there & nate looks fearless! he is soooooo cute! take care carlos, we love & miss you, think about you often:)
carenos & carlie-pie xoxoxo

wish i were there...

...because the "beach" here just isn't the same without water...or a breeze...or sand. Then again, not that I'm seeing it much, but I get to sleep in on Sun morning and you'd better believe I'm taking advantage of that!!!! Amy the beach pics are awesome! Did you go down to Ft. DeSoto? The beach looked narrower, didn't look like Passe a Grille beach (or however you spell it). Oops, got to post and change computers, back in a sec!

A trip to the beach

I love the water, I have no fear!


I can brush my six teeth

Hello Hello
Caren thanks for posting I think you are the only family member that even looks at the site. OH well. Uncle Jeff and Aunt Claire we know you are out there somewhere just waiting to come out of the closet!HAHAH. Well today the weather is just perfect so we headed to the beach first thing. We were invited by Blythe and Claire, was great to watch Nate and Claire play in the water. The extra hands when it was time to go was the key to my survival! We stayed for a few hours and Nate loved it. We really wish Dad could have been there. Nate loved to go out in the big waves. He has been sleeping since we left the parking lot 2 hours ago, has not even had luch yet and its 2 p.m. Other big news NATE finally lets me brush his teeth. No food in the mouth yet but baby steps right!

Too Hot...

...and it's only May!! Let's see, the past 4 days were all over 100, but now it's a little cooler, only mid'90s I think, so I took advantage of the "cooler" weather to go for a run! All's well here, still plugging away and counting down the days until I can be home with my family. I miss Amy and Nate like crazy (and Bimini too - I bet Amy hasn't played frisbee with her once!) and am really looking forward to being back at home, although this is a good experience and I'm getting to see a side of the military that most Marines don't get to, for what that's worth. So, no regrets - but Amy, Nate and Neezer better get ready, 'cause when I get back we've got some serious playing to catch up on. I hope this finds everyone well, send more blogs!
Love,
Carl

pix

hola carlos

hello carlos!
how are you? we really miss talking w/you! i know you are so busy, but we check in to the blog site almost daily to see if you have posted! we are doing well! teddy is off to hatteras today to fish a tournament on the 'sweet margalit' (the boat he mates on). i am working tomorrow then picking up charlie to stay thurs & fri nights. he called monday & asked could he please come on down that night b/c 'friday is toooooooooo far!'. i told him i had to work, & we had plans for friday, & he told me 'i've changed the plans'! too cute! anyway, i am picking him up thurs now, a day early, & looking forward to it! i still remain amazed that he wants to come so badly! claire is in new york w/chuckie until sunday (they left tues) for his 25th high school reunion. dad left for england yesterday, tentatively back may 31st, depending on uncle george. his surgery is scheduled for tues, so we'll see. dad has his cell phone w/him 678-523-8639 if you want to contact him. not much else new! teddy took me fishing last fri night...good compromise...i get my date night, & we both get to fish which we love! caught 25 spanish mackerel which he uses for bait for the blue marlin tournaments...could sell them $5/piece, so thinking we have a new friday night hobby! here are some pix... okay! i also included a picture of carlie in the sprinkler today (first time!)...check out those pigtails! we miss you & love you!
carenos & carlie-pie
xoxoxoxo

Okay here are a few more pics from our adventures. Nate is taking a nap so I have a few minutes of free time. It is an awesome day here, about 83 and sunny with a light breeze when Nate wakes up we will go to the playground for some fun. We miss you Carl. We love you

Hello,
Oh I have been gone to long. It has been a busy few weeks, and a fun one. Nate and I had a great time in Maryland. We spent lots of time outside and stayed with Aunt Ali for a few days. We even traveled to Chapel Hill to visit Bob and Alice for a day. Here are few pictures of Nate drinking beer and then after drinking he couldn't drive so he had to go for a wagon ride.

mini-p

Checking In!
Hey everybody! I finally found a time when the internet is running fast so I get to post a comment. All is well here, still working long days but I'm not complaining since it makes the days go by quickly. It's starting to get pretty hot here, although we're still getting cloudy weather and light rain every 4-5 days (more than Fl!) since we're at the tail end of the wet season still - bet you didn't know Iraq had a wet season! The work here is exciting and very fast-paced - it's definitely a learning experience, both in terms of work and on the personal side, as this is my first deployment as a parent and I'm finding out it is completely different than before. I miss Amy and the little guy like crazy - every time I hear him babbling in the background when I'm talking with Amy it makes me laugh! I hope everyone else is doing well and I look forward to seeing everyone when I get back.
Love,
Carlos
P.S. - Can someone email me mom's new phone #? To my hotmail account, cprieche@hotmail.com ... thanks ...

what a week

12 month

vs. 4 days


WOW they grow so fast

As you can see we didn't get very far in the table food category.


Nate chillin after a walk around the hood

HI Honey,
Well we made it. I never thought I would still be dreading final exam week at 30 but at least this time I am giving the final and not taking it. I graded all sixty and the grades are done. I didn't even give a D this semester. Okay Nate and I leave bright and early for D.C. in the a.m. The bags (2) are packed I think I got one shirt and one pair of pants in the bag, everything else is Nate! We are staying with Aunt Ali until Sunday and then down to Grandmas for a few days.
New this week I have designated Nate's first word as Kitty, no doubt about it he has been saying it for a while but he chases the cat around the house screaming Kiiiiittttty, Kitttttttyyyy

We love you and we miss you

xoxoxoxo,

me

My Experience

hola again carlos!
let me just tell you what happened to me yesterday...i was on my way to work, running a few minutes late, & come over the high rise bridge into morehead & traffic is stopped. at first, i was annoyed, thinking it was the dreaded snail paced roadworks again. then, i saw the military ship at the port. then i saw they had traffic stopped at the light as military vehicles & equipment & marines were being offloaded...probably 50 trucks went by as i sat there, loaded down w/smiling marines. i sat there & cried, in awe. i didn't know for sure where they had even come from , but figured they had been gone at least 6 mths & most likely to iraq (read it in the paper that night...700 marines from the 22nd expeditionary unit came home that day). it was an amazing site to see. & the response from the traffic. everyone was honking & thumbs up'ing out the windows, & waving. & the marines were waving & thumbs up'ing back. i just felt so patriotic & proud to be an american...& proud of all you stand for & do for us back here. i made it to work 20mins late, & went back to beaufort to see pts, & got stuck again for the same reason. & cried again! it was truly amazing, & i am not sure we all tell you enough how very proud of you we are...of you & what you do, & how you do it w/pride & sacrifice....i know you miss amy & nathan & america terribly, but know how very much we think about you & miss you & brag about you! okay, enough gush....just wanted to tell you about that experience & how it made me feel! we love you bunches...& thanks for calling the other day...it just makes me feel better to hear your voice every once in awhile! keep up the good work & stay safe! olive juice, carenooossss (ps - carlie wants a 'my uncle is here' t-shirt! if they have them & you get a chance! more bragging rights!)

mini-p

From Carl: Hey Caren-os, Carlie looks cute with her slide- the first time we took Nate to the big playground and let him go down the slide (chaperoned, of course), at the bottom he immediately turned around and tried to climb back up it for another go! Mom Poe, I can't wait for those cookies to arrive - the Iraq diet is kicking in and I've made room hahah! (that means I've run out of chocolate easter candy!) I hope everyone's doing well - Caren have you bought your ticket to come down and visit yet? The fishing good in the fall...