Happy New Year!!

Happy 2011 everyone!  Anyone wanna make a guess as to how many times I'll still write 2010 on checks, letters, tests, etc?!

I didn't want to write a big post about my year in review...maybe in the coming days, but for now, my brain just isn't working well enough to put it all together!  However, I did have a pretty good New Year's Eve...  I woke leisurely (Hubs went to the gym and I swear I didn't even realize he was gone for almost two hours!).  When Hubs got back, he woke me up with hot pancakes and real New York Maple Syrup (a gift from my Aunt and Uncle who are stationed upstate right now).  I lounged around the house for most of the morning, until I had to start getting dressed for Girls Night Out with my mama.

For Christmas, my brothers and I ordered tickets for my parents to see The Lion King, which is playing downtown.  The original plan included a gift certificate for dinner before the show.  I had already ordered the tickets when my dad suddenly died, and they arrived in the mail the day after.  My brothers and I had a discussion about what we should do, and we decided that I'd still give my mom the tickets, but that my brothers would do something different.  That way, Mom wouldn't have to decide which of us to take with her.  I figured that I'd treat Mom to dinner before the show as her birthday present (Mom's birthday is Christmas Eve).  The tickets were for the evening after Christmas, but with the snow in Virginia, they cancelled the performance and we didn't get to go.  Of course, TicketMaster helped us out, and they offered to exchange the tickets, and we ended up with wonderful seats for the New Years Eve matinee show.

The Lion King was amazing!  We both marveled at the costumes, and the way the characters were portrayed.  The storyline of losing a father and finding your way in the world while he lives through you was very close to my heart, so there were certainly difficult parts to watch, but luckily Mom had kleenex in her purse so my makeup didn't run too much.  In a way, the play was therapeutic for me, reminding me that I am a living part of my father and he'll always be with me, and that the baby I'm carrying is also a part of my father and Hubs and I are continuing the circle of life.  I'm so grateful for all the wonderful memories I have of my dad, and the amazing example he gave me to emulate.  I will never forget him, and I will try my best to honor him the way he deserves.

After the show, Mom and I went to Still in Olde Towne for dinner.  It's a hole-in-the-wall with an entrance almost in a side alley.  You'd never know it was there if you weren't looking, and you certainly wouldn't look twice even if you did see the place.  I heard about it from a friend, so thought we'd give it a try.  Still is a tapas style restaurant, so Mom and I had a ton of fun ordering small plates of anything that looked yummy!  We chose five different options, and let me tell you, everything was delicious.  Well, except one dish that we didn't really care for, but the rest was fabulous!  And the bread pudding we ordered for dessert?  Well, let's just say I wish we hadn't shared our portion!  In the words of Rachael Ray, "Yumm-o!"

After I dropped Mom off at home, and saw the last 30 seconds of Notre Dame's bowl game victory over Miami, I went home, slipped on my comfy-pants, and vegged on the couch until bedtime.  I tried my hardest to stay awake for the ball drop, but it just wasn't happening.  Hubs and I finished watching Uncle Buck (we'd started it the night before and I fell asleep, per usual these days) and crashed right at 11.  I guess we're getting old, or maybe New Year's Eve just isn't all it's cracked up to be once you reach the age of being able to drink as much as you want in your own house, or maybe I'm just pregnant so I just pushed the idea of a alcohol-laden holiday out of my mind.  Whichever way you slice it, the last several years, New Year's Eve just hasn't been super exciting for me, and I'm ok with that.  I'm perfectly happy just staying home, enjoying a yummy meal, and watching the celebration from the comfort of my own family room!

As for resolutions this year?  I really haven't made any.  I really just strive to be the best person I can be, and I guess I don't really need a holiday to help me set that goal.  How about you?  Did you frequent the celebrations in town or stay at home?  Resolutions or just year-long striving for excellence?

Happy 4th of July!!

Gosh! It's so hard to believe that we're more than half-way through 2009 and well into summer! It's been super hot here (triple digits with humidity) and I feel like I'm constantly out back trying to keep the ground moist for our "garden"!

We had a great visit with Patrick's parents over the long weekend! This was their first visit since we got married, so you can imagine I was a nervous wreck trying to make everything absolutely perfect. From planning meals to dusting every nook and cranny to finishing the flower bed in our back yard (aka "The Courtyard" since it's so small!) I was a busy bee! Either to help me relax or to get out of helping clean toilets and ovens, Patrick coaxed me out of the house to Yorktown Beach Thursday afternoon. Even though I've lived in this area since 2000, I didn't know the York River had it's own beach right in the historic part of town! Patrick's command has PT (Physical Training) there every now and then, so he knew about this little-known gem and I'm so excited he showed me! We packed a cooler with snacks and drinks and enjoyed a few hours of sun while watching the tall ships pass in preparation for Harborfest in Norfolk!

Friday afternoon, Patrick's parents (John and Ginny) arrived! We hadn't seen them since Christmas, so we were all excited for the visit...and since Patrick's birthday is later in the month, I thought we'd celebrate early so that his parents could join the festivities! After relaxing at home for lunch, we piled into the car and headed down to Olde Towne Portsmouth and took the ferry across the river to Norfolk's Waterside. We walked to the Nauticus Museum and USS WISCONSIN to show the Hagans the decommissioned battleship and Naval Museum there. After our tour, the line for the ferry back to Portsmouth was super long, so we enjoyed a cold drink at one of the outdoor bars at Waterside while we waited. Back home we had a great birthday dinner for Patrick (thank you, Harris Teeter, for your amazing crab cakes...and thank you Patrick for not telling your parents that I didn't make them myself!), cake, and presents!

Saturday, we woke up early and had a light breakfast and packed the picnic basket before driving through Yorktown on the way to Jamestown. We had a picnic under some great shade trees and toured the National Park Society's historical site (for those interested, there are TWO Jamestown attractions in the area; Jamestown Settlement is a recreation of the original and Historic Jamestowne is the excavation of the actual site...both have great museums and are "must sees" if you're into history). We took the car ferry from Jamestown back across the river and drove past Bacon's Castle (another great historical attraction) on the way home. Then we had dinner and drinks out on the patio while watching the far off fireworks somewhere in Suffolk!

I hope you all had as great of an Independence Day as we did and paused to thank all those who have fought and died for our freedom! I am so proud to be an American!

1 Year of Wedded Bliss

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know our anniversary was last month, but how much can you really do on Easter Sunday? Besides, it's not like all of Norfolk knows when our special day is!

So, even though we were a few weeks late, we celebrated with dinner at Freemason Abbey followed by tickets to the Broadway musical Wicked last night! Dinner was amazing! Freemason Abbey is a gorgeous restaurant with incredible food. Surprisingly, it actually has nothing to do with the Freemasons, but was started in the 1800s as a Presbyterian church, then Christian Scientists, then the Masons, I think, and in the 1980's became a restaurant in downtown Norfolk. And then, the show!!! Oh my goodness was it awesome! For those who don't know, Wicked is a musical that tells the story of how the witches of Oz (Glinda the Good Witch of the North and the infamous Wicked Witch of the West) came to be. Since The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time, I really enjoyed the play! Patrick wasn't a big fan though (apparently he doesn't care for musicals...I contend he just hasn't seen one that "spoke" to him yet but I'm determined to get him to come around!)...but I loved it!

And I just found out that several great musicals (Grease, Legally Blonde, and The Wizard of Oz) will be showing at Chrysler Hall this winter, so let me know if you'd like to join me...I seriously doubt I can convince Patrick to come along!

In keeping with our goal to check out historical sites and attractions in Hampton Roads, we also toured Bacon's Castle today (this was the Patrick chosen portion of our anniversary celebration!). Bacon's Castle is a gorgeous brick home and gardens in Surry and is (I believe) the oldest brick home in the US. It was actually built by Arthur Allen, but got it's name when Nathaniel Bacon drove the Allen family from their home during the famous Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. As you can imagine, this has caused a centuries long debate with the Allen family, who want their name associated with the home's title!

Resolving to be Cultural

Although I've lived in the Tidewater Region since 12th grade, I have not taken advantage of all the history and culture in the area. And being a Navy family, Patrick and I are destined to leave Virginia eventually, so this year we're resolving to experience some of the great museums, festivals, historic sites, and cultural attractions Hampton Roads has to offer!

This weekend we drove up to Fort Monroe to see the Casemate Museum, Old Point Comfort Lighthouse (which I've driven past many times on USS NORMANDY while we transited into and out of the Virginia Capes areas for various underway operations) and more! Fort Monroe is the largest stone fort ever built in the US and the only moat-enclosed fort used by the US Army. It was built in 1819 and it's walls have been walked by notable historic figures such as Robert E. Lee (1831-second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers), Edgar Allan Poe (1828-sergeant major of artillery), Jefferson Davis (Confederate President imprisoned in the fort and accused of plotting an assassination of Lincoln), and more!

After our walking tour, I took Patrick to Doumar's for lunch! Doumar's is a Norfolk staple and the inventor of the ice cream cone! When I was in high school, I went to Doumar's the night before the SATs (I took them four times) and Mr. Doumar made me a good luck BBQ...raised my score 100 points each time! I also went there after swim meets to chow down after a long night in the pool...yum! Check out Doumar's on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives here. Of course, Patrick loved it, which is good because I can't go for very long without my Limeade and BBQ fix!