To question your holiday..

firsttimersluck

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?

6. Best drink you had this weekend?

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?

10. What do you have to look forward to this week?

firsttimersluck

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?
Probably the homemade guac and blue/gorgonzola cheese with honey and crackers.. mmm... I'm actually a little bummed we did kabobs instead of terribly unhealthful burgers :P

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
Yes. Which is why I thought I would ask.. it seems funny to be that people now thank sevicemembers for almost every holiday... I think it's sweet though.

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?
The best would definitely be the ones I spent in Germany on post. It was always a free fest on post which included free food and rides! Then we would curl up on the grass with friends (since we all knew EVERYONE) and guys in the blues would come out each carrying a state flag, the German flag, and finally we all would stand for the U.S. flag.. then fireworks Just a great holiday to send on post ther. The worst? Last year. I was a bitter betty since FI was deployed and all my friends were super lame and didn't do anything :P

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?
I have always been a military brat and around servicemembers so I have always felt really.. "gung-ho" American. Patriotic songs TOTALLY make me tear up *loser*

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?
I'm not a fan. I don't like all the pollution.. I think they are cool, but would rather leave it to the professionals and just sit back and enjoy.

6. Best drink you had this weekend?
A pear hard cider 6 pack we got from World Market.. I love that stuff. I don't care that it's a "b!tch" drink.. they are delicious. haha! Also we had a great Rose' yesterday at my family's BBQ.

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
NOT AT ALL. UGH! We were suppose to go backpaking fri-sun. Then FI gets put on the "ready" (difficult to explain.. ) Saturday which means he has to be in the area and not drink so we couldn't go (no one would switch him... which kinda peeved me becausehe has been covering EVERYONE'S butts lately.. thanks guys) So we decidedto go Sun-Mon and packed everything up in our new backpacks, to find out that all the trails within 4 hours of us are still blocked or flooded via snow. >_<

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?
No classes on Tuesdays so today is my day to clean the house, maybe organize wedding crap, and get some homework done... and probably watch my Real Wives episode I recorded last week that I haven't watched yet :P

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?
This one was nice since I didn' get to spend last year, and won't get to spend next year's 4th wit him... but I love Christmas with him. We visit his family in Chattanooga and his family is so loud and hectic it's fun I think our first Christmas together was when we both realized we were going to end up together so.. bonus

10. What do you have to look forward to this week?
Getting our freaking music sheet for the DJ done. That's been put off.. a LOT. oi. aaand we have a wetting down this Saturday. DEFINITELY looking forward to that! (wetting down in the Navy is when the LTJGs promote to LT, they take the difference between the two paychecks and put it towards a HUGE party. FI promoted in January but he is a little off everyone so he decided to wait and join in to this groups big party, instead of just having a little one. We go from up here boozing it up to a party bus down to Seattle and partying down there.. Everything is free since the pot of $ is so big. sooo fun. )

calindi

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?
The new fruit tart recipe I made.  Sugar cookie pressed into the pie tray, baked until lightly browned.  Let it cool, then top with a cream cheese mixture - blend it with almond extract and sugar and whip until fluffy.  Then top with your favorite fruit (in this case, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries in the shape of a star - very Patriotic!).

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
I think it's more relevant than Memorial Day, which is about those who have died defending our country, not those still alive.  Fourth of July is when American celebrates its freedom, and part of that is the men and women who defend it.  Anyway, yes, we got a few thank yous, but mostly on Facebook.

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?
The best Fourth was probably one of the dozens when my parents and brother and I rode our bikes to a local parade and then ate lots of delicious barbecue at home that night! The worst would have been last year when FI got wasted at a party we were hosting, his friends kept destroying things (like 6 people on our hammock - and you didn't think it was going to rip?), and everyone was fooling around with the fireworks so I was getting paranoid since they were all wasted.  That wasn't so much fun!

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?
Nope.  I'm more in tuned with what the military is all about and the differences between branches, but I'm just as patriotic as I ever was.

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?
I do like them, and they're legal in Florida so we set them off in our backyard sometimes for fun.  But I don't like them around drunk people or children who could get hurt.

6. Best drink you had this weekend?
Last night after fireworks, I took my friend and her little boy (who are visiting me from Scotland... for two weeks... but that's probably another post) to a local bar and we got a slushy drink that was delicious!  Cotton candy alcoholic drink?  Yes please!

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
I had absolutely no plans, and was afraid I'd disappoint my guests.  Luckily, things worked out beautifully!  We went to my cousin's house on Sunday (they have a little girl about the same age as my friend's little boy - 20 months) and then went to a pool party/BBQ yesterday with some friends who didn't mind having a toddler join us. Then we went to fireworks, which ended up being really nice!  Topped off with some ice cream for the little man and cotton candy slushy alcoholic drinks for his Mommy and me!

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?
I have an icky doctor's appointment at 2pm that I'm dreading (especially since it's out of pocket since I have a very high deductible on my insurance). Then I'll probably spend the evening just vegging out and feeling sorry for myself.

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?
Christmas morning last year - I just loved waking up with him for the first time on Christmas morning (the previous year, my parents made us stay in different rooms, but since we were living together and very close to being engaged, they didn't care anymore).  We spent a few minutes together just cuddling and telling each other how much we love each other before we went downstairs and joined my family.  And then he pulled me on his lap during present opening, which was really sweet!  I was shocked, since he's usually very anti-PDA in front of my parents.  But no one minded, it was sweet.

10. What do you have to look forward to this week?
Big big big job interview on Thursday at 2pm! Fingers crossed for me, ladies! I need to be back in the land of the employed before I lose my mind!!!

firsttimersluck

Calindi-
4th was to celebrate the signing of the delcaration of indep.. it was quite a bit later that we actually fought for the freedom and won, that's why I think it's irrelevant.. I agree that memorial day isn't fitting either.. I think since 2001 people have been much more supportive of troops and very quick to thank them.. It's sweet. Maybe "irrelevant" is a strong word, as it DOES have some relation...

I guess growing up, I never related it to military people, until I stopped living on a military post and started being around more civilians. Before that point, it was always just a "I'm super-duper proud to be American and happy that we have freedom of speech and press and what-have-you" day.

Is that recipe from Pilsbery? It sounds really similar to one I made a couple months ago.
 
Definitely sending good vibes your way for the job interview this week!

Beachy730

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday? 
Ugh, I ate so many hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages my body hates me right now.  I think my favorite thing though was probably the new mini blueberry biscuits from Burger King.  They were incredibly delicious, but my opinion might have been skewed since I was so happy to just not be eating camp food for a meal. 

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
I don't understand how you think it's irrelevant for this holiday.  The 4th is all about celebrating our independence, and our SMs are fighting to protect that independence.  As Calindi said, it's more appropriate than on Memorial Day.  While I feel weird when people thank me for H's service or mine as a spouse, it makes me happy to know that people are still always thinking about and thankful for our SMs.  But no, we didn't get hear anything in person yesterday, but saw about a million FB posts thanking SMs.

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had? 
Eh, it's not typically a holiday that sticks out in my mind for what we did.  H and I were laughing yesterday because we couldn't for the life of us remember what we did last year.

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...? 
A little maybe.  But I loved the 4th more as a kid for the fireworks and family parties. 

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch? 
Love them.  Didn't set any off this year though.  Our campsite didn't allow them, and our complex doesn't allow them.  But that didn't stop a ton of people from doing it anyways though.  Our friend is up from Portland for the weekend with his dog, and his dog was freaking out all weekend from the fireworks.  Last night was insane even at midnight, and it sounded as close to being in a war zone as I could imagine, with random booms coming from all over. 

6. Best drink you had this weekend? 
Blueberry vodka and lemonade.

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
Yes and no.  We had plans to go camping with our friend from Portland, and we did go.  But other people were supposed to come with us and didn't make it.  We had a great time anyways though.

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house? 
Back to work, which also means lounging around the house.  And I have a soccer game tonight.

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H? 
Probably this past Christmas, even though we weren't together since H was deployed.  But he was able to Skype since he was in a port, and it was just an awesome morning to be bale to Skype with him while opening gifts with ym family.  

10. What do you have to look forward to this week? 

Spending some quality time with H since he is leaving soon.  

mehgank

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?
I made star shaped sugar cookies that I wound up bringing to work with me today. They've received rave reviews.

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
Uhh, kinda. His dad posted about him on FB.

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?
In 1997, we were camping along this river. Well, we got rained out, so we had to sleep on the picnic tables inside this BBQ area, and then when we went to light off firecrackers, I got hit in the face by one. It hit me right in that little crook between my nose and my eyeball and singed off all my eyelashes.

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?
I guess so, but moreso because I'm in the service as well.

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?
I hate them when my trashy neighbors start lighting them off two weeks before 4th of July, and then they continued to light them off until 2am last night. Other than that, I kinda like them. Sparklers and pop rocks and those strobe light ones are my favorites. I hate Piccolo Petes, they hurt my ears. And I love the fireworks at Disney.

6. Best drink you had this weekend? I had a bloody mary last night while I was watching The Sandlot. It was effing delicious. I put blue-cheese stuffed olives in it.

7. Did all your plans work out? Well, since H is deployed, it was actually kinda boring. I did make it to the pool for a couple hours, so that was nice.

8. What are you doing today? Back at work.

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H? We got married on Memorial Day weekend, does that count?

10. What do you have to look forward to this week? Not a whole lot. Just work.

megmac24

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday? 

The cheeseburgers we had were amazing. I don't eat burgers very often but they tasted so good! My sister also made a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake that was delicious.

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
Yep! Most of them were people sending me messages on FB.

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had? 
The best 4th of July was in 2007 while my FI (then boyfriend) was living in Chicago. We stood in a field to watch the fireworks and there were tons of lightening bugs. It was just awesome for some reason. (I think it's because I love lightening bugs, haha.) The worst 4th of July was 2 years ago when FI and I went to Newport Beach. It was so crowded and so hot. We didn't even get to watch fireworks.

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...? 
I've been pretty patriotic my whole life, but I come from a military family. My father is a retired Lieutenant Colonel. I've always had a love for all things military even though my dad was Army and my FI is a Marine. (They love to bicker about who's better. It's funny.)

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch? 
Love them! We set off a few but they're illegal in California so they sell pretty weak ones. 

6. Best drink you had this weekend? 
Pinnacle cotton candy vodka. It's my new favorite alcohol. You mix it with Sprite and a little grenadine. It's amazing. It literally tastes like liquid cotton candy.

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
Pretty much. My parents always have the family over for food, swimming, and fireworks. It was a pretty laid back day.

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house? 
Definitely resting. My head hurts a bit from drinking. 

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?
Probably last Christmas. It was just an all around amazing day.

10. What do you have to look forward to this week? 

On Wednesday I get to go pick up my wedding dress! (YAY!) No concrete plans other than that. Probably babysitting my nephews, but other than that I have a pretty lazy week to look forward to.

mehgank

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:5c6d4854-041c-4dfd-a20e-ef38e3901976">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE]7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected.. NOT AT ALL. UGH! We were suppose to go backpaking fri-sun. Then FI gets put on the "ready" (difficult to explain.. ) Saturday which means he has to be in the area and not drink so we couldn't go (no one would switch him... which kinda peeved me becausehe has been covering EVERYONE'S butts lately.. thanks guys) So we decidedto go Sun-Mon and packed everything up in our new backpacks, to find out that all the trails within 4 hours of us are still blocked or flooded via snow. />_< Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]

So, even if he hadn't been on ready team or his buddies/CW's actually had switched him duty, you still wouldn't have been able to go backpacking since the trails were all washed out, right? I would've been more upset about the trails being inaccessible than the work thing.

Beachy730

FTL - I saw your post before but was on the phone and couldn't respond, but I see it's deleted now.  Either way, regardless of what the traditional purpose of the 4th was, it is now celebrated for our freedom and for what our country represents.  So I don't at all think it's irrelevant to thank SMs on the day. 

kara811

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday? 
The BBQ chicken wings I made! They were so yummy! lol 

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
No, I didn't.The only time I ever get thanked is when I fly back from Japan, and immigration officer always ask what I do there, then I tell them and they always thank H or me. 

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had? 
Probably when we were still living in California, we'd got to beach and watch fireworks by the Queen Mary.

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...? 
Yes, and because I am older and can appreciate things better than when I was a child. 

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch? 
Love them. We set off a lot last night, it was fun! 

6. Best drink you had this weekend? 
Didn't drink this weekend, but H and I have never been drinkers just the occassional cocktails.  

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
I didn't really have any plans. My mom asked me to cook so I did and we set off some fireworks but that was it. H is deployed right now.. Boo 

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house? 
I have to get ready right after this because I have a dental appointment at 11! 

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H? 
Christmas last year. We spent it with his family. It was so much fun and we got a ton of presents. lol Christmas is the only holiday I ever get to spend with H, he's been on deployment for every other one even birthdays(although they're not a holiday) 

10. What do you have to look forward to this week? 

My weekly phone call from H! He calls me once a week when he's on deployment, it should be coming either tonight or tomorrow. Also, Harry Potter is out this weekend! I can't wait!!! 

kara811

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:c5fe5524-a50b-4151-8656-d18b47b33bc3">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE]FTL - I saw your post before but was on the phone and couldn't respond, but I see it's deleted now.  Either way, regardless of what the traditional purpose of the 4th was, it is now celebrated for our freedom and for what our country represents.  So I don't at all think it's irrelevant to thank SMs on the day. 
Posted by dnbeach12[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>I completely agree with this, and the colonies did fight for their freedom, so it is still a way to thank SMs. Those were their counterparts wayy back in the day. lol And fun tidbit, the Declaration wasn't even completely signed until August, so some people may argue and say Independence should be August and not July. </div><div>
</div><div>Also, 4th of July can mean differently to other people. Like my parents, my family is not from America. My parents feel proud being a part of this country and having the freedom and wealth they could not have in our home country. They are thankful for that, and they celebrate 4th of July every year and play "God Bless America" over and over again. </div>

SamiJoeB

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?
My Mommy made ribs and they were pretty bangin...

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
Yeah.. but it was only from our neighbor who was a former Marine too..

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?
Worst, hands down, was when I went to Hooters and Krispy Kreme.. and had to DD for my drunkie friends.. plus it rained... I don't remember if anything specfically bad happened, it just sucked.

Yesterday was a pretty awesome 4th, just because I was able to do exactly what I wanted, which was finishing restoring and refurbishing my thrift store furniture and decorating my room..

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?
Yes... and from being a SM myself.. It kind of just means more to me now. But Memorial Day and Veteran's Day mean alot more too..

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?
HHHHAAAATTTTEEE THEM. I don't like loud noises..

6. Best drink you had this weekend?
Rock Light (Rolling Rock's light beer.. I'm a beer girl)

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
My plans were just to paint the upstairs and get my new furniture in and set up.. I feel kind of bad for the juror in the Casey Anthony who was supposed to go on a cruise or something...

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?
Errands and stuff...

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?
New Years Eve.. it's the only holiday we've consistantly spent together..

10. What do you have to look forward to this week?
A week without babysitting... and a doctor's appointment to deal with my infernal allergies!!

firsttimersluck

mehgank-
I think we probably would have gone to a place a little farther away if we could have gone, and would have made it a 4 day trip instead.. But a far drive for just an over nighter just wouldn't have been worth it. Oh well.
eek your 1997 outting sounds painful />_< and I agree with your firework comment... We had people setting off fireworks in pure daylight! We're not talking the loud ones that you don't need the dark to see, but the actual big ones that go off in the sky.. what. is the point of that!?!

megmac- ugh I want to try this cotton candy vodka! I love the whipped cream one, but we don't have that one here />_< I love those bugs too.. The first time I visited Alabama I was amazed by them! We don't have them in Washington/Califonia

kara- all you get is 1 phonecall a week? meh.. that's kinda crappy, I'm sorry. I agree I can't wait for Harry Potter!! But I'm going to have to.. I hate dealing with opening weekend of big movies... Can't handle the lines and crowds and getting there an hour early or dealing with crappy seating, etc.
That's really cool how your family views it! I love that! Yeah everyone definitely has different views, part of being American is allowing us to I appreciate all those that use the day to thank the military, I just never saw it that way growing up!
It's definitely debatable that it was even signed on the 4th! A lot of people think it was signed first on the 2nd of July, and then finished in August... I'll stick with 4th  for simplicity's sake haha!

crownsuperstar

1.       What was the best food you ate for the holiday?  

We had great food so it would be really hard to pick just one but I think I will go with Chicken Wing a Chip Dip or as I call it “Crack on a Chip.”  You really cannot stop eating it once you start and is great with beer or any other adult fun drinks  

2.       Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?  

Yeah on Facebook but it is really kind of strange for people to thank me for what H does.  I mean I am not the one that trains and leaves the comfort of my house for a year at a time.  I mean I get to stay home with friends/family, cable TV and good resturants.

3.       What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?  

I would say last year was the best.  H popped the question on the 4^th just before the fireworks started while we were sitting on a dock drinking beer and eating boiled peanuts…yeah classy I know J.   

4.       Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?  

No, I have always been the Red/White/Blue , America is great and if you don’t like it leave type of person.  I always have  yellow ribbon to break out when I need to.  I also have always given donations to the USO for the care packages several times a year.  I guess being married to a service member makes me a little prouder but in a different way.  I don’t really know how to explain it…it just does.     

5.       How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?  

LOVE them!!!

6. Best drink you had this weekend?  

Sweet Tea Vodka with lemon aide…yummy!!!

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..

Everything worked out just like we planned however, our dogs and our friends’ dog did not quite get along.  So it was shuttling around three dogs so they would not get into again.

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?  

Back at work and  daydreaming about the pool or the island and working on my check list for the vacation in a couple of weeks.  Several couples have rented a beach house and we are getting all the items together for that.   

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?  

Hum…that is hard because there are so many to chose from.  I mean the last 4^th was awesome.  I might have to say that NYE at Sea World was awesome.  They had a wonderful display and fireworks.   

10. What do you have to look forward to this week? 

Manis and Pedis with one of my college roommate on Saturday followed by dinner…oh and the H gets a long weekend again

firsttimersluck

LOL Sami.. "errands and stuff" ... calm down lady.. I can't handle your excitement :P
I want to see pics of the furniture!! Did you do before/after shots?
and WOW.. hooters AND Krispy Kreme in one day.. that's intense :P

(ps, don't worry I will still do a wednesday one, if you want one. I just felt we could all use a little catch up after the long weekend!)

mehgank

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:69e1e1bb-7213-465a-8127-e7f7fcc2f9ae">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE]mehgank- I think we probably would have gone to a place a little farther away if we could have gone, and would have made it a 4 day trip instead.. But a far drive for just an over nighter just wouldn't have been worth it. Oh well. eek your 1997 outting sounds painful />_< and I agree with your firework comment... We had people setting off fireworks in pure daylight! We're not talking the loud ones that you don't need the dark to see, but the actual big ones that go off in the sky.. what. is the point of that!?! megmac- ugh I want to try this cotton candy vodka! I love the whipped cream one, but we don't have that one here />_< Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]

Ahhh that makes more sense. My H couldn't come with me, my mom & stepdad to Disney World a few months ago because he was on standby. I was totally bummed because it was the first time I had been there.

And yes, I much prefer Pinnacle's cotton candy flavor to the whipped cream flavor. The bar across the street from my house has a whole menu of specialty drinks made from Pinnacle vodka. It's almost enough to make me <em>not</em> want to move away in September.

firsttimersluck

LOL... I love California... We're road tripping down to my Mom (in Monterey, CA) in August. We want to do some backpacking/hiking in Oregon, The Redwoods, etc on our way down. It's settled. When we head down to California, we're getting a couple bottles to bring home. I love the whipped cream with lime-ade or lemonade.. not a fan in the sodas.

awww man that BLOWS that he missed out on Disney World.. Stupid military.. Who do they think they are, making men work and such.. :P That is a real bummer.. I'm glad we didn't have any plans like THAT that we had to cancel. The "ready" deal is annoying, but it gets passed around from squadron to squadron every 9 months I believe.. so just a few more months and then we won't have to think about it again.

KendallR10

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday? 
The cake that FMIL made for FI's birthday
2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
Nope. I thanked him though :]
3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had? 
The year that I stayed the night at my brother's then girlfriends house and ate too much. I puked in my sleep
4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...? 
Getting ready to enlist I do feel like I am 
5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch? 
I feel like they need to stop at like 11. I don't want to be worken up after about 11:30 by the illegal fireworks
6. Best drink you had this weekend? 
Water with lemon 
7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
Other than not ever going running yup
8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house? 
Getting my ASVAB score and going running
9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H? 
My birthday. He took me to zoo lights
10. What do you have to look forward to this week? 

I'm looking forward to running. and seeing if I can get my wavier

kara811

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:69e1e1bb-7213-465a-8127-e7f7fcc2f9ae">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE]kara- all you get is 1 phonecall a week? :( meh.. that's kinda crappy, I'm sorry. I agree I can't wait for Harry Potter!! But I'm going to have to.. I hate dealing with opening weekend of big movies... Can't handle the lines and crowds and getting there an hour early or dealing with crappy seating, etc. That's really cool how your family views it! I love that! Yeah everyone definitely has different views, part of being American is allowing us to ;) I appreciate all those that use the day to thank the military, I just never saw it that way growing up! It's definitely debatable that it was even signed on the 4th! A lot of people think it was signed first on the 2nd of July, and then finished in August... I'll stick with 4th  for simplicity's sake haha!
Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]

<div>So how often does your FI call you on deployment then? I'm actually lucky H calls me that often, because other SOs/wives/parents get phone calls maybe 2x a month, and they get emails maybe once a week when I get emails 2-3x a day.  So I'm not one to complain, when I'm getting it better than others who have sailors on the same ship as H. Also, phone cards are expensive. It costs $25 for just 50 mins. He would be spending so much money if he were to call me everyday. </div><div>
</div><div>I usually hate long lines, but not for HP. My sisters and I are all fans. We have all the books and movies. My little sister and I will do a marathon this week before we go see the final one. It's so exciting yet sad at the same time! Anyhoo gotta run now, my appointment is in half an hour! </div>

Beachy730

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:6b908c1b-cd8d-44bc-b38a-fc85f4a39260">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: To question your holiday.. : So how often does your FI call you on deployment then? I'm actually lucky H calls me that often, because other SOs/wives/parents get phone calls maybe 2x a month, and they get emails maybe once a week when I get emails 2-3x a day.  So I'm not one to complain, when I'm getting it better than others who have sailors on the same ship as H. <strong>Also, phone cards are expensive. It costs $25 for just 50 mins. He would be spending so much money if he were to call me everyday</strong>.  I usually hate long lines, but not for HP. My sisters and I are all fans. We have all the books and movies. My little sister and I will do a marathon this week before we go see the final one. It's so exciting yet sad at the same time! Anyhoo gotta run now, my appointment is in half an hour! 
Posted by kara811[/QUOTE]

<div>That's exactly how I feel.  When H is deployed he calls maybe every 2-3 weeks, which I'm perfectly okay with.  We get to email back and forth almost constantly everyday, and $25 for a 45 minute phone call that has a delay isn't always worth it to me.  Don't get me wrong, I love hearing from him, but knowing he is deployed I am more than okay with only getting calls every 2-3 weeks.  </div>

firsttimersluck

FI and I have been rewatching all the movies too. Looooooove!

Well we're a little spoiled when it comes to phone/emails/skype. FI is Navy, but not boat Navy... soo... yeaaaaahh...lol I know a lot of couples just CHOOSE not to talk that often but..
We skyped almost every day. He would watch me get ready every morning practically.. and we emailed almost every day as well. The only time he couldn't skype and had a hard time e-mailing was when he was in djibouti. Crappy internet there..
yeah. I definitely try not to complain about deployments because of how lucky we are/were that he goes to places with great internet. I know ships/subs have it rough.

mehgank

H calls me maybe once per 2-3 month deployment, if that. I'm lucky enough to get 1 or 2 emails a day, but at anytime, they could have comms taken away due to OPSEC. We have never been able to skype.

Beachy730

We are able to Skype sometimes when they are in port, depending on the internet connections available.  When he is on the ship he can't, and some ports have had way too slow connections or no internet connections at all to Skype.  I usually get a few calls though while in port since phone are much easier to get on and there is no delay.

SarahP787

Ooh man, I would hate going 2-3 weeks without talking to Fi! I guess the emails would help, but still :-P Maybe I'm a little too needy, but I really like hearing his voice. When he was deployed he got to call almost every day, and it was definitely expensive but worth it for us. Way to be practical about it, though!


1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?
Ben and Jerry's Half Baked = heaven on earth

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah) ?
Not direct thank you's, but we went to the big celebration thing on post and people said it over the microphone a few times..

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?
I don't really have any crazy entertaining 4th of July stories...

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?
I don't think so, although I can understand the sentiment.

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?
I do like professional fireworks, even though I'm not a huge fan of loud noises. They're just so pretty and awesome!

6. Best drink you had this weekend?
...melted Ben and Jerry's Half Baked? At the thing on post, one tent was selling slushies in hollowed out pinapples which looked awesome, but i didn't end up getting one.

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
I didn't really have plans other than lay around and be lazy with Fi, and that was absolutely accomplished

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?
Starting my summer internship!!! Woo!!!

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?
We haven't had too many holiday's together yet... One of my favorite pictures of him is him posing with the mini Christmas tree I sent while he was deployed, he has the cutest smile in it!

10. What do you have to look forward to this week?
New internship wooo! In the SAME STATE AS FI woooo!!! Of course, I'm here for 7 weeks and Fi is in the field for the first 2 so I won't be able to go visit him again for a bit yet- LAME. Clearly the training schedule should revolve around me!

Beachy730

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:bd3a6966-8d3b-425a-bd33-d685575afced">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE] 1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday? Ben and Jerry's Half Baked = heaven on earth 
Posted by SarahP787[/QUOTE]

<div>Did you see that they make it in a FroYo now?  It might not be a new thing, but I just recently found, and it has become my guilty pleasure!</div>

melbelle24

1. What was the best food you ate for the holiday?
My dad's homemade "farmstand salsa"... that stuff is AMAZING and incredibly addictive

2. Did you get "thank you"s for the hubbs being in the service (which... I appreciate.. but it's really irelevant for this holiday.. hah)?
nope, no thank yous... I did see a lot of generalized "thanks to our military" on facebook yesterday

3. What was the best/worst 4th of July you have ever had?
Worst was definitely spending the 4th driving home from Texas in a giant RV with 15 people and no AC because the generator went out. It was hot, sticky, and just no fun.

4. Do you feel a little more patriotic than when you were younger, being related to a service member and all...?
I don't feel more patriotic, but I feel more pride in our military thanks to FI

5. How do you feel about fireworkds? hate them? set off a bunch?
I love fireworks, but my family really only does them for New Year's Eve, not for the 4th.

6. Best drink you had this weekend?
bull on a beach - some mixed drink my aunt had in FL a few weeks ago and brought the recipe back for our party... Pineapple juice, orange juice, cherry jack rum, with a splash of Sprite, grenadine, and a dark rum float. SO good.

7. Did all your plans work out? A lot of people build up the holiday to have things not be as awesome as expected..
pool party with all my family... it was pretty much exactly what I expected, and it was fun.

8. What are you doing today? Back to work? Lounging around the house?
Lounging around the house for now... going to work tonight and hopefully deliver some babies

9. What has been your most favorite holiday moment with FI/H?
Memorial Day last year... we got to split the weekend between my family and his, and that was the day he proposed.

10. What do you have to look forward to this week?
One week closer to being done with my ob/gyn rotation in med school. It's been fun, but not what I want to do with the rest of my life.

kara811

This is H's 4th deployment, his ship goes out every year so needless to say we are used to it! We made a deal before the first deployment that he would call me once a week and we would just email each other everyday. It has been this way for 3 years now, although there are times he would call more than once a week. The internet at the ports they go to usually suck though so we don't skype anymore, we are good with just hearing each other's voices. I guess it helps that he's stationed in Japan in terms of adapting to the situation. And like I said, I know I'm getting it better than other people. There are countless of people who complain of not getting emails or phone calls on the ship's FB. There are always long lines to get on a computer and a phone, I guess I'm just lucky that H is patient and persistent. He puts in the effort even wasting his lunch break just to get to a phone or a computer. 

 But I hate it when all system communications are down and I can't hear from him for days to a week especially last year when they were in Korea. Many people panicked because North Korea had missiles pointed their way and were making threats(this was in the news). It was such a scary time! 

SamiJoeB

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_question-holiday?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:250b41b0-b696-4116-9a96-f9d2da33d254Post:446b1a7b-02bd-458c-9847-ce9dedb426a6">Re: To question your holiday..</a>:
[QUOTE]LOL Sami.. "errands and stuff" ... calm down lady.. I can't handle your excitement :P I want to see pics of the furniture!! Did you do before/after shots? and WOW.. hooters AND Krispy Kreme in one day.. that's intense :P (ps, don't worry I will still do a wednesday one, if you want one. ;) I just felt we could all use a little catch up after the long weekend!)
Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]

Haha.. It was exciting for like the 20 minutes I was cashing checks and then not exciting after that because I had to spend alot of my moneys :(

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The desk & drawers before..
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After.. of course Max has to check things out.. I put some really cute knobs on the drawers.


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The head and foot board before..
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Not really the finished product.. but getting there..

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Closer to being finished!!
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All finished and put together!! I put the stripes on the nightstand as well...

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The dresser was plain white (I forgot to take before pictures), I took off the molding around the drawers, painted them black, and used some black and white Toile wallpaper for the center of the drawers. I think it looks really nice. And my reward for all of my hardwork was this lovely piece of cake!!

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The rooms upstairs before.. or as I called them: The place pastel paint came to die.
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I painted the mirror black (It had been a gross yellow color)

I Love itttttt!!! I painted the whole upstairs white, I'm going to wallpaper one wall in each room, and/or put up black chair moulding... but that is another weekend for sure!! I have a few more other little projects that I'm finishing up..but I really like the way everything turned out..

firsttimersluck

omg sami you are a DIY monster O.o Those all rock! I love the red desk!

melbelle- I'm envious of the pool party -_-

kara811

Sami: I knew the red, black & white would look awesome and it does! You have been working it! I wish I was like that. 

calindi

Wow, Sami, you're VERY talented!  I'm gonna need you to help me do my house when we finally move.  FI and I are oogling our friends' house at Parris Island, who have 2 year orders so we're hoping they'll be moving out and we'll be moving in post-NJS.  Timing never works out perfectly and the Marines are known for throwing curve balls on orders, but here's hoping!