I am thankful...

This is the first thanksgiving in my life that I did not have a family meal with lots of food. We have not always had the traditional turkey and loads of other stuff, but I have always been with some part of our family and a large meal was involved. This year we spent Thanksgiving Day touring the city of Philadelphia. It was fun and educational and I spent it with Misty which was the best part. We both love history and have always wanted to go to Philadelphia, so we did. Besides how could we pass it up, being in Norfolk, we were only a six hour drive away and our lodging was already paid for since we stayed at one of our timeshare resorts. The drive from Norfolk was awesome we drove along the Atlantic Coast the entire way. We even had a one and a half hour ferry ride to get across the Delaware Bay.
Then on Thanksgiving Day, we toured Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell exhibit. If you don't know what these two places represent for our country, then you should study a little American history. We also took a carriage ride and learned a little more about some of the historic buildings in Philadelphia. After touring the downtown area we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We did not go for the art exhibits, but to see the "Rocky Balboa" statue which is one of the many statues outside of the building. Later that evening our Thanksgiving meal consisted of eating dinner at Hard Rock Cafe in the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On Friday morning after spending some time on the board walk and climbing 228 stairs at a light house, we left Atlantic City and spent the rest of the weekend at Mason and Sarah's house. On the way to Mason and Sarah's we were able to stop at for dinner at an On the Border restaurant. This was great for me because I have been craving OTB since I was in basic - thanks for dinner Chris and Valerie!!
So as you can see we had a great time and of course good food!

As I have mentioned in earlier posts I have come to realize the importance of family and spending time with them. So this Thanksgiving I am listing just a few of the many things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful...
that I serve a loving, merciful, and gracious God and that He continues to bless me daily even though I don't deserve it
and proud that I live in the United States of America where we have so much freedom
for my loving wife who has been so supportive while I chase my dream of playing music
for my entire family for being so supportive of both Misty and I during this crazy adventure
for my church family (Memorial Baptist Church) and their love, prayers, and support

the small things

During the last few months I have learned to truly appreciate the small things in life. This time apart from my wife, my family and my friends has made me realize how important relationships are. The past two weeks I have been blessed by being able to spend time with Misty.

Two weeks ago we spent the entire weekend together for the first time since June 24 (when I left for basic). We did not do much, but really enjoyed our time together. We just stayed on or around the base the whole weekend. We were able to go to church together again which was awesome and walk on the beach here on base.












Then this past weekend Misty picked me up and we spent the weekend at Mason and Sarah's house. We had a great time just chillin' playing Playstation and Wii bowling and watching TV. I do have to admit that the highlight of my weekend, besides spending time with Misty, was seeing Sebastian for the first time since June 23.

I hope the next few months are filled with moments like these. These are truly blessings from God.