In the wake of the year 2015, it's already starting to get a little crazy. From the get go I got back from Christmas vacation and under little of three days I was off work again to start Lor and I moving to Washington State! (Heads up, we live in Virginia.) But first thing is first, we need to get married.
It was the Sunday before our wedding, the in-laws came down. It was great to spend the whole week with one another. They mainly stayed on base in the cottages available. Lor and I stayed in another cottage near by after the wedding. The whole thing was amazing. The space we chose was worth it. It was practically intimate enough for Lor and I to enjoy our wedding and our friends and family too. The food was amazing. Photos were taken before during and after the wedding. It's funny to say the wedding and party was only five hours long. For Lor and I it was nearly 7-8 hours in the making. From getting prepped and ready for the ceremony, to the vows and then party-super party.
Officially I'm off the market ladies! Married life hasn't been any different from single life. I find the cliches really funny. Neither of them seem to be real. Or, I'm delusional because we're still in the "Just Married" phase of life. However, that's not really fair. Personally, we got married a month prior to our actual wedding day. Which was not personally what I wanted either, but had to be done. Mainly because of the paper work and how much easier it would all be before the actual wedding went down.
Needless to say, the wedding was as stressful as we all made it to be. Another highlight I totally forgot was the Wednesday prior too Lor's family, friends and I had seen "The Phantom of the Opera." What an amazing show to see! I loved it. Even the Bassoon player did a musical "flub" which was supposed to happen in one of the songs. You should note the Phantom makes a jab at the particular instrument in a letter.
The final bonus to the wedding was finally being able to see my family. Larry & Linda came into town on their anniversary. Our wedding day was the next day. Personally, it was really tough to see Larry tear up. It was like watching my own dad tear up before I get hitched. However, Larry & Linda both filled the family shoes immediately when my dad passed away and have never looked back. I'm really blessed to have them in my life. I LOVE THEM! Next is there daughter Mel. Whom we've been best friends since High School. We personally made a pact to marry one another if both of us were single and 30. Seeing as how I beat her to the punch on this one. It was great to see Mel and catch up on life. A lot had to be covered over nearly seven years.
Finally, it was really sweet to see Zoe and her son. Both of them couldn't really make it out here unless the combined efforts of my family helped out. It was a real blessing to have at least SOMEONE from the family attend. I'll go on record to fill this next clause (or set of clauses) in with an addendum. I know other siblings couldn't come because of either personal or financial reasons which are neither their faults or concern. I figure their hearts were in the right place.
Another thing which was a mild debacle was the new addition to the family. Lor and I are now the proud parents of a four month old English Bulldog. The whole thing starts off with Lor wanting to have a puppy. Personally I hear the word 'puppy' and eternal nightmares of a dog barking at night for weeks on end start popping in my head. Also, the constant runs to make the dog pee outside because potty training can be a bitch. However, the first thing was to find an English Bulldog breeder. Well, like usual with what I call "Research and Development." Lor (my usual candidate for R&D team) looked up pricing and the nearest breeders near us. The worst thing to EVER do is try to contact a breeder and it's only through text message. A huge red flag when dealing with a breeder is to at least have a voice behind the text messages. What we learned the hard way was texting a breeder and getting sucked into driving out to Maryland to find an abandoned house in a beautiful neighborhood. Only to spend 2 hours waiting on a breeder who never showed and when it came to us "meeting," they never showed. I was personally mad because I was the one driving all day. It took four hours nearly five to drive to Maryland. On the way back it was faster. However, the point stands. That night Lor searched again for anyone with a dog. After a couple five phone calls we found a breeder by the name of Lynn Smith whom was local. By local I mean, in state and reputable through the BCA (Bulldog Club of America). When we made our visit the next day we found four little English Bulldogs.
Like usual I did the talking and interview. Lor was hunting and picking out the dog most interested in us and NOT a trouble maker. I'll go on record to say we pre-determined the name of our dog. However, after meeting Mrs. Smith we realized she had nick-named them too. Ours went by the name of Clark because of his Superman like Brindle colouring. We went through the dogs lineage to find his fathers were winners of many different shows. Everything for us seemed like it was going to be a long shot to sell Mrs. Smith what we wanted to name our dog till we found on the lineage "Mr. Kinky." That's when Lor and I knew naming our English Bulldog "Lord Vader" would be a seller.
We've had Lord Vader for little over a month now. The breeder is really nice and loves to hear how he's doing. Which is great. We've sent her photos of his development and how he looks when we're playing at home or on the beach. Lord Vader has been a real blessing to our family. He's taken a liking to me though. Apparently I'm the Alpha-Male around these parts and I'll be damned if I loose that title. I know he'll grow up and try me, but I won't let it!
I drove across America again. I know, I know.... What was I thinking!? But seriously, Lor hasn't been cross country and I wanted to share the experience. And the Navy is paying me for the move if I show paper work on the travel. Hotel stays, food, and gas... ya'know the usual.
Well it was a Saturday morning when Lor and I packed up and began trucking our way to Nashville, Tennessee. We're going the southern route. Lucky we did too! A storm system rolled through halfway which would have fucked us over.
Anyway, Tennessee is a mountainous state. Nashville was beautiful to see and drive through and stay for the night. Our first night was in a Red Roof Inn. Let's just say, the exterior was 'nice.' We were in a small room in consideration to bed size (King) and a tiny bathroom. Water pressure was limited. However, the only bonus was the Panera Bread right next door. I'll say for observational reasons seeing a collage couple dress up and walk out on a nice date seemed really sweet. Then the next morning I see the girl in the main office with eye liner running and all kinds of emotional over what happened last night. Talk about calling it out. You can't wear a skimpy dress and not expect him to make a douche bag advance.
Arkansas began the open ranges of prairies as far as the eye could see. There was a little Mississippi River bayou action going on. However, only for a moment. Later on when we made it to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Lor and I stayed with our family. Dinner was amazing and I got to show Lor where I grew up. The neighborhood I lived in. The stories to tell, my graduating High School, including where my father worked. All rolled up into one evening with Braum's Ice Cream.
The next day was to Flagstaff, Arizona. Between the travel, I showed Lor the Cow "Beef Processing Factory" which is infamous to me. Nearly six years ago I saw a cow running down the median. Then a herd of cows. Finally, I see a bunch of cows jumping over a wire fence and I realized where the herd was coming from. I also thought to myself, "Someone should call those cows in." That was till I ran by the processing factory. This is when I turned really Liberal and yelled out the window, "Run Free Cows! Run Free!" Well, it seems like six years later you can still see a shit load of cows in a cooped up pin.
I would like to say New Mexico needs to go back to where it came from. There's a serious issue with the state when you can't listen to Pop radio on I-40. As soon as we made it in state Lor and I had two options of radio to listen to. NPR Talk radio and one... ONE Spanish music channel. I'm not saying Spanish music sucks.... I'm not saying NPR sucks.... What I'm saying is, given the situation.... A little Maroon 5 goes a long way. Just saying. OH! I would also like to tell everyone how much there is literally NOTHING in New Mexico to save it's life. Seriously, I pulled over at a gas station ran by an old guy with five buck heads mounted on the wall. I found a house in the middle of nowhere and a couple of questions popped in my head.
1. Where do these people get there food from?
2. Do they have internet?
3. Where is there local hospital/doctor?
4. What if they have a kid!?
5. Where do these people work?
Neither of these questions were answered. Obviously, because the only people in the cab of the truck was Lor and Lord Vader. Neither of them had the answer either.
Needless to say, when Flagstaff, Arizona is my goal to make... It seemed like when driving through New Mexico, it was a challenge enough to just drive straight. Sometimes you need that curve in the road.
Arizona.... Like I've said before, Nothing exciting till Flagstaff. The mountains are beautiful and personally I wanted to again make this the best trip we could. So, Lor and I detoured to the Grand Canyons. A two hour detour might I add. Though the view of seeing hundreds of feet below was beautiful and breath taking with a slight case of vertigo. The canyon itself was engulfed by fog/cloud. We could hardly see to the other side! But none the less a beautiful sight to see while we tried to make our way to Sacramento, California.
California is California. However, one story I will tell is how I got myself out of a 22 MPH over speed limit ticket. Here I am driving on I-5 north bound and trying to drive up again, another fucking hill. My truck is pushing to make it up the hill (We're towing a car behind too). Well, imagine your truck going from 55 MPH to 40 sometimes 30 MPH just to go up a hill. Sometimes you just want to fly up it. I want to go on record to say I did the speed limit a majority of the time and went real easy on the down hill slopes. However, I just got over this one hill and all of a sudden (or, like normal) my speedometer is saying I'm going 80 MPH. I'm not going 80 MPH.... There's no way. Maybe my truck is thinking I'm going that fast... But I'm still pacing the sami truck right next to me. So, that couldn't be true.... Anyway... A cop car pulls out and then pulls me over. Of course I explained and he said, "Your speed limit is 55 MPH. I got you doing 77 MPH. That's reckless driving, which is also a misdemeanor. Also viewed as a drinking and driving in the state of California."
My world stopped real fast on a few words.... Reckless driving is to Misdemeanor, same as Drinking and Driving..... What the fuck!? That escalated quickly. Anyway, Lor is holding Lord Vader and like magic the dog gave the police officer the puppy eyes. I know for a fact with my cop run ins I always walk out with a ticket or warning. I will hand it off to my dog. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have gotten away with a warning and let go. Seriously..... I saw it go south so bad, but I really think my wife and the dog pulled it off. As soon as we got on the road again. And I did 55 MPH through the whole state of California. The first thing Lor says to me is, "You are a lucky son of a bitch." Yes, I sure am.
We made it to Oregon and spent a day in an old town I use to live in. Coos Bay. Better known as Snooze Bay on this blog. Mainly because not a lot ever really happens in the town. It's a small town and I remember my father telling me to never get sucked into it. Fair enough. I probably would be where I am now without being out of the town too. Either way, my Aunt Kelly knew I was coming into town and it was a real surprise to everyone in my family who found out. We had dinner twice at a restaurant named Little Italy. What an amazing place to dine. It's in Coos Bay's business district and is number one on the city's dinner list. For good reason too. The owner, Max, is a really nice, welcoming, warm guy whom made me feel well at home. The atmosphere of the restaurant is perfect. It's contemporary with a hint of classic all to its own. The wines were perfect for the food. The appetizers and vegetarian foods are perfect. Which is why Lor and I went twice! If you (the reader) ever went through Oregon. Little Italy is a must! Hands down.
For the most part though I got to reconnect with my mom. Which I'll go on record to say was different. I haven't had a "moment" with her in a VERY long time. 13 years specifically. So where else did we start off but in the past. At least a lot of what we talked about was, "Remember going to this park, and the trail?" She would ask. I replied in remembrance and collaborated/elaborated on the details.... Which was really the bed rock of all the things my mom and I talked about.
I can't speak for Lor, however, I think it was great for her to finally met my mom. We never brought up things which would be "touchy." I feel like that's how it's going to have to be though. There were moments when we stepped on me being 13 and leaving. But then we went straight back to childhood stories. Pre-Teen stories were good conversation starters were as everything in my teen years were hard to talk about, or at least get past.
Lord Vader enjoyed his time at the beach for the first time. At first he was on a leash. Then after a while of getting use to salt water and the ocean surf I let him loose. He was the only dog and we were the only ones on the beach. The dog was in a pig-pen. He had so much fun. If we have the time and chance to explore I would love to have him run around some more. The only downfall is how dirty he gets.
Needless to say, we ran through Oregon and Washington pretty well. Then we made it to our rental office for the town house we're waiting on getting into as we speak. The whole thing starts off with the fact the agent didn't know we were coming. Hold the phone. We called two weeks ago. We told them we were coming. Then to find out there's no communication.... What nonsense! Well, with the Navy moving people wanting to drop off we don't want to reschedule because who know when that'll be. Well, we got at lest the garage door for some of our stuff to be in. The Navy moving guy said he would deliver on Wednesday which seems to work out just fine for us. I just hope the house is ready for us tomorrow and I hope our stuff arrives tomorrow too.
It was the Sunday before our wedding, the in-laws came down. It was great to spend the whole week with one another. They mainly stayed on base in the cottages available. Lor and I stayed in another cottage near by after the wedding. The whole thing was amazing. The space we chose was worth it. It was practically intimate enough for Lor and I to enjoy our wedding and our friends and family too. The food was amazing. Photos were taken before during and after the wedding. It's funny to say the wedding and party was only five hours long. For Lor and I it was nearly 7-8 hours in the making. From getting prepped and ready for the ceremony, to the vows and then party-super party.
Officially I'm off the market ladies! Married life hasn't been any different from single life. I find the cliches really funny. Neither of them seem to be real. Or, I'm delusional because we're still in the "Just Married" phase of life. However, that's not really fair. Personally, we got married a month prior to our actual wedding day. Which was not personally what I wanted either, but had to be done. Mainly because of the paper work and how much easier it would all be before the actual wedding went down.
Needless to say, the wedding was as stressful as we all made it to be. Another highlight I totally forgot was the Wednesday prior too Lor's family, friends and I had seen "The Phantom of the Opera." What an amazing show to see! I loved it. Even the Bassoon player did a musical "flub" which was supposed to happen in one of the songs. You should note the Phantom makes a jab at the particular instrument in a letter.
The final bonus to the wedding was finally being able to see my family. Larry & Linda came into town on their anniversary. Our wedding day was the next day. Personally, it was really tough to see Larry tear up. It was like watching my own dad tear up before I get hitched. However, Larry & Linda both filled the family shoes immediately when my dad passed away and have never looked back. I'm really blessed to have them in my life. I LOVE THEM! Next is there daughter Mel. Whom we've been best friends since High School. We personally made a pact to marry one another if both of us were single and 30. Seeing as how I beat her to the punch on this one. It was great to see Mel and catch up on life. A lot had to be covered over nearly seven years.
Finally, it was really sweet to see Zoe and her son. Both of them couldn't really make it out here unless the combined efforts of my family helped out. It was a real blessing to have at least SOMEONE from the family attend. I'll go on record to fill this next clause (or set of clauses) in with an addendum. I know other siblings couldn't come because of either personal or financial reasons which are neither their faults or concern. I figure their hearts were in the right place.
Another thing which was a mild debacle was the new addition to the family. Lor and I are now the proud parents of a four month old English Bulldog. The whole thing starts off with Lor wanting to have a puppy. Personally I hear the word 'puppy' and eternal nightmares of a dog barking at night for weeks on end start popping in my head. Also, the constant runs to make the dog pee outside because potty training can be a bitch. However, the first thing was to find an English Bulldog breeder. Well, like usual with what I call "Research and Development." Lor (my usual candidate for R&D team) looked up pricing and the nearest breeders near us. The worst thing to EVER do is try to contact a breeder and it's only through text message. A huge red flag when dealing with a breeder is to at least have a voice behind the text messages. What we learned the hard way was texting a breeder and getting sucked into driving out to Maryland to find an abandoned house in a beautiful neighborhood. Only to spend 2 hours waiting on a breeder who never showed and when it came to us "meeting," they never showed. I was personally mad because I was the one driving all day. It took four hours nearly five to drive to Maryland. On the way back it was faster. However, the point stands. That night Lor searched again for anyone with a dog. After a couple five phone calls we found a breeder by the name of Lynn Smith whom was local. By local I mean, in state and reputable through the BCA (Bulldog Club of America). When we made our visit the next day we found four little English Bulldogs.
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| Lord Vader |
We've had Lord Vader for little over a month now. The breeder is really nice and loves to hear how he's doing. Which is great. We've sent her photos of his development and how he looks when we're playing at home or on the beach. Lord Vader has been a real blessing to our family. He's taken a liking to me though. Apparently I'm the Alpha-Male around these parts and I'll be damned if I loose that title. I know he'll grow up and try me, but I won't let it!
I drove across America again. I know, I know.... What was I thinking!? But seriously, Lor hasn't been cross country and I wanted to share the experience. And the Navy is paying me for the move if I show paper work on the travel. Hotel stays, food, and gas... ya'know the usual.
Well it was a Saturday morning when Lor and I packed up and began trucking our way to Nashville, Tennessee. We're going the southern route. Lucky we did too! A storm system rolled through halfway which would have fucked us over.
Anyway, Tennessee is a mountainous state. Nashville was beautiful to see and drive through and stay for the night. Our first night was in a Red Roof Inn. Let's just say, the exterior was 'nice.' We were in a small room in consideration to bed size (King) and a tiny bathroom. Water pressure was limited. However, the only bonus was the Panera Bread right next door. I'll say for observational reasons seeing a collage couple dress up and walk out on a nice date seemed really sweet. Then the next morning I see the girl in the main office with eye liner running and all kinds of emotional over what happened last night. Talk about calling it out. You can't wear a skimpy dress and not expect him to make a douche bag advance.
Arkansas began the open ranges of prairies as far as the eye could see. There was a little Mississippi River bayou action going on. However, only for a moment. Later on when we made it to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Lor and I stayed with our family. Dinner was amazing and I got to show Lor where I grew up. The neighborhood I lived in. The stories to tell, my graduating High School, including where my father worked. All rolled up into one evening with Braum's Ice Cream.
The next day was to Flagstaff, Arizona. Between the travel, I showed Lor the Cow "Beef Processing Factory" which is infamous to me. Nearly six years ago I saw a cow running down the median. Then a herd of cows. Finally, I see a bunch of cows jumping over a wire fence and I realized where the herd was coming from. I also thought to myself, "Someone should call those cows in." That was till I ran by the processing factory. This is when I turned really Liberal and yelled out the window, "Run Free Cows! Run Free!" Well, it seems like six years later you can still see a shit load of cows in a cooped up pin.
I would like to say New Mexico needs to go back to where it came from. There's a serious issue with the state when you can't listen to Pop radio on I-40. As soon as we made it in state Lor and I had two options of radio to listen to. NPR Talk radio and one... ONE Spanish music channel. I'm not saying Spanish music sucks.... I'm not saying NPR sucks.... What I'm saying is, given the situation.... A little Maroon 5 goes a long way. Just saying. OH! I would also like to tell everyone how much there is literally NOTHING in New Mexico to save it's life. Seriously, I pulled over at a gas station ran by an old guy with five buck heads mounted on the wall. I found a house in the middle of nowhere and a couple of questions popped in my head.
1. Where do these people get there food from?
2. Do they have internet?
3. Where is there local hospital/doctor?
4. What if they have a kid!?
5. Where do these people work?
Neither of these questions were answered. Obviously, because the only people in the cab of the truck was Lor and Lord Vader. Neither of them had the answer either.
Needless to say, when Flagstaff, Arizona is my goal to make... It seemed like when driving through New Mexico, it was a challenge enough to just drive straight. Sometimes you need that curve in the road.
Arizona.... Like I've said before, Nothing exciting till Flagstaff. The mountains are beautiful and personally I wanted to again make this the best trip we could. So, Lor and I detoured to the Grand Canyons. A two hour detour might I add. Though the view of seeing hundreds of feet below was beautiful and breath taking with a slight case of vertigo. The canyon itself was engulfed by fog/cloud. We could hardly see to the other side! But none the less a beautiful sight to see while we tried to make our way to Sacramento, California.
California is California. However, one story I will tell is how I got myself out of a 22 MPH over speed limit ticket. Here I am driving on I-5 north bound and trying to drive up again, another fucking hill. My truck is pushing to make it up the hill (We're towing a car behind too). Well, imagine your truck going from 55 MPH to 40 sometimes 30 MPH just to go up a hill. Sometimes you just want to fly up it. I want to go on record to say I did the speed limit a majority of the time and went real easy on the down hill slopes. However, I just got over this one hill and all of a sudden (or, like normal) my speedometer is saying I'm going 80 MPH. I'm not going 80 MPH.... There's no way. Maybe my truck is thinking I'm going that fast... But I'm still pacing the sami truck right next to me. So, that couldn't be true.... Anyway... A cop car pulls out and then pulls me over. Of course I explained and he said, "Your speed limit is 55 MPH. I got you doing 77 MPH. That's reckless driving, which is also a misdemeanor. Also viewed as a drinking and driving in the state of California."
My world stopped real fast on a few words.... Reckless driving is to Misdemeanor, same as Drinking and Driving..... What the fuck!? That escalated quickly. Anyway, Lor is holding Lord Vader and like magic the dog gave the police officer the puppy eyes. I know for a fact with my cop run ins I always walk out with a ticket or warning. I will hand it off to my dog. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have gotten away with a warning and let go. Seriously..... I saw it go south so bad, but I really think my wife and the dog pulled it off. As soon as we got on the road again. And I did 55 MPH through the whole state of California. The first thing Lor says to me is, "You are a lucky son of a bitch." Yes, I sure am.
We made it to Oregon and spent a day in an old town I use to live in. Coos Bay. Better known as Snooze Bay on this blog. Mainly because not a lot ever really happens in the town. It's a small town and I remember my father telling me to never get sucked into it. Fair enough. I probably would be where I am now without being out of the town too. Either way, my Aunt Kelly knew I was coming into town and it was a real surprise to everyone in my family who found out. We had dinner twice at a restaurant named Little Italy. What an amazing place to dine. It's in Coos Bay's business district and is number one on the city's dinner list. For good reason too. The owner, Max, is a really nice, welcoming, warm guy whom made me feel well at home. The atmosphere of the restaurant is perfect. It's contemporary with a hint of classic all to its own. The wines were perfect for the food. The appetizers and vegetarian foods are perfect. Which is why Lor and I went twice! If you (the reader) ever went through Oregon. Little Italy is a must! Hands down.
For the most part though I got to reconnect with my mom. Which I'll go on record to say was different. I haven't had a "moment" with her in a VERY long time. 13 years specifically. So where else did we start off but in the past. At least a lot of what we talked about was, "Remember going to this park, and the trail?" She would ask. I replied in remembrance and collaborated/elaborated on the details.... Which was really the bed rock of all the things my mom and I talked about.
I can't speak for Lor, however, I think it was great for her to finally met my mom. We never brought up things which would be "touchy." I feel like that's how it's going to have to be though. There were moments when we stepped on me being 13 and leaving. But then we went straight back to childhood stories. Pre-Teen stories were good conversation starters were as everything in my teen years were hard to talk about, or at least get past.
Lord Vader enjoyed his time at the beach for the first time. At first he was on a leash. Then after a while of getting use to salt water and the ocean surf I let him loose. He was the only dog and we were the only ones on the beach. The dog was in a pig-pen. He had so much fun. If we have the time and chance to explore I would love to have him run around some more. The only downfall is how dirty he gets.
Needless to say, we ran through Oregon and Washington pretty well. Then we made it to our rental office for the town house we're waiting on getting into as we speak. The whole thing starts off with the fact the agent didn't know we were coming. Hold the phone. We called two weeks ago. We told them we were coming. Then to find out there's no communication.... What nonsense! Well, with the Navy moving people wanting to drop off we don't want to reschedule because who know when that'll be. Well, we got at lest the garage door for some of our stuff to be in. The Navy moving guy said he would deliver on Wednesday which seems to work out just fine for us. I just hope the house is ready for us tomorrow and I hope our stuff arrives tomorrow too.
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