It's a gloomy Sunday. I'm happy for the rain (my big cypress trees really need it). I don't plan on doing anything today but watch football; it's been a busy few days and I'm ready for a rest.
We went to Parris Island for Tiffany's graduation from USMC boot camp. I'm glad we were able to go, it was great to see Tiff for the first time in months. She was so grown up in her uniform. We got to visit with Tiff and her fellow Marine, Brittany, for about 6 hours on Thursday (Family Day). Tiffany and Brittany seem like unlikely names for Marines, don't they? The night before graduation was sort of a free night for them, so Tiff bought about $20 of candy and chocolate. I guess when you've been deprived that long you want to make sure you don't run out.
Unfortunately, the graduation ceremony was held indoors due to rain so we didn't get to see the pass in review on the parade deck. It was a moving ceremony nonetheless. We're very proud of Tiffany and are impressed at her discipline, fortitude and ability to get the job done.
We had a gathering of the Smith family last night at Penny's house. It was part graduation/welcome home party for Tiffany and part holiday party. As usual, there was a constant roar of noise to accompany the low-grade chaos. It was great to see everyone, even if it was only for a short while. The kids were adorable of course.
Tiffany has worn her uniform EVERYWHERE since getting home. I guess it's true what they say, those Marines are PROUD. She got up early this morning and ran 3 miles. I told her I don't even want to drive 3 miles before 8am. Here’s a pic of PFC Lemberger at Parris Island:
My brother-in-law (from New Orleans) and his crew are coming for a short visit today. It will be good to see them and visit for a while.
I was very happy to finish my mom's home movies. It's been a huge project and has taken far too long. I've been working on it for about 2 years. YIKES. We had some computer issues which delayed things (in addition to the usual procrastination, I guess). I transferred all of her old VHS tapes to DVD. I catalogued all of the video, added menus and did some editing. Mom’s movies made 10 DVD’s, plus I gave her a movie of my Aunt Willie’s pictures. Definitely a big job. Glad it's finally done. I hope the next BIG video project we do will be our own home movies (which was the reason we got into this video thing to begin with). I made a little box to put the disc in. I cracked myself up with the box set thing. Here’s my label:
I've been a little out of sorts lately. Cranky maybe? Distracted? Not sure what to call it. Maybe it's the busy schedule, noise, chaos, driving, etc. Maybe its work related. Or maybe I'm missing pottery. I haven't thrown anything in weeks. My next class starts in about a month. I can't wait. I'll be taking Ron Philbeck's class for the first time.
I don't want the holiday to be over, but I'm anxious for Xmas to come. I'm like a little kid - I can't wait for Debi and the kids to open their gifts. Luckily, Debi has more will power than me, so when I suggested today that she open a gift or two, she was able to resist. If it were up to me, I'm sure we'd have no gifts to open on Xmas day. The most fun part OF COURSE is seeing the kids' excitement on Xmas morning. I'm sure I'll be posting pictures of that (if I have the presence of mind to take some pics).
Speaking of gifts, I've been pretty happy with our holiday projects. Most of the gifts we gave this year were handmade by us. I love the idea of handmade gifts. It's so much more personal and meaningful; I have really enjoyed the entire process. I've already started thinking about what we might do next year.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!
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