A Jubilant July

This month so far has been filled with lots of fun activities both for adults and kids alike. The weather has been pleasant and warm, mostly in the high 80's. I get a kick when the locals around here say, "It's not as hot as it usually is." I guess July usually brings temps in the mid to high 90s. It's hot enough for me.

Ted has been very busy at work. A lot of testing is happening aboard the USS NEW MEXICO. His engineers are working rotating shift work and every so often Ted gets phone calls at all hours of the night and during the weekends. And yes, being a manager has its pluses but it also sucks when you are left with the responsibility of fixing up another person's mess. But, a bad day at the shipyard beats a good day at the Kesselring Site up in NY. He has been also playing tour guide to KAPL employees from NY who visit the shipyard as interns or are here on assignment making sure whatever they designed up in NY is actually working on the submarine. We got to see one of his friends with whom he used to carpool up in NY.

Although with all the crazy things going on at work, Ted has been able to sneak away for a couple hours these past few weeks to attend Navy retirement ceremonies. About 2 weeks ago, I accompanied him to the Change of Command Ceremony of the USS CARL VINSON, an aircraft carrier, at Norfolk Naval Base. His friend, Ted Carter, was the CO of that ship, which just got refueled and refurbished at Newport News Shipyard where Ted works. The ceremony was awesome. It was held right in the hangar deck. A reception followed afterward.



Later that evening, his friend, Ted, who is now a Rear Admiral, held a party at a house he and his wife rented in Suffolk. This house is a Southern Living Showcase Home, worth $1.5 M or $1.6 M (fully furnished). Tours are given free until the end of August. It was so cool to spend a couple of hours just partying in this beautiful waterfront home, built specifically for the Southern Living Magazine. The unique thing about this home is the basement...which is very rare for this area. It has a theater room and mini-kitchen with bar.

A few weeks ago, I took the kids to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame located in downtown Portsmouth. All three kids enjoyed it and it was nice to hear from Alex himself that he had an awesome time and it was a great museum to go visit. I think the kids enjoyed it because there was a lot of interactive stuff. There was a mini gymnasium where you can shoot baskets and also another sports section where the kids can throw a baseball and see how fast it goes, kick soccer balls around or even throw a football.


Alex and Sophia had the privilege of spending a few days in Cancun with my sisters. My younger sister, Tania won a trip through work and invited Alex and Sophia to come along since kids stay for free. It was an opportunity we couldn't pass up for the kids to experience. They were down there for 4 nights/5 days and had a blast. They enjoyed eating, going to the beach, swimming at the pool, snorkeling and parasailing. Alex did come home with a severe case of sunburn on his back...that's what he gets for not wearing his rash guard shirt.


So, it was just me and Matt by ourselves for a couple of days. We had a lot of one on one time together. I took him to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach. Matt had so much fun exploring the aquarium, petting snakes (eww!), and just watching the sea turtles swim around. There are two separate buildings and in between each building is a long nature trail built around a marsh. While on this walk from one building to the next, we could see and hear the F-18s fly around. Oceana Naval Air Station was so close by. Matt loved seeing the planes as well.


As for me, I found myself totally in charge of something I thought I was only "helping out" with. Last Saturday, our Cub Scout Pack held a hike, picnic, and rain gutter regatta all in one day. It was a beautiful day. The event was held at Newport News Park. A few days before the event, I wanted to make sure all was accounted for and of course, it wasn't. I volunteered to help out with the regatta, get all the materials to make the boats and assumed (which I shouldn't have done) that the other person whom I thought was in charge took care of the raingutters and getting the tables to put them on. Come to find out, the Pack has never held a raingutter regatta before and now I found myself taking care of everything for this event. We did not use the fancy kits sold at the Council shop. Being economically minded, I bought and cut apart those water noodles (from the dollar store) and the kids made boats out of them using popsicle sticks and foam paper for the sail. The boys decorated their boats with stickers and markers. Anyway, it all worked out in the end and the boys had a blast. I was officially welcomed into the Pack after that event and it looks like the raingutter regatta will become an annual summertime pack event.


After the Pack event, Ted and I took Matt to a local car show held at a community college nearby. Matt had a lot of fun and so did Ted. My favorite car was this one of Mater, from the Cars movie. I guess his buddy, Lightning McQueen couldn't make it down for the event.


On Sunday, Ted took Matt to Water Country (a local water park) in Williamsburg, while I got the whole day to myself since Alex and Sophia were not arriving at the airport until midnight. Ted and Matt both had a blast and we had one exhausted little boy that evening.


Well, that's it for now. I am savoring these hot, lazy and crazy days of summer while it lasts!