A City Life For Me

Today I started work at Books-a-Million as a cafe barista. I am finally employed!

I live just north of the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA. The Navy F-18s buzz over our apartment all the time. Sometimes it is one jet. Sometimes it is four jets in rapid succession. Sometimes it is a pair flying in beautiful synchronization. Sometimes they circle over and over and over again. Sometimes it is a touch-and-go. It doesn't matter. I always look up. I always wish I were the pilot. I always feel pride. There are some hours and parts of the day when you can't watch a movie or talk on the phone because the jet noise is so loud and frequent. When Ben signed the lease on our apartment there was an aircraft clause because we live in one of the crash zones. I guess the noise might bother or annoy some people. But not me. I love jet noise! Around here there are bumper stickers and t-shirts that say "I Love Jet Noise." This campaign was started to show support for keeping the Master Jet Base at Oceana when Congress wanted to move it to Jacksonville, ...

Here is a picture of my Ben in his new blue four-button suit - a gift from me, and our parents for his birthday. He has been wanting a blue suit for a while, and he sure looks good in it! He also got a khaki colored three-button suit.

On July 22 (yesterday) Ben had his 23rd birthday. This was his first birthday on which we were able to be together. Two years ago I was in Spain, and last year I was in Colorado planning a wedding. Ben still had to work...outside...in the hot...the heat index was 105. But since his last customer cancelled he was able to be home at a decent time. We had stromboli for dinner - Ben's request, and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting - also Ben's request. It was his first cake in three years, because he hasn't been home for a birthday since his freshman year of college. Actually, it still is his first cake in three years. There is a lot of it remaining, as you can imagine! Ben received his birthday present on Saturday. We went shopping and picked out two new suits. He only had one suit that survived college, and a suit that was given to him (but has never been quite right after they tailored it down). He picked out a nice blue 4-button suit and a dark khaki 3-button suit. ...

I think this is a super cute little girl's dress. It makes me wish that I had kids already. (Just kidding, Ben :-) View the grosgrain blog by clicking the link below: Train Stop Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

While I was in Lakeland, Fl visiting my friend Danielle I went for a drastic hair change (don't worry...Ben said that I could!). It is now short and straight. I had to go and buy a brush, flat iron, and curling iron because I didn't have anything with which to style it! When Ben came to pick me up at the baggage claim he started to walk by me because he didn't recognize me! Dorri Warren, a friend of the DeVane's, helped me achieve my new style!

I'm sitting in the Newport News Williamsburg International Airport waiting for my flight to Orlando. I am going to spend five days with my best girlfriend Danielle Cristin DeVane . We haven't been together since my wedding almost nine months ago. And that wasn't a normal week - we didn't have much "together" time. The NN Airport is a small airport. I'm not really sure why this ticket was cheaper than Norfolk. There are a total of ten gates. There is no Starbucks. That's really depressing. I will sit here for four hours (because Ben had to drop me off and make the hour commute back to start work at a semi-decent time). I don't mind. It gave me time to post this blog. This will be the longest separation that Ben and I have had since our wedding. The only other time we were apart is when I went to Ambassador for three days to see Kenny, Wesley, Erika, and my other friends. I felt bad to leave him. He won't eat so great (even though there are l...

On July 4, 2008 I was privileged to meet Mrs. Anne Hamilton - Ben's Grandma. We spent the day and night at her home on Cape Cod. We have been exchanging letters and talking over the phone for about a year now. It was exciting to finally meet my other Grandma!

If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have said I did not like baseball. I probably would have told you that it is boring. On the rare occasion that I get dragged along to a baseball game, I take my book. Or my iPod . But that was a year ago. Ben's favorite sport is baseball. I have been making an effort to find something likeable in baseball. I try to understand the game. I try to discover why it is exciting. I do this for Ben. After all, he always acts interested to see the newest pages in my scrapbook when I return home from a crop. Just when I think I understand, they throw in a dumb rule that makes no sense to me…like errors. I don’t understand errors. I may not completely understand baseball, but I no longer think that it is boring. What cured me? Attending a ball game with the Hamilton’s. Here’s how it happened… We were visiting Ben’s family in Pittsfield , MA over the July 4 th weekend. On July 5 th they took us to the Pittsfield Dukes baseball game. I almost b...