Hello All-
Finally a moment to catch you all up! Things are going by fast this summer and there are only two more weeks left! So lets play a little catch up shall we?
First off we haven't eaten anywhere exciting lately hence the lack of Daring Dining segments. I wish we could have been to more neat cuisine locales but sadly the installations we are residing are surrounded by Americana flair and frozen dinners have been my nightly meals.
Pensacola, FL-
Pensacola, also known as the home of the Blue Angels, had lots to see and do. Ms. Ann our contact and native of almost 20 years was great. She would spend her evenings with us and show us sights off the beaten path and not full of tourists. We went to the beaches and enjoyed beverages and also took in the Naval Aviation Museum on the base as well. For a free base, I HIGHLY recommend you check it out if you are in the area. The beaches were gorgeous and we put our toes in the Gulf (oil free). I defiantly understand why people want to spend their olden years here. It was tough saying good bye to Ms. Ann but a wedding was to be had and it would not wait so I hoped on a plane and was off too...Missoula, MT-
One of my best friends in the world Kepler Correia was getting married to one of the best gals in the world Erin Brierty (now Correia). I was honored by these two former TAD's (and now my MCT bosses) who found love on the road to be a groomsman in their ceremony. I spent the week with their families running errands from picking up kegs to making huckleberry chocolates (a talent I learned I do NOT possess). My Mom and Gammy also made a long trek out from Ohio for the wedding and it was great to see them. It was the first time my Gammy had seen that part of the country and they were also able to get a a nice tour of MCT. The wedding was wonderful (thats me scratching my nose by the way) full of lots of great friends and good times. It went by way too quick and it was to get back on a plane to... Jacksonville, FL-
Which is the birthplace of the Blue Angels and ME! Yup I was born on Jacksonville Naval Air Station (It's scary how much I look like my Uncle John in this picture). This was the first time this station had MCT so it was a crazy week and our contacts were great at providing everything we needed. We also had a neat cast member that week. His name was DJ 5 Nickels. That was his rapper name and he prefered to be called as such. DJ 5 Nickels was a high functioning autistic child and did an amazing job on show day. During rehearsals if he ever got bored we would hear a little rapping coming from back stage, when one of us went to investigate and see the DJ in action he would always apologize, which made us smile. We later found out that his Mom was unable to attend the show because she recently had a kidney transplant and was still in the hospital. It just go to show you that you NEVER know what these kids are going through when they leave rehearsal.We had a Saturday off that week and we met up with an MCT all star family the Jacobsons. They recently transplanted to Jacksonville from Missoula and their two daughter (one of whom I directed in Missoula) have done more MCT shows then I. They took us to Marineland where we got to see dolphins up close and personal. We did not get to touch them, that would have been another $30, but it was really neat. We also went to St. Augustine, a place where the Spanish first landed and that was a lot of fun. It reminded me a lot of the French Quarter in New Orleans, expect a very family friendly version. It even had the oldest standing school in America (that's Mandi and I in front)The next day we drove across the Florida panhandle to...
Panama City Beach, FL-
Which was a tough week. Kids and contacts worked hard, but we had a heck of time getting on off based. Our poor truck must have been searched around 10 times and let me tell you that gets real old, real quick. The temperatures that week were unbearable and the town was extremely touristy meaning expensive and packed. We found refuge in the movies and took in Despicable Me (good) and I also saw Toy Story 3 (AMAZING!). From their we left Florida, drove long ways through Georgia, and are now in...
Columbia (Fort Jackson), SC
Big changes this week - we are on an ARMY base AND we are staying off base which is a wonderful change of pace. Since it is a first time place, the kids having been dropping left and right ("I have to miss swimming today!? I QUIT!"). That being said, we are having a very rewarding week. This instalition is full of very young families with kids who are constantly moving and always having to make new friends and look for new opportunities (who does that remind you of...) The base newspaper had one of their local reporters with us all week and they wrote a nice aerticle about us which can be found here.
All in all, it's been a great summer. And I got some big news to share with y'all real soon...
The Adventure Continues - ML
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