Our "little boy" is growing up!

Not quite a year ago, we acquired a precious addition to our little family. We picked up Django as soon as we got back from being in Texas for Christmas last year. He was such a precious puppy and so full of energy from day one!

Even though he has been dubbed "little boy", and even though we still call him that, he is not quite a little boy any more. In fact, he is the biggest one in the group. Although he still acts like a puppy, and still isn't quite aware of exactly how big he is, and still gets pushed around by Gypsy, he is the largest of the 3. And he had his 1 year birthday on November 17. I can't believe he is a year old! Where does the time go? :-)

So, since I am a nuts-o mom, we had a little birthday for him, and he got some new chew toys and a new bone! Here are some pictures of our "little boy"...

Happy Birthday to our sweet little boy!!!

Marine Corps Birthday Ball

This is me, still trying to catch up on all my blogging. Sorry!

November 10 is the official birthday of the Marine Corps. Started 233 years ago at Tun Tavern in Pennsylania, the Marine Corps is full of traditions and the Birthday Ball is no exception!

This year John and I went with Brownie and his date, Heather. Since the boys had to work in the morning, Heather and I spent a whole day together getting ready for the evening. I was so glad to have Heather here to hang out with and have some "girl time"! After spending a day of beauty, we met the boys at Truffles for dinner. After dining on steaks for dinner, we all ordered different desserts and shared :-)

Here are some pictures from the evening...

Precious Brownie and Sweet Heather

Sitting at our table before the ceremony began

John, me, Kelli, and Chuck. Chuck is John's CO and Kelli is his wife and my sweet friend.

Brownie and Heather, and yes, that is an F18! How cool is that?!

Florida crazies doing their "Gator Chomp"

And, of course, Get Your Guns Up!

Wishing for a Florida vs Texas Tech National Title Game. Of course, this was before Tech played OU. Well, there's always next year.

Such great Marines!

Once again, Florida crazies!

We decided that the best thing about the ball this year was, for all of us, in fact, this would be our last ball in Beaufort! Next year, more than likely, Brownie will spend his Birthday Ball at some embassy overseas, and we will spend ours....

BACK IN THE LONE STAR STATE!!!!!!!!

Trying to Catch Up...

I know it has been a while since our last post. So, I am going to try to get you caught up on what has been happening around the Williams' household lately.

First off, we have some big big news. No, I am not prego. But, we do have some good news. Back in October, John reenlisted. He took his oath, signed his papers, and shook the OIC's hand, and BOOM! he is a Marine for another 4 years! This has all been in the works for quite a long time. About 6 or 7 months, to be exact. We have been talking about making this move and contemplating what we were going to do. He has been talking to people at work and trying to figure out what the best road would be for us to take.

As part of reenlisting your first time, you get to give them a list of preferences where you would like to be stationed for the next 4 years. Of course, we said Fort Worth, then San Diego, then Hawaii. Hey, who wouldn't want to live in Hawaii, huh? So, back in August, they told him that we could go to Fort Worth. We were soooo excited! But, since the orders had not officially been cut, he told me that I couldn't tell anyone. So I didn't. (Except for Moriah, which he was SO mad about) But, I couldn't keep it in! :-)

Once we got back from Arkansas and our family vacation, we got some disappointing news. I came home from work one night and I could tell something was wrong. So, I asked him. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and tossed it in my general direction. He said, "I got my orders." I picked up the paper and looked at it, and right there in bold typing it said it...... San Diego, CA.

I paused for a moment, trying to hold back the tears. Okay, who am I kidding, I cried. I cried pretty much all night. I was completely stressing out over how we were going to tell our family and friends, and especially my grandparents, that we were going to be in Cali for 4 years. It was bound to kill them. But, after a while, and MANY long conversations, we decided to do it. We were going to reenlist and go where ever they sent us. We talked about the fact that this was a rare opportunity. Who gets to travel on the government's dollar and see places that they might not have seen otherwise? We resolved to the fact that we have our entire lives to settle down and live in Texas, but while we have the opportunity to live elsewhere, we might as well. Once he gets out, that's it, there's no getting back in. So, still having not told anyone yet, because he had not officially reenlisted, I began to mentally prepare for Cali. I actually began to get excited about it! I decided that living in Cali was going to be totally cool, and it would be a much more fun place to come visit than Beaufort, SC, that's for sure!
So, moving on. About a month ago, I am at work, at the golf course, in the middle of lunch, and I get a phone call from John. This in itself is a little weird, because he rarely calls me in the middle of the day. (And, I didn't realize until later that I had missed 4 of his calls already.) So, I answer it, and ask him how his day is going. He says...and I quote... "A lot better now that I got orders to Fort Worth!" I completely lost it, and screamed and started jumping up and down...with my GM sitting about 6 feet from me! Nice.
But, with out offering any explanation as to what had happened, John just says, "I have to go, I will call you back in a while"....Are you kidding me???? So, now, I have this information, no idea what to do with it or how it came about, and he's going to call me back?!?!?!?!
So, I continued to freak out a little bit, or a lot, whatever. But finally heard back from him. Apparently, he had gone to see the Monitor (the lady who cuts the orders) to finalize things for San Diego. He was finished talking to her and about to stand up when she remembers that he was the one who wanted to go to Fort Worth. He verified that yes, he did want to go to Fort Worth, but that he was told that there wasn't a spot there for him. So, she typed a little on her keyboard in front of her, and said "Yeah, I can get you to Fort Worth."
So, once again, plans changed. But, still, having not reenlisted yet, we couldn't tell anyone.
On Wednesday, October 22, John was supposed to go on leave at noon. We were flying home to Texas for Derek and Casey's wedding. At about 0900, I got a call from him that said that I needed to be ready to come up to the base for his reenlistment, at a moment's notice. Wait. Reenlistment???? We were supposed to do that once we got back from Texas. The papers all still said California. This was kind of how that conversation went...
Dub: I need you to be ready to come up here when I call you. I am probably going to have to reenlist today.
Bevin: Really? I thought you were going to do that when we got back.
D: My reenlistment package expires tomorrow, and if I have to redo it, there might not be a place for me, especially in Fort Worth.
B: So, do your orders say Fort Worth.
D: Not yet.
B: So, are you going to get that fixed?
D: (Increasingly irritated) I am working on it.
B: So what happens if you don't get it fixed?
D: You might be getting on the plane by yourself today.
B: Pardon me?!
D: I am going to do my best to fix this. Just stay close this morning and be ready to come up here if I call you.

Oh my goodness! Fine. So, he calls me at about 1000 and says to be there at 1030. We hold an impromptu reenlistment ceremony in which he takes his oath, receives his reenlistment certificate and signs his papers. Usually, the reenlistment ceremony is held wherever the Marine wants it, and will have all the Marines present that the reenlisting Marine wants, and can be held in any type of uniform that the Marine prefers. But, this was done so last minute, that it was just in John's shop. It was actually a great little ceremony, and of course, when he was taking his oath, I completely cried. I am so proud of my Marine! I got some great pictures, but unfortunately, since the ceremony was in his shop, I can not post them on our blog. Everything in that shop is classified, so I can't put the pictures on the Internet. Bummer.
So, we leave the reenlistment ceremony, and immediately head for Savannah to get on a plane home. We are able to tell everyone when we get home that he reenlisted and that we will be stationed in Fort Worth for the next 4 years. (Unless, of course, they decided to move us.)
Let's see.....Daddy cried, Shelly cried, Mom said "Now you can start trying for babies!!!!", and everyone in general was so excited. It was super fun to get to tell everyone that we saw, in person, that we were going to get to move home!
So, that's the big news. We will be home by April! We are super stoked and can not wait to be back! We are already planning on lots of stuff when we get home. Texas Tech football season tickets, here we come! :-)
We have missed you all so much, and can't wait to be closer to everyone! Not much longer now!!!

DC Done Right.

Last week, John was able to take a trip to Washington DC with 9 other Marines. He took some GREAT pictures! Here are some of the best ones. Keep in mind, he took ALL of these pictures. (I am just amazed because they look they belong on post cards! :-) )

Sergeant of Marines

We are so excited, and I am so proud of John! Today, he was promoted to Sergeant of Marines! We have been waiting for, and he has been working and striving for this day since he was promoted to Corporal last year! He has worked so hard, and today he was rewarded! Congratulations to my precious husband....Sergeant Williams!

The Ceremony

There were many exciting aspects of this promotion ceremony for us. One of them was because not only was John getting promoted, but so was our Brownie! Our sweet friend, Matt, was being promoted to Sergeant as well! It was such a great deal for John and Matt to be promoted together since they are such good friends. So, since Brownie was promoted today, he got to pin John's new chevrons on him. Each Marine being promoted has two people pin them in the ceremony. Brownie's mom and dad were able to come up from Florida and pin him. And Brown and I got to pin John. It was SUCH an honor for me to be able to be a part of their ceremony!!! I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful husband that wants me to be a part of his special day!

Still waiting...

So, not much news yet on the hurricane front. We are still waiting to see what is going to actually hit us. For the most part, as of right now, it looks like the majority of the storm is going to be north of us. We are expecting to get heavy rain and strong winds starting tomorrow afternoon. So, we'll see what happens. Please keep it all in your prayers, though!
I will try to blog again tomorrow with another update.

Hanna Update

Well, I never actually thought about blogging about getting ready for Hanna to hit us. But, I have had several people e-mail me and tell me that they have checked our blog for a status and there wasn't one. So, I decided that I better write a blog about what is going on here.
First of all, of course, we are all fine. We are still having beautiful weather and I was outside in it all day at work today. Barely a cloud in the sky. John has been off work since Friday for the holiday weekend, and went back in this evening for a formation. He was told that as of right now, there have been no decisions to evacuate. Of course, there are all kinds of rumors flying around right now, of a voluntary evac. tomorrow with the mandatory evac. on Thursday, but that is again, just a rumor, and having to do with the civilian population. That has nothing to do with us. Our base commander will make the decision of when/if we go.
Of course, we are taking all precautions, keeping the car full of gas, keeping snacks and water handy. I have all of our important things in a box ready to throw in the car if need be.
But as of now, we are going about life as normal. We will both get up in the morning and head off to work as if it is another normal day. Nothing will change until we get the order.
I will keep you all updated as new information arises. Please pray for the wisdom of the people who are in charge all around us tonight, as I am sure lots of them are losing sleep.
More updates to follow tomorrow....

Every year, for the last 31 years, we have gone on a family vacation to Lake Ouachita in the beautiful Ozark Mountains just outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas. I have only missed one summer since I was born, the year that John and I got married. So, this year was no exception. We left on Friday and stayed in Nashville at Moriah and Blake's house. We introduced Django and reintroduced Gypsy to their cousin, Maverick. They were so excited to meet Maverick and his girlfriend, Maybelle, who belongs to Moey and Blake's friends, Justin and Katie.



We got up early on Saturday morning, and in 3 cars, Mo, Blake and Maverick; Justin, Katie and Maybelle; and John, Django, Gypsy and I all headed west to Hot Springs. We were so excited to get to see everyone and spend a week at the lake again this year! We had such a great time! John and I shared an apartment type place with Craigo and Deidre. We always have an awesome time when we get to spend time with them, and were so excited to get to hang out all week! This year was especially fun for all of us because for the first time, we were joined by Kyle, Shelly, and Shelly. They came up on Wednesday night and stayed with us the rest of the week. We had SO much fun!

This week is always such a great time for me, because it means that I get to see my sisters and my mom and dad and Mema. Living so far away from home sometimes takes its toll, and I am always so excited to spend time with them! This week was no exception! We spent lots of time out on the boat with Cap (which is short for 'captain', what John calls my dad) and Mama.

Channing and her fiance, Austin, were there with us as well! Austin's parents came up for a couple of days and brought their new boat!


Of course, Glenda and Dwayne were there too, this year. They are Deidre's parents, and my surrogate mom and dad. We miss them all the time, too! This year we were missing a special part of our group. Derek and his fiance, Casey, weren't able to join us. As well as my Uncle Kenneth and Aunt Barbara. But, Lord willing, they will all be there next year!!!

Here are some more pictures from our great week! They will all be out of order, but you will get the idea!

This is our gang. We all stayed in the Firehouse. What a great time!


I heart my Shellys!!!!!

Kyle, Shelly, and Shelly out on the boat

So beautiful!!!!

Chillin on the boat

I love this picture! Deidre and me skiing together. It's tradition!

Mo, Chan, and me sitting outside the bath house where we just finished our massages!

Mom and me on the boat
That's all for now. I think that I finally am updated on all of our happenings from this summer. I am sure that I will find some more things to post about soon! Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Here we go with John on his wakeboard. He is really fun to watch out there!...for most people....honestly, I am the careful wife, and he makes me nervous. Go figure. But, he loves it, and he didn't hurt himself too bad this year!