Congrats Derek

I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire to witness the "Pinning Ceremony" of my good friend Derek. He was recently promoted to Chief Petty Officer...a BIG DEAL in the United States Navy. It was a really neat thing to see and be a part of.

Derek and me at the after party...

Standing with the 6 new Chiefs from the Helena...

This is right before he was admitted to Chief's Mess...

His wife and father were honored by pinning his Chief's pins on his lapels...

You can see he is proud of his accomplishment...and he should be!

Congrats to Derek and all of the new Chiefs!

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A quick excerpt explaining how big a deal making chief is:

Unlike Petty Officer First Class and lower ranks, advancement to Chief Petty Officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving Senior and Master Chief Petty Officers, in effect "choosing their own" and conversely not choosing others.

Advancement into the Chief Petty Officer grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted naval ranks. At the rank of Chief, the Sailor takes on more administrative duties. In the Navy, their uniform changes to reflect this change of duty, becoming identical to that of an officer's uniform except with different insignia. Sailors in the three Chief Petty Officer ranks also have conspicuous privileges such as seperate dining and living areas. Any naval vessel of sufficient size has a room or rooms that are off-limits to anyone not a Chief (including officers) except by specific inviation. In addition, a Chief Petty Officer, no matter how much he was on a "first name" basis with other petty officers before promotion, is always addressed as "Chief" by subordinates and superiors.

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We went to Boston after the ceremony...those pics will be up tomorrow.

USS Helena

On Sunday, Claire and I got the opportunity to tour a nuclear submarine.

Our very good friend Derek serves on the USS Helena (seen at left) and he took us aboard the boat for a tour. It was soooo very cool. I had never been on a sub before and I am so impressed.

Not only is it a very impressive piece of technology, the fact that full grown men can operate in a space like that for as long as they do...wow.

Sure, I am a bit bigger than the average bloke (no, subs were not maid to accommodate guys who are 6'5), but even for men of smaller stature...let's call them petite...it is a claustrophobic nightmare.

Climbing into and out of the bunks, that may or may not be shared with someone else when you are not in there, is a feat worthy of any gymnast or circus performer. The bathrooms are the size of a small closet and the "work-out" area is as wide as my shoulders.

These guys lay it on the line every time they go out and I would be remiss to not mention how unbelievable it is that these guys do what they do to protect everyone of us.

Thanks Derek...and thanks to the guys that serve. You rock and stuff.

My Dojo

I run a dojo.

In my spare time.

I am good at it.

We do things like play with sticks (we call them weapons), throw stuff at other ninjas (we call it assassination attempts), and kick stuff (we call it practicing ninja technique).

Since it takes money to run a dojo, we pool our resources together to buy parking lots and fast food joints. I mean, a ninja's got to live.

I have some good ninjas that work for me. Ninja Beth is a level 9 Ninja. She focuses on defense techniques and having large amounts of energy. Ninja Derek is a level 5 Ninja. His specialty is stamina and weapons. Ninja Steve, well, frankly he is a drag on our organization, but he is trying. Picture Beverly Hills Ninja only skinny and less funny.

Me? Well, I am the master of the dojo...I am a level 13 Ninja...although my testing should allow me to get to level 14 this afternoon. My specialties include killing other ninjas and infiltrating terrorist organizations. I am a whiz with the 3-Sectioned whip, poisoned darts and Oak Nunchuku. I have a very well run dojo and my ninjas respect my ability.

I am a Ninja...You will respect me.

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As much as I can't figure out why I use Facebook, some of the app's are great...My "Way of the Ninja" applet rocks...

The New Place

All moved in...into the Execustay. It is a 1-bedroom place, that is the same size as the living room in my old place. No, I am not exaggerating.

But there are some nice things about it...first, it is free to me. Nice relo-package, eh? Second, while the kitchen is smaller than my old one, it is open to the living room. I can cook red beans and rice (Thanks J + M in L-Towne) and watch the baseball games. That makes me happy. Finally, I have a deck. I can sit outside, enjoy a glass of wine or partake in a beautiful cigar.

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Can't wait to have Claire join me. The last 5 months of commuting has been a little difficult.

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Congrats to our good friends Derek and Katie. They welcomed their second daughter Zella Kathryn into the world last night. Mom and baby are healthy and everyone is so very happy!

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Still have not found the new name for the blog. Some of the suggestions have been great, but not sure it captures where I want to go with this. More pondering...and more offerings are welcome. Claire and I will be sending out a KC prize pack to whoever suggests the winning name.

SoCal and Norway

I had a chance to visit Southern California this past week. Claire left for Norway on Saturday, so I decided to head back “home” for a few days.

It was a nice respite from the day-to-day in VA…Had lunch with a friend at a rock’n taco shop, got to spend the afternoon with my Goddaughter, her sister and her parents, my great friends Steve and Stacey…Had a night of poker with my buddies, which included just my second cigar of 2009, was able to go to the church that I helped found back in 2004 and even got to have breakfast with my Bubble-Headed buddy Derek and his wonderful family…then to the OC for some family time.

That was also glorious…plenty of chocolate chip cookies and an ample amount of avocado for consumption…got to hang with Pops, play games with Gma and spend some quality time with mom. Even got to see all the siblings (save the one in MN).

All-in-all a great trip, but one thing was missing…the beautiful woman I call my wife.

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A week without hearing her voice is way to long. I don’t know what I would do if she were called up to active duty and then deployed again…that would personify suckiness!

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Luckily I am now in Norway with my lovely bride. She is working and I am touring, but I do get every evening with her and we do have some free time together.

I really do live a blessed life!

Food and Father's Day

On Friday night last week, we were on Eagle Lake in Maple Grove, MN. My sister's boyfriend made some mean burgers and thought I would mention them to you...I made some killer burgers a couple of month's back (Read about them here), but his was right on par.

In the meat he mixed egg, red/yellow/green diced peppers, red onion, and Gorgonzola cheese. Then he formed the burgers, grilled them to medium, and melted cheese with peppers on top. Served on a toasted/grilled onion bun and they were awesome.

I have challenged him to an Iron Chef cook off...we will see if he has the chutzpah to accept. :-)

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Father's day was Sunday. It is a funny holiday for me because in my life I really have 3 different men that would easily be celebrated on that day...my father, my step-dad, and my gramps...all have provided things for me to live up to, look for, and pursue. I also make sure to call my buddies that are fathers and let them know that they are doing a great job...This year I was able to add 2 more calls...both Jeremy and Derek got messages to celebrate their first Father's Day.

But this past Sunday my mind was mostly on my Gramps. It is the first Father's day without him around. He past away last September (Please read what I wrote about him here) and his presence is still so missed. His life was a blessing to so many people, but inside the family he was held in even higher regard than the thousands of people that cried the day he passed away...yes, I said thousands.

There are a million stories I could write about him and it still would not cover his life adequately. I have shared some of his more notorious ones here, here, here, and here.

Thanks for all you were gramps...you are missed more than you could ever imagine.

Beautiful Work x2

My buddy Derek and I have been talking marriage recently...go figure.

He shared some sweet thoughts recently and I thought I would pass them along...here is what he wrote to me talking about Claire and my role as husband:

So, just make sure she knows that you will be willing to do whatever it takes when and if she can't or doesn't think she can keep on keeping on. We are the rock of the marriage and they, families, are the beautiful work that is created, lifted up and shown to the world to represent the sort of men that we are.

I thought it was pretty cool and hope that I can live up to this call.

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Congrats to occasional commenter and long time friend Nashville!?...he and his wife Shannon had a beautiful baby this weekend. Claire and I are so happy for them...and maybe a little jealous.

Dare I say, Beautiful Work KP? I think so.

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My summary of the Mardi Gras Party, Rehearsal Dinner Pie Fight, Wedding and Aruba coming up later this week.

Carter Nicole

That is sorta what I did in the recovery room on Friday night...

The nurses thought it was funny to see a 6'5" man holding a baby  in the air yelling:

"LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE CREATED!!!"

Little Carter Nicole joined our lives at 5:12pm.  Yes, I will post some pictures.  Yes, I think it will spur on more frequent posts.  I started this thing to keep the family abreast of what was going on when I left CA.  Now, we probably should do the same for Frank (still working on a good nickname for her...I love Baby Blue, because of her eyes, but my buddy Derek's daughter already claimed that one...so, Frank Sinatra...ol' Blue Eyes...she can be Frank).

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Momma is doing well.  Looking Hubba Hubba as always. 

Actually, prettier than ever...something about popping out my Progeny that makes her look amazing!

Olde Fashioned Living

Claire came over last night and baked some fresh bread while I slaved away making homemade sausage (meaning I bought it at Costco) with home grown onions and zucchini (meaning I bought them at Farm Fresh).

She had a cute apron on (meaning she put on one of my t-shirts to protect her nice clothes...of course it was way to big for her), she hand kneaded the bread (meaning she put it in the mixer and turned it on), put it in the newly hand crafted clay pot, the one we bought at the craft fair on Sunday, and baked it fresh.

We slaved all day long (meaning about 45 minutes) for this home cooked meal. It was great!

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Claire really did make the bread from scratch...3 cups of self-rising flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 can/bottle of room temp beer...mix together, then bake at 450 for 40-45 mins, topping with butter for the last 10 mins or so...not only was it great last night for dinner, but this morning, I spread some jam on top...woooweee.

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We watched the Pursuit of Happyness this weekend. It was the second time I had seen it and I am glad I watched it again. It was much better the second time.

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For the record, 6'5 and 250lbs is entirely too big for a shortstop. Even weekend warrior softball. Men that size were not meant to play that position...and no, Cal Ripken was not that big.

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CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Jeremy/Amity and Katie/Derek...

In the last 5 days, both couples gave birth to beautiful baby girls...I am so VERY thankful that Ava Marie looks more like Amity than Jeremy and that Emily Jean looks like Katie!

Love all 6 of you!

Some Boston Pics

The day after the ceremony, we headed down to Boston for the weekend. Of course we had to hit up Fenway!

Once Claire joined us Thursday night, we had a wonderful time touring Boston, one of my favorite cities!

It was a beautiful weekend...fall weather most of the trip, but beautiful nonetheless.

We toured the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). To say that the quarters for those sailors were a little cramped is an understatement.

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We visited the Old Library on the Southside of town. It was stunningly beautiful. If you are ever in Boston, you need to check it out!

Here is a shot of the courtyard...

In the library it was a scene right out of a movie...all the seats were taken and there were students actually studying, reading and working on their computers...oh yea, it was the first month of school...

Derek and Emily by the fountain in the middle of the courtyard.

A Bag Full of Liars

It has been a quiet week...lot's of frigg'n running I can tell you that.

This whole training for the marathon is some serious business...We ran 4 miles on Tuesday 9 miles on Wednesday and were supposed to run 6 more last night (that was pushed aside because it was colder than a witch's titty outside and we wanted to watch Earl/30-Rock/Office/Scrubs)...thank goodness it is warming up this weekend. Supposed to be in the low 70's on our 18 miler on Sunday! WoooHoooo.

I don't know who I need to punch in the nose, but a number of people swore up and down that it really did not get cold here in P-Towne..."no sir, it will only get into the 40's...might drop below that for a week or two in January, but it never really gets cold here."

I am going to go ahead and cry BS on that. I mean, I can take cold if I have to...like when I am skiing or enjoying a Cuban cigar on a cold snowy night with James or Derek, but this idea of living in cold for month's at a time is for the birds...When your nose hairs get stiff because it is so cold outside, there is something wrong.

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I guess it is in the high-50's and rainy in SoCal...that is strange itself. I bet my boys in SD are reeling from the nasty weather...what to do.

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Before y'all laugh, you need to realize that as a SoCal native, I have never really even owned a coat (besides my ski jacket and a sport coat)...Lived my entire life out there and the best I could say is that I would need a hoody or a windbreaker at most 51 weeks of the year...the other week I was skiing, so a jacket was required.

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By the way, why is a witch's titty cold? Has anyone ever confirmed that they are indeed on the frigid side?

What, no Breakfast Club, The A-Team, or Super Contra?

Nordstrom Rules! Just for the record, I love Nordstrom. I know, I know...many of you wonder about me to begin with, but since we all have to wear clothes (except Derek, who is the most naked person I know), I figure I might as well enjoy what I buy. That rules out Walmart...Yes, I own their stock, but I feel dirty in there...it rules out the salvation army (but I did look good as Dwight)...and don't even get me started on the many problems of shopping for clothes at Big Lots.

Wow, how did I digress so far? Anyway, back to my main point...I stopped at Nordstrom with Jeff yesterday to buy a belt. While there, we found the best 1989 Miami Vice jackets ever, so we tried them on...

I think they are pretty styl'n...okay, Jeff looks silly, but Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas ain't got nothing on me!

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Was at Costco last week and heard a very familiar song...it sounded something like this...I was walking through, buying bread, and I heard it. It was calling to me. It all came rushing back. The hours spend with the Nintendo Controller in my hand. The stale Cheetos. The Jolt Cola. Bubble Bobble is back! Costco had a full size, arcade style, Bubble Bobble machine. If it were not $2000, I would have bought it on the spot. Instead, I took the picture and will search for a cheap copy online.

SoCal Pictures

Okay Mom...Alright Janet...here are some shots. You don't need to bug me anymore.

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The trip started off well, some time with my brother and his wonderful wife, having dinner and sharing a cigar...then up to spend a couple of days with the rest of the family. A few days later, I headed back to San Diego to celebrate a great birthday with this beauty...
My goddaughter Emma...or Squirt to me.

A couple of days in SD where Claire joined, then back up to the OC for some family time...
It is not often that we get all 6+spouses together, so we had to snap some Christmas shots.
And, of course, Claire and I had some camera time...cause dat's how we roll...

We got to celebrate the twins 25th birthday with all the kids/spouses, mom/dad, Gma, Uncle Mark/Armando, and Sabra's family (she is my brother's wife and comes from a great family)!

Again, Claire and I might have stolen away some shots, but as you can see, Claire does not shy away from being the center of attention...

Back to SD for some work and some fun...we got to spend the day at the Zoo with some of our best friends Derek and Katie....

We also had a fantastic evening of Mexican food, dessert and bonding with some of our other BFF's Steve and Stacey...did I really just say BFF's? Wow, I guess I am spending way too much time with my HS Volleyball team...

Anyway, that is about it for our trip...we did get an expensive meal in at my favorite restaurant, Pamplemousse Grille, and I am still salivating just thinking about it...

It is good to be back in my own bed...but I can't tell you how much I miss the fam and friends out there.