My EPIC Thanksgiving

Well all, how was your Thanksgiving??  

Ours was so much fun. My family and T's family met up in St. George for the Holt Family Thanksgiving. It was a very different Thanksgiving than our regular 5 person dinner. This was a feast of epic proportions. There were about 130 Holt's, in a gymnasium, giving thanks and grubbin on food.

Don't believe me. Check it out.

 The whole Thanksgiving gang

I wish I took a picture of the gym before everyone sat down. 

It was decorated so nice

This big dinner was actually done around lunch time, then afterwords there was a talent show where T's cousin sang a song he made for T thanking the troops for all they do. It was the cutest thing.  Then tables and chairs were moved so the boys could play basketball and there were crafts going in the church rooms for all the kiddies.

We also took the opportunity to take a family photo while we were all together.

 This is T's immediate family and the family I will be marrying into. 

These lovely people are Aunts & Uncles, Grandma & Grandpa, and Cousins

Because Thanksgiving "dinner" was so early after all the fun and games we had a second dinner at the condo and played games!

Of course the next day was Black Friday. T stood in line with his Aunt, Uncle and cousin for 8 hours outside of Best Buy to buy a PS3. (I actually bought it for him) And I woke up at 4am to shop with my sister and T's sisters. I just bought a few presents and later that day T and I bought new phones! 

I love my new Fascinate. 

Anyway, Saturday was the family  Christmas party (Yes in November but hey, that was the only time everyone would be together) where we played more games! Ate good food and enjoyed the company of everyone.

 Monopoly Cards, Best Game Ever Invented!

My Dad and My Future Father-in-Law 

(why do I look all squished and chubby?)

Then on Sunday we took the epic drive back home. It is normally a 6 hour drive from ST. George to my home town but we hit crazy traffic. It took us 9 hours but we were thankful to make it safe.

Love you all!

The Good News and The Bad News

I am going to keep this post relatively short because I have a ton of crap to finish in a short amount of time. Tonight will be my attempt to get to finish my to-do list before 10pm.We will see how it goes!

Anyway... The good news.... T PICKED UP RANK TODAY!!! 


In my post yesterday I briefly mentioned that he probably didn't pick up seeing only 23% that were eligible  actually did. But he was in that 23% ! How wonderful!! Guess what this means! BAH? Yes, exactly =]. I'll keep you posted on that little nugget!

The bad news... T is scheduled to deploy next October.....

There is not much to say about that other than the fact that we will only be married for a couple of months before he leaves. And him leaving at all makes me quite upset. But were not going to focus on that right now. There are too many exciting things right in front of us that we must enjoy.

P.S I fixed the video in my last post so you can actually see the madness...take a peek, I promise you will have a good laugh!


XOXOX

Men in Diapers AND an Award!

Why am I not in bed? Well to blog of course! This will probably lead to me skipping spinning for the 9th morning in a row.... (don't judge! 6am is EARLY!)

Anyhow. I have a ton to blog about. First off, this weekend was not exactly the most productive (ie, no wedding planning, homework doing, room cleaning or packing took place BUT I did study, yay me) but it was still pretty fun. On Friday I helped TJ and his buddies move stuff into their new apartment, we played scrabble and I cooked dinner and by cooked I mean bought a Stoffers lasagna and put it in the oven.

(On a side note it is looking like T is not going to pick up rank this month... booo...we just found out yesterday only 23% picked up so its looking like guys who have been HN's  for 3 years are ranking up... ie, not T... which means no place for us in December, unless a miracle happens)

OKAY! Back on track. Friday night we all kind of fell asleep in random places around the house then Saturday I woke up EARLYYYY to take a test in Stats, which I am positive I aced. Then Billy, KC, and T picked me up so we can go to the Oakley family and friends sale which we actually didn't go until Sunday but I'll spare the deets, they are not that interesting. Saturday night was one of T's roommates birthday's so everyone bought a cake, Spongebob pinata, and diapers

What were the diapers for? Well, watch at your own risk.

(I didn't know the video was private so I changed it for your viewing pleasure!)

Mark ended up locking himself into his room and jumping out of his window to avoid the diaper madness. He was actually pretty pissed and didn't return until an hour later. We all thought it was funny though and that's all that matters.

Then today we actually went to the Oakley sale, spent too much money, then we sat around and watched the Harry Potter movies, which I have never seen. They are quite interesting.

Now for the second order of business. I won another award! I have been really bad about reposing them so I am going to get back on track! The lovely Brea at Utterly Chaotic  left me this beauty:

Now let me share a little about me =]

1. Wedding Planning is starting to get on my nerves. I know I should love every minute of it but it is too stressful.

2. I am SUPER excited for Thanksgiving! It is my favorite holiday EVER. AND my family will be meeting ALL of T's  family in St. George.

3. I stopped drinking Coffee and Tea so T would stop playing video games around me and drinking Mountain Dew. So far, he has broken our bet, but I have held up my end of the bargain.

5. When I don't get my way I get extremely upset, like how a toddler gets upset. BUT I NEVER ask for anything so on the extraordinary occasion that I do ask for something, it would be nice if it actually happened.

6. I like watching movies or TV with the light on.

7. T and I are debating whether we should buy a new F150 or a new Explorer after the wedding. I REALLLLLY want the Explorer but either way I am driving the new car =].

Now I want to pass the award to:

Miss L @ Living the Life

Nicole @  Sailor's Sweetheart

Kaylee @ Devil Dog Darling

YAY! I look forward to reading your random factss!

Marine Corps 235th Birthday Ball

So I was thinking long and hard whether or not to share about my wedding dress (well I haven't bought it yet, and it is totally possible I will find one better, but in my mind it is the dress I will be wearing while getting married) and I have decided I am going to keep it a secrete. I want it to be a surprise!! But I promise the time will come where I can post photos of my WEDDING!!! and you will be able to see the the dress.

In some other news, last night we went to the Marine Corps 235th Birthday Ball. Why was the ball on a Tuesday night? I seriously have no clue, but it was TONS of fun. The ceremony was LONGGG but the food was pretty tasty and T and I had such a fun time dancing at the end. We also went to the casino where we kind of lost a good sum of money, but whatever, it's not like we need that money for a wedding or anything haha.

Now its picture time!

I'm covering all of his medals. He's not a boot I swear!

 Look at those blues. Sexiest uniform in the military if you ask me.

 I was Mrs. Holt for the night! 

That's what my name will look like in 7 months. Weird.

 Before the ceremony began

What Can Possibly Be More Important Than My Wedding Dress?

I went dress shopping today and I found a dress I LOVEEEEEE!!!! 

But I'll talk about that in a different post. 

Instead! I want to share 2 of my favorite photos from this weekend.

 Isn't this the cutest shark hat??  (and the cutest little boy?!)

My Dad and T bonding over a haircut, adorable!

Alright all you wonderful ladies and gents. I have a paper due in 2 hours so I need to get to gettin! I promise I'll tell you about the dress!

My Veterans Day Thoughts

So I wanted to do my Veterans Day Post early because my Thursday's are pretty hectic and I definitely did not want to forget.

Well, the lovely Amber at Goodnight Moon posted this AMAZING comic. I loved it so much I asked her If I could repost it and she said OF COURSE!

This is so true, and something T talks about almost on a regular basis. For a little story time. When T first joined the Navy and was at Naval Station Great Lakes, him and a bunch of friends went out on the town in their Blues. Well, some civilians decided to spit on them. What those civilians probably didn't realize (among other things any rational person would realize) is that those Sailors fight for your right to express yourself and your views. Basically, they are fighting for your right to spit on them. (In a round about way).

T tells me all the time "Make the most of your opportunities, because that is what I am fighting for." He fights so I can go to school, hold whatever job I choose, and even fight for a change in any system.

This was also a reoccurring theme today at the Veterans Forum at my College. In honor of Veterans Day, today we held a Veterans Forum, where veterans were able to talk about their experiences in the military and their transition into the civilian world.

I think it is a rule that whenever there is a veteran there is someone that adamantly opposes the war. So during this forum everything was going swimmingly until this woman (who is known for causing a scene) stands up, interrupts one speaker and starts yelling about how the war is wrong, that troops are tearing countries apart and leaving them in pieces and something about how America is not following the Geneva Convention. I didn't get all of what she was saying because I was so amazed and I was looking around the room to see if anyone else was shocked at her behavior.

Before anyone could answer her she stormed out the room. The moderator was trying to calm the room and move on but one veteran was adamant to respond to her comments. I was amazed by his eloquence and how he handled the situation.

He said (and forgive me I am paraphrasing):

You know I am glad she stood up and gave her opinion because I have been to places where you are not able to do that.  One thing we have to remember is that we are not here to talk about the war, we are here to talk about the warriors.  Any issues anyone has with the war, that's all politics and we have nothing to do with that. We fight because we all raised our right hand, took an oath, and swore to this country that we will do so.

AMAZING.

So, this Veterans Day I would like people to remember (and all you mil-wives/SO's know this already)  that this Veterans Day is not about the war. It is about the men and women that are willing to put their lives on the line so us civilians can still have all the rights we know and love.

Where Have I Been?

Okay, So I officially SUCK, and in a couple of ways.

1. I just bombed a test in my Marriage and Family class (irony much?). I literally took the test just now online and I was seriously off my game. I need at least a B in this class and this latest test outcome makes me VERY upset.

2. When the freak was the last time I blogged?! Where have I been??? Well, since I haven't blogged in a while (because I sucky suck) I shall give a few updates!

T and I are getting into wedding planning mode. It just hit me today, the wedding is in 7 months! This time is going to fly by and we need to step it up. Haha. So my lovely sister bought me a wedding planner/keepsake book to keep me all organized and make the planning easier. The book is the best! It has everything, checklists (my favorite), guides, information, budgetors (is that a word? Budgeting tools is more like it, huh?) all the goods! The checklists start at 9 months, and if you remember, we are 7 months away. So on the 9 month checklist there are 30 things! 30! There is another 6 month checklist with 15 more things to do. My planner says I am very far behind so everything in our lives will be about the WEDDING! (well sort of)

T and I are going to look at venues Friday because we are both off. Hopefully we will pick one and have that all done. Then my best friend Amanda is taking our engagement photos, FOR FREE!!! Because she is freaking awesome! So when that is all done we can send our save the dates. WHOOT!

Obviously there is more to do but I'll leave it there for now.

And just because I am obsessed (and because this iPhone is amazing) , more ring photos!

Second update. I am applying to Universities this week! Even though I love it very much I am excited to get out Community College and get my degree! Yay for me. I am worried about being excepted to my top schools (San Diego State & CSU Fullerton) but I put everything in the hands of God. We will see what happens.

Third update. I just bought a dress for the Marine Corps Ball next week. It is beautiful, less flashy than the last one, but absolutely gorgeous. I am excited to show it off. 

Fourth Update. T and I are looking for apartments. I have found a place I am OBSESSED with. It has granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, walk-in closets, and my personal favorite IN SUITE LAUNDRY! Seriously I look at it every day, wishing we could move in now. But were waiting to see if T picks up rank this month and if he does he's going to put in for BAH so we can get it! Super exciting! It will be extremely wonderful for us to have a place of our own.

Well that is all for now. I promise I wont suck as much in the future!
XOXOXO

I Rocked The Vote!

I voted today! 

  Yay for me exercising the rights my (future) hubsters fights for!

And speaking of T. He almost died last night. There was a gas leak in the barracks and when the duty unplugged something out of the wall, it created a spark and basically blew up the duty hut. Luckily nobody was hurt but it created one hectic scene. Everyone from that barracks building was evacuated for the night. 

I woke up to this text:

"We are all outside. Alarms are going off. It's hectic"

Then I got this on my Facebook:

"so there was an explosion in my barracks. as of right now we are staying at drehers house. we are eating all of his food and trying on all of his clothes. my phone is dead. i will check this off and on throughout day. love love love"

 It was very good to know that he was safe and everything was okay. But to be honest, I was super worried about the TV. ( I know, I am probably a bad person for thinking this but I totally couldn't help it. Plus I already knew everyone was okay, so I guess that gives me the right to worry about the material things?) T said he wasn't sure if the sprinklers went off in the room or not. If they did the TV would surly be ruined and there goes a very expensive investment.

Well, everything turned out fine. The barracks were deemed safe today and T could move back in AND the TV is fine! Yay!

HAPPY NOVEMBER! & A Halloween Update

Happy November everyone!

I am extremely excited because two of my favorite things happen in November.

1. Thanksgiving!! My favorite holiday, ever! I love all the food and family and games ANDDD I am super happy that T and I finally get to spend our first Thanksgiving together.

2. BLACK FRIDAY!! I live for Black Friday! My sister and I wake up at 4am, we have a game plan and we stick to it. We are those people who race others to the good deals and maybe even knock over a baby in the process (HEY! It is the parent's fault! Who brings a baby to Black Friday?). This year T will be exposed to the madness. But don't worry I already checked with him, he is ready to knock over some babies too.

Just for a little update. Halloween was pretty awesome. It actually isn't one of my favorite things. I grew up not celebrating.  I actually did not go trick-or-treating until I was 16 (I was sneaky, I told my mom I was just going to hang out with my friends Bree and Tom but we went out instead) It was fun but I have come to realize it is overrated.

Anyhow.

After Mandatory Fun Day on Friday (seriously, these freaking fun days are killing me! We left much later than we wanted because T had to show his face. There was a very good haunted house there though, and free cotton candy! My absolute favorite!) T, myself and 4 other friends went to spend the weekend at this Amazing place:

 Courtesy of wikitravel

Six Flags! They do a scary Halloween thing at night that I kind of hated but all the roller coasters during the day were so much fun! 

Because we didn't want to make the 2 hour drive (or with Cedillo's freaking scary driving an hour and a half) back home. We stayed at this trashtastic place:

 Courtesy of allgetaways

Seriously, we pulled up to this place and thought "Wow this is promising" and our thoughts were solidified when walking to our room we saw a stained mattress in the hallway. To top it off Ferger was sure there was some paranormal activity going on and one night I woke up to people stomping and yelling up and down the hallways at 3am!

Then on Sunday I got back early enough to go with my sister and nephew trick-or-treating. He was the cutest little Sheriff and he got the hang of grabbing the candy himself. (Sooo cute!)

Look at my freaking cute nephew and my beautiful sister!  

That was pretty much my weekend. All in all tons of fun but extremely exhausting. I am glad to be back at home. Laying in my bed and catching up on my blogs!

Love you all!