We have been maintaining a steady schedule with Daniel "out in the field" last week with training and my activities with LINKS and KVs. Basically Daniel was sleeping under the stars or in a mini tent last week as they were conducting night operations and staying with the ammo and vehicles. Thankfully it wasn't too cold last week.
The weekend before the field week we had the chance to go to the NAVY vs Duke game on Saturday. Navy beat Duke 38-13. It was an absolute beautiful day outside and we had great seats so it made for a wonderful Saturday event. On our way home from Durham, where the game took place, we met up with sister Sarah for some dinner. She took a break from her studies to hang with the sis and brother-in-law. We had a good time with her. 
Earlier in the day I had cut Daniel's hair. I just had to post the picture because I was quite proud with how it turned out. It is not the best picture because he had a hat on all day, but I think the shaping and sides turned out well. I just wanted to post his cute face anyways, even if I hadn't shaved his head.
The fall foliage around here has been just beautiful and we took a quick photo of an amazing red tree in the parking lot as we were headed back to our car that day of the game. I just wanted to post it for extra color... :)This last week as I was running errands I went into the pet shop to get our lizard Leelu some yummy crickets. I made the mistake of going back and looking at the kittens. Well, it really wasn't a mistake just a bad idea if I wasn't planning on taking one with me that day. Well, I fell in love with the little boy kitten that was peach with white strips. He was not as small as the rest of the kittens and because they had had him for so long they were willing to give him to me for free. I couldn't pass this offer up since most of the cats at the Humane Society were older cats with histories... I wanted a fresh kitty to mold into a sweet cuddle-bug. Well, that day I went home and discussed it with Daniel. I went back the next day and picked him up. There was not a lot of molding needing to be done on his part because the instant you touched him he would become limp to be held and start purring. He has the loudest purr of any kitten I have heard. The vets even said they could not find his heartbeat because of the purring. So he is an absolute lovebug. The only problem was convincing the master of the house, you know, Meli, that this was a good idea.
For about 5 days Meli did nothing but hiss at everything that got near her, the kitten, us, a piece of laundry I would fold on the bed near her nap spot. She was a rotten cat. She was not happy with the arrangement with the new kitten and made sure we knew it as well. As the days went by the kitten, now named Oscar, couldn't contain himself any longer and he started showing signs of wanting to play with her. She finally caught on and that is all they do now. They chase each other around in circles and then lay down for a bit and wrestle.
They are hilarious to watch and we are so happy with our new baby. He is doing just what we wanted, keeping Meli from getting lonely and fat, and keeping Maryn from getting cold at night when Daniel is gone. They are both good little portable heaters.Here he is being the lovebug. You can tell he just woke up for the camera. I have more pictures on the other camera but that photo program has yet to be added to our desktop so I won't be able to get them up on here yet. He is so much fun!
This last weekend we made a quick trip up to MD to visit my parents before Daniel leaves. It was a late drive up Friday night and and afternoon/evening drive back on Sunday.
On Saturday morning we went to the Academy to explore for a bit. Daniel was amazed at all the construction that has been completed since he left. There were several renovated halls and entire buildings. They are renovating King Hall now and building a new field house. It was another perfect Saturday to be out walking in the amazing weather. We just love visiting the Academy, with Daniel's memories, our dating throughout his time there, and then our wedding at the chapel there are just so many reasons to keep it on our list of places to go.Well, this week we are preparing for Daniel's parents visit for this next holiday week. Daniel is in his last week of training and unfortunately they put the language classes last. He comes home and I ask him to repeat what he learned so it will hopefully stick in his memory longer. The Arabic alphabet and sounds is the hardest part. I know it is so much easier learning a new language if you have someone either speaking it with you away from the class or at least someone to explain the new things learned. I got him a little book with pictures and the English alphabet spelling out the sounds of the Arabic words. I hope it is helpful. He is also getting all kinds of literature from this class. We just have to use it during his leave time so he doesn't forget it all. That will be the challenge.
Love Ya'll!
