Howdy All!

Overall, it's been a good week... of course Nolan has been missed and I will have to get Nolan's opinion tomorrow, but so far, so good!

Meeting for ice cream with some other wives on Monday was fun... it was really kinda weird, but nice too, to stay out til midnight yaking and laughing up a storm! The ice cream was quite tasty too - with no

in sight, you take what you can get! ;-)

Panera Bread was a tasty dinner, the wives second meeting of the week on Wednesday, but I must say it's no Jason's Deli! It's hard to let a great, cheap dinner like that be forgotten! And the FREE ice cream just SEALS the deal! ha ha

I got a promotion today, I suppose that's what you'd call it... :-) I will be tutoring SAT students now at $14/hr instead of my previous $12! YAY! I'm excited about the increase in pay, that I am so lucky to get to share with Uncle Sam... oh well, but most especially, because I think it will make my job more challenging and interesting! I had no idea the test had changed SO much since I took it in high school! I start Saturday morning!

Thank you to everyone who has completed and returned the security clearance paperwork for me to work for the Department of Defense Schools! I am looking forward to hearing from them! I'll keep you posted!

Earlier this evening, I had a glimmer of hope that Nolan would be home early; tonight instead of tomorrow night, as I got a phone call from a friend saying her husband had called to say he was coming home! My excitement was short lived by another phone call from her saying that 4th, 5th, and 6th platoon are staying out in the field tonight too! :-( So sad! Oh well, Nolan's platoon has always come home from anything an hour or so later than the others, so this is par for the course... as disappointment sets in, I realize too that it just makes me that much more grateful to get to see him tomorrow! :-)

This week, I started seriously looking into some sort of distance learning Master's in Education... I am thoroughly confused now! ha ha If anyone has any recommendations, I am all ears!
So far, Phoenix Online's - Curriculum and Instruction Program looks nice, but I'm somewhat leary of them, not knowing if their programs are reputable... I'm thinking I should find a "real" university that offers the program online... A&M has one, which is very tempting, since I didn't get my undergraduate degree in Education.... but.. the search for information continues... :-)

This coming Monday we will be attending an Echo Company picnic at Lunga Park! Should be lots of fun! I will try to get some pictures of Nolan and myself with some of our new Marine Corps Family and post them soon!

Tuesday evening, is the MOS Mixer for Nolan's company... From what I gather, it is 2 hours set aside for a "job fair"of sorts for the Marines. They (and the wives that choose to attend) will get to talk to and ask questions of Marines who are currently in the jobs (MOS - Military Occupation Specialization) that the Marine is thinking of pursuing... I am excited and look forward to learning something new... Nolan is hoping (and I am hoping for him as well) to get a flight contract, to hopefully fly helicopters, but if that isn't in God's plan for us, this evening will give us some information about other doors that may be opened! :-)

Hope you all have a great weekend! :-)