Happy 2011!

"Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold." - Anonymous

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and that your 2011 has gotten off to a great start. We had quite the whirlwind Christmas season and were SO happy to get to North Carolina for a visit. It was a nice break for James who has been working so hard to finish up his Apprentice Technical Training. On December 17 we pulled out of Illinois at 4:30am (I was in the best mood ever, so chipper and ready for the 15 hour drive!) Why did we leave so early?


Claudette hadn't seen James since he left for boot camp in early July, so he wanted to give her a good surprise and we arrived two days earlier than she thought we would. I think the picture says it all, she was very surprised :)




We spent the next two weeks catching up with family and friends and enjoying every minute of it. James finally met Miss Molly!! She loves him and thinks his weird faces are so funny. I can honestly say Molly is the first baby I've ever seen James hold where he didn't look like he was holding a ticking time bomb. He was instantly in love just like everyone else when we met her!

 

We had a great Christmas, and even brought some snow with us and Raleigh got about 11". I really can't say I was overly excited about that, and neither was Lilly. But we did get snowed in with Annie and Will and got to spend some quality time eating too much and watching movies. Then we whisked off to Washington D.C. for his Christmas surprise of the ECU bowl game, it was the Military Bowl so I couldn't resist. The outcome was not quite what we were hoping for, but we had such a good time with our friends that met us in Virginia, Stephanie and Mike. The high temperature was 42 degrees the day of the game so I was a little warmer than I was at the bowl game last year in Memphis at a whopping 10 degrees. 

But, now we're settled back at home in Highwood and James is ready to move on to his Electronics Apprentice School which he will start next week. He will be in his ET "A School" for the next few months. After that? New orders! Yes, it sounds just as crazy to me but we could very possibly be packing up again and heading to a new adventure in three or four short months. When James has two weeks left of school he will have a meeting, and hopefully shortly thereafter he will get his C School orders AND his first permanent station. 

I start my new job tomorrow, and am excited to get started with the kids!  Only being here a few months I decided to get a nanny job again and I'm SO happy to be getting out and about and doing something. Staying home all day is driving me BAnanas. The kiddos are 10 and 12 and busy bees so in the afternoons I will be with them and home with James in the evening. He is a day student now. Luckily my hours are in the afternoon so if they switch him back to a night student it still works I'm with him in the mornings. 

Well for those of you that we got to see over our visit it was wonderful, and for those we didn't, each of you are welcome for a visit in the Windy City anytime :) Keep James in your thoughts as he finishes up ATT school and moves onto ETA School next week. I'm so incredibly proud of him. 

Below are a few pictures of our break at home...Happy New Year from the Greens!