Mike's fellow Marine Officer, 2nd Lt. Dan Evans, invited Mike to be part of his wedding in Forth Worth Dec. 30. It was a full military wedding where all the groomsmen were in dress blues. They also performed the sword arch, of which unfortunately I didn't get a picture. 
Dec. 17... We packed up two weeks worth of clothes and a ton of Christmas gifts and headed out the door at 7 a.m. for a much anticipated holiday break. The drive to Kentucky wasn't too bad. We didn't hit much traffic and we arrived at my mom and dad's around 4 p.m. We even arrived in time to watch the Cats play in the second half of the Kentucky/Louisville game. Mom had just prepared some fresh homemade fudge and chocolate chip cookies. Needless to say I was more interested in the fudge than the game! Brian and Carrie came over that night and we all ate a delicious dinner together. It was so nice to be home with my family.
Julane (middle) and Debbie (right) were two of my closest friends at Lexmark. They were two big reasons I loved my job SO much. I hated leaving! They are still very dear to me and we try to get together as often as possible. 
Meredith (right) and Maggie (left) were ADPi's with me at Eastern. We've had so many great times together, both during school and in the years since we left. They are both wonderful friends. Love you guys!
Lyndsay was my very first friend. We met at a baseball park when we were four years old. She has been such a blessing in my life - a constant and unconditional source of friendship for all these years. I love you, Lynds! It was so good to see you.
Dec. 25... A very merry Christmas was had by the Carnes family! Mike and I were given some really great gifts and we were happy to see that everyone loved the gifts we gave as well. Oh, and Mike shocked me with some beautiful diamond stud earrings!!! Thanks, honey!
Trying to pose in time for the camera's self timer. From left, me, Sommer, Marge and Carolyn.
This was taken at Mike's company event for the lieutenants and their wives yesterday. It was more like social hour for my three friends and me. From left: Sommer, Carolyn, me and Marge.
Ginger carving her 22-pound turkey!
Matt and his new bride, Beth.
Almost ready to eat!
Amber helps with the rolls.
We're thankful it's time to eat!
I stood under a rain-soaked umbrella at the Manassas Regional Airport for no more than a minute when I saw the bright lights of the airplane I knew my big bro was flying. The plane was beautiful! It was so neat to see Brian in the cockpit as they taxied up. He came to Virginia for an overnight in D.C. last Monday, and I told him he must stay with us. So I drove up to get him and had the opportunity to meet Ron Geary, the CEO of Louisville Executive (the company Brian flies for) and ResCare (another company Mr. Geary owns). Brian flew him to D.C. for a business meeting he had in the city. He was nice and had some very positive things to say about Brian.
Mike belongs to Fox Company here at The Basic School in the USMC. Once a month, Fox Company has to spend a week in 'the field.' The company is deemed "The Frozen Fox" because all of their field exercises are during the winter months. 
First, I'd like to say happy birthday to my mom who turned the big 5-0 Friday! I spent the last month trying to plan a surprise party for her. I sent out an e-mail invite, which she inadvertently saw while watching my brother check his e-mail on his new phone. That and a couple other slips made me believe she knew something was up. However, she never figured out the where and when of it until she showed up at the party, so I'm still counting it as a surprise. It was a great party and a very happy birthday for Mom. A million thank-yous to my sister-in-law Carrie, as well as Dad, Brian and Joy for all your help in planning.
Cookie Cake: Mom's favorite
Saturday, Mike and I had the pleasure of attending the Marines' Birthday Ball, held at the Marriott in Richmond, VA. There were an estimated 1,500 guests. We had a great time getting all dressed up and spending the evening celebrating with friends. The dinner was delicious and I even got Mike to dance a little. It was the first time Mike wore his Dress Blues. I know he wasn't comfortable all night, but he looked so great in them!
From left: Chad (Sommer's husband), Mike and Mike Trent (Jody's husband)
From left: Carolyn, Jody, Sommer, Me and Margaret
A few days after we moved here, I arranged a birthday dinner for Mike and invited a few of the guys in his platoon. Little did I know that 25 or so would show up! And to my delight, a couple of them brought their wives. The result? Instant bonds and friendship that I did not anticipate. I met Carolyn (far left) and Sommer (middle) that night at the restaurant, and shortly after, we met Margaret (right) at the spouses' orientation. These girls have truly been my saving grace here. Without them, I don't think I could stand the long hours Mike is gone every day. We are experiencing the same new lifestyle together as our husbands are going through the same things as well. Their support/company is a Godsend!
I'm so excited to report that my brother, Brian and his wife, Carrie, are expecting! Congratulations to them!!!! Carrie is now eight weeks along and doing great except for a little nausea. She is due June 7th. The day after we heard the news, Mike and I went to buy he or she a little gift. We tried to find one that said, " My Uncle is a Marine," but there were none, so we thought this little number would be just as cute. I'm sure it's the first of many baby items I'll find too irresistible not to purchase for my niece or nephew. We're thrilled to be aunt and uncle! Mom and Dad are ready to be grandparents, too. They're going to be great ones. Mom is already planning a little nursery for the new house they just moved into. 
'Uneasy' would be the word to describe my feeling when seeing Mike in this uniform for the first time. Given that I never imagined Mike would be a Marine, I guess that makes sense. But now that I see him in his gear every day, it's become a normal thing. In fact, Junah is getting used to it, too. There are Marines all over this place, so every time Junah sees someone in their fatigues, he goes crazy thinking it's his daddy.
Unfortunately, Mike and I couldn't make Matt and Beth's rehearsal dinner because of Mike's work schedule, but we were thankful to be there in time for the wedding Saturday. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was very nice, too. We enjoyed visiting with family and meeting Beth's family. We also had time to look around the city and campus of Matt and Beth's alma mater, Valparaiso University, were we took a few pictures with Matt.
Mike and I boarded our plane to Chicago Saturday at 6 a.m. in Washington, D.C. We traveled to Valparaiso to attend Mike's youngest brother's wedding. It was an early morning. We had to get up at 3:45. Mike and I were dragging, but The Kid (a name we lovingly call Junah sometimes) was jumping all over us, ready to go. Junah has flown several times with me, but Mike's never seen how well he travels on a commercial flight. As you can see, he's a seasoned traveler and prefers the window seat. He's also much more comfortable with "Bunny" by his side. We were so thankful for his good, calm behavior. Everyone cooed over him, which Junah always eats up. The flight attendants brought him a beverage and snack.
After our move, Mike and I soon discovered we were very close to our nation's capitol. Just 30 miles, in fact. So we headed up to DC last weekend to do some site-seeing. We took Junah with us, but since he's so lazy, we ended up carrying him the whole time. (He's rotten.) The monuments, memorials and the Whitehouse are gorgeous. It was neat to be so close after only seeing them on television and in movies. We didn't do the entire tour, so we plan to go back - sans puppy next time - to see the rest.
