"Hail and Farewell"

Here it is... the newest picture of our house.

Are you tired of the updates yet? I know it doesn't look much different than the one I posted for last week, but you can see it much better now without all the scaffolds and piles of brick. We went by to look on Saturday and it was very cold and rainy. The wind was blowing pretty hard too. The brick is pretty much finished on the front of the house and the parts that aren't bricked will be sided. The brick was already chosen before we bought the house and we weren't sure if we would love it or not. We have decided that it looks pretty good. On the inside things pretty much looked the same except they started on the duct work , outlets and wiring. They have also installed some plumbing as well as the tubs and showers. It was fun to see things already in place and Joe and I walked through the house planning and discussing things for quite a while. We finally succumbed to the cold and couldn't stand it anymore. We are so ready to get settled into our new place and make it home-y.

Not much else has gone on this weekend. Friday night I accompanied Joe to a "Hail and Farewell" at one of the local restaurants. For those of you who are wondering... this is where new officers are welcomed into their unit and those who are leaving are recognized for their service. As you can guess Joe was being "hailed". I didn't really want to go because we really don't know anyone. Joe didn't really want to go either, but was obligated to attend this formality. Originally I was going to be gone, but since I was in town I got to go. He told me it would be over pretty fast and they were to serve dinner. It ended up taking a lot longer than we thought. It was yet another fun introduction to the real Army (it is still hard to believe sometimes!). It was kind of awkward, but I did meet one wife that was super nice and Joe already knew her husband. We of course also visited with Ed- the PA Joe is replacing (he was being "farewelled"). He is a super funny guy who is not afraid to tell you what he thinks. That makes conversation interesting let me tell you! The actual "hailing and farewelling" was quite comical. Their commander made up some funny stuff about the guys when he was introducing them. When Joe and I went up (yep, i had to go up in front of 70 people I didn't know also) he said he would be nice because Joe was a married guy. They gave me a unit pin and a beautiful rose. The pin is super Hooah...complete with the unit insignia and heart shaped. Here is what the insignia looks like...Joe's unit is called "Widowmakers"- nice huh? Just imagine it all heart shaped and pinned on my collar. I think the winged skull is a nice touch. I need to find something great to put my pin on don't you think? It was one of those experiences very unique to the Army and I am sure we will remember it always.

Well that is all pretty much the excitement that has been our weekend. Also making it a great weekend was of course another Mizzou win, but I am most thankful for some good quality time with my awesome husband. I hope you all had a great weekend too!