The Parish Family wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please be safe and PLEASE don't drink and drive!!!
10. Blizzard of 2010 – We got SO much snow last winter. It sure was pretty and fun to play in. The second storm of the year dumped well over 2 feet of snow on us. Everyone but mom got a big break from school and work; nothing for almost the whole month of February. Good thing we had food, as we were snowed in for 4 days before they plowed the street.
9. Meeting new friends – Christy started a group for military spouses and families who live in our area. We had a great time getting to know everyone. Lunches, dinners, crafts, camping, adults night out, tours, coffees, and guys poker or video game nights were just a few of the activities that we enjoyed with our new friends. Total, we had 29 families as a part of our group and everyone was very thankful for the opportunity to meet others.
8. Easter – The four of us spent an awesome day in D.C. We started off by meeting some friends by the reflecting pool to have a picnic lunch. The rest of the day was spent visiting the Jefferson Memorial; a first for all of us. We were also in luck that the cherry blossoms were still in bloom – gorgeous!
7. Mother’s Day – We spent the day planting a garden at Ben’s Aunt’s house. Brittney had her first experience with driving the tractor and LOVED it and Christian became friends with the shovel. We planted two huge gardens thinking we would have tons of fresh vegetables, but that didn’t happen. Apparently we planted them to feed all of the deer and other animals.
6. Rolling Thunder – This was such an awesome, first time experience for Ben and Christy. We spent the whole weekend in D.C. Some great friends opened their home to us again, and took us to dinner one night where we ate fried green tomatoes for the first time. Saturday we spent the day on a motorcycle ride through Southern Maryland with Ben’s club, the Green Knights. On Sunday, we rode in Rolling Thunder and had an awesome tour of the Pentagon, seeing the 9-11 memorials for the first time. Being a part of Rolling Thunder was fantastic and we are so glad we got to experience this. There were 29 bikes in our group and it was so cool having the crowd cheer us on and thank us for being military.
5. Pensacola Beach Vacation – We spent the week at a beach house with family and friends. There were 13 to 16 of us at any one time staying in the house. The neighbors called us the “Clown Car” people because every time we went anywhere, we would load up the truck – sometimes 15 people at a time! We had a great time playing at the beach and pool, and enjoyed our time visiting everyone. We had a great 4th of July BBQ and really enjoyed our 8am fly-bys from the Blue Angels. We got to watch them practice all week and then enjoyed their awesome show on the weekend. One night, 8 of us got to see the biggest shooting star any of us had ever seen. The beaches looked beautiful, but we are sad to say the oil was there. To sum it up…. great friends & family + tons of food & alcohol + the beach = GREAT vacation!
4. Home Improvement – we replaced the roof on our new shed that was lost in the snow. The deck got some new wood and stain. We built a new flower bed on the side of the house by the garage. Some rooms got new paint, new bathroom floors, and we completed many unfinished projects (see #1 and you will know why).
3. A new puppy – We got a new Yorkie puppy we named Lexi. We got her when she was 12 weeks old, weighing in at 3.2 lbs. She is now 8lbs of mightyness and thinks she is a big old guard dog. She is very sweet and spoiled! Oh, and her favorite game is fetch and she can THROW a tennis ball.
2. Visitors – The guest room at the Parish house was very full this year. Ben’s parents came to visit and brought Ben’s Aunt Jean for her first visit to D.C. Christy’s mom & Jerry came, bringing two of the grandkids for their first visit as well. Jerry’s sister and husband were here from Illinois, making 10 people in the house for over a week. Tons of fun! Christy’s brother Jonathan came a month later and got to actually enjoy his visit this time; he was happy that we didn’t put him to work. We played tourist all week and walked for miles showing him D.C. for the first time.
1. The Parish Family is moving again – Someone messed up and Ben got orders to Korea (1 year without us); he leaves the first week of January. We were supposed to be in VA for 2 more years, but things aren’t always for sure with the military. Ben’s base after Korea is Scott AFB in Southern Illinois, right by St. Louis. Thank goodness things worked out (selling our home in just 2½ weeks) that we can get moved to our new home in Illinois and slightly settled before he leaves. By the time we move, we will have only known about this for 2½ months. Needless to say, our heads are still spinning, but as always are looking forward to new adventures, a NEW house (12/20), and new friends. We are very excited to leave Jose’s house behind, and to work on our new home because we WANT to! Home is where the Air Force sends us, and as always, we welcome family and friends to visit anytime!
We hope that this note finds you and your family well. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011; we are thankful to have you in our lives! Please come back often for lots of updates and pictures! www.TheParishFamily.com
With lots of love, hugs, and kisses, ♥The Parish Family - Ben, Christy, Christian, Brittney, and Lexi
P.S. We elfed ourselves - click here to see the video http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/AnLLkMuq905wf30E1Cte
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