What a week!

Ryan and I had a pretty busy week. I went to Newport with him to complete my overseas medical screening, apply for my official government passport, and talk to Father Dennis - the Navy Chaplain - about us getting married in the Catholic faith. Aside from having to get blood drawn and four shots (for those of you that don't know, I HATE needles!), it was a pretty great week!

Ryan and his fellow marines had semper fi night last Wednesday. It's a night where the marines roast the navy and "coasties" with humorous awards such as "spring butt award" or the "quasi fidelis award." We spent most of the night laughing, drinking, and hanging out with some pretty fabulous friends! I even got a shout out from Mitch for helping make the slideshow (and they used my computer)!

I got to have a girls' night of pampering on Thursday while Ryan played poker with the boys. Lloyd's wife, Jennie, and I went to get makeovers in Newport followed by wine tasting and a buffet of antipasto, cheese and crackers, and pad thai! It would have been an amazing night if the rain hadn't destroyed all of our makeup! We still had a great time though.

Friday night, Ryan, a few of his buddies, and I went to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut to play some Texas Hold 'em. Foxwoods is HUGE and could easily compete with any hotel in Las Vegas. We were too nervous to play at the tables when we first got there, so we started out with video poker. We lost at first but then came back with a straight flush to curb our loss to only $15. Then we went to check on Lloyd and Pete who were playing $1-$2 Texas Hold 'em poker. Ryan was still nervous to play at the tables but decided to give it a whirl with Mitch. Mitch did very well in the beginning and had the strength to walk away when he was up. Ryan eventually got pretty good at it and we walked away with about $135 at 4:30 am. We were exhausted!

Today, we drove up to Boston to see Sabina. We had a great time eating with her and Ryan finally got to see her apartment! It's a good thing we all love nachos! But now I'm sad because Ryan is back in Newport and I'm in Buffalo. Though I am grateful for the time with my parents and the opportunity to check more wedding details off my list, I miss my man a lot! It's a good thing we will be back together for Christmas in less than 5 days!