Quincy's First Day at Work for the USCG

I love this man.

I love that my camera caught these even if it was 5 a.m. est and 2 a.m. pst!

I love the pride I feel when I see him in his uniform every morning.

I love that he is excited about his job EVERY single day.

I love the gratefulness that washed over me when he walked out the door that morning and started this new chapter.

I love that this adventure brought us to a new place.

I love that I found his graduation program that morning that included the USCG ethos and felt nostalgic about hearing his company say the following at graduation:

I am America’s Maritime Guardian.

I serve the citizens of the United States.

I will protect them.

I will defend them.

I will save them.

I am their Shield.

For them I am Semper Paratus.

I live the Coast Guard Core Values.

I am a Guardian.

We are the United States Coast Guard.

I just loved his first day.

Period.

Cheesesteaks.

Having lived in Penn Valley his whole life Quincy had never experienced a "real" Philly Cheesesteak. On the other hand, I had been to PA to visit my dad's family and still had a vivid memory of how good the cheesesteaks were so I was always talking them up. So now that we were finally in Philly together we decided no matter what time we left the airport we were going to find a place to get Quincy his first cheesesteak! We left the airport hotel first thing that morning, got a rental car, and headed downtown. We parked the car and just started walking aimlessly. We must have looked totally lost because at a corner a random man asked if he could help us find something! We told him we were on a hunt for a good cheesesteak and he recommended a few places but the Honey Restaurant was the closest so we headed over.

We got our steaks to go and headed back to the car for a picnic. As soon as Quincy opened his up his face looked like:

And I think he was hooked after that first bite. There is no going back to the wannabe sandwiches of the Northridge or the Steak Shop in the mall!

He decided every time we go to Philly we are going to try a new place so we can find the BEST one. Since that trip we have tried 3 other shops and its funny because the Honey Restaurant is still our favorite so far!

I think it was a successful foodie adventure and I cant think of a better way to start our new life!

Quincy's Graduation

December 17th 2010 Quincy graduates USCG basic training in Cape May, NJ. It was a long 8 weeks but it was so worth it when we walked into that gym and saw him standing tall in his uniform ready to graduate. It looked something like this:

{Quincy was part of the recruit drill team which performed a routine at the graduation}

{You can check out a similar drill here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1HM84AmXIs}

{The Chief from Quincy's cutter came and presented his graduation certificate which was a really awesome surprise and honor}

{Foxtrot 184}

{The first hug!!!! A big thank you to Quincy's brother Justin for taking pictures and getting this shot even though I ran off through the crowd to find Q!}

{There are not enough words to explain how proud and happy I was for Quincy at this moment}

{Quincy and a few of his Company Commanders}

{At the Congress Hall Hotel after graduation}

The graduation was amazing but getting my husband back was the BEST Christmas gift I've ever had. What perfect timing.

Check out more graduation pictures here.

Dear Molly,

While your uncle Quincy was gone at boot camp I had a wonderful time on our "girls night out".

I could never explain to you just how thankful I was to get dressed up that night, to have someone to go out to our favorite restaurant with, to have someone make me laugh like uncle Q could always do, and most of all to take my mind off the amount of time I had left as a "single" auntie.

Your imagination, humor, and joy was contagious as always. I will always look back giggle about your determination to eat that entire marinated salad even though it was as big as your entire torso! It was a great night and just what I needed. I wrote to uncle Quincy in boot camp and cried happy tears as I tried to explain just how happy and thankful I was to have you guys in my life while he was away. It was truly a blessing and a very sweet time in my life. I love you Molls!

~Auntie Kate

Swearing In

It feels like just yesterday that we were waiting for what felt like hours in a little room to watch Quincy swear in and "officially be on his way". We had to send him off in San Diego (since thats the recruiting office he used) so Terry, Gail and I made our way to M.E.P.S. and watched him swear in. Quincy was the only one in this group that was going Coast Guard, everyone else was Army and Air Force. When we got to go into the room all the guys were lined up like so:

Then a man came in and and led them in saying the following:

And of course they had to raise their right hand while doing so:

The man then gave the guys a little "pep talk" which of course choked me up!

Then we got to take pictures and congratulate him.

And finally we got to take him out for his last meal before boot camp and big surprise: he wanted SUSHI! The meal was great but I had to keep reminding myself to stay in the moment and enjoy it instead of thinking about the next 8 weeks of dinners without him.

The next morning we woke up at 4 a.m. and watched him get on a bus. It was rough. There were no tears but it was still rough. It felt surreal to be standing at the beginning of that 8 weeks but there was nothing to do but dive in. So he went off to boot camp in New Jersey and I went home to Penn Valley and the countdown began!

Lets start from the beginning.

Ok, its time to really start this blog and since its getting official I think we need to start from the beginning. And by the beginning I mean all the way back to the going away party! If you weren't there then here are some things you may have missed:

{Lots of love from the family}

{A kitchen dance party including Aunt Barbara's signature moves}

{Numerous silly group shots with the guest of honor who is hiding of course!}

{Random hat and accessory wearing}

Looking back at these pictures truly warms my heart. I love that our family is truly Quincy's family and that everyone was so incredibly supportive, happy, and excited for this new adventure. We are both so incredibly grateful for each and every person who joined us that night. To check out more pictures from the party click HERE.

Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!

We finally unpacked enough to find the card reader!!! Woo Hooo!!!! Lots of posts and pictures coming soon!