The Drill Field....Parris Island, SC

OH BOY!!!!  So here is my Parris Island post!!  Are you sure you are ready?!  It took me FOREVER and a day to pick out some pictures so show my journey through Parris Island.  Of course there are MANY more I would've loved to put but the ones I did will show you how much I absolutely loved Parris Island...I hope!  This is going to be long so I'm going to warn you ahead of time. :)  And the photos are not in any sort of order but please enjoy them all!!  Almost 4 years on Parris Island leaves you with a lot of wonderful memories that's for sure!

So now where to start!!!  So much has happened over the past almost 4 years.  What I can say is WE MADE IT!!  So let me tell you a little about what I love about this area.  Beaufort, SC is a beautiful place to live.  From the moment we drove onto Parris Island I was in love.  The spanish moss hanging from the trees, the palm trees lining the roadway, and the pelicans flying all around.  Parris Island of course has its downfall....BUGS....sand fleas or palmetto bugs......BUT you still fall in love with this place.

I was lucky when I first arrived on Parris Island.  Anne Doty was my FRO over at 2d BN.  She quickly became one of my best friends, mentor, and all time supporter.  I jumped on the crazy train and started to volunteer with Family Readiness and the LINKS program at MCFTB.  It gave me something to do and getting involved was the best thing that ever happened to me.  It led to me getting my amazing job within MCFTB as the Administrative Specialist.  I was able to accomplish so much in the nearly three years working there.  The friendships made, the mentors who I will forever look up to, and the growth opportunity was amazing.  I can't thank my boss Dee enough for giving me that opportunity.  It was hard to say goodbye to all of the amazing ladies that I worked with there.

Next on is to all of my friends!  WOW I don't even know where to start.  I don't want to single anyone out really because everyone has there own special place within my life and heart for very different reasons.   But I can tell you that Tana, Kori, Christina, Isabel, Brittany, Hillary, Mandy, McCall, Ashley, Andie, and Jimmy are all very close to my heart and will continue to be good friends for years to come.  There are a few though that have been a constant in my life and we will continue to be lifelong friends.  ANNE and Mr. Landon of course.  Anne was my first friend and someone who I value as a lifelong friend.  Not only do we have kids the same age they are like brothers.  Landon is and will always be like my 4th son.  My boys love him to death and miss him dearly.  Anne is someone that I know I can always count on.  No matter what I can tell her about anything and she will be there to listen to me and not judge.  I'm incredibly happy for her and her new journey and I know she will be one of the first people I visit when we get back to the states.  I love you Anne!!!  And my bestest friend Amber.  I could make a whole blog just on our friendship.  We are two peas in a pod!  She is the one person that probably knows every single thing about me.  I love her like my sister.....wait better than my sister.  :)  She is everything to me.  We've had some fun days and nights together.  Shenanigans! haha!  Dinners and shopping.....late night get-togethers....wine...talking....texting....just everything.  We have nicknames.....LMAO.  I just can't say enough how much I love my Amber.  We will definitely be friends forever and then some.  I love you Amber!!

Okay now on to a few things I loved.  My hair lady Jennifer at Halo Salon.  If you live in Beaufort you HAVE to go to her.  She is amazing.  I miss her terribly.  I had to dye my hair myself the other day.  SUCKY!  I wish I could fly her out here to be my personal hair lady.  I miss my amazing hair.  She is almost enough reason to ask to go back to Beaufort after this. :)  And then there is my tattoo chick, Emily, at Beauty Marks.  She is just amazing.  I have some awesome ink on my body that represents my life and she is an amazing artist.  I will see her again one day.  Of course there are all my coworkers at MCCS.  There are a ton of them so I can't mention them all they are just my MCCS family and will always hold a spot in my heart!

Okay well I've been out of South Carolina for almost a month and I miss it a bunch but I'm excited for this new opportunity here in Japan!!  We've been here for almost a week and I can tell you right now that I am going to love this place.  Be on the lookout for my next blog update later this week.  All about our first week in Japan!!  Enjoy the photos even though they will not line up straight.  Driving me insane but hey here's an update.  :)

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Big Changes

Soooooo big changes coming for the Carr Bunch.  In 11 days we head out of Parris Island, SC to go home to visit family for the holidays and then off to Iwakuni, Japan.  Yup, you heard that right.  JAPAN!!  Check out the map below. 

I'm so freaking nervous excited it's not even funny!!  Moving is nothing new for us....we do it ALL the time in the Marine Corps but usually it's just across the great United States.  Now we are moving to a completely different COUNTRY people.  So to say I'm starting to freak out would be an understatement.  BUT what an experience for our family.  Hopefully we will have some visitors while we are there.  Otherwise vacations will be in Hawaii where I will get to see my cousins!  That's you Sara!!  :)    

So what am I doing to get ready for this crazy move?!  Losing my flippin' mind.  My super organized and all together husband is off at Staff Academy in NC.  So that basically leaves me.  Talk about being stressed out.  So much to do and think about.  Our express shipment has already been packed and sent off.  Hope I got everything I needed in there.  And now to figure out what to pack in our luggage and what to just send in our regular shipment.  Main thing to NOT forget....the KIDS!  :)  I think I got that one.  Talking about kids....the boys are doing GREAT!  They are growing up so fast.  Too fast if you ask me.  I'm lucky and blessed to have three amazing boys that's for sure.  Here is an updated picture of them.

These boys are just about as excited as I am.  Only thing is Andrew is NOT looking forward to the amount of driving and flying it will take to get there.  Heck he doesn't even want to drive the "FIVE HOURS" it is going to take to go and pick up daddy in NC on Wednesday.  Crazy kid.  

Everything seems to be coming together. My last day of work was on Friday.  It was completely bittersweet but it was time to move on and let someone else learn and grow in that position.  My co-workers are amazing and they will always be family to me.  I was not only able to learn and grow in my position but I also made lifelong friends as well.  Hopefully I will be working for MCCS and MCFTB again in Iwakuni.  

Well this is it for now.  I'm hoping to continue to blog and keep everyone updated on our next Marine Corps adventure.  Here comes the Carr Bunch Japan!  Watch out!!

Valentines Day gifts from the boys!!

So for Valentines Day I wanted to do something really fun and unique for the boys to give to their friends. So where is the perfect place to get ideas.....Pinterest......of course!!! So I found these cute heart crayons you could make and I went straight to work. First we un-peeled all the old crayons we had and then I cut them all up and then the boys picked which colors they wanted to add and we went to work. Down below you can see the process and the end result. My babies are filling out their own names and everything. Where has the time gone?! When did I get so old? :) So tell me what you think!! :) This was definitely not a one day project but we had fun doing it.

Perfect

Do you ever just feel like everything in your life is completely perfect and the way it is suppose to be?! Well lately that is how I have felt. I have an amazing family and things are just GOOD. We are all happy and healthy. I have so many good things to look forward to in this upcoming year. I want to go back to school to get my master's degree. I just have to decide exactly what I want to get it in. I'm thinking Special Education. Teaching is a passion of mine but I want to do more. I want to give back and help children who struggle. So we will see. Also we will be moving to Japan at the end of the year. How exciting is that!?! I can't wait. It is going to be so exciting to move to a different country and experience a totally new culture. I know that it will be hard because we will be away from our family but that is what is super great about the Marine Corps......friends become apart of your extended family!! One thing I am really going to miss about Parris Island is my job. I love what I do so much. My boss is amazing and has definitely spoiled me. No one will ever be able to live up to her that's for sure. I've enjoyed working for Family Team Building so much and all the people of MCCS that I have met over the past few years. It truly is a family!

Keep an eye out for some upcoming blogs on all of the exciting crafts I have been making!! My husband is super crafty with wood so I've had to step up my game lately. I'm pretty proud of all my crafts lately!! :)