The Fourth at Fort Lee

The holiday break is over but we're ready for the weekend to start today! We were so excited to celebrate the Fourth of July together again because we've only had one together in almost five years of dating. We really wanted to do something special for the holiday since we're so far away from family and friends. We had kind of a lazy morning before heading to Kroger to pick up some groceries for that night. Once we got home, we started putting together the deviled eggs, ham appetizers, and homemade lemonade. I was really excited to make some of the things that I knew my family would be having that same day. At 6:30 we met another couple at the gate to our apartment complex for dinner. This couple has been living here for a few months now; they decided to come to Petersburg early and found an apartment on their own. K is pregnant and due during the last week of BOLC, so things are a bit up in the air as to where they will live and how long they will stay in VA before heading to their next duty station at Fort Lewis in WA. We used the grills down by the pool to cook up some burgers and hot dogs, which we enjoyed along with the lemonade, deviled eggs, ham appetizers, and chips. It was delicious and quite a success. We really enjoyed getting to know S and K and hearing their story as a couple. 

At about nine we drove on post for the "Fourth at the Fort", sponsored by the Fort Lee MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). The festivities had actually started at 2pm that afternoon, and the place was packed by the time we got there. There were thousands of people in and around the stadium, where a country concert was going on. We set up our beach towel (none of us has lawn chairs) in the perfect spot on a lawn and enjoyed an awesome fireworks display. It turns out that we definitely went where the locals go, which gave me a sense of pride for figuring that out. Even though it was our first holiday far away from our families, it felt great to know that we are a little family ourselves and are forging our own path here in Virginia. 


Side note: When we were on post the next morning I noticed that you would never have known how many thousands of people were there just the night before. The place was spotless. I guess that's the Army for you.

The next morning we had an appointment at the Soldier Support Center to register me for DEERS and get my military ID. I don't entirely know what all DEERS entitles me to, but it does give me healthcare and whatever other military benefits I'll get. Now that I have an Army ID I can use any gate to get on post and shop at places like the PX and the commissary. I'm super excited about the privilege of shopping on post; I keep thinking about how fortunate we are to save some money when so many people need those cheaper prices more than we do. Not sure it's worth a deployment though.

We wrapped up the day with a stop at the PX for more ACUs and a haircut as well as a stop in the commissary for a few groceries, plus a visit to the Army Women's Museum. I really enjoyed learning about the history of women in the military and gained a sense of appreciation for their contributions to our country. It was really interesting. We ended the evening with a walk around our apartment complex, which was nice, although I wish we were in a neighborhood and not so limited in that respect.

Today AJ came home for a quick breakfast, which was nice, and he might get out early this afternoon. I've skyped with a college friend and will soon be going out with another wife for the second time. Tonight hopefully we'll think of ways to beat the heat, yet still do some fun exploring.