As the title of this edition implies, there is going to be A LOT of recapping about Ben's Eagle Scout Project (ESP for the remainder of this edition). I mean we did do other stuff as you are about to see, but it is mostly ESP. Let me extend my apologies upfront.
Ben has chosen to build a donation box for the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society for the Barracks Support Center (BSC). This is essentially a "front desk" type of office where the young Marines who live in the barracks come for solutions to their housing issues. When they check into Miramar -first stop is the BSC, when they are transitioning out of Miramar - last stop is the BSC. The BSC had asked for a donation box so the Marines would have an alternative way to dispose of their uniforms in a more sustainable fashion. The Navy Marine Corps Relief (NMCRS) director requested the base to furnish one and the previous Base Commanding Officer mentioned it to Jim in passing that it would make a great Eagle Scout Project and now here we are!
Ben has been prepping since January for May to get here. All the plans have been approved, all the paperwork signed and filed. The only thing left to do is BUILD IT!
Day 1 of May, Ben and I showed up to the Troop's Carpenter's house with the first load of lumber in order for the first working day to kick off the following day.
Day 2 of May - 1st Build Day. Ben, Jim, and two other scouts showed up ready to construct the base and two sides of the frame of the box.
Afterwards, Ben dropped Jim and me off at the airport. We were heading to Swansboro for Dad's Memorial Service. Despite the Memorial being on a Monday Morning, lots of family members made the trip and we gathered the night before at one of WT's favorite spots to reminisce about his life. We are so lucky to have such a loving extended family.
If I hadn't felt the love at the previous night's dinner, I definitely felt it the next day at the service! So many people from every aspect of not just WT's life, but ours as well, and wrapped us in love. The service was perfect. Just the right amount of laughter sprinkled in with all the love. I think WT would have been pleased. Afterwards, the reception in the fellowship hall was filled with hugs and tears and exclamations of "how long has it been" and "of course I remember you" and "I can't believe you came." It is a shame WT missed it.
Jim had to hurry back to Miramar and Ben. He was lucky enough to have a birthday meal with not only one of the best neighbors anyone could ask for - Keven Perkins - who was in town visiting family, but also his brother John, who was in town for a conference. I stayed behind in Swansboro a few more days to help Gregg and Mom settle some Estate things and felt badly that Jim was going to be solo on his birthday, so thanks to John for filling that hole!
I arrived home late on Friday night and was greeted by not only Jim but also Lucy! She came home to surprise me for Mother's Day! Sadly, Lilly tried to get home as well, but a recent mudslide on the Amtrak line linking LA to San Diego hadn't been cleared, and there weren't any bus spots left. Lucy was a sight for sore eyes! I had convinced myself that I wouldn't see her until the middle of June!
Since John was still in town through the weekend, now joined by his friend Patty, we decided we needed to head to the beach and soak in a SoCal sunset. Sadly, another green flash-less one, but still glorious!
Our plan had been to go down to Pacific Beach and get tacos at the same dive bar where we took Joe in March. What we didn't consider was Pacific Beach on a weekend night is TOTALLY different from Pacific Beach on a week night. Not to mention it was also Graduation Weekend for almost every college in San Diego. The place was packed to the gills with college kids. To say that we were in the wrong place is an understatement. We attempted a few more spots nearby and finally gave up. So instead of the awesome tacos, we exposed Patty and John to In-N-Out Burgers. Jim still isn't over this epic fail. We have since found about 10 other spots that we can pivot to if the need arises in the future.
In addition to hanging out with John and Patty, we also got some ESP work in. It is coming together nicely. By the end of this work session the box had 3 walls and a door.
As if the weekend wasn't already jammed packed, Ben also had a hockey game. Jim had yet to see Ben on the ice, so of course we found ourselves in a rather cold rink in Poway watching Ben do surprisingly well considering he has only been playing hockey for about a month. He is fitting in nicely with his teammates who have been playing for years. It is amazing!
The following weekend I got a break from ESP work and took off to LA to visit with Lilly. Her sorority house was having a Mother's Day Tea and since she wasn't able to join us the previous weekend I decided it was a must-do. I had also encouraged her to start packing up her things since move out day was in a month. Anything she could part with now would make that inevitable move a bit easier. Sadly, she didn't feel the same and I drove home with much less stuff than I wanted.
We had a great visit though! We explored some new areas (at least new for me) and hit a few of her favorites before returning to the house to chat with her friends and their moms. All in all, a fantastic day!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Wesley developed a hematoma on his ear. Poor fella, we are all gun shy now when it comes to his health. He has had every knot and limp over-scrutinized since the discovery of his tumor last fall. So off he goes to another vet appointment. The drainage goes well, but he is required to wear this "no flap ear wrap" until the swelling goes down. As you can imagine, he HATES it. Doesn't help that we have started calling him babushka. Even Yoshi seems to be picking on him more.
While Wes recovers, Jim went to Yuma for a few days to do whatever it is he does and of course managed to do a Sunrise hike at Telegraph Pass. The kids used to hate when we would announce a Telegraph Pass hike. I think they would probably enjoy it now, but back then, there was no better way to ruin their day - Ha ha!
Next up is Memorial Day Weekend and what better way to kick it off then to FINISH the ESP! Yippee!!! The last work day consisted of finishing up the roof and touching up the paint. Next came the delivery to the Barracks Support Center. We hope to have a ribbon cutting next month and then the fun will really start when Ben moves onto the paperwork part of the project.
We finished up early enough with the ESP that we had time to FINALLY have dinner with one of Jim's USNA classmates that live downtown. We had been trying to make this happen for way longer than I care to admit. But the stars aligned and thank goodness they were flexible. Their little sweet boy joined us and had Jim wrapped around his finger in minutes. Afterwards, we checked out a San Diego Bucket list item - Mr. A's rooftop bar/restaurant for a night cap. Hopefully we can circle back and have dinner there.
The next morning Jim, Ben and I drove up to Los Angeles to meet up with Lilly and Lucy for a 24 hour FFT (Forced Family Fun Trip). Well actually at some point, the FFFT's went away and are now replaced with trips that are planned and driven by the kids! It has finally happened!
Well, not completely kid driven, this is Jim we are talking about here. We ultimately decided to head to the Griffith Observatory. The kids and I visited the Park several years ago during spring break, but we visited on a day the building wasn't open so it was nice to finally get to get inside and see the observatory exhibits/show. Afterward we grabbed some lunch down on Sunset Blvd on our way back to our hotel and then headed over to Santa Monica to catch the sunset and dinner. It was an 18 hour visit, but we feel fortunate that we are close enough to have these visits almost whenever we want.
The next morning, Jim was speaking at a Memorial Day event at Pacific View Memorial Park in Newport Beach. It was a very moving event and all the speakers did a wonderful job. The Mountain Fife and Drum Corps from Lake Arrowhead was especially powerful.
Meanwhile, the girls headed up to Santa Paula to hike the Punch Bowls - a very popular 8ish mile hike across rocks and boulders which culminates at a waterfall. The group of girls were a mix from UCLA and UCSB so it was perfect. Lilly and Lucy rode up together and then Lucy rode back to school with the UCSB girls. I love that they are mixing their friend groups!
I am sure you are thinking - ENOUGH already! Trust, I am just as exhausted trying to remember what we did too. I would be remiss if I blew the last two (ok three) things. Sorry!
Hot on the heels of Memorial Day, Jim flew out to Cherry Point for the Sundown Celebration of his first Harrier Fleet Squadron VMA 231 - The Ace of Spades 🂡. He spent about 6 years in this squadron and deployed with them three times. 231 will be reactivated with F35's but this event was all about the Harrier. Lots of former 231 pilots made it back for this reunion and a good time was had by all! Jim was even able to score a final flight in a borrowed two seater Harrier!
One day (and a haircut) later, he boarded a redeye flight to Annapolis to embark on the week long Senior Seminar and USNA. Here's hoping he has a great time!
See you in a week!
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