New England

We are having a GREAT time & from what I hear, Sydney is too. I knew she would. There was no doubt about that!! We've done so much stuff since coming on Saturday!! We were in Providence, RI on Saturday & Sunday. We also went to Newport, RI. GORGEOUS!! We rented a Mustang Convertible for Saturday. It was so much fun!! I told Ryan that we definitely NEEDED one of those! Haha! It's not very practical for a family of 3, but oh what fun it was!! We had a great time & I long to go back one day when we can spend more time. Saturday night we went back to downtown Providence. There we were able to experience Waterfire. It was awesome!!! We had a very romantic evening. We walked & sat--just taking in the beautiful sight & sounds.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Groton to the base to get Ryan checked-in & us settled in our hotel room. We lucked out & got a room at the hotel on base. Since I can't drive the rental car, it allows me to get out & do a few things & not be stuck in the room. After we got settled we walked around base. We went down to the pier & were able to tour the USS Providence which just came back in from sea a few days ago. There were several men on board performing their duties. It was really, really cool!!!! Just knowing that type of boat is what Ryan was attached to for 4 years is crazy!! I can't imagine being underway for 6 months & having that little bunk be my bed & that shower be my shower! Ah...what our sailors do for us. It was pretty awesome seeing these heroes in action...and being with my hero at the same time! After getting the tour, we headed to Mystic, CT. There we ate at Mystic Pizza. Some of you will remember the movie Mystic Pizza. It was one of Julia Roberts first movies. Anyway, I thought it was cool to eat there. After our meal, we walked around Mystic. It was really cool. We saw one of the biggest sailboats I've ever seen. We also got to see a drawbridge in action. It was one neat day!

Monday I hung out at the room most of the day. Then we went to the Submarine Museum & went on board the USS Nautilus. They have it set up as a museum now. It was neat. It wasn't as cool as seeing the one still in use, but it was still fun. After that, we got cleaned up & went to Foxwoods Casino. There we gambled a little--no more than we would spend on going to a movie. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there. It was one of the coolest Hard Rock restaurants I've ever been to.

Today I was lazy & stayed in the room most of the day. I read my book & waited for Ryan to get out of his school. We went to the local mall since it was pouring down outside. Then we came back so Ryan could do some work. Now, I'm off to bed.
_____________________

Today being September 11. I just want to say a special thanks to the men & women who still work to protect us. Being on this base, it has raised my awareness of how much these individuals give up just to be in the military. It is not just when they are away from family that they are sacrificing. So, thank you. Thank you for protecting me & my family. Thank you for loving our country more than you love yourself...and probably more than we do. (All of this goes for you, too, Ryan & Jon. Love you both!)