Date Night: Change of Command Dinner

This weekend, I actually got dressed up and left the house!  It's not too often anymore that we have date nights anymore.  By the time the weekend rolls around, I'm completely and utterly exhausted.  I'm uncomfortable, in pain, and can't fit into anything I find myself attractive in.

But this weekend, Nick's squadron had a Change of Command dinner.  (Change of Command simply means that his Commanding Officer, (called the CO or Skipper) the most superior service member in his command, is leaving and the Executive Officer (called the XO) is stepping up as the CO.)  I will be honest and say that initially, I had proclaimed I was going to sit this event out.  I'm feeling less than attractive and didn't feel like finding anything to wear.  You see, this event is formal.  Nicholas was to wear his nicest uniform, (those sexy choker whites he wore in our wedding) and the women were to be in formal gowns.
A 35 week pregnant Melanie in a formal gown?  No way.  Where would I even find a gown to fit into?!  Thankfully, I am not the only spouse who is this pregnant.  There are actually many pregnant women, and two are due within two weeks of me.  One of them said she was just going to wear a simple black, cotton maxi dress.  I was turned off by the idea because, well because I knew I'd feel self-conscious.  How can I possibly go to a formal event in a cotton maxi dress from Target?
In the end, after searching every store, I gave into the maxi dress.  I didn't want Nick to go to the event alone, he really wanted me with him, and our opportunities for nights out are limited.   I opted to buy some cute jewelry and hope that made the dress look a little nicer than it was.

So that evening, (after getting my hair done...and then redone...and then redone, and then finally saying "It's fine" and leaving because I had no more time to ask her to completely redo it for the fourth time, I left.  Seriously, it was a simple updo!!!  It should not have went down that way.  And if she would face me towards the mirror as I asked, I could have stopped her or let her know long before she was done that she was way off on what wanted.  "All loosely pulled back, loose curls" to her meant "pulled back tightly so I look bald with loose curls".   The second time it meant "pulled back tightly into a tight bun" and the third time meant "pulled back slightly loose, slightly tight, in a tight bun."  Chick needs a new job).
As I was saying.....that evening, after getting my hair done, I went home and finished getting ready.  I put on the dress and felt so incredibly self-conscious.  Not only because I now had ugly hair, but because I'm on the arm of dashingly handsome man in his nicest uniform as I'm wearing a $27 back cotton maxi dress from Target.  But what could I do at this point??  We were leaving the house in 15 minutes.  Despite not liking how I looked, I did take a couple (and I seriously mean two) photos before leaving the house.  While I didn't like how I looked, I do like having these moments and memories preserved.

(Do you see that hair on the side?  What is that?!  Why is that not curled?!  I had to take care of it and pin it back before we left.)

And off to the dinner we went!  The cocktail hour was on the gorgeous grounds of an old mansion.  It seriously some breathtaking views even though these photos do it no justice.  Had I not been so self-conscious, I probably would have snapped my own photos but instead, I had to steal these from Nick's phone.

Thankfully, everyone complimented how I looked (they were probably being nice because that's what you do to pregnant women) and I felt a little more at ease.  After the cocktail hour, we went inside for the dinner, which was delicious and entertaining.   The wardroom (which refers to all the officers within the squadron) made various videos and entertainment remembering the CO's time within the squadron.  He then spoke for a while, thanking them all and talking about his time within the squadron, was presented with a gift, and then there was cake (which this preggo had been eyeing all night long!)

By the end of the dinner, I was exhausted, my feet were swollen, and I was ready for my bed!  I sound so old, but it's the truth.  While everyone else opted to go out to the bars, we opted to head home and snuggle up in bed.  And I have no shame in that decision!

I was so thankful for a night out.  I love an excuse to get dressed up, although I wish I could have actually dressed up and felt more confident.  But I will never deny an event where I get to see my husband in his chokers (it always reminds me of our wedding) or where he gets to wear a suit.  I know some other wives might be rolling their eyes at the event we attended, but I truly love Nick's wardroom.  They are the most down to earth and fun group of guys and their wives are just as awesome.  I love going to any event they have (we have a Derby party this weekend) because it's always full of tons of laughs.  We are truly lucky to be a part of this squadron and be a part of this tight-knit community.

Now here's to hoping the next formal event we attend is post-baby when I can fit into a real formal gown and feel confident on the arm of my husband.


Military wives, do you enjoy these type of functions?  Are you fortunate enough to enjoy your squadron/unit/command/etc?
Have you ever had to attend an event feeling so far from attractive or confident in how you look?

Recreating Our First Date

Once upon a time, back in 2007, Nicholas and I went on our first real date.  

I say 'real' because we had hung out a few times previously, but it was always with a group of friends.  Then he returned to power school in South Carolina and our {unofficial} relationship consisted of just phone calls.  Such a glamourous long distance, military relationship life we lead.  

In April 2007, Nicholas took leave and returned home to Missouri.  He drove up to Mizzou and that night, we had our first real date.  It was your cliche 'dinner and a movie' date.  We started at Applebee's for dinner and then headed to the theater to see TMNT.  Yes, that is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I have no shame in admitting I love the turtles and was dying to see this movie.  As a boy, Nick was not opposed to the idea either.  And we loved it!!!  

Fast forward seven years and five months....

When the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies hit the theaters a few weeks ago, we decided it'd be a cute idea to recreate our first date.  

Friday night, we headed out to Applebee's.  Back then, we just talked about our lives, which were separate and now starting to blend;  more 'getting to know you' talk.  This date consisted of reminiscing about those days which transitioned into talking about visions of our future.  

While at dinner, talking about how crazy it is that this date happened over seven years ago, it was then that I realized we were truly reliving this first date weekend.
You see, April 6, 2007, we went on our first date to Applebee's and to see TMNT (and we became "official" that night after the date.)
And the next day, the reason Nick came in town, we attended a wedding.  Which was the exact same thing we would be doing the following day!!!!!  We had been trying to see this movie for a few weeks and things kept getting in the way.  It's pretty ironic that the day we made it happen, was the day before a wedding.

So we were truly reliving the first date weekend; the first date as an unofficial couple, and the first official date!!!!

As you might have seen on Instagram, I was poking fun at my husband.  You see these four shirts below?  Well, the first two are brand new. He bought them last night before dinner (along with a new tie and three-piece suit).  And the back two are two he already owns.  Ummm....they're almost identical!  Sure, they're different, but just barely!!!  But clearly to my metrosexual husband, they are "significantly different" and he needed these two new ones.  {insert eye roll}

So while I love to give him trouble about how long it takes him to pick out clothes, or complain because he has far more clothes than I do, loves fashion and shopping, and drives me nuts sometimes, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it.
After he got dressed, I was feeling pretty lucky to be bringing such a dashing man as my date to my volunteers' wedding that afternoon.

I always have and always will be attracted to metrosexual men.  I just love a man who is well groomed, does his hair, loves to dress nicely, and looks damn good while doing it!  I mean, look at him!

So dapper!  And he even cooperated and let me take many, many photos of him.  

{Y'all, I'm not even sorry I'm bombarding you with photos of him.  This is my blog and I love looking back on posts after months and years.  And I know I'll love looking back at this handsome husband of mine.}

I mean, clearly I'm biased since he's my husband, but he's not hard on the eyes so hopefully this isn't too painful for you to look at him ;)  

(Sadly the sleeves became wrinkled by the time I had the idea for him to take off his jacket).

And it just seems appropriate that today I participate in my first ever #ManCrushMonday.  I've never done it.  Mainly because my husband is my crush, but that's cheesy and lame to post. However, I'm here today to be lame and cheesy and declare this man as my #ManCrushMonday...today and everyday.

Okay, so enough of that.  We hopped in the car and headed to the wedding.  Of course, I wanted to snap some more photos.  They were going to be just for myself but then he decided to be an ass and stick his tongue out and act like an angry elf, then declare "Don't post those anywhere".  So naturally I had to post them.

Then it was wedding time!  We were lucky enough to score seats in the shade (although we still sweat half our body weight away).  Thankfully the ceremony was short and then we got to move inside to some air conditioning.

The reception ended early in the evening so we decided to carry out the date by heading to a wine bar and enjoying an evening on the patio.

We still weren't ready to call it a night so we headed to Jax Beach and grabbed a late dinner on a beachside patio.  It was an amazing evening!  The breeze coming off the ocean was perfect.  Afterwards we headed down the street and met up with some of my co-workers until we finally thought it might be good to head home and be good dog parents and stop neglecting the dogs.

It was such a perfect evening.  My husband truly is my best friend so add that in with getting the opportunity to dress up and have a nice evening out; it was the perfect recipe. Work has been getting back into the long work weeks of crazy stressfulness for me and this next week is going to be long and rough for Nick as well.  It was a much needed date and it was nice to bring some sentimentality to it by recreating our first date.

For fun, here's a photo from then, and now!

How did you spend your Labor Day Weekend?
Have you ever recreated a first date or an older moment or event??

Sunset Sail

We've only been here in Jacksonville for about two month but we've heard great things about St. Augustine.  It's only an hour away and when I heard they have (according to National Geographic) one of the best light displays in the country, I knew we had to go.  Being obsessed with Christmas lights and all things holiday related, I wasn't going to pass this opportunity up.

I logged onto the website and saw that they had a few different options for the Night of Lights tours.  One in particular caught my eye, the Night of Lights Sunset Sail.  You set out on a giant sailboat, drinking wine, beer, soda, or hot cocoa, and enjoy the sunset via the water.  On your way back into the marina, you get to see the beautiful lights of St. Augustine.  Um, where do I sign up?!  You see, I've never been on a sailboat.  Which is crazy since my husband had access to plenty of sailboats while at the Academy.  

But I digress.

We made reservations and then headed out there one evening.  There were about 6 other couples on the sailboat with us, plus the captain and two more crew.  It was such a great experience!  They recruited the men to help them with the sails occasionally, were on top of refilling our drinks, and engaged us in great conversations about their jobs, their history with sailing, their personal lives and our personal lives.  

The sunset was beautiful, although I was sitting in the wrong location of the boat to really get some great photos.  But it was a perfect romantic date night and we even got to see dolphins swimming right by our boat!!!  The only thing that could have made it better was if the temperature had been a little warmer.  As the sun set, it got really cold, really quickly.  Thankfully they had blankets available for those that wanted them.

(they had Christmas lights on the sailboat!  All around the edge and going up the masts!)

(I took this sail as an opportunity to play with my new camera in manual settings.  I had no idea what any of settings and buttons did, but I just slowly changed things and experimented.  I got a few decent photos but nothing to be overly proud of.  And this is why I really need to take a class or online tutorial to learn to use this bad boy!)

To be honest, the lights were a little disappointing.  I was expecting a light display, but in actuality, the only lights were the lights strung along the buildings.  It was still pretty, especially from the water, but it was much less than I was expecting.  Thankfully every other aspect of the sunset sail was great so it was okay.