Marine Corps Ball

This past Saturday we had the honor of attending our very first Marine Corps Ball. Lately I've learned the benefit of entering new experiences with a healthy dose of skepticism, and it's really been great. Basically, if you don't get your hopes too high, then you won't get disappointed. And this event was no exception. As much as I was looking forward to my first formal in five years, I tried not to get myself too excited. And, as it turns out, my strategy worked, and I had a great time.

The night didn't begin so well, however. We were told to be there and in our seats at 5:45, or we would miss the ceremonial part of the evening. Unfortunately our dear friend and babysitter for the night got lost on the way. So we were in a huge rush out the door. We literally shoved Chase in his stroller to her as she parked her car, and sped off with six minutes to "be in our seats." We got there by the skin of our teeth, only to discover that there was a cocktail hour from 6 to 7, and we weren't even allowed to enter the ballroom until after cocktail hour. Oh well, live and learn.

After the initial chaos was over, we ended up having a great time. It was nice finally meeting the people in Kevin's unit, as they are ultimately his second family. We had a lot of fun, and the food was great. Some will be proud to know that I even ate asparagus for the first time, chicken stuffed with spinach, and even cheesecake. If you know me, you know that the cheesecake might have even been more of a stretch than the asparagus. (This was my first taste of asparagus, but I've tried cheesecake before...let's just say I gave it another shot eight years ago...and haven't touched it since.)

Overall, it was a great night. It was nice having a date night without Chase (and knowing he was in good hands...I honestly didn't spend one minute worrying about him). And we're already looking forward to next year's ball. Here are the pics!