so first off i'd like to start off by saying that my weekend is going to suck real bad cuz I probably won't do anything all weekend since I've been put on phase one again until monday for not turning my lib card in on time last sunday. I might go out and get drunk tomorrow though. I need it. Trust me, I need it. This week has just not been my week at all.... too much stress for one person. Hence the need for alcohol. Yes I know, alcohol doesn't make your problems go away and it sure as hell doesn't fix them but hey, it lets you forget about them for the time being while you have your fun. And that's all I need right now.

sooooo as far as my day goes, school was cut short today due to MSgt Levbrouw (i think that's how you spell it)'s retirement ceremony. It was pretty cool to be in a formation at a marine retirement ceremony. It was the first one that I have been to. I've only done navy retirements so far... and tomorrow I have an air force retirement to do color guard for. but anyway back to the retirement ceremony today. It involved a whole lotta standing and a lot of leg and knee hurting but I say it was worth it. Not only did we look good while we were being praised and thanked for our attendance, but I also got to hear some very, very wise, true words from MSgt. In her speech, she said something along the lines of "Joining the service takes you away from home and moves you far away from your family, but where ever you go, you make new homes and a new family." It almost brought a tear to my eyes when I heard her say that, because being in the navy for 10 months now, I know this is true because i have experienced it for myself. I had family up in great lakes. It started with my boot camp family, then my USS Franklin family (the best one yet), then my USS Cole family. I was devastated when I had to leave Great Lakes because I got dropped, and I knew I was gonna miss all my friends... I was depressed when I first got down here because of that. If I had realized back then what I heard today, I probably wouldn't have been so bad. Down here in Pensacola I have the Bravo barracks family and the AS schoolhouse family, and the Performing Units family, and then my little group of friends. And overall down here, we have the Navy-Marine Corps family.

Though I don't use the term "family" loosely, I'd have to say that since I have been in the Navy, nothing to this day has been able to compare to the close bond that we all shared at the USS Franklin. We truly were, a family.

So anyway I gotta get to sleep now I gotta do colors in the morning.... tomorrow is a busy day for me cuz I have colors in the morning, the retirement ceremony in the afternoon, and then evening colors after that.... so I guess my saturday will be taken up anyway so this whole phase one weekend isn't too bad I guess.... I still need a drink or two though. lol.