The base provides a shuttle to the Marriott Resort for this event, assuming that a number of the sailors will be getting themselves moderately wasted and they'd really like to have said sailors back in the morning, or at least Monday. A number of students are spending the weekend there.
Also, by sheer, wonderful coincidence, my friend Carroll is going to be there. Carroll's been in Boot Camp the last two months, and was scheduled to graduate on the 8th. Unfortunately, he got beastly sick for the last three weeks, and one of those days cost him attendance to a more physical test he needed to pass in order to go through Battle Stations 21 (kind of the Boot Camp Final). So, we were sad, because his sister (one of my girlfriends on base) was planning to bring him to the Ball the night he graduated. By happy arrangement, he'd managed to get better and cram everything in by Thursday morning, call her, and graduate with his class that Friday.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity there. Stephanie and Carroll are as close as I am with my sisters, if not closer. She happens to be on the base that's right next to the base that he graduated from - in a week, he'll be on the other side of the country, in a few months, she'll be off to her next command. Yeah, you could go to the Ball with any of the guys who ask you, but boyfriends come and go pretty quick on this base, and this is a chance to go with your brother. So cool.
Carroll is a card. He honestly doesn't TRY to misbehave or be rebellious. He's just very creative. I may explain that further at a later date.
Brett is an artist. No, really - he's been in the Navy for four years, and every base he's been assigned to, he left a mural behind. He's the only person I know who's spent this much enlisted and never been on a ship - until he was reassigned to communications, he worked on a particular aircraft that's shore-based, which meant HE was shore-based. But painting is what really makes him happy.
Stephanie is sweet, kind, beautiful, and hardworking. She and J are the two lights that really shine among the girls in Sailors For Christ - but Stephanie's light is like a soft, white, constant, and J is a many-colored torch. That probably doesn't make sense, but it's pretty cool to see how they both lead.
I don't know how they see me - Brett thinks I'm pretty, and predicts that I will make history as a female Admiral and they will name a ship for me. Stephanie knows me better than a lot of people, but almost everyone on base sees me as being about three years younger than I am, and I don't know if she does, too. And, yeah, I'm really not sure WHAT her brother thinks of me, but it's clear that I'm Stephanie's friend, we became friends while he was in Boot, and I'm glad he's here. (That, and this is a totally awesome thing to do on your first weekend out of Basic.)
Watching the Navy band play made me tear up. I really miss making music.
I kind of felt a little awkward wearing my uniform - most of the girls were dressed up. (Stephanie had offered me a pretty dress of hers, but it was a lot more clingy and revealing than I was comfortable with...and I had no shoes.) But at some point, I don't know, it was just time to cut loose, forget worrying about it, and have fun on the dance floor.
And I'm glad we did.
I don't know how often I'll get to go the Navy Ball. (I DO know that, next time I go, I will wear a pretty dress - this staying in blues all night is clearly for the guys.) But it was very cool to get to go to this one, and I'm glad Brett asked me.
Also, by sheer, wonderful coincidence, my friend Carroll is going to be there. Carroll's been in Boot Camp the last two months, and was scheduled to graduate on the 8th. Unfortunately, he got beastly sick for the last three weeks, and one of those days cost him attendance to a more physical test he needed to pass in order to go through Battle Stations 21 (kind of the Boot Camp Final). So, we were sad, because his sister (one of my girlfriends on base) was planning to bring him to the Ball the night he graduated. By happy arrangement, he'd managed to get better and cram everything in by Thursday morning, call her, and graduate with his class that Friday.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity there. Stephanie and Carroll are as close as I am with my sisters, if not closer. She happens to be on the base that's right next to the base that he graduated from - in a week, he'll be on the other side of the country, in a few months, she'll be off to her next command. Yeah, you could go to the Ball with any of the guys who ask you, but boyfriends come and go pretty quick on this base, and this is a chance to go with your brother. So cool.
Carroll is a card. He honestly doesn't TRY to misbehave or be rebellious. He's just very creative. I may explain that further at a later date.
Brett is an artist. No, really - he's been in the Navy for four years, and every base he's been assigned to, he left a mural behind. He's the only person I know who's spent this much enlisted and never been on a ship - until he was reassigned to communications, he worked on a particular aircraft that's shore-based, which meant HE was shore-based. But painting is what really makes him happy.
Stephanie is sweet, kind, beautiful, and hardworking. She and J are the two lights that really shine among the girls in Sailors For Christ - but Stephanie's light is like a soft, white, constant, and J is a many-colored torch. That probably doesn't make sense, but it's pretty cool to see how they both lead.
I don't know how they see me - Brett thinks I'm pretty, and predicts that I will make history as a female Admiral and they will name a ship for me. Stephanie knows me better than a lot of people, but almost everyone on base sees me as being about three years younger than I am, and I don't know if she does, too. And, yeah, I'm really not sure WHAT her brother thinks of me, but it's clear that I'm Stephanie's friend, we became friends while he was in Boot, and I'm glad he's here. (That, and this is a totally awesome thing to do on your first weekend out of Basic.)
Watching the Navy band play made me tear up. I really miss making music.
I kind of felt a little awkward wearing my uniform - most of the girls were dressed up. (Stephanie had offered me a pretty dress of hers, but it was a lot more clingy and revealing than I was comfortable with...and I had no shoes.) But at some point, I don't know, it was just time to cut loose, forget worrying about it, and have fun on the dance floor.
And I'm glad we did.
I don't know how often I'll get to go the Navy Ball. (I DO know that, next time I go, I will wear a pretty dress - this staying in blues all night is clearly for the guys.) But it was very cool to get to go to this one, and I'm glad Brett asked me.
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