...to celebrate a very needed, uninterrupted night's sleep

...since certainly before our trip!

With a trip to Dunkin' Donuts of course...

Of course they needed to sit smack dab in the center of this enormous hallway to feast.

And just in case you were in doubt...the answer is Yes.  Why yes, Abbey did dress herself this morning all the way up to her hair tie.

Well, really the trip to DD was more or less a bribe  to behave while I was at the DMV this morning getting tags for the van.  (Of course!  Of course, they expire just a few weeks BEFORE Mark comes home...)

(Note: Something is considered to be a bribe if given before the expected event/behavior; not to be confused with a reward which is given after the requested desire has occurred. If I have conceded to anything during this deployment it is to bribery. I am not afraid to admit that I an not above such an atrocity when trying to coerce my little ones...)

Alas, the girls did luck out (or maybe I did)...the line at the DMV was NOT worth waiting in (and I did not have enough donuts to bide me much time).  I guess I'll be driving the truck for a few days.  Now if only that vehicle had a remote starter...the fact that it does not (and that it is particularly cold this week), will be the ONLY motivators for me to get the tags in the next few days.

I did however manage to get a couple of key 'to-dos-before-Mark-gets-home' marked off of my list:

Trip to the Class Six: Done
Get the van detailed:  Done

The class six: If you aren't familiar with this term, is a military post's liquor store.  I wanted to make sure to have a few of Mark's favorite beers, wines, and liqueurs on hand.  I am quite certain I went a little overboard but since I am not sure what type of indulgence I would want if I were away as long as he has been; I wanted to make sure to get a bit of each.  Besides, after ten months away, I would argue we can celebrate with a drink or two!

The van:  Ranks up there with 'best money ever spent'.  It looks brand new.  I should have had them sprinkle the 'new car scent' in there just for kicks.  It looks like a million bucks!  Now Mark will never know the true state of that van before it was cleaned...besides the state of what my van may have looked like on trips to visit friends and family...stays with those friends and family.

I digress.  I am very happy with it.  So happy that I may never get the tags for that vehicle after all.  I might just want to go into the garage and sit inside it, just to embrace its cleanliness.  Ahh.