Allen's Home!

Last weekend, we drove down to Norfolk, VA to greet Allen and visit with family. Please remind me never to drive through Washington, DC again if it can at all be avoided. We got stuck in traffic on a sunny Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours - no construction, no big events to tell of, no accidents - just traffic from just south of DC to Fredrick, VA going 5 miles an hour or less.
We did finally arrive late that night, and got up early to meet Karie at home to drive over with her and the kids to the base. Karie was VERY excited as Allen had been gone for seven months. During that time, their son Nathanael had been born, so this was a very special day.

Karie and Nathanael waiting:

Allen's family waiting some other special families to go into the area next to the ship:


Allen, Mom, and Dad (who had met the ship in NC for a tiger cruise the day before) on the ship, and Karie waiting for Allen to be the first person off

Finally!

After grilled steaks, fries, and salad back at Allen and Karie's, we enjoyed playing at the beach and then our hotel pool.