On Wednesday morning, Jay, Cindy, Christopher and I packed up the Pathfinder and journeyed to Columbia, South Carolina for my cousin's graduation from Basic Training. Once we got to our hotel after overshooting by about 10 miles, I fed Christopher and then we went to grab a bite at Cracker Barrel.
On Thursday, it was up at 6am so that I could be ready before we had to leave for the base for "Family Day". Traffic was horrible, but we finally made it for the briefing and the release of Leon to his parents. There was an absolutely awesome ceremony involving smoke grenades, simulated artillery, and attacking soldiers! Rousing music, which included Toby Keith's Angry American and I can't remember what else (hopefully Cindy or Jay will be able to remind me) had me covered in goose bumps and fighting back tears. Seeing those 1300 soldiers ready to fight for our country really made me feel proud to be an American. Once the ceremony was over, Leon wanted to go to the PX (base exchange for us laymen) to buy a laptop. That place was swamped!! After spending a few hours there we hung out at the bowling alleys for the rest of the day (yes plural...there were two) where we caught up with Leon while he fidgeted with his laptop and eventually shot some pool (Jay and Leon that is). Then it was back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Friday brought the graduation ceremony following which Leon was given an off base pass. Once we finally got him to his barracks so he could retrieve some of his stuff, we went to the on base Burger King for lunch and then Leon had his official graduation picture taken. Finally, it was off to the hotel for some R & R. Honestly, I think we were ALL ready for some down time. We ordered pizza for dinner and then Jay and Cindy took Leon back to the base. Oh and did I mention that I tweaked my back? I don't know what it was, but as I was getting off Jay and Cindy's bed something in my back pulled - Jay thought he heard it pop, but I wasn't sure. I'll I knew was I had to get Christopher on the bed before I dropped to my knees! I spent the rest of the night taking the 800mg Motrins from when I had Christopher. I can't believe how much they helped!
Saturday meant that it was time to come home. I dropped Jay and Cindy off at the airport and then headed towards Jacksonville. Christopher slept for the first 30 minutes, woke up and cried for about an hour, ate, cried for about 10 minutes, and then slept the rest of the way. It was a nice trip, but I was so happy to be home, especially with my aching back!
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2 comments:
I wanted to send you and your family and, most especially, your son a very warm and heartfelt thank you for serving our country. My DH has been in the Army for (almost) 17 years. It's been hard but very rewarding, so we know the sacrifices that you will all need to make in the coming years. It takes a very special person to serve in the military and a very special family to support their son/daughter! So, THANK YOU!!!
Oops, I meant "cousin" rather than "son"... That's what happens when you're talking to your children while typing a message! But the point is that the entire family must make sacrifices. So, again... Many Thanks!!!
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