As my final blog post, I am going to tell you about the most exciting day of this whole military family experience; it is the day my brother came home. Yes, we met him getting off the plane from Afghanistan, but nothing will ever top the day he came home to his friends and family.
The entire day was spent running around, trying to make sure everything was perfect. We decorated the house, knowing we were having people over to surprise him and welcome him home. We also had a motorcycle group escort us to the airport.
When we were finally all prepared, we met the motorcycle drivers, and they drove in front of us to the airport. There were about twenty people, including friends and family, standing at the end of the escalator, waiting for his return. When he finally stepped onto the first step, everyone cheered, and the men that rode the motorcycles, shook his hand as he came down. I saw tears form in his eyes as he saw everyone supporting him.
When we left the airport, a state trooper met us, and we were escorted home in a line of cars. The motorcycles played patriotic music. The entire ecperience was amazing, and it really showed my brother how much he was appreciated and missed.
The rest of the night seemed perfect. We all sat around, talking about the things he had experienced when overseas. Of course he was not allowed to tell us everything, but hearing the stories about the things he did tell us, were very interesting. It felt good to be home as a family for the first time in nine months. Something about him sitting right in front of us almost felt unreal.
I know deployment is hard. It is not easy to worry and wonder if everything is OK over there, but it does get easier. As time passes, things will begin to feel more normal. However, when your soldier comes home, everything finally feels right again.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. I really enjoyed writing, and I hope you got some good advice out of it!
If you are interested in reading more blogs, I would suggest We Are Family! It can be found at http://funfamilyideas.blogspot.com. I really enjoyed reading through the various family event ideas. It even includes a good recipe! Maybe doing some of these activities will help pass the time until your soldier gets home! I hope you enjoy it!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
All's Fair in Love and Driving
I hope everyone is having a great week!
This week I am going to tell you about one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had - driving cross country to meet my brother off the plane from Afghanistan. My mom and I did not have much time to plan, but we were really excited for the drive and for seeing him get off the plane. We decided that on the way down we were going to stop in various places across the country that we have always wanted to see.
First, we decided to take a small detour to Tennessee. We are both huge country music fans, and I always wanted to see St. Jude's Research Hospital. We had such an amazing time there. We were only supposed to stay one night, but we ended up staying for three nights because we were having so much fun. We went country line dancing, went to a country show with a country-styled homemade dinner, took a tour through the Grand Ole Opry, and went on a ghost tour through the streets. We also took a tour through St. Jude's and got to see first-hand the work they are doing there, which was one of the most humbling experiences ever.
The next stop was to South Dakota, which believe me, was a very difficult drive. When we got there, although we were really tired, we pushed through and went to Mount Rushmore. The sight was incredible. I could not believe that people actually carved that out of a mountain. It took my breath away.
Finally, we got to Washington. We checked into the hotel the day he arrived, and we could not wait to get him. The plane did not come in until nine that night, but we were excited to get there. We got to the base airport around 6:30, and we waited for what felt like forever. They played the movie Cars 2, and I remember needing to pace until the flight got there. As we waited, we got to talk to some of the other families and listen to their stories. Some women held babies that their husbands were going to meet for the first time. Some of those stories broke my heart. Finally, around 10 PM, the screen that was playing the movie switched off to the plane landing. The first one off the plane was my brother, and my mom and I screamed and cried when we saw the close up of his face. It was torture not being able to hug him.
About three hours later, a sargeant came out, talking to us in front of a big curtain. From under the curtain, we could see the soldiers' boots. The man seemed to ramble on forever, but finally, the curtain began to rise and everyone ran toward their loved ones. I felt like I was pushing people down left and right, but when I finally got to my brother, all I could do was hug him and cry. My mom was right behind me, hugging the two of us, finally reunited as a family.
This week I am going to tell you about one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had - driving cross country to meet my brother off the plane from Afghanistan. My mom and I did not have much time to plan, but we were really excited for the drive and for seeing him get off the plane. We decided that on the way down we were going to stop in various places across the country that we have always wanted to see.
First, we decided to take a small detour to Tennessee. We are both huge country music fans, and I always wanted to see St. Jude's Research Hospital. We had such an amazing time there. We were only supposed to stay one night, but we ended up staying for three nights because we were having so much fun. We went country line dancing, went to a country show with a country-styled homemade dinner, took a tour through the Grand Ole Opry, and went on a ghost tour through the streets. We also took a tour through St. Jude's and got to see first-hand the work they are doing there, which was one of the most humbling experiences ever.
The next stop was to South Dakota, which believe me, was a very difficult drive. When we got there, although we were really tired, we pushed through and went to Mount Rushmore. The sight was incredible. I could not believe that people actually carved that out of a mountain. It took my breath away.
Finally, we got to Washington. We checked into the hotel the day he arrived, and we could not wait to get him. The plane did not come in until nine that night, but we were excited to get there. We got to the base airport around 6:30, and we waited for what felt like forever. They played the movie Cars 2, and I remember needing to pace until the flight got there. As we waited, we got to talk to some of the other families and listen to their stories. Some women held babies that their husbands were going to meet for the first time. Some of those stories broke my heart. Finally, around 10 PM, the screen that was playing the movie switched off to the plane landing. The first one off the plane was my brother, and my mom and I screamed and cried when we saw the close up of his face. It was torture not being able to hug him.
About three hours later, a sargeant came out, talking to us in front of a big curtain. From under the curtain, we could see the soldiers' boots. The man seemed to ramble on forever, but finally, the curtain began to rise and everyone ran toward their loved ones. I felt like I was pushing people down left and right, but when I finally got to my brother, all I could do was hug him and cry. My mom was right behind me, hugging the two of us, finally reunited as a family.
 |
| St. Jude's in Tennessee |
 |
| Mount Rushmore in South Dakota |
 |
| The screen with the plane on it! |
 |
| Finally reunited! |
 |
| The sergeant coming to talk to the crowd |
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Road Trips
Hi everyone! I hope you had a great time with your family over Thanksgiving.
Today, I am going to write about one of the best, most tiring experiences in my life. My brother called home one weekend, telling us that he was going to have a 36 hour leave period while in basic training in Missouri. We live in New Jersey, so when we heard this, we immediately looked up plane tickets to see how much they were. When we looked them up, we realized that it was going to be a lot of money for me , my mom, and my brother's fiance to fly out there on such short notice. That is when we decided that we were going to drive.
Driving out there was one of the most tiring things we have ever done. It was the middle of July, so it was hot and disgusting, and we just wanted to be out of the car. Regardless of being tired, we had a lot of fun. We made the best of it, playing car games and singing along to songs.We did the trip from Jersey to Missouri and back twice, once for the leave and once for his graduation. Seeing all the sights was really enjoyable, and seeing my brother was one the best feelings in the world.
This past summer, when my brother came home from Afghanistan, my mom and I drove cross country to Washington to see him get off the plane. Driving there, we made many stops along the way, making the trip a memorable experience. It was a lot of fun!
The end result of all the road trips made the hours in the car worth it. If you get the chance to see your soldier, I highly recommend driving to wherever they are to see them. It is always worth it in the end!
Today, I am going to write about one of the best, most tiring experiences in my life. My brother called home one weekend, telling us that he was going to have a 36 hour leave period while in basic training in Missouri. We live in New Jersey, so when we heard this, we immediately looked up plane tickets to see how much they were. When we looked them up, we realized that it was going to be a lot of money for me , my mom, and my brother's fiance to fly out there on such short notice. That is when we decided that we were going to drive.
Driving out there was one of the most tiring things we have ever done. It was the middle of July, so it was hot and disgusting, and we just wanted to be out of the car. Regardless of being tired, we had a lot of fun. We made the best of it, playing car games and singing along to songs.We did the trip from Jersey to Missouri and back twice, once for the leave and once for his graduation. Seeing all the sights was really enjoyable, and seeing my brother was one the best feelings in the world.
This past summer, when my brother came home from Afghanistan, my mom and I drove cross country to Washington to see him get off the plane. Driving there, we made many stops along the way, making the trip a memorable experience. It was a lot of fun!
The end result of all the road trips made the hours in the car worth it. If you get the chance to see your soldier, I highly recommend driving to wherever they are to see them. It is always worth it in the end!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Holidays
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I hope that everyone reading this are sitting with their families and their soldiers and enjoying the holiday! However, unfortunately, I know this is not the case for everyone. Last year, my brother was in Afghanistan, so I know the holidays can be hard knowing someone you love is not home, where they belong.
One way we learned to cope with it was having Thanksgiving on another day. We celebrated all our holidays when he came home. We had Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas morning, Mother's Day, and basically all the other holidays that we were missing as a family.
Luckily, for us, this year we are in Washington, where my brother is stationed. We are having Thanksgiving dinner as a family. Although the rest of my family is not here, it is worth it to be with the family that is always there.
I hope everyone has an amazing holiday!
I hope that everyone reading this are sitting with their families and their soldiers and enjoying the holiday! However, unfortunately, I know this is not the case for everyone. Last year, my brother was in Afghanistan, so I know the holidays can be hard knowing someone you love is not home, where they belong.
One way we learned to cope with it was having Thanksgiving on another day. We celebrated all our holidays when he came home. We had Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas morning, Mother's Day, and basically all the other holidays that we were missing as a family.
Luckily, for us, this year we are in Washington, where my brother is stationed. We are having Thanksgiving dinner as a family. Although the rest of my family is not here, it is worth it to be with the family that is always there.
I hope everyone has an amazing holiday!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Support System
Hello! I hope everyone is doing well!
Have you had a day that you just felt really down because you're missing your soldier? Well, if you have not yet experienced this, than you are lucky. When my brother was away and we went days without talking to him, I just felt down. I felt like there was nothing I did where I was not wondering if he was okay or if he was hurt.
For me, there was only one way to get out of feeling this way - talking to my friends. My friends were the most supportive people in my life when I felt down. I have had the same group of friends for years, and it has always been the six of us. We have been inseparable. When my brother left, we all felt upset because we lost one of our best friends. However, we were there for each other no matter what.
On graduation day, when I truly felt the pain of missing my brother, they were all there for me. They stood in the stands and yelled louder than anyone. They were there for me whenever I needed someone to step in as my brother. No one could ever replace him, and they did not want to, but it still made me feel better that they were all there for me.
Our meeting place would always be around a campfire. Whenever we just needed to have a night all together, we would have a bonfire, and everyone would come. Some times, we would Oovoo with my brother if he was available. Somehow, being together just made us feel better, and we would have each others backs no matter what!
If you do not have a support system that you can count on, I would really suggest you get into one! Deployment is hard, and it is important to be sure you have a group of people you can rely on no matter what and vent to whenever you need someone to cry with!
Have you had a day that you just felt really down because you're missing your soldier? Well, if you have not yet experienced this, than you are lucky. When my brother was away and we went days without talking to him, I just felt down. I felt like there was nothing I did where I was not wondering if he was okay or if he was hurt.
For me, there was only one way to get out of feeling this way - talking to my friends. My friends were the most supportive people in my life when I felt down. I have had the same group of friends for years, and it has always been the six of us. We have been inseparable. When my brother left, we all felt upset because we lost one of our best friends. However, we were there for each other no matter what.
On graduation day, when I truly felt the pain of missing my brother, they were all there for me. They stood in the stands and yelled louder than anyone. They were there for me whenever I needed someone to step in as my brother. No one could ever replace him, and they did not want to, but it still made me feel better that they were all there for me.
Our meeting place would always be around a campfire. Whenever we just needed to have a night all together, we would have a bonfire, and everyone would come. Some times, we would Oovoo with my brother if he was available. Somehow, being together just made us feel better, and we would have each others backs no matter what!
If you do not have a support system that you can count on, I would really suggest you get into one! Deployment is hard, and it is important to be sure you have a group of people you can rely on no matter what and vent to whenever you need someone to cry with!
 |
| Graduation night! |
 |
| Oovooing my brother at a bonfire with friends! |
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Pride and Anger
Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well after the storm!
Today, I am going talk to you about the thing I struggled most with my brother being away. It was finding the balance between the pride I felt for my brother and the anger I had towards him for leaving. When he left, I was so proud of him. Watching him get onto that airplane in his greens made me feel like the most proud sister in the entire world. Although fear was hidden beneath that pride, I knew that he was doing what was right for him. He was going to do great things overseas, and it was his calling.
However, the pride did not seem so strong on all the important days he missed. On graduation day, I was so angry at him. I did not want anyone to even speak his name. I could not wrap my mind around why he was not there. My brother and I are more like best friends, and we always supported each other in everything. When he did something for school, I was always there to be the loudest person in the crowd cheering for him. He did the same for me, but this time it was going to be different, and I was mad at him for missing it. Deep in my heart, I knew that he would have been there if there was any possible way for him to be, but he was not there, and I did not know how to process or deal with that. My best way of dealing with it was avoiding it. So that is what I did. I tried to act like nothing was wrong, and that everyone I wanted to be there was. That did not last long, though. That night, when everyone came over to celebrate, my mom played a slideshow, beginning with pictures of me and my brother when we were younger. I got so mad at my mom for playing this, and I left the room. My aunt came after me, and I will never forget what she said. She told me I was mad. That sounds simple, but I never admitted to anyone I was mad, and she just said it. Finally, I was able to break through the barrier. I never wanted anyone to know I was mad. What if something happened to him? I would forever be known as the girl who was mad at her brother when he died, but now that someone else told me it was okay to be mad, I was able to express that anger.
Expressing your anger is very important, and it does not mean you are not still proud of your soldier. If you ever get mad or upset about your soldier's decision, seriously consider talking to someone. It was the best feeling to get it off my chest.
Well, I hope you are have a great week!
Today, I am going talk to you about the thing I struggled most with my brother being away. It was finding the balance between the pride I felt for my brother and the anger I had towards him for leaving. When he left, I was so proud of him. Watching him get onto that airplane in his greens made me feel like the most proud sister in the entire world. Although fear was hidden beneath that pride, I knew that he was doing what was right for him. He was going to do great things overseas, and it was his calling.
However, the pride did not seem so strong on all the important days he missed. On graduation day, I was so angry at him. I did not want anyone to even speak his name. I could not wrap my mind around why he was not there. My brother and I are more like best friends, and we always supported each other in everything. When he did something for school, I was always there to be the loudest person in the crowd cheering for him. He did the same for me, but this time it was going to be different, and I was mad at him for missing it. Deep in my heart, I knew that he would have been there if there was any possible way for him to be, but he was not there, and I did not know how to process or deal with that. My best way of dealing with it was avoiding it. So that is what I did. I tried to act like nothing was wrong, and that everyone I wanted to be there was. That did not last long, though. That night, when everyone came over to celebrate, my mom played a slideshow, beginning with pictures of me and my brother when we were younger. I got so mad at my mom for playing this, and I left the room. My aunt came after me, and I will never forget what she said. She told me I was mad. That sounds simple, but I never admitted to anyone I was mad, and she just said it. Finally, I was able to break through the barrier. I never wanted anyone to know I was mad. What if something happened to him? I would forever be known as the girl who was mad at her brother when he died, but now that someone else told me it was okay to be mad, I was able to express that anger.
Expressing your anger is very important, and it does not mean you are not still proud of your soldier. If you ever get mad or upset about your soldier's decision, seriously consider talking to someone. It was the best feeling to get it off my chest.
Well, I hope you are have a great week!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Time Adjustment
Hello everyone! I hope this week has been a great one for you!
During the time my brother was in Afghanistan, one of the hardest parts was trying to find the time to talk to him. The problem was that when he was able to talk, we were sleeping. The times that we would be able to talk, he would either be working or sleeping. I was in my senior year of high when he was away, and I found it extremely difficult to find the perfect time to talk to him, due to the time difference. The best way we could deal with this confusion was to set up a time, at least once a week, where we could talk. This meant either I would have to stay up really late, or he would have to wake up really early. Either way, we had to make sacrifices in order to communicate during his deployment. Of course, this was worth it. Talking to him assured me of his safety, and I would trade sleep for a conversation again in a heartbeat. Waking up for school the next morning was not always the best feeling, but that's what happens when you're in a military family!
Furthermore, the best idea for you is to check out a world clock to check the time over there. That way, you and soldier will be able to find the perfect time to talk and catch up!
I hope that things are going well. If you're soldier is away right now, remember that some things take time to figure out, but in the end, it is worth it, and it will work out!
During the time my brother was in Afghanistan, one of the hardest parts was trying to find the time to talk to him. The problem was that when he was able to talk, we were sleeping. The times that we would be able to talk, he would either be working or sleeping. I was in my senior year of high when he was away, and I found it extremely difficult to find the perfect time to talk to him, due to the time difference. The best way we could deal with this confusion was to set up a time, at least once a week, where we could talk. This meant either I would have to stay up really late, or he would have to wake up really early. Either way, we had to make sacrifices in order to communicate during his deployment. Of course, this was worth it. Talking to him assured me of his safety, and I would trade sleep for a conversation again in a heartbeat. Waking up for school the next morning was not always the best feeling, but that's what happens when you're in a military family!
Furthermore, the best idea for you is to check out a world clock to check the time over there. That way, you and soldier will be able to find the perfect time to talk and catch up!
I hope that things are going well. If you're soldier is away right now, remember that some things take time to figure out, but in the end, it is worth it, and it will work out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)