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.
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| St. Jude's in Tennessee |
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| Mount Rushmore in South Dakota |
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| The screen with the plane on it! |
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| Finally reunited! |
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| 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!
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