Together!

So this past weekend we got to go see Matt.  I cannot begin to tell you how awesome and exciting it was!  When our plane landed in Rhode Island the kids just started shrieking and saying "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!" over and over.  The nice gentleman sitting in front of us got a kick out of our lengthy conversation about whether or not the plane we were in would be landing on an aircraft carrier.

I won't keep you in suspense.  We did not land on an aircraft carrier.

But the moment we saw Matt pulling up to the curb in his NWUs (Navy Work Uniform) we were ALL shrieking.  Well, ok, I was crying like a baby more than shrieking, but we were all excited!!  Let me tell you - it is one thing to know that your husband has become a military man.  It is quite another to see him and hug him in all his military man-ness.  Amazing.

We drove to the base and got a little tour in the dark.  Sadly, Matt had to go back to his dorm for one more night, so the kids and I were on our own at the Navy lodge on base.  The next morning we walked over to the coffee shop and got to actually see an aircraft carrier!  Maybe not as exciting as landing on one, but a close second for Caleb.

We picked Matt up around noon and headed to the chow hall for lunch.  It was an experience.  The whole military culture is just so different from regular life... (as in, normally we don't listen to people getting screamed at and then marching around with their lunch trays while we eat... normally...). We spent the afternoon exploring the base, running errands, and relaxing together.  

Thursday night was a reception for the graduates and their families.  We got to meet several of Matt's ODS classmates and their sweet families!  It was so fun to start putting faces to names that I had been hearing...  Also, it was a beautiful reminder of one of the great blessings of military life: instant family.  Seriously, I think there is an openness and a level of connectedness that happens within the military community that is just different from other situations.  I think the fact that we're all walking this path together, with its twists and turns, bumps and struggles, causes us to click together more quickly.  Its such blessing to know that in this adventure we will never be alone!!

The next morning Matt was out the door early to prepare for the graduation ceremony.  It was a simple, short ceremony (which Caleb was particularly grateful for, I will say).  Watching him march in with his company was so exciting!  

After graduation we loaded up the car and started our drive south!  It was so fun to just be together.  The only place on the East Coast I've ever been is Florida, so it was also pretty fun seeing so many new places!  We got to drive through Manhattan and saw the New York City skyline...  The kids are convinced they saw the Statue of Liberty.  They didn't.  But I didn't have the heart to fight with them about it.  They also believe they saw the White House.  We're just gonna let them believe that for now, ok?  No sense bursting their bubble, right?  Right.

Saying goodbye Sunday was rough for me.  I thought it would be easier this time.  I mean, the first 5 weeks really went pretty well.  But it was harder on some levels... because the whole amazing weekend was such a reminder of what we're missing.  Matt is an incredible dad and husband.  His absence creates a little hole in our family dynamic... and when we're together, its like this glorious rush of feeling complete again.  

So I cried when we said goodbye.  And I cried when we took off... and when we landed... and when we took off... I think you get it.  Sunday was tough.

But I am so stinking proud of my husband, and this short little challenge is so worth it when I think about all of the opportunities and blessings that we can look forward to!  

So here we are, back in Colorado.  We're mostly recovered from the exhaustion and emotional-ness of Sunday, and are getting back into the swing of our routine here.  Matt's had a great start to Chaplain training, and is looking forward to the liberties he'll get to enjoy there that they didn't have at ODS.  Although I think the lengthy lectures are a challenge... We 'might' have heard this part of training called "death by powerpoint."  I don't know about you, but sitting through 7 hours of lectures is not my favorite way to spend the day...  Poor Matt!!

We're hanging in there!  Thank you so much for all your prayers, encouragement and support!  They mean so much to us...  I feel like we have so much wind at our backs, knowing that so many are behind us and rooting for us...  

6 more weeks...