Family Day and Graduation

It's official! Drew is now an American Soldier! We have had the best time in the past 4 days. Jeannie, Bill, and my Dad joined me in Atlanta on Wednesday evening. We walked to a couple of bars around town and I got the seal of approval for the condo from the parents. We all then headed to Ft. Benning on Thursday morning for Drew's Turning Blue Ceremony. After that Drew was all ours for the day! We went out to lunch and then sat by the pool all afternoon and evening. He had to be back that evening at 8 but we were right back the next morning for his graduation ceremony. It was so neat! Drew was the first group to graduate from the new infantry museum. We didn't know what to expect but were all impressed! From the music to the formations to the band that played... it was awesome. It is such a flood of emotions as you see this strong group of men (no women in infantry) who have volunteered to defend our country. And to have your husband or son as one of those men is even more special. It is something the four of us will never forget. From there the parents went on their way and Drew and I had our first real weekend together in almost 4 months. It was so nice to be able to hang out together. We were even excited to go to the grocery store together. You know you are married to a soldier when you are out to dinner and the waiter repeats the order to ensure he has it right and your husband says "Roger." As soon as he said that we just both started laughing because it has become second nature. But on a serious note, we could not be happier. We are so happy I moved and can now spend weekends together. We cannot wait for what lies ahead. This is just the beginning. :) Drew will now be in hold over for a couple of days at Benning and plans to start airborne on Thursday. But he will be right back here next weekend! So fun!

This is the park that we live right next to. We had walked to dinner at a restaurant that is right on the park. Our condo is among those buildings in the background.

This is after his Turning Blue ceremony on Thursday. He earned that blue cord on his right shoulder which I put on him as part of the ceremony. Drew wasn't supposed to talk to me or hug me during the ceremony but I kissed him anyway! :) That was the first time I saw him.

Drew will practice jumping off of these towers in the coming weeks at airborne before he does his five jumps out of an airplane. These towers are 250 ft.

Here's a glimpse of the ceremony. There is so much tradition in everything the infantry does which makes ceremonies that much more special. The field they are standing on was made from the dirt of battlefields all over the world.

Near the end of the ceremony each company marched their way around the field while the band played. We were able to spot Drew. He is in the fifth row from the front on the far right. See him?