Welcome Aboard, Sailor

Here I am with my sailor on his graduation day. What a great day that was! Full of smiles, hugs that never wanted to end, and silent moments of awe. There were times when I just didn't have the words to say exactly what I was feeling. It was truly surreal, being reunited after nearly two months of handwritten letters as the only form of communication between us. Those two months seemed to go on for eternity in the moment, but now looking back they came to a close pretty quickly. I am so proud of what he has done so far, and there is so much more waiting for him to conquer. I am such a lucky woman to be by his side!

The graduation itself was pretty interesting, what with all the fancy footwork and routines they have going on.. But it was a bit torturous after awhile when all the graduating sailors still hadn't marched in and we were all on the edge of our very (un) comfortable seats with anticipation! When all the divisions finally started filing in, everyone in the massive crowd jumped to their feet and started cheering for their sailors. Over 730 people were graduating in the ceremony that day, and there were probably three times that amount just in the bleachers alone!

His family and I spent a great weekend with him after his graduation. We saw the sights in Chicago and tried the famous eateries in the area, which included Giordano's deep dish pizza and Smoque BBQ's brisket plate! Lots of delicious things were savored.. I could definitely get used to all the great food in Chicago!

I definitely want to go back to Chicago someday. The architecture, the people, the river running through the city.. Everything combined was so just so cool. The only thing that I would ask of the weather before I head back is to keep the temperature far below 100 degrees and send that humidity elsewhere.. That aspect of the trip was close to miserable, especially because I seemed to pack for cold, stormy weather. Oops!

All in all, the trip was exactly what I had hoped for. I am so thankful we were able to fly out there and support him! But I'm thrilled now because he's back in California now and only a few hours' drive away.. Wahoo!

Happy Friday all! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Maybe I can live vicariously through you.. I've been in bed all week with strep throat, and I don't see anything but watching movies and reading blogs in my near future!

Kate