Welcome Home

Sorry folks about the inconsistency in my blogging these past couple of weeks. Lots of things on my to do list including introducing another friend I would like to share with you. I decided I am going to make it a habit to blog Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday of every week so let's see if I can hold myself to it. Although it is 1:15 am on Wednesday I am counting this as my Tuesday blog since I have not begun my Tuesday night slumber. Enough said, let's move on.

I have a friend who just came home from serving our country in a year long deployment to Afghanistan. I have known several people who have served overseas to defend our freedom but this was my first time witnessing the coming home ceremony. I anticipated a lot of emotions and happy reunions between families but what I did not realize was the amount of intense emotions I surprisingly felt that day. Don't get me wrong, I was very excited for my friend to come home and if you're reading this post, "friend-who-I'm-talking-about," you are probably making some very sarcastic yet humorous remarks right about how I am now back down to #2 in the family (inside joke ;)), but I haven't been able to get to know this soon to be brother-in-law as well as the rest of the family and I'm hoping that now he is home that will change. So, yes I was excited but I was willing to wait my turn in the line of hugs from wifey, parents, daughter, and siblings.

So, as the bag pipes played and the Freedom Riders rolled in, I was instantly overcome with a multitude of emotions: pride, happiness, love, joy, excitement. Maybe I was surprised because I have never been a big fan of war but that was completely washed out of my mind when I saw these brave men and women marching into the UNI-Dome and I almost shed a few tears when I saw two little boys (in their own little soldier outfits-so cute!) in front of me jumping up and down, frantically searching for their dad in the crowd of soldiers.

I am still not a big fan of war and I hope for better strategies than sacrificing human lives someday, but it is an absolute necessity to defend our country from foreign enemies and I know I would never have the strength or courage to do what  I am proud to say that my fiance and all 3 of my future sibling-in-laws are/will be doing to keep our country safe.