A lot to tell...

If you're a friend on Facebook, then you already know most of what has happened in my life in the last month. For those who aren't on FB here's the run down;

A month ago last night, my 18 year old daughter rolled our Silverado. Yes she had her seat belt on, no she wasn't hurt, at least not until her Dad got a hold of her...

We had been discussing trading it in on a gas burner because the price of diesel is beyond ridiculous, so when we got the insurance check, we started shopping.

We ended up buying a Toyota Tundra, Limited. Very nice truck, even has a topper, which was the ultimate selling point for me :)

So, I guess this would be the silver lining to my wayward daughters disregard for her personal safety and our personal property, not to mention my sanity. She lived through what could have been a terrible tragedy.

Then my TV died. Actually it died that same night as the roll over for the first time. We managed to get it fixed, and it died again a few days before we went to pick up Kevin. So now our $7 TV has cost us around $100, and likely to cost more, as we have so far been unable to get it back to the repairman. I'm kinda likin it... don't tell Derek.

Then we went to San Diego.
I won't share all the pictures here, it would overload blogspots databases, so here are just a few:

This is the first shot I got of him, just before the Moto-run (motivational run), but it wasn't the first time I'd see him that day.... We had just stepped off the shuttle from the motel, in front of the Museum courtyard. We noticed a large group of visitors on the far side of the parking lot (its a huge parking lot!) apparently watching a platoon of soldiers march by. I thought about going over (did I mention it's a huge parking lot?) but decided we needed to stay there for the meet and greet that would happen soon in the courtyard. We milled around the area for a few minutes, Derek ogling the guns on display, me nervous about seeing Kevin, and urging time to pass. I noticed the crowd getting louder, so looked out of the breezeway I was standing in, to see the platoon headed our way. A Sargent came through and told all of us to stand back to the sides, the soldiers were coming through here. I saw the flag carried by the honor guard, it said 1014. That was Kevin's platoon! I started scanning the faces of the young men dressed in their desert camo fatigues, looking startlingly handsome and ramrod straight, when I realized that Kevin was only about five feet away from me and marching past. He didn't see me, and then I couldn't see him for the mist in my eyes.

We eventually all went to the bleachers, after the moto-run and other interesting highlights, to watch the new Marines march onto the Parade Deck. Kevin is the third from the left here.

As soon as the Sargent said dismissed, a sea of Dads, Moms, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas hit the pavement. I had had my eye on Kevin the whole time, and bee-lined for him, I really don't know how I made it to him without knocking anyone over, but as he scanned the people swarming around him, I hit him dead center! It was a hug I'll never forget.

Kevin took us to the famous 'yellow foot prints', where the recruits get off the buss and get their first lesson in humility.

We went to lunch, wandered around the museum, then went on a shopping spree, Kevin was adamant about buying a computer before he left the base, then he got a hair cut,

 and the day was over. He hustled back to his barracks, we got back on the shuttle, totting his sea bag and his new laptop computer :)

The graduation was beautiful! I have pictures of it but they are a poor substitute for the real thing and don't do it justice at all. Just trust me, if you ever get a chance, go to one :)

.

After the graduation, we went back to the motel, Derek and I had brought him graduation  presents; a 3-G Kindle and a multi tool he can use as a Marine. Kevin promptly changed into his civies, then we made feet to the closest clothes store because his civies didn't fit him anymore. We went to dinner, back to the motel, Kevin played on his computer until I had to tell him to turn out the lights.
Kevin had said he wanted to spend Saturday in San Diego, so we found a place to go 'see' (spend money), called Sea Port Village, and after went to the USS Midway, and spent the rest of the day.

Kevin got to come home for 10 short days, Derek and I took him to Reno on Monday to catch a flight back to San Diego for MCT (Marine Combat Training), where he will spend the next 26 days. He will be able to call on the weekends, so no cold turkey this time! After MCT he will either get to come back here on Recruit Assistance or go straight to school to be a refrigeration technician. If he gets to come back here for RA (keep your fingers and toes crossed for us!), when he goes on to school he will have been promoted to PFC (Private First Class).
On the way home Monday, I realized I had caught the cold that both Joy and Jari have been trying to share with me, so I am recuperating now, hoping I'm well enough to work on Saturday, and then go fishing on Sunday. :)