Graduation Day
Justin told me before we got to South Carolina, that it was going to be crowded and that we needed to be at Hilton Field on Graduation Day at 7 am. That didn't sound like fun, especially with an almost 3 year old. After the turn out on Family Day, we didn't think it was going to be as busy as they were anticipating, and we showed up at 8:30 am and there were still plenty of seats by 9:30 am. JD of course couldn't sit down through the long waiting period (let alone the graduation ceremony) so at first I took him around to take a walk. Then he was content with playing on my phone while we sat down. Then, he decided that he didn't want to be good anymore so our Dads took turns and took him away to calm down.Finally, they brought out the Army Band, and that got JD pretty excited. That was actually a lot of fun to watch, and JD loved it. Once it hit 10 am, the soldiers marched out in their graduation uniform and the ceremony began. It was a pretty neat ceremony. They had a kid from the Make a Wish Foundation who's wish was to be an American Soldier there, and gave him a couple certificates and made him an American Soldier. Then the Command Sgt Major was retiring after 30+ years in the service, so they did a thing for him and his family.
Afterwards, the Lt. Colonel gave a speech, and I missed the end of it since JD got bored and couldn't sit there any longer, but it was a good speech from what I heard. Justin said that one of the guys near him had passed out during the ceremony, and there were a few guys that were around him trying to get him to stay up. He didn't fall to the ground, so I'm sure not many people noticed (like myself). After his speech, the soldiers marched in front of us, and then we got to go meet our soldier! I must admit, Justin looked good in his uniform! :)
After lunch, all Justin wanted to do was go back to the hotel and do absolutely nothing. We all pretty much just laid around at the hotel, while JD was the only one running around the room playing with his toys. He was just so happy to play and have his daddy back, that he didn't really care where we were. Justin enjoyed watching ESPN, researching different things on the internet, laying in bed, and taking a quick nap. I'm sure for most people this sounds like a waste of a day, but I know that for Justin he was more than happy to be doing nothing after a busy 10 weeks.
Once we had rested up, Justin decided he needed to get some things before he headed back to the base and wanted to go to Dick's Sporting goods for a backpack. We were getting short on time, so we had to make it quick, especially since it was 30 minutes away, and he only had about 2 1/2 hours left before he needed to get back. We were short on time, and Justin was happy with McDonald's for dinner.
When we dropped Justin off, JD gave him the saddest look I have ever seen. He had a huge frown on his face, and started to cry. It broke my heart, and I know it made it even harder for Justin to say goodbye. I walked back with Justin to his barrack to get a bag that he wanted to send home with us, and we said our goodbyes.
Justin is still in South Carolina as a "hold over," and won't be home until the 19th. At the moment, he is cleaning around the base, and assisting with various tasks that the Drill Sergeants assign them. We have less than 2 weeks until he is home, and I can't wait! I know these 2 weeks are going to go by fast, and it's only going to be downhill from here on out. He has his phone now, so we are able to text throughout the day. I missed having some sort of communication with him, and it feels a little weird to be able to "talk" to him again during work. We were even able to Facetime him yesterday and JD was so excited.
I'm so proud of Justin's accomplishments, and am so grateful for his sacrifice! I know that he is doing what is best for our family, and I'm just grateful to have him as a husband! I love you Just!
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