It was a patriotic filled week! Kyle and the rest of the 13th squadron came home on Monday. It was 50/50 on whether they would be able to land the jets due to construction on the run way and bad weather. All of us spouses showed up at the squadron bright and early holding our breathe in hopes that they would be able to make it and not have to divert to Yokota. Our prayers were answered and literally the hour before the guys came in the sun broke out, dried the run ways, and all the clouds dispersed. We were so happy when we could see the jets in the distance and even more happy when we saw them one by one land! Even though it was not a deployment, it still was a long TDY and I couldn't help but get emotional as I saw Kyle's plane land and taxi towards us. Abby was a little confused and hesitant, but once Kyle's helmet came off she ran to give him a huge hug and kiss. We love having him back home!
This past week I have been reflecting on how Kyle's career will have a huge affect on me and the kids. He might be the one with the rank on, but all of us are sacrificing to keep America the land of the free. This may have been the first time Kyle has left us for a substantial amount of time, but unfortunately it will not be the last. The kids and I will have to serve and sacrifice on the home front and live a huge portion of our lives with Kyle being gone and deployed. My kids will have to move all the time, and have their dad miss many miles stones, holidays, performances, games, and events throughout their lives. I will have to learn how to juggle playing both roles of mom and dad when Kyle is away serving our country, and will never truly have a house I can make my home. It is a hard life but also very rewarding.
As we stood there with all the other wives and kids waiting to greet our husbands and dads, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all of them! They have become my friends and family and all together we have pitched in to help one another while our husbands were gone. They deserve just as much credit and recognition in serving our country. The dependents of military personnel are all silent warriors that never will get any recognition for their sacrifice in serving this country. Now, living it, and seeing it first hand, I will always thank not only the servicemen and women, but their families as well for their sacrifice!
Unfortunately it was back to work the next day for Kyle, but the trade off was that we got a long 4 day weekend with him to celebrate the 4th of July. We took full advantage of our time with Kyle and went to the park, jumped on the tramp, and just relaxed. Since it was Kyle's birthday as well, I spontaneously invited some of our neighbors that are in our squadron over for ice cream to celebrate wth us. Kyle is more of a private guy when it comes to his birthday so I don't know how on board he was at first about the whole surprise party, but he ended up having fun with his "buddies." I told him we did it cause we love him and that it would never happen again ;) Here's to his last year in his 20s!!!
We decided to go check out the aquarium in Aomori. We were pleasantly surprised at how much fun we all had. They had a great display of so many different types of aquatic animals, and even had a dolphin show. After spending a solid 3 hours there, the kids could barely keep their eyes open. So we decided to wrap it up and head back home. I think that is a place we will have to revisit several times while stationed over here in Japan.
We ended our Fourth of July weekend by going to a squadron BBQ at the beach. It was a beautiful day and the whole squadron showed up to socialize. All the kids were playing in the sand and water, and me being the bad, unprepared mom I am, totally didn't think to bring Abby's swim suit or a towel. Before I knew it she was soaked head to toe in her clothes from just running straight into the water. Kids will be kids. She did provide some great entertainment however to the rest of us as we all laughed watching her splash around loving life.
The base didn't have any sort of firework show so we decided to end the evening with a walk and put the kids down early. We will never forget those who have given their lives in defense of our freedom. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, we miss our beautiful country. God Bless America, our home sweet home!
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