Our Little Traveler!

Reunion

In mid April, we got sad news. . .  a brother Bobby served with in the Marines was killed in Afghanistan. SSGT Jeremy Smith. We decided all of us should go to Texas for the funeral. So .... with plane tickets, a rental car (complete with mapped directions to and from where we would be in Texas), a hotel, and only 2 suitcases (yes .. seriously.... I packed us light) we headed to Arlington, Texas.
Jeremy was an amazing traveler. He slept most of the plane rides. He was such a trooper with being off his nap and eating schedule! The trip turned out to be bittersweet:

I just can't get enough sleeping baby pictures! 

Bitter: The reason for the short getaway was tear jerking. Something about seeing a coffin with with an American flag draped over it, tugs at the heart strings. Meeting and watching Jeremy's wife, Rachel (her blog), was like seeing someone live my worst nightmare. I couldn't come up with words that seemed enough to comfort her. She cried when I introduced Jeremy to her and the reason for his name. After seeing how touched Rachel was, knowing Jeremy had been named after another Jeremy both her husband and Bobby served with, we decided to get in contact with Jeremy Bohlman's You can read that post here.

Sweet: It was two-fold .... One being the amazing patriotism of the citizens in Texas is indescribable! The Patriot Riders (a group of men and women that come to support military families at funerals,  they ride motorcycles with American flags flying off the back), stand at attention, each next to an American flag, for the entire wake, ceremony, and burial. During the procession, they stopped the freeway, a 4 lane freeway!! People who we on the other side, not stopped by police, pulled over and put their hands over their hearts for the whole procession (which was about 3 miles long!). It was so sweet! The next day at Walmart a lady recognized Bobby as being one of the Marines on stage at Jeremy's funeral (it was televised). I am just in awe. If there is ever any reason to move from California .... to Texas it will be!

The 2nd reason it was sweet: We got to see most the guys Bobby served with. It has been about 5 years, AND we got to meet the Dizzle's little boy, Max.  The Dizzle's lived out here when Bobby was enlisted. Ben and Bobby were deployed together. I got to be pretty close to Sam when the boys were in Iraq. It was sweet for our little ones to meet and pay together!

This experience makes us happily look forward to many more family vacations with Jeremy!!

Top Left: Future Marine
Top Middle: Sitting like agog boy in his own seat
Top Right: Riding the bull
Bottom Left: Daddy playing in the airport
Bottom Middle: There was a park at one of the airports we has a layover!
Bottom Right: Sleepy family!

Have you seen a cuter 11 month old dressed in a suit?
I KNOW! Me either! He is THEE cutest!