Skip to main content

Our New Marine


Hubs and I traveled down to Parris Island, South Carolina last week.


We went to enjoy the Marine Corps Graduation.


We started out at 6:30 AM waiting for our new Marine to run by with his platoon.  It was hard to spot him in a group of young men who all look alike.



We enjoyed a glimpse of Ryan before Family day on the base. 



The next morning was very stirring with the raising of the colors while the Marine Corps band played the Star Spangled Banner. 


The entire audience was moved to tears as two jets flew over right as the flag reached the top of the flag pole.  It was picture of freedom.



A replica of the statuary of Iwo Jima was a popular spot for picture taking.



The graduation ceremony was impressive.  All of those young men (the young women graduate on a different weekend), had worked extremely hard for 13 weeks to reach their goal.



Ryan is the first one in the third row behind the Drill Instructors.


We're so proud of him!

As soon as we got off of the base, he couldn't wait to put in his contact lenses and take off the "port hole" glasses they issued him.   Jeans and a T-shirt were also a welcome gift from home.  The picnic basket on the back seat of the car was emptied pretty quickly during the 8 hour ride home - that boy can eat!

Our daughter, Ashley, blogged about our family on her blog O Happy Daze.

Comments

  1. this is only the begining of many proud moments for you as your young Marine starts his career. Your heart will burst with pride. We have two sons that are Marines, one left the corp the other is still there and ready to deploy very soon AGAIN.I won't say don't worry that will never happen but know it takes an extremely unselfish person to do his job and not many are up to it. All the blessings to Ryan and his brave comittment. How proud you must be. Nancy Settel sheepishgrin92@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. You must be so proud! Love the photos, and I have cold chills imagining the ceremony.

    ((hug))

    ReplyDelete
  3. There is nothing quite so beautiful as a military graduation---I suppose to some that might sound a bit strange, but watching my son graduate from U.S. Army OSUT at Ft. Benning in 2007 is a cherished memory. I loved the marching as cadence was called, I loved the feeling of immense parental pride that was tangible in the very air that we were breathing, and mostly, I loved the look of elation on my son's face (also named Ryan) as my husband and I approached him on the field to pin on his blue infantry cord. Congrats and blessings to your Ryan and to the family that raised him.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please feel free to leave ideas and comments.

Popular posts from this blog

How To Make Your Own Exercise Bike For Next To Nothing

Remember back in April when I had a kidney transplant?  Well, the kidney is doing great (thanks, Cathy , for taking such good care of it when you owned it).  There was one little glitch, however.  During surgery, the retractors they used caused some nerve damage in my right leg.  When I woke up from surgery, I couldn't move or feel my leg.  The docs felt like the feeling would come back but the paralysis had them stumped.  A visit to a neurologist ruled out a stroke and a CT scan showed some fluid which was pressing on L4 and L5 (medical talk which means I couldn't feel or move part of my leg).  The prognosis is good and I'm recovering pretty quickly.  In fact, I've left my cane behind and I'm walking freestyle without falling.  My next goal is to be able to drive. I've been itching to get back to exercising (physical therapy doesn't count) because my medication causes me to gain weight and I need to burn some calories.  Running? - nope.  Walking? - can&

A Designer's Secret For A Taller Bed

  Several years ago Hubs and I spent almost a year looking for a bedroom set that we both loved.  He wanted clean lines and dark wood.  I wanted curves and a "tall" bed.  Of course, there was no perfect bedroom set but we were able to compromise on a set that we both liked.  My main wish was for a bed that I could "climb up into".  The problem with that wish was that most of the "tall" beds were four poster beds and Hubs was not in the mood for that.  We found a Thomasville bed on display at a local furniture store and it fit the clean lines that Hubs wanted and it was "tall"  enough to suit me.  The problem was that once we received the bed we ordered in our home, it wasn't as tall as I had remembered it being.  My heart sunk!  I went back to the furniture store to look at the display.  Their bed was much taller than our bed.  Hmmm. . . what was different? I got nosey and lifted up the comforter on the bed.  It revealed their secret

Plans For A DIY Exercise Bike Stand

  Thank you to so many of you who emailed me about plans for the DIY Exercise Bike Stand .  I apologize that it has taken me so long to get the measurements to you, but they are finally here!   The wood was purchased at Home Depot and the bike pegs were purchased at Walmart in the bike section.    The bike we used for this project is a 24" 12 speed bike (I'm a shorty).  I used the hardest gear while riding, but this set-up does not allow you to really get much resistance (for building muscle).  It was great for getting my legs moving after some nerve damage.  I also wanted to burn calories and get my heart rate up and this did the trick.    If you have any questions, just shoot me an email.