Happy Veteran's Day!

This is a picture that was taken just moments after Rob unloaded the bus when he returned from Iraq. It was his first time to see Ella, as he was serving our country in Iraq when she was born. She was 3 months old at the time. Austin as you can see, was chewing his fingers, as he was a little nervous since it had been over 6 months since they had seen each other. He was 2 1/2 when Rob got home.

It is such an honor to say that my husband served our country. And, although, I can not lie, I am grateful that he is out of the military now. I will always have a special place in my heart for those who have served, those now serving, or those who will serve our country. Amber told me recently that on her trip to Boston she saw a young soldier leaving his family and boarding the plane, to undoutedly serve his country.. and she said, that he tried his best to remain brave faced and strong, but that he let the tears flow when he was walking down the runway to board the plane. She said it brought tears to every one who saw.

I don't want to get political, because Lord Knows.. there is enough of that going around. But, I do want to say that our military all are doing a great job defending our freedom and serving our country. We may not all agree with where they are or how long they should be there, etc.. but one thing we should agree on is that many of them are sacrificing their own lives for ours. It is real easy to forget about them and that we are still at war, because it has been going on for so long. I remember when yellow ribbons were tied on almost every tree. You don't see that as much any more. Soldiers are right now serving our country, who will miss their families this Thanksgiving, and who will miss spending Christmas at HOME. I hope that during this holiday season, and esp. today on Veteran's Day, that I can at least be mindful of this great nation that we live in, and to be thankful to those who have helped keep it that way.

Rob and I have many friends that either have served or are still serving. His father, Mr. Robert, also served. To all of those, I say thank you for what you have done for me.. and I am very grateful on this Veteran's Day to be an American. There will always be a very special place in my heart for those in uniform.