The past 8 weeks have held so much emotion......sadness, joy, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, insecurity, pride, just to name a few. I have been counting the days, the hours, the minutes until the first time that I get to see Dillon face to face...to hug him, hold him, ask him questions and get an immediate answer, and just be in he presence.
It has been so much fun planning this get together. Looking back, all these tasks have been used to keep myself busy and keep me from going insane. I researched and rented a house, planned our trip down to SLO, came up with a menu, put together some baskets for the fundraiser, sent out e-mails with all the details, etc.
We arrived Friday afternoon to get ready for the big day....Steve and I were joined by Kyle, Dillon's aunt Dene, cousin Haley, mentor Dale and kiddos Alec and Mia and Auntie Marie . Joining us on Saturday was Patrick, Uncle Michael, cousin Sydney, and Steve's parents Lynn and Ralph.
Friday evening was spent talking about Dillon. I shared some of his letters and we all talked about the kid we all know and love. We talked about how the "kid" was now becoming a man. We talked about our hopes for his future, and how proud we are of his accomplishments thus far. There was also lots of time preparing his first meal from "home".
I could barely sleep and the hours seemed to move at a snail's pace.
The morning finally arrived and I was up with the sun (maybe even a little before). We all got ready for the day ahead and at 8:30a.m. we loaded up into the cars for the 15 minute trip up the road. As we got closer and I could see the base, my heart began to beat faster.
We entered onto the base, and found a spot in the shade that we could all gather around. Then, more waiting....the cadets were not going to show until 10:00.
It has been so much fun planning this get together. Looking back, all these tasks have been used to keep myself busy and keep me from going insane. I researched and rented a house, planned our trip down to SLO, came up with a menu, put together some baskets for the fundraiser, sent out e-mails with all the details, etc.
We arrived Friday afternoon to get ready for the big day....Steve and I were joined by Kyle, Dillon's aunt Dene, cousin Haley, mentor Dale and kiddos Alec and Mia and Auntie Marie . Joining us on Saturday was Patrick, Uncle Michael, cousin Sydney, and Steve's parents Lynn and Ralph.
Friday evening was spent talking about Dillon. I shared some of his letters and we all talked about the kid we all know and love. We talked about how the "kid" was now becoming a man. We talked about our hopes for his future, and how proud we are of his accomplishments thus far. There was also lots of time preparing his first meal from "home".
I could barely sleep and the hours seemed to move at a snail's pace.
The morning finally arrived and I was up with the sun (maybe even a little before). We all got ready for the day ahead and at 8:30a.m. we loaded up into the cars for the 15 minute trip up the road. As we got closer and I could see the base, my heart began to beat faster.
We entered onto the base, and found a spot in the shade that we could all gather around. Then, more waiting....the cadets were not going to show until 10:00.
We snapped a few photos as we waited. Here we are gathered around the picnic spot.
Then Dale and Marie found the perfect spot to watch the drills.
Woo Hoo!! Getting excited now!! (This picture was taken by cousin Mia).
And the cadets march in......... Again, we wait. We can see them, but it is at least 45 more minutes until we can actually be with him.
And the journey continues......
And the journey continues......
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