graduation

This is Joe's class waiting for the ceremony to begin. Joe is third from the right.

Joe during rehersal.

 Joe getting his certificates. It was very dark in the chapel, and everything was backlit by stained glass windows, so it was really hard to get pictures. Joe was only one of four Honor Graduates.

You can barely see Joe standing up. The had a small honor for those family members that traveled the farthest. It turns out that for Joe's group,  it was me. I was given a coin that is given by the commander for excellence.  :)

 Joe is 3rd from right.

graduation

Shanna, Matt, Savannah, and I went to SC this week for Joe's graduation. The weather was clear but very cold. We were able to spend Family Day (Thurs) and Graduation Day (Fri) together. On Thursday, we were not able to leave the base, but we had a nice time anyway. We went to the museum, went shopping at the PX, sat by a lake, and sat in the car when it got too cold. Joe had plenty of funny drill sargent stories to tell us. On Friday, after the graduation ceremony, the soldiers got a pass to leave the base for the rest of the day. We took Joe to Olive Garden for a late lunch/ early dinner. This morning (Sat) we headed home, while Joe headed to the airport for his flight to AZ. He has his cell phone back (for now), so it will be easier to stay in touch. Here are some pics of the trip:

Look at the icicles on the palm tree statue in the background.



This is Alpha Company lined up for graduation.


At the end of the ceremony each company marched by for review. Here is Joe in the middle.


proud momma



At the museum.



Joe and a friend.





Waiting for a table at Olive Garden.

road trip

Savannah, Shanna, and I went to SC to get Joe for Christmas leave. It was a very quick trip: drive up on Tue, pick him up Wed, and drive back home. The trip is about 9 hours. We stayed at Day's Inn near Fort Jackson on Tues night. Never stay there. It was shabby, not very clean, and kinda creepy. On the plus side, the staff was friendly, and a huge mall was right across the street. We went there for dinner. . Here are a few pics of the trip:


At BK for breakfast.

Stuck in a total traffic jam on I-10. Took 1 hour to go 10 miles.



Waiting for Joe. This is in Fort Jackson, but we were actually in the wrong place...
We were looking for A company, and this area had a sign that said A company, but is was some other A company. Joe's unit was down the road. Of course there was no sign there. But we found him eventually. :)



The car had to pass a safety inspection before we were allowed to take Joe. Of course it passed with no problems. Bonus: this car will drive almost across two states on $17.00 worth of gas.

On the way home, Joe was keeping us entertained with stories from basic training. We had a good, but long, trip home. Stopped for a real lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, cause no one could handle BK or McDonalds again.