Leaving on a Jet Plane...

On January 17th, the family gathered in Killeen to say farewell to a soldier. My brother, Scott, left for a one-year tour in Iraq. He packed his bags, posed for a few photos and kissed his family good-bye, including his 2 daughters (2.5 years old and 4 days old).

George (Beth's Dad), Amy, Toby, Aiden, Ryan, Korbin and I came to show our support and wish him a save and quick return. In standard Army fashion, we basically just stood around all day waiting for the next step. First we stood around waiting for the buses that would take the soldiers to the gym (where we thought their'd be a ceremony) then we sat around in the gym waiting for the buses to take him to the airport (and to say our good-byes). It was a long day... and the kids handled it surprisingly well (thank goodness).

We look forward to hearing about Scott's safe travels and to what address he'd like us to send care packages (I'll let everyone know when I'm about to send one... if you want to include anything let me know).

I will be back and forth to Killeen this year, too. Hopefully, I can be helpful with the girls and give Beth a break from time to time. :)