On Tuesday my baby brother left for boot camp. OK, so he's obviously not a baby anymore, but I can't help but be a little protective of him. He returned home from his mission in October, 2009 and moved in with us shorty after. He only lived with us for about 6 months, but in that short time we really got to know each other for the first time. John and Trey became the best of buddies and even after he moved out, he made a huge effort to spend the night on Thursdays so he could spend Friday with Trey. What young adult does that for their 4 year old nephew? Not many would, and Trey is going to miss John so much. I don't think Trey really understands just how long his uncle will be away. John has been very motivated in trying to discover his career path since he got home. He made the huge commitment of joining the National Guard and is focusing on intelligence. After basic training for two months, he'll be studying intelligence for 5 months and then Arabic intelligence for 18 months. It will be 2-3 months before we can do much communicating, but eventually we can visit him and he can come home for Christmas. I seriously can't express how proud I am of him.
Last Sunday our family had a going away party for him with a massive Easter candy hunt for the kids. John changed into his uniform for pictures and we loaded all his pockets full of candy and watched the kids attack him. Unfortunately I can't post any pics of him in his uniform and can't post any other info about what he's doing in the Guard than I already have. I'm gonna frame one of the pictures of Trey and John and put it on his dresser. The poor kid asks about John every day.
Well, I know this is just a big brag-fest about my bro, but I really am proud of him. I will miss him so much. The late night laughs Damon and I had with him, the selfless help he did for me, all his advice-seeking (it made me feel smart), and the time he put into playing with our kids. I'm totally sad that he's not gonna be able to see our baby till it's a little older, but as Damon keeps telling me, I know I'll survive. Barely.
Love you, John!
Last Sunday our family had a going away party for him with a massive Easter candy hunt for the kids. John changed into his uniform for pictures and we loaded all his pockets full of candy and watched the kids attack him. Unfortunately I can't post any pics of him in his uniform and can't post any other info about what he's doing in the Guard than I already have. I'm gonna frame one of the pictures of Trey and John and put it on his dresser. The poor kid asks about John every day.
Well, I know this is just a big brag-fest about my bro, but I really am proud of him. I will miss him so much. The late night laughs Damon and I had with him, the selfless help he did for me, all his advice-seeking (it made me feel smart), and the time he put into playing with our kids. I'm totally sad that he's not gonna be able to see our baby till it's a little older, but as Damon keeps telling me, I know I'll survive. Barely.
Love you, John!
Ummm... only one correction.
ReplyDeleteI am the proudest sister in the world. lol. Don't forget it. ;)