Family Day

There's something different about seeing my kid in uniform as opposed to my husband. With my husband there is a sense of pride, of respect, of responsibility, of "we're in this together." When I see him in uniform I understand what my role is and how to be his support. Keep the home running, teach the kids, check on the soldiers' spouses, don't require much help.

But when it's my child, the one who I swaddled and nursed and cuddled, the one who had to stay an extra three days in an incubator in the hospital after he was born, the one who split his forehead open 3 separate times, the one who carried his teddy bear Bobo everywhere with him, an entirely new range of emotions creeps up. Still pride and respect, but a heart-tugging realization that my sweet baby boy is now a man-supporting his own family, defending his country, risking his life. 

My two soldiers know the Lord. That fact gives me a peace that is bigger than any worry I might have over their safety and I am so very thankful for that. My breath still catches when I see him in his daddy's uniform, though....

The sun is coming up over Hilton Field, Fort Jackson, SC

And the entire battalion is out on the field.

(Photo: @Nickgercken)

And there is Foxtrot Company, 2nd battalion, 13th infantry regiment

And, after a short ceremony, the crowd was released to go find their soldiers! 

No more waiting!!!

(Photo: @Nickgercken)

(Photo: @Nickgercken)

And finally my turn. (Photo: @Nickgercken)

I love that face.

We got to spend the entire day with him on post. Hooked him up with a long-anticipated breakfast first: 

(Photo: @rachjune)

It was his first taste of semi-freedom in 10+ weeks.

Went over to AAFES to look at some uniform stuff. Had to show the wifey what ribbon he's earned: 

Ate a late lunch at the Officer's Club and enjoyed the view afterwards: 

We got a room on post just so we could have a quiet place to sit and catch up. He showed us his book and told us lots of stories...

And at the end of the day we returned him to his company and got to watch him show off his squad leader abilities before they headed to their bays for the night and we headed back to our hotel.

(Photo: @nickgercken)

(PFC Gercken is the second one back)

And then they were gone and the day was done.

Nothing to do but try to get some sleep before the big graduation the next morning!

Herzlich Willkommen!

Today was Fort Bragg's 6th annual Oktoberfest Volksmarch. And it was the gbattery's 2nd annual participation! Things were kind of touchy at first, because when we woke up this morning it was raining pretty steadily. Our unit was working (parking), though, so we had to at least go down and thank the soldiers who spent their Saturday morning volunteering. 

By the time we left, though, the rain had stopped and the temperatures were perfect! 

Our family's size is shrinking......(Nick had to work)

Great German music, as usual!

An interesting note: last year on the very same day of the Volksmarch this naughty puppy was born! She was excited she didn't have to miss the fun again this year. :)

And tomorrow is her birthday. I am NOT having a dog party.

We had another event to attend after the Volksmarch and on our way home from that we saw an interesting sight along Chicken Road. (Yes, that's the real name...)

Kind of neat when we take time to slow down and notice what's around us...

Lovies

In my attempt at being more disciplined in my personal life I have been trying to carve out a little time each day to do something creative-just a little time for something I enjoy. I do go to the gym, but that doesn't always qualify as enjoyable. ;) 

This week I have had such fun making some little sweet babies for people I love. 

This adorable baby doll was made for a sweet little girl I know who just turned two. I made her baby-safe with no buttons or beads-her face is hand-stitched and her little curls are sewn tightly in place so little fingers can't untangle them. Her hair is wool felt and her body is stuffed with poly-fil. 

Her new mama loves her. 

This next one was made for a boy I love. I don't have any pictures of them together, but you've seen him often on here-he lives here and poses for lots of pictures for me. :)

He loves his new friend, too. And I have loved making them....

All roads lead....

This is a true story. 

We lived in Germany. My Porsche-loving husband desperately wanted to visit the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, so we made it one of our first trips out and about. It was a terrible idea. 

I know that many American families live in Stuttgart and get along just fine. But I promise you, this is a real picture of the roads the day we went to Stuttgart. 

Maybe the watermark gives away the truth that it's not. But it could have been! There were so many tunnels in and out (and back in and back out) of the city and one-way streets and angry Germans honking at the stupid Americans who couldn't drive. We drove around and around and around for three hours (with a really strange trip to McDonald's thrown in, but that's another story) before we finally found the Porsche factory. 

Guess what-you have to sign up months in advance for a tour of the factory (and no one under 15 is allowed, which, at the time was all of our kids) BUT there was a small museum attached and we delightedly disembarked our vehicle and spend a lovely afternoon exploring the museum. My kids, though, still start to twitch when we mention "Stuttgart" to them....

So, imagine our delight when we found out that the North Carolina Museum of Art was hosting its own Porsche exhibit! He still loves Porsches and we KNOW how to get around Raleigh-it was the perfect time to recreate and reshape the Porsche museum experience! An added bonus is that the Porsche-lover just had his birthday last week and seeing all those cars was the second best birthday present he could have (I don't have to tell you what the first would have been....)

Here are some pictures from our day....

It was rainy, but still fun...

This cardboard cutout was right about at our price range....

Photo credit: Nick Gercken 

Photo credit: Nick Gercken

And here is a picture of the birthday boy and the birthday girl at a late-evening birthday celebration. Their birthdays are a day apart, and by the time he got home from work I think the celebration may have spanned both days!