It has been awhile since I last blogged and I guess it is time to add some more of my ideas to this outstanding blog. I have read with great feelings the stories of mom's and dad's sending off their son;s and daughters to the academy and what they feel like in their hearts. This is one of the reasons I like this site so much in that many of the stories are truly "heartfelt" and from the heart. They are moving, emotional, and are a "piece" of the individual writing it. This...

As I sit down to type this, I glance at the calendar above my computer and see my countdown...11 days until SpaceGirl comes home for Thanksgiving! WOO HOO!

Anticipation builds...expectations are there...but I am trying to remain realistic.

Will she want to spend all her waking moments with me? Most probably not.

Will it be awkward at first, fitting her back into the family? Most certainly.

Will she slip back into "big sister...

I am so full of sadness and shock, that I have to write this and perhaps somehow, through the words, I can maybe find relief.

Yesterday, I heard unfolding, a terrible tragic story involving our armed forces in "battle" on our own soil with one of their own! What a terrible tragedy this was for those families who have lost loved ones and also those "friends" of those who have lost loved ones. One thinks when one is home, they are safe, but after this last revelation,...

Endurance
It seems like a simple concept. Find that last ounce of energy to run that final stretch in the race. That's endurance.

Well, sort of.
Physical endurance can be trained, but I'm not a physical trainer and am not here to talk about that. I'm talking about mental endurance.

Recognition is an event which tends to test both mental and physical endurance. Last year, we had a 4 degree who had injured his leg. Of course, he could not perform any...

Well, Parent's Weekend was a wild ride, wasn't it?

I have to admit that I went into the weekend a little anxious and apprehensive. I read a lot, warning how my cadet will probably just want to sleep, let your cadet lead the way, don't stay too close to the Academy, don't stay too far...etc. I also travelled to Colorado already dreading the good bye. But, I resolved to just take each moment as it came, and try to enjoy every drop.

We got up SO DANG EARLY Friday morning,...