HOOAH!

Caleb graduated and we are so proud of him!!!!!! It was sunmy and dry today and according to Caleb, these types of day are few and far between. Thank God for good weather! Now I am going to back up a minute and describe yesterday's events before I talk more about graduation day. (In the picture above, Caleb is third from the left in the last full row of soldiers.)

Family day was yesterday and it rained all day long. We got to see Caleb about 10:00 and the first thing he wanted to do was get a haircut. He missed his last haircut because he volunteered to stay behind and clean weapons so it had been 2 1/2 weeks since his last haircut. I thought it was a good length but my opinion doesn't count! Caleb said that they are taken for haircuts every 2 weeks and their head gets totally shaved but since Caleb did an extra duty, he was able to get a "high and tight" cut which is shaved on the sides with very short hair left on top.
Next we went to the bowling ally and played a couple of games. I think Grandma Rogy was smiling down at us and shaking her head regarding our bad bowling form! We did not play very well at all but we had fun just the same.
We did as Caleb suggested and purchased a cheap grill the night before so we could cook steaks! We found a covered pavillion in a park nearby. The steaks tasted great thanks to Chef Richard. Not only did he do a great job of cooking but he spent about an hour assembling the grill that said "Some assembly required" on the outside of the box. Richard just laughed when he opened the box saw all the parts.
After we finished our steaks/salad, we headed for a warmer and dryer place to play some cards. After playing a game of Rummy at the local Burger King, we headed to the commisary to buy some Blue Bell, Snickers, Egg Nog and Mountain Dew....all requests from Caleb.
We went to the Solomon Center which was set up with tables and even had some video game systems set up for families to enjoy. We ate our ice cream and then attempted to play some games. I tried playing Guitar Hero and discovered real quick that I need lots of practice! I was amazed at how well Caleb and Kelsey could play the guitar.
We stopped by a little shop inside the Solomon Center and Caleb purchased a couple of gifts for some friends and then we took him back to the barracks.

Graduation started at 10:00 A.M. sharp at Hilton Field. It was a good thing that we packed a warm blanket. Those metal bleachers were very cold! The sequence of events went as follows:
Formation of troops, invocation, forwarding of colors and National Anthem, presentation of awards to soldiers in each company that scored highest on the physical training test and marksmanship tests, remarks by the commander, soldiers recited the soldier's creed and then each company marched in front of the bleachers as the army band played the army song.

Immediately after graduation, Caleb had to get into formation after being bussed back to the barracks. A drill sergeant talked to his platoon for about 10-15 minutes and then ended by having them do "Mountain Climbers" while singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Then they raced up the stairs to clean the bay for about an hour. They had to clean until the drill sergeants dismissed them for the day. We finally got to see Caleb about 1:00.

He walked out of the barracks with two bags that he wanted us to take home so he wouldn't have to lug them to Virginia. His backpack was filled with civilian clothes and we purchased a garment back so that we could take his "Class A's" home as well. He also gave me a birthday present which was a parent appreciate plaque wrapped in an army t-shirt. Richard and I both cried as we read the plaque. It was one of the most thoughtful things Caleb has ever done! It sure meant a lot to both Richard and me.

We took Caleb off-post and he was very excited about that. It was a nice change of scenery for him! We ate Mexican food for lunch and then hung out at the hotel until it was time to go to the movie theater. We saw Transporter 3 and then went to a very nice restaurant for dinner called Diane's On Devine. It was highly recommended by the concierge at the hotel. It was sure nice to have both our kids at the dinner table once again!

As soon as dinner ended, we had to take Caleb back to the barracks. Even though we are going to see him next Saturday, it was still very hard to say good-bye. Below are a few pictures of our time together.
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