My wonderful Ride at PIR 4-25-08

This has been a wonderful ride with Bryan! Words cannot describe how proud of him I truly am. Bryan graduated from boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois on Friday, April 25, 2008. His Father, Sister Nicole, and myself were there when Bryan proudly walked in through the Pass In Review Hall and was officially declared a Sailor in the United States Navy. I can tell you that when the ceremony ended and they announced, sailors at ease...I flew off the bleachers and grabbed Bryan and held on for dear life!!!

Bryan was very talkative most of the day on Friday. We asked a lot of questions and he gave a lot of answers! We took him to Flannigan's for lunch and I thought after all that boot camp food that resembles "Meals Ready to Eat", he would have ordered a steak, but to my surprise he ordered chicken strips, which was a standard in his diet pre boot camp. We bought him a cake to celebrate his accomplishments and he was extremely excited about that because the recruits are not allowed any sugar during boot camp.

Bryan is on hold in GL as we speak. He has begun Phase I, the introductory portion of his training that will last for two weeks. After that he moves to Phase II. I am not too sure what that entails! After that A school will begin. His orders state that he will graduate on July 8, but time wise with the delay of A school, I don't think that will actually happen. The grad date will most likely be pushed back. Bryan will most likely go seaward after A school so that he can put his newly learned skills into action. He has requested the gulf tour. What really surprised me was that Bryan has requested land duty. He will have to go through Individual Augmentee training My guess with the way the Navy does things...Bryan will not see land duty for a while. There is a great deal of training involved. It is true that the Navy has sailors on the ground in Iraq. While I do not like the choice that Bryan made by requesting land duty, I will support his choice and just love him.

When we took Bryan into the city on Saturday, we had to get a battery for his watch. We went into a jewelry store to purchase the battery and found out that the seal had broken. The jeweler said it would not be a problem, just hang out and he would fix it. Thirty minutes later the jeweler came out and gave Bryan the watch. When Bryan went to pay the man, he told him that the repair and battery were free of charge. He thanked Bryan for his service to his country. It was one of those awe moments because I was not sure what it would be like for him to walk around in uniform. Bryan had an ear to ear smile on his face. The picture was worth a thousand words.

Bryan brought another sailor along because the boy's family had already gone home. We were honored to take the two of them out and show them off! They taught Nicole and I how to march without looking at the ground! So the four of us marched around downtown Chicago for a few hours! We went to Numero Uno Pizzaria to have the famous Pizza Pie! At this point we start to see Bryan's appetite pick up! He ate two and a half pieces of pie! We then went to the mall where Byran purchased his first pair of sunglasses, Ray Bans! He was getting into the Sailor look just fine!

The next day was a very sad one. I knew I was leaving and I had to once again say good bye. We picked Bryan up around 8:30 am and went to the local IHOP for breakfast where he ordered everything on the menu! I am not sure where he put it all, but it was in there somewhere! For some reason he wanted to go to the train station to buy ear muffs. Apparently they are part of the uniform and the ones issued by the Navy are stringy and he wanted a thicker pair that all the sailors are now wearing. For the life of me, I could not find a Starbucks anywhere near where we were. They were all miles away! We plugged the address in Gary...my new favorite toy, and ended up in Lake Forrest, a very upscale neighborhood in the suburbs. The mansions were huge and the three of us were guessing that Oprah's house had to be some where close! I finally got my Chai Tea Latte! We tried to blend in with the locals, but Bryan in that black Navy suit was stunning and people could not take their eyes off of him! As we sat there and I was trying to make sure that I told him everything I could remember, the thought of leaving him again just kept weighing on my mind. As we left and drove back to the base, it became more difficult for me to speak. I tried to keep my composure because I wanted him to go back on base knowing that his mother was not the biggest cry baby on the planet !! It was a total role reversal! When he left for boot camp, he cried and I held it together, but the distance between the two of us has given me a deeper appreciation for the boy I used to know and the man he is becoming. When Nicole and I dropped him at the base, Bryan got out of the car and put his dark jacket back on and placed that sailor cap on his head, I had to start taking deep breaths. I got out of the car and walked to the other side where Bryan was to give him a hug. He was talking to me and I cannot even remember what he said. I was too focused on keeping it together! As he said good bye and walked away, I was still unable to speak. When he was far enough away, I yelled out to him...see you around Bud! I drove slowly off the base so I could watch him walk into the Nex. I just wanted to remember what he looked like for one more moment.

Bryan is happy and doing well. I have talked to him three times this week and he seems to be adjusting to Navy life just fine. He is making decisions that effect his future. He has a plan and is motivated to carry it out. He had a few requests...he wanted his IPOD and his cell phone! He did mumble a few things about whitie tidies not working out so well !!! They will all go out in the mail tomorrow so you should all get a phone call very soon. He is buying a computer next week and will be able to use it in his new room. He did tell me that he had to buy an iron because his was broken! He has scheduled a few activities for himself at the Sailor Center on base. He has signed up to go sky diving to see what it will be like and has plans to learn how to jump out of an air planes!!!

Bryan should be able to come home in July sometime for a few weeks. That is the plan so far. I will be heading back out to GL for the fourth of July and graduation. I am hoping to fly back with him.

Bryan and I would like to thank all of you for the love and support you have given while we have taken another giant step into the future of our family!