Busy, busy….VA visit…Veteran pride

It’s been awhile…apologies. Life just happens and in that, Connor turned 14. Oh, how I love this boy!

He has no idea how handsome he is. That is probably a good thing…snobbery is so ICK! We had a simple birthday of simply spoiling. xo

We took a trip to visit my family in Virginia. It’s never long enough and we had the best time. Our rental was awesome. It was a sort of octagon house with forest all around…birds, squirrels coming up to windows….

Snakes!…lol, just a little garden one. This house was probably infested with these things. There were bushes and gardens all around the house…perfect for critters! ….luckily, we were fine and simply loved all of the nature. In reality, we only saw this guy once. We were mainly surrounded in bird song though one morning, Mikey was ready to kill what he labeled the alarm-clock bird.

That’s my nephew on the right…Austin. We love this guy. He’ll be graduating here soon. He’s visited us here in Utah and hopefully, that’ll happen again before ya know it. ❤️

We took a small night and day trip to Washington and was so glad to see the changing of the guards ceremony at Arlington. …..there was an incredible amount of kids around and it was so very nice to see how respectful they were. This is a must see.

This was a huge reason for our visit to Washington DC as well….the Military Women’s Memorial. I’d only recently learned about it but it has been around for over 25 years now. It was built to honor all the women that have served our country.

How cool is this…..that’s me! I need to fill in some data but there is a database for women to share their stories, their service dates, duty stations or even temporary duties, etc. Legacy…..very cool. …..I think I’ve noticed a pattern with my female veteran counterparts where they very much minimize their service. I absolutely hate this. …I personally served honorably and am very proud of the work I did in the United States Air Force. I was young, small, and extremely capable. I only add small because I could easily fit into places others could not and it was a good thing in my field. I was in military aircraft intakes almost daily inspecting and providing a service where I personally made calls each day that would ground an aircraft from even flying or saving it from possible catastrophic failures….it was far from nothing. I was a non-destructive inspector that earned certifications in x-ray, ultrasound, oil analysis, penetrant and magnetic particle inspection methods and more…..my husband informed me anyone in the maintenance squadron was called a ‘nonner’…funny, he has since learned that I was actually on aircraft constantly and also inspecting parts, oils after each flight of an aircraft, I was in the aircraft, on it, and taking things apart to make sure all was as it seemed (ok, usually someone else would take it part, but I did the inspecting and calling it good or bad). …I also was in a career field that was called mission critical since the technical school that trained us had closed down for a period of time (Chanute AFB, IL). With that and being of the lowest rank (meaning I was the first in line to do the work), I was constantly busy. In addition, I did some seriously awesome TDY’s (temporary duties). I saw many more places than the average airman and even had a few secret missions where I had to sign a waiver and have a military policeman or two stand next to me as I simply did an inspection or flew on an aircraft. ……so, yeah, I’m proud of my service. …..cockiness done, proud veteran stays.

When I initially saw this hat in the gift shop, I stated that it seemed kind of cocky and Mikey (bless him) said I should get it. I’m calling it my Lowes and VA hat. We’ve both noticed that there is a tendency for people to thank my husband’s military service but too often, I get something “other”. It’s hard to describe because occasionally, I do get genuine thanks or interest but other times, not so much. It’s like a woman having served can make some uncomfortable. One day, I’ll expand on my thoughts here but for now…..it’s my Lowe’s (or VA…veteran’s association) hat. …..I served from ’91 to ’95…I like to call it Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” era…I’m not wrong here because it was a thing….and it wasn’t just talking about gays in the military. Women had it much better than those that served earlier but trust me, we had our hardships and put up with much more than we should have. ….another day.

We walked around the ‘mall’ and it was seriously awesome (and cold!). I’m happy to report that the news is terribly full of fear-mongering. I’ve never felt as safe or peaceful in Washington. People were kind, the area was clean and full of construction for what is surely going to be an awesome 4th of July.

Of course, much of Washington was not doing their freaking jobs but the people that they should be serving were lovely everywhere. We were probably staying just a few blocks from here and even as it was getting darker….we felt safe. We saw a grand total of 2 protestors. Bless them, it was a chilly weekday. ……also, lots of runners. We suspect that some of these runners were surely security. ….and the Active Duty Guard…we saw a few groups of them…they were nice…simply walking around and their presence felt fine…just more people and an added layer of safe. ….as for the immigrant population, they seemed fine too…..Goodness knows everything we probably ate was provided by that population and they seemed like this was their home and they were simply happy providing us a meal and we were happy to pay them for some seriously yummy stuff! …..Go and enjoy your capital city!

This was us leaving Washington DC. That area ahead is the entrance to Arlington Cemetery. A must visit and a reminder of our freedoms not being free. ……and a sweet feeling for every female veteran….you do not leave towards the interstate without viewing our very own memorial right smack in front. I love that. Our service mattered and it’s a bit of a reminder that yes, so many men gave their lives and oh, it makes me tear thinking of it….but it was not just men.

Okay…back to Virginia. …or hey, this is my mom…in Texas!….around 1967/68. Stunningly beautiful!!!!! She was a secretary. So fashionable.

That’s my dad in his uniform. He served in Vietnam and worked in communications. …his service was amazing. He did not talk about this for years with me but my parents pulled out a small book of pictures and we got to talk about some things. I will cherish this forever. ….I’m always saying our service was so different because I saw things he doesn’t need to know about and others I love to share, and then he saw things that haunted him in very different ways. He definitely saw things that I’m blessed to not have to have seen. …..I think that there is a stigma with his generation about being drafted versus signing up. ……because we didn’t experience it, it’s just difficult to understand. He was drafted and always has made that point but all I can see is that he served. He experienced unbelievable things, he showed up even when he may or may not have wanted him or his peers to, and that is truly amazing and something I do not have words for but I recognize as beyond honorable, shocking, amazing, hard…..I know it all mattered and am glad he got to come home…got to be my daddy.

I got to have so many cool pictures but I haven’t asked and want to be careful before I share more than he’d want. But this was epic. ….you see the movies, see pictures, hear some stories but it’s not the same. This is my dad…in Viet-fing-nam….standing in waters from a monsoon…..he had to douse his feet with alcohol to dry them….. How on earth could we ever think we understand what happened over there?! How on earth ……so many questions that swirl in my head and all I can come up with is that I am glad he came home…has had this awesome life…been sharing a life with my mom for what will be 59 years this year….. I’ll ask him sometime if I can share some more pictures…they’re incredible.

Back to 2026….. We helped my mom clean up some flowers that were used for a beautiful cross on Easter Sunday. …..He has Risen!…and so did some little bird family….on a wreath of the front door of my mom’s church!

wow…..

My only decent picture of myself from this trip… Don’t I have some handsome boys? I wish Tristan could of come as well but of course, he’s grown.

Here’s my mom…..I love her so dearly. We had some good talks and times while I was here. …I’m so very glad that she is healthy and doing well. She did so much for us and we sure appreciated it all. ….We had an amazing Easter. Good food, got to see my brother and his family a few times, my aunt a few times, some more family…..just a very good visit. Plus, my mom provided treats and a meal or two for us to take back to our rental….ya know, mom/grandma things that we all probably take for granted waaaaaay too much!

While my mom and I did some visiting, Mikey, my dad and the boys went to the river and enjoyed their own times together. ……doesn’t my dad look so good?! This is a man that has had stage 4 lung cancer going on 11 years now……STAGE 4!!! Smack-dab in the middle of his chest. He is a miracle and a blessing to us all.

My mom looks awesome, too! She does not look her age and I’ll just let you all try to guess that on your own. She is an example for the ages. I’m not real sure how to even describe her except she puts mommy bloggers and go getters, attention seekers to shame. This woman has legacy all over her. She is a shining example of what a christian, mother, wife, sister, friend…..just so much…should be. She has this attitude and confidence that I hope that I’ve gotten from her. She has taught all of us so much but since I write this blog, I’ll give you a little peek of what I know. ….she took care of my grandparents, she’s take care of my dad, she’s there for my aunt, she was there for her brothers (and their spouses), she has loved us all even when we were pains in the butt. She has taught. me so much about how love is not a freaking feeling but action. She’s taught me that work isn’t a place but just what you do, what needs done, what should be done…..done well. She’s taught me how attitude matters and that yes, you can get moody or upset about situations or mad but that you keep doing the right thing and find peace with it and that if you stick with things and have some faith, things usually turn out pretty dang great….not always but focus on the good and the blessings. ……she doesn’t always say the things but she sure lives things and I see it. I love her so much. I am quite grateful God made her my mom.

I sure love these people. I’d give anything to be closer…to take care of my parents in an actionable way but I love this man and these boys too……I made my bed and apparently it is in Utah until one retires…and that’s not easily walked away from…trust me, I tried to make things happen and I’ve made peace with I must do what I can, where I can, the best I can. Thank God that it is 2026 and not 1926…..there are blessings here that were not there and yes, I’d probably have been right at home in 1926 but it’s not reality…I’m here and I love my life and I cherish my people and we all do alright.

so…..we all checked our phones, got in touch with our peeps, flew on a plane and came home. …..until next time. Love your people well and take care of the things…..notice all you can. ❤️

postscript:….spelling was messed up here an there…you know the drill…forgive….it takes too long to remember where I messed up. Also, I wrote this near 4am….I hope you got the gist of the things I want to say.