No Baghdad Trip

• March
• 19

 Andrew was scheduled to got to Baghdad, but he has some problems with his wrist, so he can not go until after he has an operation. He was looking forward to going? I guess that it is a Marine thing. He was going to be living with and training the Iraq soldiers.

Anyway, he was home for a short while and did manage to do a little dance.

Gone, Again

• January
• 2

Well, Andrew left this morning at a little past 6 am. There is a chance for snow today and we hope that Andrew stays ahead of it!

I am not so sure that he was excited about going back, nor were we excited about him going back. But we all knew that this day was coming.

Time to get back to normal around here. Today we are going to take all of the Christmas trees down. As well as the rest of the Christmas decorations.

It is time to start the new year. We would like to wish you and yours all of the very best for 2008!

Thanks for spending time with our family during Andrew’s homecoming. We certainly enjoyed sharing it with you.

Bob

Andrew’s last night in town

• January
• 1

Hard to believe that it is here again. Another last night.

Last night we did have the seafood dinner minus the clams. I guess that a lot of people had the same idea. Anyway we replaced the clams with shrimp, and they were delicious. We got them from Bayside Seafood. There had been some major changes since Bob and Jan bought the place from Charles and Mary. They have Thrasher like fries, snow cones, cakes, pies, fudge, pizza, subs and I couldn’t tell you what else!

So after dinner Jason went to a party and Andrew had a friend over to watch TV. It was a great evening, but Margo and I did not see the ball drop. Guess when you get to a certain age, you have seen it drop enough!

We did end up going to Owens Station and shooting some Sporting Clays. Andrew took it easy on me and let me beat him for a change. I don’t think that he is used to shooting without the return fire. We had a great time, and left plenty of clays for next time!

Tonight Andrew is making his rounds and saying his goodbyes. Tomorrow at 6 am he will be hitting the road. Again, we hope that he stays in North Carolina for a while. He will probably get to come home again for President’s Day

Bob

The Gratitude Campaign, Pass It On!

• January
• 1

This was sent to me by my favorite father in law, Gordie! Thank a soldier!

He’s back!!!!!!!!!

• December
• 31

Andrew did report back to Camp Lejeune yesterday. He left here at 6 am. He checked in and then was off for the New Year holiday. So he turned right around and drove back. He got here at 9 pm. He drank quite a few of those caffeine enriched drinks along the way. Needless to say, he was wired to the max! Bouncing off the walls. He couldn’t stand still.

Margo couldn’t believe that he had been driving from 6 am to 9 pm.  I remember when I was younger and in the military. Driving was nothing. I can remember driving 2 or 3 states away, just for the weekend. Of course I would not want to do it now!

We have had our Lab, Chelsey, for 10 years. She is used to Andrew. We have only had Sophie for about 11 months. She is not used to Andrew and doesn’t quite know how to take him. But she was glad to see him again. I think that she has figured out that he belongs here! At first she thought that he was just visiting.

Andrew is still sleeping and I am not sure what he plans for the New Year. I imagine that he will be going to a party at a friends house.

We are having a little New Years dinner for Jason and Andrew. Chicken wings, clams, and whatever else they want.  We usually have several different types of seafood on New Years. Shrimp will probably be on the menu as well.

So now Andrew has to go back on Wednesday morning. We will have to go through the goodbyes again. We hope that he stays in North Carolina for a while!

Bob

Can he really be gone?

• December
• 30

Well, Andrew left this morning at about 6 am. Seems like he just got here and had to leave. I know that he is hating that drive back. He is hoping that after he checks in from leave that he will be able to take a nap, and then turn around and drive back. Even though his leave is over he still has the holiday off. He is going to call us after he gets checked in.

Last night we had some family over for an open house. It was really nice, as Andrew has missed seeing everyone. There there was a lot of catching up going on. It was nice for us as well. Seems like everyone is so busy, that we rarely get to see the ones we love. It is always a good thing when families get together.

I think that Andrew had a great time being home. He got around a lot and saw a lot of friends and families. He was for sure more relaxed here than in Iraq. Again, we are thankful that he is in the United States, safe and sound. May everyone be so lucky.

Bob

Isn’t this snow great! Snowball Fight!!!!!

• December
• 29

Some Cruise Pictures

• December
• 28

Margo and Andrew figured that they could just take the SD card from his camera and put it in her camera, since her cord would not fit his camera. Success! Here are a few pictures.

It looks like some Marines were having some well deserved fun!

We never did make it to Owens Station yesterday, so the clays will live another day! I think that Andrew needs a break from shooting anyway.

We did make it to The Lighthouse last night. Andrew and I had the crab cakes and Margo had chicken. Everything was excellent. If you haven’t been there, make it a point to go!

Tonight I am barbecuing some filets. Andrew loves steak, and so do we.

Bob

Leave Is Getting Short

• December
• 27

Andrew will be going back to Camp Lejune on Sunday. Where has the time gone?

Yesterday he did a little shopping at the mall and last night he was rocking “The House” at Bargain Bill’s.

Today I want to take him to Greenwood to shoot some clays at Owens Station. Don’t take a Marine who is an “Expert” shooter to the clays range if you are competitive. Last time he out shot me!

Tonight we will probably take him to The Lighthouse Sound Restaurant in Bishopville.  Excellent food, excellent service!

Bob

Great Christmas Morning

• December
• 25

Well we had a great Christmas morning. Margo’s parents came over for Margo’s famous casserole breakfast. It was great. Margo has been caught crying a couple of times. She still can’t believe that Andrew is home.

Last night the boys went to their grandparents house in Seaford. They both wore suits and were very impressive!

Tonight we are all going down to Chef Fred’s for dinner. That will be nice and Margo won’t have to cook or clean up!

Bob

Happy Holidays to All of the Troops, May they all come home safe!

• December
• 24

Hoping that all of the young men and women serving our country have a happy holiday season, and that they all return home safe to those that love them!

Bob

Andrew is home from the cruise, but the pictures are still in the camera!

• December
• 23

Margo and Andrew both have Casio cameras, and thought that they would use the same cable to download the pictures. Not! Wouldn’t you know that they changed the cable. So there will be no way to get the photos out of the camera until Andrew gets back in North Carolina.

He is starting to get back to normal, after the jet lag phase. Still, anything is better than being in Iraq!

Andrew is having dinner at his grandparent’s house in Salisbury tonight. Earlier he was Christmas shopping with his brother and a friend.

Oh, and Andrew did bring us some rum cake from the Cayman Islands! It was a sampler with 6 different flavors of cake, and it also had some rum in it! Can’t wait to get into it!

Bob

Andrew is home again

• December
• 22

They did manage to get off of the ship at 9:30 yesterday. Today they arrived home at around 8:00. Tired? Yes they were, but glad to be home. Chris still has to drive back to West Virginia by himself, and the van is headed back to Connecticut.

And Andrew will be taking a nap. He said that he has been up for 24 hours!

We will try to get some pictures up later.

Bob

The Cruise Is Over!

• December
• 21

Well the cruise is over. Here is a view of the ship cam showing the home port, Miami. We haven’t heard from the boys, as I suspect they were having the time of their lives!

Andrew will probably call when they get under way for the long drive home. I am sure that drive will not be as nice as the first one! They still have some days of leave left and some Christmas time with their families. That is still a lot better than being in Iraq!

Bob

Email From The Ship

• December
• 19

We heard from Andrew this morning. He finally got internet access in his room.

They went to a private beach in Cozumel and paid $40 each for a 3 hour open bar, a t shirt, and snorkel gear.

They rented a jeep and drove around to see the sites and take some pictures.

Margo and I had sent some money to the ship to buy a round of drinks for the Marines. They had those and thanked us.

Today they will be in the Cayman Islands. That will be the highlight of the cruise. I hope he brings us some rum cake!

The Cayman Islands are one of our favorites in the Caribbean. We know that they will enjoy it. I told him to swim with the sting rays, if he has time. That was my personal favorite!

Bob

Cozumel

• December
• 18

Today the Marines are in Cozumel. We are hoping to get an email soon, but I am sure that they are all busy. I am sure that they will be leaving their mark all over Cozumel. It will probably never be the same!!!

Margo talked with a friend of hers who also has a son in the Marines. Margo sent her the link to the Welcome Home Andrew web site. She was very impressed that our towns went all out for Andrew’s welcome . She lives in a military town and there are so many young people returning that they only put the name of their units up when they return home.

We are very lucky to live in quiet, friendly Sussex County!

Bob

The Rest of the Clan

• December
• 17

We do have 3 other children who are not Marines.

They are also very important to us and we are lucky to have them.

Our daughter, Carrie,  is a hard working corporate gal and has always been very successful, while raising 2 beautiful children!

We also have a son in the Air Force. I was in the Air Force myself. I was lucky enough to have never seen combat action, but I was ready if it came to that. Bobby has been guarding missile silos, that most people don’t even know exist. And lucky for him he has been safe! Oh, and raising 3 beautiful children at the same time!

The last son, Jason,  is an entrepreneur. He has been mostly associated with the car industry. Anything to do with cars, such as stereos, high performance accessories, and what ever else you can think of!

The bottom line is that we are proud of ALL of our children. They are all unique in their own way, and are successful in what they have chosen!

I guess that we are very lucky  in that all of our children are successful in what they have chose to do with their lives.

We hope that the good Lord will comfort the families that are not so lucky .

We Heard From Andrew

• December
• 17

Andrew called from the cruise ship yesterday. There was a lot of commotion in the background. I can’t help but think that it was about 13 HAPPY MARINES!!

They have been working hard and now it is time to play hard. I just know that they will have a good time.

It is still hard for us to believe that they do not think of themselves as heroes. To them it is just another day at the job.

I am not going to jump on my soap box and talk about the idiots who think otherwise. But I will say that no matter what you believe in, we are as a nation,  just one voice. And that voice says that we are in a war. And someone has to be over there. And I thank God everyday for the young men and women who have decided to defend our nation! So that we, as a nation, can enjoy the freedom that we have. Don’t ever take it for granted. There has always been, and there will always be, a cost. Lives are lost and families suffer.

But for today, I am hoping that these Marines have the time of their lives! They deserve it.

Oh, and by the way. One of the Marines mom was a travel agent and hooked them up on these nice balcony cabins. I hope that I can find out who and give her credit. The bad thing is that she spoiled these Marines for life. They can never go DOWN to an inside cabin. I know the FEELING!!!!

Bob

The Few, The Proud

• December
• 15

Hard to imagine what that means, unless you know a Marine!

Send a message to the Marines!

• December
• 15

Andrew does not know about this blog yet. I am going to send it to him when he gets on the ship. So if you want to send him, or the other Marines on the cruise, a message, feel free to do so. I am sure that they would appreciate it. Just click on the title of any post and there will be a place at the bottom for “replies”. Just type your message in there and click on “submit comment”.

Bob