Home at Last - Blogged by JME and N8
N8 flew back to the states on Saturday, July 24th, 2010. He flew into San Diego to demobilize and while there was able to see a few sights. Monday, July 26th, he was able to go eat at one of his favorite restaurants. I'll give you three guesses on which restaurant he went to . . . that's right . . . the Hard Rock Cafe.
Tuesday, he was almost finished with the demobilization process but just needed his PPD (TB test) read on Wednesday, so to pass the time, N8 and some of his buddies went to a Padres game. It was really cool and they even had the jumbo-tron announce they were there and welcomed them.
By Wednesday, N8 had his PPD read and it was negative. Phew! Now he can come home! However, since our last name is at the end of the alphabet, N8 was at the end of the list of people getting their flight itinerary. He didn't get an itinerary until Friday, July 30th, and flew home that evening. Talk about a long week of waiting. It was probably the longest week of that whole year being apart.
We had a busy first week of N8 being home. We spent the weekend visiting with our families. It rained a little on Saturday night, and we peaked outside to see a gorgeous rainbow. There were two full rainbows that touched down on both sides. JME told N8 that it was ordered especially for him to welcome him home.
On Monday, we woke up bright and early and hiked to a waterfall near our home. Poor N8 wasn't used to the altitute change and had a hard time getting enough oxygen. He hiked the trail really well, but was white as a ghost when we got to the top. N8 recovered pretty quick after resting for a few minutes by the waterfall.
After that, we thought we would take a dip in the pool at our apartments, but the pool was closed because some kid pooped in it. It was pretty disappointing, but we did go to the movies and saw 'Prince of Persia.' My brother, Z, works at a theater and got us in for free.
We had to get up early on Tuesday to get to the NOSC (Naval Operational Support Center) for Nate to check in and start his leave. While we were there, we took the opportunity to do a session in the temple. It was a live session and was really cool.
Later that evening, we went with Pookie and FireRyan to see 'Dinner for Schmucks."
We finally got to sleep in on Wednesday, but not for too long. N8's work called and told him he needed to come in and have a drug test before he came back to work. Yay! A drug test!!! Good thing we didn't have poppyseed muffins for breakfast!!! However, N8 did have some asparagus earlier in the week and was still under the effect of that green little vegatable. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and won't call him back again soon. Later that day we went to a spa nearby and had a couple's massage. It was so relaxing and so needed.
We both went back to work on Thursday. It was nice to be back into a routine.
We had a welcome home party for N8 at the splash pad near our home Friday night. Friends, family, and even coworkers came by and had root beer floats. It was so great to see the people we care about again and the people who have supported us so much during the times N8 has been away from home for military duty. We have truly been blessed with so many wonderful friends and such a great family. After everyone left and we were cleaning up, we had a chance to reflect about all of the amazing people we know that have touched our lives for good.
Saturday was a busy day for us. We woke up early because JME was running in a 5K with Pookie, and our niece, Pounder. N8 bought JME an IPOD Nano as a coming home gift and JME was able to use it in the race. It was really nice and perfect to race with. It had a case that attached to a band that went around her arm and stayed secure the whole time. It was great! JME's time for this 5K was 33:10.4. It was a minute slower than the last race she ran, but that was okay. This time the route was a bit tougher and she was just happy she finished.
After the race, we came home and went for a swim. They finally reopened the pool. It was so nice to go for a cool dip! We relaxed most of the day and even went to see a free movie (Fantastic Mr. Fox) that they were playing at the library close by.
That evening, we went to a very special birthday party. N8's grandpa just turned 80 and we were able to celebrate it with him. He lives about four hours away and so we don't get to see him as much as we would like. His three daughters threw the party. They did such a great job. We were able to visit with both his brother and sister and look at pictures of him growing up. It was so nice spending time with grandpa and the family.
We sang 'Happy Birthday' to him while he led the music. The cake was delicious, the weather was fine, and the company was great.
So, that was N8's first week home. Kind of busy, but lots of fun! We're happy to have him back. It was such a neat experience for him in Germany, but there's no place like home.
N8 flew back to the states on Saturday, July 24th, 2010. He flew into San Diego to demobilize and while there was able to see a few sights. Monday, July 26th, he was able to go eat at one of his favorite restaurants. I'll give you three guesses on which restaurant he went to . . . that's right . . . the Hard Rock Cafe.
Tuesday, he was almost finished with the demobilization process but just needed his PPD (TB test) read on Wednesday, so to pass the time, N8 and some of his buddies went to a Padres game. It was really cool and they even had the jumbo-tron announce they were there and welcomed them.
By Wednesday, N8 had his PPD read and it was negative. Phew! Now he can come home! However, since our last name is at the end of the alphabet, N8 was at the end of the list of people getting their flight itinerary. He didn't get an itinerary until Friday, July 30th, and flew home that evening. Talk about a long week of waiting. It was probably the longest week of that whole year being apart.
We had a busy first week of N8 being home. We spent the weekend visiting with our families. It rained a little on Saturday night, and we peaked outside to see a gorgeous rainbow. There were two full rainbows that touched down on both sides. JME told N8 that it was ordered especially for him to welcome him home.
On Monday, we woke up bright and early and hiked to a waterfall near our home. Poor N8 wasn't used to the altitute change and had a hard time getting enough oxygen. He hiked the trail really well, but was white as a ghost when we got to the top. N8 recovered pretty quick after resting for a few minutes by the waterfall.
After that, we thought we would take a dip in the pool at our apartments, but the pool was closed because some kid pooped in it. It was pretty disappointing, but we did go to the movies and saw 'Prince of Persia.' My brother, Z, works at a theater and got us in for free.
We had to get up early on Tuesday to get to the NOSC (Naval Operational Support Center) for Nate to check in and start his leave. While we were there, we took the opportunity to do a session in the temple. It was a live session and was really cool.
Later that evening, we went with Pookie and FireRyan to see 'Dinner for Schmucks."
We finally got to sleep in on Wednesday, but not for too long. N8's work called and told him he needed to come in and have a drug test before he came back to work. Yay! A drug test!!! Good thing we didn't have poppyseed muffins for breakfast!!! However, N8 did have some asparagus earlier in the week and was still under the effect of that green little vegatable. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and won't call him back again soon. Later that day we went to a spa nearby and had a couple's massage. It was so relaxing and so needed.
We both went back to work on Thursday. It was nice to be back into a routine.
We had a welcome home party for N8 at the splash pad near our home Friday night. Friends, family, and even coworkers came by and had root beer floats. It was so great to see the people we care about again and the people who have supported us so much during the times N8 has been away from home for military duty. We have truly been blessed with so many wonderful friends and such a great family. After everyone left and we were cleaning up, we had a chance to reflect about all of the amazing people we know that have touched our lives for good.
Saturday was a busy day for us. We woke up early because JME was running in a 5K with Pookie, and our niece, Pounder. N8 bought JME an IPOD Nano as a coming home gift and JME was able to use it in the race. It was really nice and perfect to race with. It had a case that attached to a band that went around her arm and stayed secure the whole time. It was great! JME's time for this 5K was 33:10.4. It was a minute slower than the last race she ran, but that was okay. This time the route was a bit tougher and she was just happy she finished.
After the race, we came home and went for a swim. They finally reopened the pool. It was so nice to go for a cool dip! We relaxed most of the day and even went to see a free movie (Fantastic Mr. Fox) that they were playing at the library close by.
That evening, we went to a very special birthday party. N8's grandpa just turned 80 and we were able to celebrate it with him. He lives about four hours away and so we don't get to see him as much as we would like. His three daughters threw the party. They did such a great job. We were able to visit with both his brother and sister and look at pictures of him growing up. It was so nice spending time with grandpa and the family.
We sang 'Happy Birthday' to him while he led the music. The cake was delicious, the weather was fine, and the company was great.
So, that was N8's first week home. Kind of busy, but lots of fun! We're happy to have him back. It was such a neat experience for him in Germany, but there's no place like home.
so glad he is home to ya:)
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