Skip to main content

Memorial Day Activities

We began today with a nice loooong talk with Daddy on the phone, as usual :) I had found out yesterday that Ft. Sam was hosting a free concert with the San Antonio Symphony today so we were planning to go. First I had to give Noah a buzz because it's just too hot and humid now for long locks. He sweats enough as it is! I think I did a pretty good job. I picked out a nice red polo for him to wear, thought it looked pretty patriotic. We bought him a little flag to wave around (he loves flags) and some chips and we were off to Ft. Sam.

I realize today is not yet Memorial Day, but since we were already on base I decided we should visit the cemetery. I knew there were over 100,000 graves there, but to actually see them in person is truly a sight to behold. As soon as we pulled in I was crying. I cried because there were so many. I cried because my husband made it home. I cried because I saw people carting flowers and flags for tombs of their family members who didn't make it home. I cried for the old veterans who were just staring, like me, trying to take in the totality of the sacrifice these people made for us. I was carrying Noah and I just felt grateful for everything I had. Josh isn't with me, but I talk to him every day and that's more than a lot of people can say. He came home. So after all that outpouring of emotion we headed on over to the concert to celebrate what all those men and women died for... "America", the idea, the reality, the freedom, the opportunity, the way of life, and the people.

Noah had tons of fun before the concert began by waving his flag around all over the place. He actually insisted on taking it to bed with him tonight. Like I said, the boy loves flags! He also found great delight in trying to hold our big new umbrella up on his own. "Hold it tight. I DID IT! Look Mommy! Fly in the Sky! FLY!"... I'm not sure where the flying part came in, but it may have been Mary Poppins' fault. DAMN YOU POPPINS!! hahaha I just wanted to say it.

Believe it or not the SA Symphony has a mascot! His name is Count Bassey (not too sure on the spelling) and he's a cello. The count was handing out little conductor wands to all the kids. He scared the crap out of Noah. Behold Noah's reaction as soon as he saw him. As the evil Count crept closer to us Noah let out this awful moany-scream... like the sound I make when I see a ginormous roach. The promoter with the Count was so impressed with Noah's reaction that he took his picture a couple times. We still got a wand and after that Noah was kind of obsessed with the big fuzzy cello. Not really out of fear anymore though... more like extreme caution.

The concert was great and I really admire them for putting it on despite the adverse weather conditions. I even got to stand up and sing the Army Song :) Whenever the Army Song is played, anyone currently serving or who has served in the Army is supposed to stand at attention and sing LOUD and PROUD. I sure did! It was fun for me and I got to remind some of the vets out there the rules ;) I think I was the first one to stand up. There was at least one person from every branch there and they all got their chance to stand and sing, whether they wanted it or not. They also performed a song written by Mark Ligon, a sophomore in HS who won best composition in the "Young Composers" competition. It was called "Peace Within" and it was amazing. I was impressed! The finale was the 1812 overture, complete with real cannons. Right after it was finished the fireworks started in the distance. It was all very well done. I think the Army guys manning the cannons got a little too "gun happy". They were setting off cannons for about 5 minutes after the overture. Poor Noah was freaking out about the "big BOOM". I'm sure there were a few vets there freaking out as well.

All in all it was a good day. The weather didn't change our plans. Tomorrow we're hoping to have V over for a cookout. It's going to be a total girl cookout. It's not going to be greasy or BBQ'y... it's going to be fresh veggies and salad and fruits and probably grilled fish. YUM! Maybe I'll get Noah some more sparklers or something. Right now it is well past my bedtime. Goodnight all.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Please take a moment to remember our fallen heroes.

Comments

Britni said…
I love the buzz cut,so cute on him!It sounds like you guys had a really nice day:)
5/28/2007 10:08 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hurricane Sandy

This will be a gleefully uneventful post, but I thought I should at least inform everyone of our whereabouts during Frankenstorm. On Friday the landfall predictions were further south, which had the eye passing near our tiny town after obliterating Dover, DE.  We happen to be surrounded by water.  The Patuxent River on one side, Chesapeake Bay on the other, plenty of swamps and creeks in between.  Not a good prospect. Josh and I had gone out that night to try and secure supplies and already, there were no batteries or flashlights.  We also don't have a grill and thought "we'll try Lowe's tomorrow"I mean, most people already own grills... right?  Everything in our house is run on electricity (including the water pump for the well) except for the fireplace.  I don't know what builders are thinking when they do that.  I at least want a gas stove and water heater!  So, anyways.  We got a few hours of sleep before trying to brave the crowds...
2 comments
Read more

Germany

Noah and I are having a great time out in Germany with Josh. The house we're sharing is amazing and the people are also amazing. The only thing we don't have is our own kitchen, but like I said, the people who live here (Josh's friends) are amazing so it's not even an issue. I've been cooking for everyone to try to thank them in some way. We haven't been to many places yet. It's hard to go anywhere with a baby who has a naptime and a husband who has a job. However!! We managed to make it out to Heidelberg to see the castle. It was awesome. the walk up to the castle mmmm castle Heidelberg down below Christmas is huge here. They've even got Christmas markets out in the parking lot in front of WalMart. We've been to Luisenplatz a few times in downtown Darmstadt to visit all the Christmas shops they have set up. It's like a Christmas flea market. Thus far all I've blown money on is candy... mmmm German candy is so delicious. It's...
1 comment
Read more

Hiking on the Guadarrama Trail

As promised yesterday, I actually left the house and went on a hike with Mama C and Goober!  YAY! I was a bad Mommy and ill prepared to shield us from the hot Spanish sun so we all have a touch of sunburn.  Whoops.  It was fun though.  OK so here's where we began our journey.  You can see the bridge between the roundabout and the little house with a red roof (which is a restaurant).  All the cylindrical buildings were a plant nursery.  We walked over the bridge and past the nursery where we crossed the street and then started up the dirt path.  The other little building is literally a Gypsy Keep. Here's what it looked like from the road... and it was so ridiculously creepy, yet fascinating.  I don't know why there is always tons of junk in trees around gypsy places.  There was a gutted van in the backyard, a stroller jammed into a wall, shorts in the trees.  We both wanted to trespass, but the kids would have inevitably fal...
Post a Comment
Read more