Too Many Tearful Goodbyes!

It always breaks my heart when I have watched my kids say heart wrenching goodbyes. We’ve said a lot of tearful goodbyes over the years living the military lifestyle. Miramar was probably the hardest. Not so much for me, as Ed was already in Okinawa, I was excited to move to Okinawa, many of my friends had already moved, but it was how we had to leave and what I had to watch as I drove away. I had checked out of our government quarters and all of Vicki’s friends were on the sidewalk in front of our house giving Vicki, Ty, and Ryan last hugs goodbye. She had a TON of friends! The entire neighborhood kid population was there, those of you that know enlisted military housing, that can be a LOT of kids!!! I loaded all three kids into the jeep. (Jorden was visiting his Dad) Vicki was bawling her little eyeballs out as I was buckling Thing One & Thing Two into their car seats, they were all in car seats back than! As I started to pull away from the house that had been home for the last three years, all the kids in the neighborhood began following us, running alongside and behind the jeep waving and crying. We were all in tears as we drove away, heading off to visit family in New Mexico and Kelli in Texas. My eyes still tear up when I remember that day as we very slowly drove down Bellatrix Dr with a ton of military brats running alongside us waving and crying. It’s a visual that will never leave me. But I wouldn’t trade any of it for nothing! The tearful goodbyes only mean there are incredible memories shared with the most amazing of people! I actually feel blessed that I have had these tearful goodbyes, otherwise I would have no worthwhile memories to look back on!