4 Day Pass

Well, we had an amazing time together as a family of 3 this past weekend.

Jake was allowed a 4 day pass and we were able to meet up with him in Pensacola, Florida for some much needed fun and relaxation together. We were so grateful that my sister Ashley was able to come along as nanny.

Our day began very early on Thursday. Our flight left at 6:35 AM, so I was trying to keep the little man asleep as long as possible, but once Papa had picked us up at 5:30, Asher was WIDE awake. He was telling Papa what a great driver he was all the way across town... "Good job, Papa...stopping at the red lights. Hooray! You found the green light! Time to go over the super bridge!"

We easily checked in and got boarded onto the plane. I had tried to prepare Asher for what was to come, and in the days prior to our trip he kept repeating ,"We're going on a big jet airplane to see Daddy on the beach!" (see previous post!) so now that it was finally time to go, I was trying to be sure he understood what that meant. As he looked out the window as we prepared to taxi down the runway, Asher asked Aunt Ash & I, "We're going to fly to the moon?" Well...maybe he wasn't really sure what was going on.

We made a connection in Atlanta and got to Florida around 10:35. When we got off the plane and made our way out of the terminal, I could see Jake. What a wonderful sight! Asher didn't notice him until we got a bit closer, but once he did, he ran straight into his daddy's open arms. Talk about worth the wait!

We enjoyed a late breakfast/early lunch at one of the many Waffle Houses down south. The waitress recommended the cheese grits as a side, so I bit. Little did I know that it was grits with a slice of orange American cheese laid on top of some grits & then covered with a little more grits! Wish I had taken a picture of it to share with you all...or ya'll as they say! We then headed to our hotel to find a beach. We stayed on the Pensacola Naval Air Base and we ended up locating a small private beach on the base on the Bayou Grande where we were able to have the place all to ourselves. We had a fun dinner at Red Robin that evening and let Asher run around the Cordova Mall to let off some steam.

The next day we ended up playing at a local swimming pool, and later that evening, dined out a local seafood restaurant on the water called The Crab Trap. Here is a view of my boys out the window sharing some time together after our huge, but delicious, meal!

Aunt Ash & Asher made sure to check out the fish tank to find Nemo before we left! After our dinner, Jake decided to take us for a drive over a really long bridge. Asher, of course, loved that! We ended up finding Pensacola Beach and drove around looking at the gorgeous houses and water. This is what we saw when we parked our car and walked out onto the beach.
The moon, the star, the sunset, and the white sand with the rolling ocean waves....it was honestly amazing and so beautiful.

And we were happy.

The next day we came back to enjoy the beach during the daytime. It was absolutely fabulous by day, as well. Look at that SKY!

After we spent some time on the beach, we headed back to the hotel to clean up and while Nanny Aunt Ash & Asher took naps, we escaped to the Will Call Sports Bar to catch Iowa vs. Iowa State and Ohio State vs. Miami. It was so nice to just do something really normal like watch football and drink beer together! The day was even sweeter when the Hawks kicked butt.

On our final day together, we enjoyed some time at the National Naval Aviation Museum. Look what was greeting us when we arrived! Do you see how tiny Jake, Ash, & Asher look beneath it!

And look there!
Jake with an Aircraft Bringer Inner Dude....AWESOME!

We enjoyed a final vacation lunch together and then drove along the coast for about an hour before we headed back to the airport. Jake was meeting a fellow soldier there to drive back to Mississippi and we would catch a plane home a few hours later. It was very difficult to say goodbye again, but in trying to look ever forward, I know that we are a few months closer to the end of this journey and we have about 10 and a half left to go. As so many of my friends have reminded me, just take it one jellybean a day and keep going.

It was a wonderful trip and upon getting home after 10 PM we were all exhausted. After such a whirlwind weekend full of fun and emotion, when I came home and saw that my dad & brother had put up the front awning that had fallen off the house the week prior, the dog safely home and happy to see us after my in-laws had graciously watched her, and my fridge stocked with some staples from the ever-amazing Thomsens, I just fell apart. It was a good cry. I was glad to be home, but sad to be without my husband.

So, to make myself feel better I ate the 4 jellybeans that we had missed while we were away, and climbed into bed with the thoughts of the past 4 days to make me drift off to sleep with a smile on my face.
~Emily