The last time I was home (in Blono - my real home) was over 2 months ago to see my little brother enlist in the Air National Guard. My family has always been important to me, but since starting at SLU and moving to St. Louis full time at the beginning of my sophomore year, it has become an even bigger part of my life. I realize I am only 3 hours away, but away is away. Plus, with working weekends, I am not able to go see them whenever I would like to. That's why trips home are so emotional for me.
While home, I was able to see some great friends and catch up on their lives. I love that I still have friendships from high school that are such a central part of my life. These are people that I know I can depend on through anything, and I am eternally grateful that I have them. They help bring me back to reality and just enjoy myself and my life. Plus, one of my good friends is getting married in October, so it is beyond exciting to hear about the plans and see how happy and in love she is. It's going to be such a great wedding to experience!
I also saw Dan's sister graduate high school. I've known Ali for 7 years now, so it's crazy to think that she is grown up enough to graduate. Plus, she will be leaving for West Point within the next month, so that is emotional, too. Dan is so proud of her, and so am I. Next time we go home, it will be so different without the little siblings around.
Which brings me to the main reason this weekend was emotional. Josh was supposed to leave for basic in October, but they called saying they had an earlier date, and asked if he wanted it. Without even asking what the date was, he said yes. He cannot wait to get out of Blono and start his life. He will be leaving June 7, so we had his going away party this weekend. Basically, for the next year, Josh will not be home except for potential short breaks between different trainings. Over the next 8 weeks of basic, the only communication I can have with my baby brother is letter writing. Then he will go to FL for 19 weeks for TAC-P training, and at some point he will also be going to WA for survival school (or something like that). He has a lot of training ahead of him, and I am so proud of him, but I am definitely going to miss him. We have gotten a lot closer as we've gotten older, so not being able to text him about my day is going to be such a hard change to adjust to. I already cannot wait to go see him graduate from basic...
Now for the wisdom of a 4 yr old -
My niece is my favorite person in the world. She amazes me every time I see her with how smart, friendly, and absolutely caring she is. Right before I was getting ready to leave, a bird pooped on my leg. It was this tiny little thing near my ankle, but I semi freaked out, asking my dad frantically to bring me something to whip it off and saying how "gross" and "disgusting" it was. Aidan asked what happened with genuine concern and came over to look at it, when she saw it, she said "well, it's a small little bit." Talk about perspective. She definitely brought me back down to earth. She didn't say it in a normal bratty 4 year old voice (that she has also perfected - don't get me wrong!). Instead, she was trying to console me. She did not deny that a bird pooped on me, but she put it in perspective - it could have been a lot worse. Just like the rest of life.
I need her influence in my life more often!
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