Land of the Free

On this Veterans Day I can't help but think of those in my life who have dedicated part of their lives to serving our country.

This is a picture of my Grandma and Papa sometime around 1946. My Papa was a member of the Navy and fought in World War II. My grandma was just 16 when the love of her life (just a boy of 18 himself) left to fight for our country. For two years they faithfully wrote letters back and forth and expressed their love for eachother. The letters are now a family treasure. My Papa died when i was in high school, we flew to Illinoise to attend his funeral where his coffin was draped with an american flag and there was a 21 Gun Salute in his honor. I still have one of the casings of the bullets from that day. He left me me his railroad keys from his many years on the railroad and his bible which is one of my most prized possessions. He was such an amazing grandpa and I miss him dearly. I'm so happy that he is able to be with my grandma in heaven now. My grandma passed on before I was born. From the stories I hear she was an amazing woman too... she gave me my mom and for that alone I'll always love her!

Above is a picture of my amazing husband!! Oh how I love him so much!! Joe was a member of the Utah National Guard from 1999 to 2006. During that time he spend 2 years deployed, 1 year of that being in Ramadi, Iraq. Joe called me nearly EVERYDAY while he was away, my phone was glued to my hand and i would drop ANYTHING to hear his voice. It was such a stressful time having him over there, but we grew together so much becuase of it!

Since our 4 year anniversary is one week from today (Nov 18) I see it fitting to write our love story in the next post.

(brace yourself ... its going to be a long post :))