An incredible weekend!

Friday we drove to Travis Air Force Base.  We had been invited to our nephew's pinning ceremony.  That would be Henry Hall Triplett III, aka Tres.  Tres was being promoted from Major to Lt. Colonel.  His father ( my brother) and mother flew in from Kentucky.  His wife, Casey, and their three children were there.  Other family present were Casey's Aunt; her cousin and husband, their two daughters;  and a cousin and her baby.  Many of Tres' squadron were there, several high ranking base officers, and some civilian workers.

The ceremony began with family escorted in, then the Color Guard marched in. The National Anthem was then played.  You have never experienced the Star Spangled Banner until you have heard it standing with 75 Air Force men and women.  I cried.  Most of them are so young and have been in the hell holes of the world protecting us.

The rest of ceremony told Tres' military history which was damn impressive.  I knew he was good, but he is better than I knew.  He has done the Air Force and the family proud. The best part was the actual pinning on of his Oak Leaf.  First they changed his rank on his coat epaulets, then they changed the ones on his shirt. Finally he was handed a new hat with his new rank on it.

After the ceremony his squadron put on a cookout for about 150 people that included Tres' family and their families.  Then we went home with Tres and had a Triplett reunion.  It was also Casey's 40th birthday.  The next day Casey and Tres left on a mini vacation and left their three children with the real grandparents and the pretend grandparents.

Below are some pictues from the ceremony.  The ceremony was held in the warehouse Tres is responsible for.  It is stocked with supplies that are needed when the Air Force takes supplies in for a crisis anywhere in the world.  This could be an earthquake, flood, hurricane, or a war zone.  Outside the warehouse are armor clad humvees and trucks, portable buildings, bulldozers, anything that they would need to survive on their own for four days.  That would be gasoline, water, food, everything. They have to be in the air within 12 hours from the time they receive the call they are needed.

From left Tres' parents, Ann Triplett, retired Lt. Colonel Henry H. Triplett, and Casey's Aunt Yvonne.

One aisle of the warehouse.  The blue on the right is a table for a small reception with cake, cookies, and punch.

             Tres on the right while the Color Guard marched in.

Casey and my brother pinning the Oak Leaf on Tres.  His son Hall, daughter Annabella, and his Mother wait their turn to pin.

Tres having his shirt rank changed.  Annabella had handed her Daddy his new hat.  As you can see she is a Daddy's girl.

                                           Tres taking his oath as a Lt. Colonel.

Tres thanking family and the military at the ceremony for their support.  He made a loving tribute to his wife Casey and how strong she has had to be.  Mitlitary spouses do not have an easy life.  They are mother and father.  They put their careers on hold as they move around the world.  My family thinks Casey is outstanding as a wife and mother.  And in her spare time she is a doctor.

We thank Lt. Colonel Triplett for his service and all the United States Military.

TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY SCHOOL AND WEDDINGS,

Tuesday was school day. I worked with nearly every child in the room on one skill or another. We worked on different math skills, reading out loud, sight words, phonics, and creative writing. These children are way more sophisticated than you and I were at 6 or 7 years old.

The students were asked to write about the 4 day weekend. One little boy wrote about the family's trip to the coast. They ate oysters and he ate two. I just can't imagine a 7 year old eating oysters. We then worked on the long o sound: o, o_e, ow, oa. They listed words such as boat, doze, tow, toe, know, etc. And then a little girl said roe. Ms. H and I thought row and she started to give an example of row a boat and put it in the ow column. "No", said S, "roe fish eggs you eat." I was probably in my 40"s when I even thought about eating roe. I had heard of caviar but did not think about other fish eggs. California kids amaze with their knowledge/exposure to extreme foods.

Wednesday, today, I arrived at the marriage factory and the place was packed. The volunteer before me was run off her feet. She usually averages 3 weddings. Today she never sat down, one wedding after another. And it did not let up when I took over. For the day 20 weddings. High for a Wednesday. I think I did between 8 and 10 weddings. I really don't know. I just picked up the licenses and did the job.

Two couples stand out; a military couple and an older couple, early 50's. The older couple had two divorces each. She was in a white chiffony dress. The bride was a junior plenty. The dress was a Grecian style top with crissed cross tied straps in the back. The girls were covered, but just barely. The straps were doing more than they were designed to do. The couple's children from previous marriages were there. The teenagers and a little older children were so excited about this wedding. This was such a sweet loving couple. She was teary and he was intense. I forgave her for a white dress that was too small. They were so loving and tender.

Couple 2, military. She was from San Ramon, he was also. Except he is stationed in Texas. He wore desert camouflage, she was in slacks and a casual top. They were so intense. So in love.

It breaks my heart when I see soldiers in uniform. I have career Air Force people in my family and it hits too close to home to see these young men and women service people. I thank all our military for keeping us safe .