My trip, days 1,2 and 3

My trip was amazing. Seeing Eddie in his uniform for the first time sent me in to a torrent of tears. He looks beautiful and much like he did the first night we kissed. I remember EXACTLY what he looked like that night. I imagine it will be the last image I see when I leave this earth.

We took the drive in two days, but had it not been for my sister I might have been able to do it in one. I did get my start at 5am just as I had planned although most people I knew said it couldn't be done. (4:55 to be exact) The first day we stayed at the NC/SC border in a town who's name I can't remember right now. We had continental breakfast, which incidentally, I will never tire of.

When we made it to Fort Benning, we went to the barracks where Eddie had been since 2/11. I wanted to sit for a while and really absorb the gravity I felt. I was less then 100 yds away from Eddie but still forbidden to see him. It was very surreal.

The next morning (after continental breakfast compliments of the hotel on base) we made our way to the hall where they were staging family day. We arrived 45 minutes early (I am obsessive about few things but one of them is being on time) and thankfully they had a TV in the rec center for Avery to amuse himself. I cried a little.

At 9:05 we were seated in an auditorium where we listened to a short speech about our soldier (insert me crying here), their drill sgts and what they were and weren't allowed to do.

No Drinking
No Drugs
No Driving
No taking off the uniform
Have your soldier back at 20:00

Easy enough.

We all filed out and lined up so we could watch the soldiers march. I cried a little more. We could hear the soldiers singing their cadences from the sidewalk. (I cried a bit and started to tremble) They started marching toward us. I have no idea what they were saying except for "Kill" I could make that out clearly. This, in and of itself, was VERY entertaining because imagining Eddie saying "Kill", with a bunch of other guys, is very uncharacteristic of him and funny.

They got closer. Then I spotted him. Finding the words to describe what I felt at that moment is difficult. He looked wonderful. He was glowing. All of the waiting, at that moment, was over. It was cathartic. I had made it. He did too. I was proud of the both of us, washed over with love, reminded of my attraction to him, his being a wonderful father, and a deep sense that the worst part of the basic training experience was now behind us. I started to cry hard enough that I couldn't see. I don't know what they said or did after I spotted him. I really can't remember. All I can remember is seeing him, starting to shake then they released the soldiers.

I hugged him and cried (I know! I'm a big cry baby). We spend a wonderful day together. Avery looked at him at first. Most likely because he looks a LOT thinner then he did when he left and in addition wore a beard for most of the time. Most of the pictures Avery looked at had Eddie with a beard so I think he was just making sure that was actually his dad. I think the suit threw him off too because Eddie was a jeans and t-shirt man. It didn't take him long to tell his Daddy how much he missed him and hug and kiss him.

Surprisingly, Ryan knew who he was too. I was most worried that Ryan wouldn't remember his dad, but relieved that he did. He went right in his arms and started calling him dada. Even now when he sees pictures of Eddie he says DAAAA or Dada.

We went to a very nice Chinese food restaurant and had the most amazing tofu dishes. Eddie ate all of his and half of mine. Something I learned about the South in the first couple days...If you request ANYTHING vegetarian you WILL throw a wrench into the whole getting food thing.

"I'd like two hamburger kids meals with no meat"
"You want no meat?"
"Yes, no meat"
"You mean you want the hamburger with no meat"
"Yes"
"So what you want is a bun and ketchup and pickles"
"Yes"
"Oh, well I don't know how to ring that up. Let me get my manager"
5 minutes goes by and the manager comes over. She can't figure out how to ring it up either so they just tell the burger maker my order while 20 people accumulate behind me.

As we were finishing up our amazing tofu, our waitress, who happened to be haitian, approached the table next to us. The man sitting at the table said (loudly) "Hey, you aren't chinese. I thought this place was supposed to be authentic" (of course with the southern drawl you would expect in GA). Our jaws just about hit the table. That is just something you wouldn't EVER hear around here and it took all of us by surprise.

Afterward we went to the local mall, walked around and most importantly, got Eddie his first coffee drink in 10 weeks. We spend the rest of the time in our hotel room, the px (arcade for the boys). When it was time for him to return, Avery got really sad. While falling asleep in the back of the car he cried and told Eddie that he didn't want him to leave. We both explained to Avery that we would get to see him the next day. Both boys fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel.