Wrapping Up Our Trip

I am very happy today to have the writings of a wonderful young lady whose statuses on Facebook has often prompted me to write a blog post or two. This story is in several parts and today’s post is the last one. 

One of the main things that I thought was rather funny about Blake was how much he ate over those four days that we were with him. Even when he was full, he still made room for anything else that caught his eye. He’d eat nonstop and he wouldn’t ever turn down bubble gum. When we ate at Hard Rock Café, he ordered a large burger and fries that could have easily fed two of us. Not even two hours later when we stopped for a scoop of ice cream, Blake ordered a large banana split. His excitement over the ice cream was hilarious. He ordered banana nut and Dutch chocolate ice cream and had caramel syrup drizzled over the top of the split along with whipped cream, nuts, and the normal two bananas. I didn’t even know that he liked bananas or nuts! I thought he hated them!

            Of course there were other things during our four days with my brother that I’ll never forget, such as going to Bass Pro Shops and having him teach me how to shoot a gun and watching the Basic Training video that he was given and hearing his comments about it, but writing about all of that will take entirely too long and I do not feel like I’d give it justice anyways. Throughout this weekend, I wanted to link my arm with his as he walked, but I knew that he would get into trouble for this form of PDA, even if it’s with his older sister. On Sunday, I nudged him a couple of times and he nudged me back, showing me that the brother that I have known for the last eighteen years isn’t truly gone. He has just grown up.

            Blake is now in Virginia and is preparing to start his Tech School next week. He was beyond ready to leave San Antonio and to move on from everything that reminded him of Basic Training. He hasn’t told us much, but he has told Mom and Dad that people came up to him and hugged him when he got off the bus at Fort Lee. Multiple people welcomed him to the base and congratulated him for making it through BMT. He said that people waved at him while he was on the bus, as well, and that “it was a complete 180 compared to Basic Training.” He is still trying to get used to using his phone regularly again, but he did post a video of a small tour of his new dorm for Mom. He even sent her a message tonight that said, “Ohmylawd, even the toilet paper is nice.” That’s my brother, alright.

            Now, I find myself walking steadily with my head held high. While alone, I’ll sometimes say “left, left, left, right, left” in my head, and when I walk with my two youngest siblings, I sometimes say it out loud. Charlie likes walking like his big brother does, as he is a real role model now. In a sense, it makes me feel like I’m more connected to my brother again. It makes me feel like he’s still walking beside me, no matter how far away the Air Force takes him.

Brooke is a wonderful and intelligent young lady who is entering her junior in college. She is the oldest of 4 children  and is very involved in the local community. I am very pleased that she offered to write for me while I am recovering from surgery. Hope you enjoy her writing as much as I have had.

Similar Posts:

• Oh How He Has Changed
• Journey To Texas
• The Joys of Family
• Will They Find Blake?
• The Benefits of Using a Skin Whitening Cream