day 151: not quite family day

Family Day is a tradition in the Marine Corps....or at least it is for our unit.

I cannot remember ever not going to one.

So when the girls asked me this morning "Why do we have to go if our whole family won't be there?" I responded with, "Well, it's just what we do. We've always gone, you always have fun, and your Dad would want us to go."

So there. We were going.

(Sad thing is, part of that pep talk was geared toward me.)

Reagan retorted, "Well, I'll go, but I won't have fun without my Daddy there."

There were two "Me, too," echoes in the car.

On the way to the armory, Michael Buble came up on shuffle; note that Michael Buble is only on my iPod because of my husband's influence. I left the first few lines of "Home" fill the truck, Aaron's truck, before I started to think that it might not be the best random song to listen to on such a day....and right then Reagan said, "Mom, I'm going to cry if you don't change the song." Song was changed.

Once at Family Day, the girls were consumed with bounce houses and sno-cones, glitter tattoos and freebies.

I mingled a little, but quickly realized that gone were the days when I knew just about everyone there. I didn't need more than my 10 fingers to count the people I knew and recognized. And gone were the days of Aaron and I being some of the youngest adults there. So when I say I mingled, I mean I chatted with those 10 people I knew. My comfort is in my familiarity.

While waiting on lunch, Reagan plopped on my lap and muttered, "It's just not fair that all these other kids have their Daddies here but we don't."

As if being surrounded by Marines from my husband's unit today and his absence intensified wasn't enough, my kids sure weren't helping.

We made a beeline for the truck as soon as the last raffle prize was handed out.

That building, the armory, is chock full of memories for this gal, just not all of them good. I'll be fine if I don't step foot there again until it's to welcome someone home.