Day 4 in Kentucky (late entry)

Sorry this is such a late entry. I was way too tired when I got home on Sunday and then on Monday morning I had the first phase of my ROOT CANAL done. That was enough to keep me upset for a day or two. I hate having dental work done and this was/is my first root canal. I would have to say it has been a most unpleasant experience thus far. The anesthesia they give to numb my mouth makes me very jittery and caused my legs to shake uncontrollably. I think I must have been shaking so hard that that is why she finally decided to ask me if I needed a break. During my break I had a little melt down emotionally. I cried a little and it took me a few minutes to get myself together. I think one of the reasons I got so upset was I had not shed any tears since I left Steven at the base on Sunday. Which takes me back to how Sunday (day 4) went.

We got off to a quicker start on Sunday because we had a few things we wanted to do before I had to have him back on base. We went back to Denny's for breakfast and pretty much ordered the same things we had had the day before. I had decided that if the Interstate was clear of traffic then I would go that way this time instead of the lesser traveled 31W that I had taken in the rain on Friday morning. Luckily, it was clear sailing all the way to Ft. Knox.

Steven had already told me he wanted to go to the Patton Museum at some point over the weekend and Sunday was the perfect time, since it is so close to the base. The museum was interesting. A little bit of history that many of you do not know, Jimmy's dad was in the Army when Patton was killed in an automobile accident. Actually, his dad was one of the two men who were sent to the accident site in the ambulance to bring Patton to the hospital. I never heard the story for myself, but Jimmy was told about it several times when he was growing up. According to Jimmy's research, his dad was stationed in the right place at the right time for this to be accurate. Anyway, because of this Patton holds a special place of interest in our family.

We didn't spend too much time at the museum because we had a few things we wanted to do on base before I hit the road. Despite the fact that he was not ordered to be back until 3:30, I needed to get on the road before that so that I wasn't driving too much in the dark. So I had planned on leaving Ft. Knox at about 1:30 or 2:00. Steven wanted to see the big PX on base because he had never had the chance to go there. He pretty much has to stay in his training area for now. So as we were walking around the areas of the PX (which pretty much looked like a low scale WalMart) I saw a bunch of inspirational pictures and poems about being proud of your son/daughter/husband/wife/etc. One of the shirts said "If you think being a soldier is tough, try being a soldier's Mom" With all of those things there I began to get a little emotional, Steven noticed me crying and once he understood why, was very understanding. It didn't last too long because I didn't want to make our last litttle bit of time together to be full of tears and mush. I quickly got us occupied in other thoughts and we moved on.

We decided to eat lunch at the Burger King on base and after that we went back to his area of base so I could get a few more pictures. We went to the PX he usually goes to to get his hair cut and his other supplies. I was able to get the T-shirts I wanted. One for me that says Army Mom and one for Jimmy that says Army Dad (duh). It is so hard to express just how proud of him I am.

One of the things Steven said on the way back to base made me feel so much better about leaving hm. He said he was actually looking forward to getting back into his routine and getting to see his battle buddies. He has developed some good friendships and is really comfortable in his environment. He feels like his life has directions now and that is a good feeling. He enjoyed his break but he was ready to get back to work. That really did put my mind at ease. It also helps to know that I will be seeing him again in about 6 weeks.

I did manage to get on the road by 2 pm and had a very good trip home. The weather was nice and the roads were not too busy. I was able to talk to Mom for a good little bit and that helped the time go by faster. One of the best parts about coming home is the view of the mountains of North Carolina while still in Tennessee. I couldn't resist snapping a pic while driving. It's a good thing I didn't get in an accident or anything. The other good part about coming home is getting to see the rest of my kids. Unfortunately, I had to go to the dentist the next day and that put a bit of a damper on my return. Guess when the second phase of my root canal process is? You got it...the week after we get back from Kentucky in May. Oh well, I will be glad when the whole process is over.

So we will be seeing Steven again on April 30 at the reception dinner the night before Graduation. I can hardly wait. I will be continuing to update everyone and I will also continue to post Steven's letters as I get them. Hope this has helped those of you who were left hanging waiting to see how my trip ended.