Saying Goodbye to Another Soldier

So last night we had our goodbye dinner with Skyler, Jena, and Cailyn. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here, but Skyler has followed family tradition and joined the military (note, this isn't a real tradition, but it sure looks like it is becoming one haha). We decided to take them to Teppanyaki since they had never been and we thought it would be fun for them as well as Cailyn (and boy were we right).

Cailyn had a ton of fun playing with the chopsticks and her plate while we were waiting for our chef to arrive. I wish we would have gotten some shots of her reactions to the fire parts because she absolutely loved that part and her face literally lit up (not just metaphorically haha). The chef was such a good sport and had this insane laugh that he would "make" at her. Then she would usually try and copy it. The best part was she was trying to copy how he made the food so she was mixing it all up on her plate as soon as a new item was added, and then the chef started doing the "throw shrimp at you to catch" thing and she loved it so much she grabbed a piece of her own shrimp and threw it at the chef. It ended up landing on the grill next to Skyler's chicken, but it was SO funny to see his reaction and how she kept wanting to copy him haha.

Overall it was a nice night, although it is sad to see him go. The good news is that it's only for 5 months, so he'll be back in time for the holidays. He's even doing his Boot Camp where Larry did his (Fort Jackson in South Carolina). His AIT will be in Maryland though, so it's a bit farther away. I think Larry and I lucked out with his being in Arizona so he could come home and I could visit him more easily. It will be interesting when he comes back to see how his compared with Larry's. Larry's AIT was 48+ weeks so his wasn't as strict as the other ones. I guess they figure if you're going to be there longer they want to make it not so hellish. We assume Skyler's might be a bit more like a second Boot Camp, but we'll see.

Even though it's only 5 months, I feel bad for Jena. I know it's so hard to have to say goodbye to your man and watch them leave without knowing when you'll get to hear from them next. Especially with a little one and another on the way, I'm sure it makes it a bit more difficult. But Larry and I have said we'll do what we can to be there for her and help her along. Hopefully he'll be back before Cailyn's birthday so at least he won't have to miss one of those.

Good luck Skyler, we'll be here waiting to hear all the stories you collect while you're away :)