Well, last weekend was the weekend that the ole Smith family headed up to Great Lakes, Illinois to watch our baby graduate from the Navy’s basic training. It was beautiful, emotional, heart wrenching, and exciting all at once.
None of us (except for Beau) had been to Chicago before, so that was a new experience. It was FREEZING! Holy cow! It was as cold in November as it gets the entire winter here. Much too cold and windy for me. The wind was biting. The air was cold. The sun never really came out…the sky was gray and cloudy.
We arrived at O’Hare on Thursday evening, and made the 30-40 minute drive up to Great Lakes, grabbed a bite to eat, and settled into our hotel. We stayed at the Navy Lodge, which may not be the Hilton, but it was VERY affordable and clean. And did I mention close to the base? That was the best part! As soon as Andrew would call in the morning, we would race out and head down three traffic lights to pick him up. It was so great!
Friday morning we got up before it was light outside and headed to the base. We hadn’t seen him yet, and we were anxious to get to him. We had heard that we needed to get there super early to get a good seat and to get there before the division t-shirts ran out. (Each division gets to design their own flag, and then they make a limited number of t-shirts that match and sell them the morning of graduation.) We were definitely there early, got a great seat right in front of where Andrew’s division was supposed to stand, and waited, and waited, and waited. Totally worth the wait!!!
The PIR hall (graduation is called Pass In Review, or PIR) is a long warehouse looking building that seems as long as a football field. There is a roll up garage-like door that opens and each division marches in the door, down one “sideline”, and up the back “sideline”. Visitors sit along the front “sideline” as they watch each division come in and then take their place in the hall facing the visitors.
Andrew’s division was second to last to enter, so we were at the end of the hall. We saw his division march up, and we started hunting for Andrew. They all sort of look alike with their matching uniforms, hats, and shaved heads. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen was when I finally caught a glimpse of Andrew marching in with his head up and his shoulders back. It was absolutely beautiful. I can’t describe it, but I will never forget the way he looked. We all immediately burst in to tears (and I mean “we ALL”). We then made it through the rest of graduation, found Andrew afterwards, and then tried to beat a path out of there, lest he get stuck on base when we wanted him all to ourselves!
Dropping him off at the base each evening was terrible. It just sucked having to watch him walk back to his barracks each evening instead of getting to stay with the family. But the next morning, we did it all over again. We got to go into Chicago to the Navy Pier (freaking cold right on the water until we realized that we could walk inside…genius); went to the Sears Tower (I didn’t go up, but drove around the block a few dozen times because I couldn’t find parking that wasn’t illegal); went to a huge mall at Gurney Mills (similar to Grapevine Mills); and ate.
It was just so great to get to see Andrew, and laugh at his humor, and listen to him apologize to Mom over and over for swearing in front of her. A lady thanked him for his service while we were out, and he said, “Thank you, ma’am.” I cried when she told him that, and I really cried when he thanked her. He held doors open for people; he took his hat off when he went into buildings. He really has changed so much in so little time. He was sad to see us leave, and we were definitely sad to leave him. I wanted to pack him up in my suitcase and bring him home. But I didn’t, and he has already left basic training and arrived in Groton, Connecticut, where he will begin his A School on December 1. He doesn’t get to come home for Thanksgiving, but hopefully he will be able to get a few days at Christmas. Can’t wait to see him again, and I really can’t wait for Mike to get to see him. I am just so proud of Andrew, although I still say he might should have his head examined. Haha!
One of the ONLY things that I like about this time of year is that when it gets cold, that means it's time for FIRESIDE COFFEE!!! Woo-hoo! 
I am a proud (some might describe it as psycho) Navy sister!!!