Surprise!

Ben showed up at the house on Sat. 10/17. Wow, I almost had a heart attack! I could not believe my eyes! What is he doing at home? We just saw him last week at his Graduation!

Now that he's done with Basic Training, the rules are much more relaxed. He gets nights & weekends off, & Columbus Day off. So he decided to shock his family & friends. However it was not without travel stress of :
1. missing his original flight (the Army kept him way longer than expected),
2. the rescheduled flight required him to spend the night at the airport for an early flight next morning,
3. his ride back to the base flaked out on him, (but fortunately I was able to find him a shuttle to take him back to the base late Monday night),
4. he had not eaten since he left home Monday mid-day and everything was closed by the time he got back on base at 11:30 pm. And they don't have vending machines. Sorry! :-(

Even though he tried to visit as many friends as possible, not all was able to connect up with him. It was really nice for him to be able to see his friends face to face. He loved shocking many of his friends when he drove up to SLO Sunday evening for the night.

It was a quick 2+ day trip but he'll tell you it's all worth it. (He even asked me to give him a hair cut). He said, 'Make sure you don't mess it up!" How can you mess up cutting 1/8 inch of hair?

It was great seeing him. His ankle is still swollen but he's in good spirits. He started Airborne School yesterday (10/14). It will go 'til the end of October. Keep praying for complete healing & no other injuries during jump school. Thanks!