Saturday, August 30, 2008

Camel spiders and M.R.Es...Ugh!!

While Peter has been home, he has shared with us many of his experiences of being in Iraq. It is a amazing to think that, while we enjoy all the comforts of everyday life, there are young men and women enduring great hardship for the freedoms many of us take for granted. He has told of us the scorching heat, (the hottest day for him was 147 degrees!!) the sand storms so thick that you can not see the sun and, of course, the famous Camel spiders.
YIKES!!!

While he is on his base he sleeps in a trailer with air conditioning and he gets to eat pretty decent food. When he goes out on a mission, he looses even those small luxuries.


On a mission, the living arrangements are, at best, primitive. There is no running water and the only water they have available to drink is rationed, bottled water, that is usually hot. For every meal they eat a M.R.E. (The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging procured by the United States military for its service-members for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. From Wikipedia, )Yumm!!

So, all that to say, Peter is enjoying being home. On the way home from one of our trips to Amarillo, he said, somewhat wistfully, "Being home makes me not want to go back, everything in the States is so nice". He knows he needs to go back. He has a job to finish. He just has a whole new perspective on all that we have because we are Americans.
Last night at dinner he said, "I hope that people appreciate all that we (soldiers) are going through so that we (Americans) can enjoy what we enjoy". He was recalling how, when the war first began, people were so patriotic. Everyone had flags in their front yard and were proud to be Americans. He said that if feels like they have forgotten that soldiers are still fighting for them.
Our younger son, Josh, reminded him that we would always have a flag hanging for him and the rest of the soldiers.
I woke up thinking about that conversation. I guess my prayer for all Americans is that we will remember that freedom is not free. A great price has been and will continue to be paid for it. May we never take it for granted.

Peter enjoying some of the finer things in life, chocolate brownies and a cold glass of milk:)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Thanks!!




Thank you, to all you who have posted comments to Peter. He has read each one. We all are touched by your kind words. I think that sometimes when the guys are in Iraq, they forget that they have tremendous support here at home.
I have added a few more pictures but I still don't have the whole "pic thing" figured out.

Peter is Home Safe and Sound!!



The day we had been waiting for finally arrived, Peter came home! (I am not sure if it is possible but it seems like he has gotten a little taller). His flight finally arrived at 9:00 last night in Amarillo. He was exhausted but so glad to be on American soil. 
While we were waiting for his bag, he told us a really fun story about arriving in Dallas. The plane he flew into Dallas on was filled with about 120 soldiers, all arriving from Kuwait. He said, when they landed, two fire trucks saluted the plane buy spraying water high into the air. Then when they entered the terminal, he could hear them announcing their arrival over the intercom. Peter said, "Mom, I felt like a celebrity!". There was over 500 people standing and cheering when they walked through. There were people of all ages greeting them and thanking them for serving our country. He told us of a sweet elderly gal waving pom poms and giving them all hugs as they came by.
We are so grateful to those people! Peter and his fellow soldiers had been trying to get home since Thursday. That alone made it all worth while.
As we stood and waited for his bag, others came up and shook his hand or patted him on his back and thanked him. His tired eyes lit up and he flashed his little boy grin. My heart swelled. I am so happy to have him home!

Monday, August 25, 2008


Our Son is coming home today!


It is a big day for us in the Walton household. Our second to the oldest son, Peter, is coming home today. He is on leave from Iraq. He called us at 5:30 am our time, on Friday, to say he was already in Kuwait and was waiting to get on a plane headed for Germany in a few hours. His plane was delayed until the next day. Then he emailed us from Germany to say that he had another delay. UGH! The poor guy. I am not sure where he stays during these delays. We have not heard from him since then but he is supposed to get into Amarillo sometime today. All we can do is wait. 
We are so anxious to see him. Through our phone conversations and emails, he sounds so grown up. We are looking forward to hearing all about his experiences in Iraq. As a mom, I am just so glad to get him home safe, even if it is just for a short time.
He has been without many of the luxuries we take for granted, home cooked meals, candy bars, soft drinks and safe comfortable surroundings. We are looking forward to helping him enjoy some of those things. Thank you to all of you who constantly lift our sons and our family up in prayer.

Dork

Ok, I am still trying to figure all of this silly stuff out. I feel like I am learning a foreign language. How do you girls do it? (Thanks for the encouragement Katy.) I have spent the last hour just trying to get simple things done.  (Thank goodness for online tutorials:) I will keep working at it. Hopefully, I will get something of substance on here soon. 

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Making the leap from stalker to blogger..YII

Ok, I have finally done it. I have transitioned from stalker to blogger. I am already becoming anxious about trying to keep up with this. I love reading everyone's blog. Now, fearfully, I am jumping in. I am so impressed with all of the young moms who seem to find time and wit to share some interesting thoughts. Wow, how will I ever keep up!?!