West Point Mom = me

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Posted on April 24, 2008

The wait is over. The package arrived.

Our son has been accepted to United States Military Academy – West Point!

We were told that if Nathan was rejected, we would receive a phone call; if he was accepted, he would receive a package.

Just as I was ready to go and speak in a middle school, my husband calls and says, “Nathan got a package from West Point.”

It must have nearly killed Mark to not open the contents but he resisted temptation.

Mark captured the moment on camera. This is a very big deal. Our son will report to West Point bright and early 6:30 AM on June 30!

He will attend six weeks of rigorous training (affectionately known as Beast) and after successful completion, begin his 47 month journey at West Point.

I did not grow up in a military family so this is all so new to me.

New terminology, new people, new experiences for all of us, especially our son.

Our family will take him there and say goodbye and not hear much from him most of the summer.

I am not crying as I type this which shocks me.

I am proud, scared, overjoyed, nervous, excited, thrilled, sad and every feeling in between.

I know the Lord is teaching all of us some lessons and has placed all these pieces together for His glory.

I am the mama of a soldier, whoa.

Why Nate is great -18 Reasons

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Posted on April 12, 2008

18 things I love about my son – he turned 18 over the weekend.

1. Nicknames – When Nate was a baby, practically from the minute he “popped” out, we called him “Shakalanna,” “Sheiky Sheiky,” etc. He has new nicknames I am not privileged to share but they are just as weird.

2. Spins and stuff – My son lets me hold his hand when we are walking in the mall. He will spin me around (just once) and let me put my arms around his waist. Not for too long but it sure makes my mama’s heart sing. I feel like the most special person in the world.

3. Honor – I wish I had half the character my son had when I was his age.

4. I love you – Every night, when his youngest brother has gone to bed, my kids have a ritual. Isaac, my 11-year-old OS will shout from the top of his bunk bed, “Night, Nate, love you!” and no matter what Nathan is doing or whom he is talking to, he is sure to shout back, “Night, Ike, love you, too!”

5. Cooking – Nate is not the best cook but he can make a mean salad. He is rather clumsy in the kitchen which is funny because he is so adept at other things. His salad is killer, though.

6. Funny – If Nathan wasn’t my son, I’d want him as a friend. He’s witty and clever. We rarely run out of things to say. I like how he can make funny accents of people he has met. Like the Chinese lunch lady in middle school who would say, “One cookie, 35 cent.” That one comment has provided us with years of laughs.

7. Guns – Nate’s got some sweet guns. He has served as my inspiration for getting back in shape. We compare guns all the time. I’ll never catch up to him but that’s ok.

8. Disciplined – He is self-motivated and driven.

9. Good speaker – Nate is an engaging speaker. He was selected to be one of the students speaking to the entire high school as part of graduation this year. I can’t wait to hear him and will be sure to bring Kleenex as I cry tears of joy.

10. Cards – Nate will make his own birthday cards on the computer for his friends. They are hilarious and so clever. They are slightly weird but beat any Hallmark card you could ever get.

11. Interesting – My 18-year-old OS is well-read and intelligent. He can talk easily about current events, politics, religion, faith, music and much more. He is very opionioNATEd.

12. The way he treats girls – Nate respects girls and has a lot of female friends. He has done well with respecting the ladies and not leaving a trail of broken hearts along the way.

13. Sleep – Nathan has an imperfect side though. He has to get sleep. If he doesn’t, he’s a stinker.

14. Iron – my son irons. Someone is going to be a very lucky wife one day.

15. People – Nathan takes pride in a job well done. He has been mowing lawns for years now and has a very diverse clientele. I love how my OS appreciates different cultures and personalities.

16. Family – What a blessing to have an 18-year-old son who likes his family! We enjoyed a birthday celebration at our house. Mark and I made his favorite dinner – Chinese pork dumplings and he had five close friends join us. He didn’t kick us out of the dining room, we all were together.

17. Not a potty mouth – Yes, there is an 18-year-old guy who doesn’t drop word bombs and cuss like a sailor. How do I know? I gave birth to him! Woot!

18. Jesus – My boy has a personal relationship with Jesus. He is not ashamed to tell others about his faith in His Savior. Nathaniel means “gift of God” and we couldn’t have picked a more perfect name for our oldest son/olive shoot.

All moms should be so blessed to have a child like him. Thanks Lord for this treasure!

Visiting West Point for the very first time

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Posted on January 25, 2008

We arrived at the Admissions Office at 8 am on Friday.

Since that time we have learned a lot of impressive things about West Point.

I am honored that my son is even considering this place.

West Point has a nobility about it that I haven’t felt at other universities.

Having not grown up in a military family, it’s strange walking around in a camouflage-colored campus where people all walk the same and salute each other.

This beautiful print is available through a talented USNA and USMA mom. Check it out here!

I’m not saying I don’t like it, it’s just a whole new culture. You don’t see any dread locks in anyone’s hair or piercings or tattoos, no facial hair either. It’s a very clean-cut campus body.

West Point info we learned:

4,400 students attend

7 to 1 student/teacher ratio – This is less than in elementary school!

81% graduation in four years

Upon graduation cadets commit to five years of service in the Army – this is a very serious commitment

It’s estimated that a West Point education is worth $448,000.

Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Norman Schwarzkopf are just some of the notable graduates

Wake up time: 5:00, not 5:01, not 5:15.

It’s not pretty if you don’t wake up on time.

If Nathan goes there, it should be a VERY interesting considering time to see how he does with that.

Considering how much prodding his brothers do to get him up at 7 am, I wonder how he will adjust.

Your room stays clean. Impeccably clean.

I mean so clean not even a hair should be on the ground.

You don’t want a hair on the ground or a dust bunny or anything out of place. It’s not pretty. You will walk the plain (a large flat field on campus) or worse.

When we were walking around the campus, Mark was impressed with how many cadets called him, “sir” as he passed them by.

I only heard some cuss word while on campus.

When we visited another university, the cuss words were flying all over the place. I’m not saying they don’t use them (wouldn’t that be nice, though), it was such a totally different atmosphere.

I’m praising the Lord that I brought my trusty long undies as I was able to handle the chilly temp thanks to the layers of clothing. I wasn’t exactly working it but sometimes you have to forgo high fashion, you know what I mean?

I have cried at least six times but not in an embarrassing way. One time, yesterday morning, the lieutenant mentioned something about saying good-bye to your family and I almost lost it.

I drew a deep breath, getting ready to let loose of a few years but immediately Nathan looked over at me (he knows me pretty well) and I knew I had to try and get myself together. I sucked the tears back in and waited until Mark and I were together to let a few fall from my eyes.

We are awaiting news on his eye exam and physical so he hasn’t been officially accepted yet.

Nothing is a done deal yet.

My sugar boy and me. I’m not a flyer btw.

However, I have to accept is this – I have to accept and yield God’s will for my son’s life whether it’s at West Point or somewhere else.

The Lord and not me, determine my precious boy’s future. We are earnestly praying and if I get ahead of myself, I’m a wreck but if I stay in the moment, I can handle things. It is obvious the Lord is using this experience to make us lean into Him more and more.

We pick Nate up at 1 pm and we’ll learn more about his overnight time with a cadet. Check back for more details as we continue on this incredible journey.

If you like the picture posted in this blog, check out this talented artist’s prints. She’s a USNA and a future USMA mom!

Flying to Fishkill

It’s a guy thing, sign of the military life to come

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Posted on December 28, 2007

Foreshadowing of my life to come

Five and a half years later, I discover my blog post. I had long forgotten about it. West Point wasn’t on the horizon when I first wrote this. Nate had graduated from West Point and is in the middle of Ranger School. WOW!

My blog post on December 28, 2007-

I don’t get it and I guess I never will.

While driving to see family in South Carolina, Nate spotted a sign to a store I would have easily overlooked.

“Dad, can we go there?” he inquired and all the guy heads perked up with the mere mention of the store Nathan wanted to visit

Delk’s Army-Navy Surplus

No pretty store window dressing, no eye-catching fashions or thumping music –

just an Army issue green sign which read Military Supplies.

It’s a guy thing I guess because I didn’t have the same reaction as my DH and OS did as we parked our van.

My boys and husband practically skipped into the store, it’s true, you NEVER, EVER skip into a military store but it sounds funny!).

This was probably one of the few stores I have ever entered in my life where I was almost completely sure I wasn’t going to spend any money.

Everything you might ever possibly need regarding the military was there.

We’re talking K-Rations, camo pants, gas masks, resin replica assault rifles which my three OS really wanted, hand grenade candle holders (they wouldn’t match my decor) and more. Parachute jackets, ammo boxes, metal helmets, you get the picture.

The entire store was basically covered in brown, green or black. I couldn’t find one pretty thing in the building! This was really man’s land.

Only upon exhaustive searching, did I discover one teeny spot of thin, pink piece of nylon rope which made me feel only a little bit better.

My husband and sons were fascinated, I was ready to go.

We walked down the aisles and when we spotted the plastic military shields for $25, it was almost more than they could handle. I guess the girl equivalent would be like going to Archivers, a scrapbooking store.

I felt like quite a good wife and mom venturing into a place like that but I know that they have gone into candle stores and boutiques humoring me.

In a way, I actually found Delks Army-Navy Surplus store quite interesting but not so much so that I have to go back anytime soon.

As I looked at the sign, I noticed a typo. Can you spot it?

Too bad I didn’t have a machine gun to shoot in an apostrophe. At least now I know where I can get one!

Questions: Have you ever looked back on your children’s interests and seen the signs of their future vocation? If you have younger kids, do you see indication of your children’s future profession in their current obsessions and activities? It’s fun looking forward and backward!