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We Love Our Veterans

I just wanted to take a few minutes today to give my thanks to all of the Veterans on this very special day.  Growing up, I was taught to have a great respect for those who serve by my Mother.  Her Dad, my Grandpa McKoy, served in the Navy as a young man. I had the privilege of listening to him speak of his Navy years at a fireside in Tucker Georgia in 1986 while we were visiting.  It is an opportunity I am truly grateful for today. He told stories about his service that I had never heard before.  He was a very brave young man.

My Grandpa "Mac" McKoy

As a teenager, I remember my Uncle Lynden (Clyph) going off to basic training for the Air Force.  I recall my Aunt Sue spending a lot of time with us then, but like a typical teenager I did not realize the impact that this had on her.  My Aunt and Uncle lived in some really cool places while he was in the Air Force.  I always thought it was a really neat thing. I never once thought of the great sacrifice that they made as a family for him to be able to serve our great country. As neat as it would've been to live in foreign lands and warm beautiful places like Hawaii, I'm sure that they missed their extended families very much.

Uncle "Clyph" and Aunt Sue

 

I have always known that our Servicemen and Women are the most valuable asset that this great country has.  These amazing people sacrifice all that they have to provide the many freedoms to you and I that make this country so special.  They are, and have been our protectors. They are our ancestors, our spouses, our brothers and sisters, our friends.  They sacrifice "that others may live".  It takes a really special person to make these sacrifices.  They are brave, selfless, loyal, strong and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for you and I.  Their families make these sacrifices right along with them. 

 

I have had the opportunity to get to know some of these really special people this last year.  I love and admire each one of them.  I was honored to spend time with a Veteran this last summer.  Whenever he proudly stated that he was a Veteran, my heart too swelled with gratitude and pride. He is an amazing young man.  It's hard having him deployed.  Seeing the sacrifices that he made to go and serve this country amazes me.  He is brave. He is strong. He is my hero.

 

Our Hero here at the Pierson Home

 

Another young man in his unit is from our hometown.  He is my hero too.  I have had the honor of getting to know his new bride since he has been deployed and I am proud to say that she is one of my very best friends.  She is a rock.  She is every bit as brave as he is.  It's already hard enough to be married, but you should try to be married, have your spouse deploy, go to school, have a baby and be far from your loved ones all at the same time!  She is an amazing support to her husband.  She's always planning her next package to send to him. She wakes at the crack of dawn to chat online with him and then stays up late to do it again. I know it's not easy for her...BUT...she always has a smile on her face.  She loves him very much and it is very apparent.  Seeing the sacrifices that she makes to allow him to serve this country are very humbling to me. I'm not certain that I would have been as brave as she is when I was her age. I feel guilty sometimes commiserating with her over Ty.  Her sacrifice is so much greater than mine; but she gets what it's like. I hope that I understand a fraction of what she's going through and that I am a good support to her. I would fly to the moon and back if I thought it would help her in some way.

 

Aren't they adorable? (I stole this from her FB page)

 

Have you really considered the sacrifices that our heroes and their families make for us?  This is just a short list that has been on my mind lately:

 

The pay isn't exactly the greatest.

 

There are lonely nights of heartache.

 

They miss out on important life events such as the birth of a child.

 

They lose loved ones while in the service, relationships fail due to lack of support. 

 

Some are injured, some lose limbs. Some lose friends that work side by side with them each day.

 

Some see things that people should not ever have to see.

 

Some pay the ultimate price.

 

Why do they do this?  LOVE FOR OTHERS. HONOR. COURAGE.

 

Ty shared this with me before he left.  It says it all

 

 

 

To all the Veterans past and present and their families and loved ones:

 

This family loves and appreciates all that you have done for us.  There is no substitute for your courage.  We will never be able to repay you.  We honor you and your sacrifices on this day.

 

May we never forget.

Box Elder County Fair 2013

 

As I sat to reflect on the events the last few weeks I found myself feeling sad. Sad for opportunities missed, sad for things in my life not working out as planned, sad because I am missing three of my kiddos- they are so far away right now and all I want to do is hug them tight and tell them I love them.  So I did what I usually do lately- seek the solace of the deck out back.  I was treated to a beautiful sunset that was created just for me. 

I realized that although the thunder clouds to the south were looking quite dark and ominous, without them my Heavenly Father would not have been able to paint this beautiful view that I was enjoying.  Somehow, this spoke to my heart.  Although the storms may be raging in my life, there is still beauty in everything around me.  Everything that seems so wrong right now can be fixed.  I know that everything will work out- I have a pure and simple faith in that.  I was merely reminded that it will be in my Heavenly Father's time and not mine.  I need to be patient.

 

 

So, I decided to update the blogs tonight while Wes sleeps in the chair.

 

Last week was the Box Elder County Fair.  My kids all think this is the coolest part of summer. The only thing really great about it is that I don't have to cook all week!

 



Ryan and Katelyn having a hot dog and a Coke from the Farm Bureau stand. Not my idea of good eats, but they're happy.

Ryan with his lamb over his shoulder. He did well showing his lamb this year- fifth in his class.

Katelyn and her lamb- it was a bit skittish and she ended up turning it loose during the show instead of letting it drag her around the show floor.  Good choice Katelyn!

Ryan getting his lamb ready to sell in the Jr. Livestock Auction

Making sure that the feed boxes are properly placed.

Katelyn getting ready to auction off her lamb.

What was I doing this day? Sitting for five plus hours in the smelly, hot lamb barn! Thankfully, Rikki brought wipes for the benches we sat on.  She knows me well!

Ryan waiting to go ride the Ferris wheel in the background.

Pizza for dinner after visiting the booths for the loot.

We had a good time at the fair this year and the best part is that now it's over we can

GO BACK TO SCHOOL!  MOM TIME!

 

I couldn't resist putting this next picture in here.  This is the afternoon after the second day of school.  Ryan was a beast!  He yelled at me instead of doing his homework and when I went down to take the smart card out of the satellite receiver, I was informed that I am the worst Mom ever and that he wished I was a different kids Mom since I can't seem to understand that he is his own person and no one can boss him around. He got to go to bed at 2:20 p.m.  When Dad got home and woke him up, he was told to put on his chore clothes that he was clearing weeds.

According to Hunter, pulling weeds changes attitudes...

Ryan was upset because he thought he had slept all night and we were making him miss school and pull weeds.  He didn't even get breakfast!  Haha!  It was only about 7:00 p.m.! You would think that the sun in the west would've given him a clue.  After about an hour, he was invited in to eat dinner- he still asked if he should change into his school clothes!  Delirious little kid! Since when do we have quesadillas for breakfast???  He didn't believe us when he was told it was bedtime.  Lucky for him he gets to get up at 6:00 a.m. to adjust his attitude a bit more before school.  There are always plenty of weeds to pull.  Maybe he will learn fast to be nice to Mom. One can always hope!

God Be With You Soldier

Today is the day that our sweet Ty deployed. 

He is first heading to Spokane, then Texas to get ready to go to Afghanistan.  We will miss him desperately and can't wait to hear from him. We are so grateful for his service to our country.

Your thoughts and prayers on his behalf and for his unit would be appreciated.  God Be With You Tyler!  We love you! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see you again.