"I don't want to go to America, I want to go to Italy!", Ethan whined as we began our descent for our landing in America. Funny, you'd only hear a phrase like that from a little boy who's lived overseas most of his life. I told Ethan all the soldiers sitting next to us have been waiting a long, long time to come back to America and be with their families. I enjoy living overseas, don't get me wrong, but I love the overwhelming feeling of gratitude, pride, and love for our country I experience every time we re-enter the United States. The feeling is especially strong as I watch the soldiers returning from war as the crew announce their welcome to the United States of America.

Ethan has been overly excited about going to Florida, especially because he knows his dad is deploying. The last deployment to Iraq was especially difficult for Ethan, and he is overjoyed he gets to 'deploy' with his daddy. Oh, and he's also pretty happy his mom and siblings get to come along too, and he can't stop talking about being able to swim daily and go to the beach.

When we were trying to get on a military flight for this deployment, there was a flight to Dover we were considering. The airman at the counter informed us the C17 was carrying HR or human remains; he let us know since we were traveling with kids. I imagined the flags draped over the coffins, and with tears in my eyes, thought how it would feel to fly back home with such heroes. I am so thankful for our troops and the amazing country we live in! We are so blessed!