when joe was home...

joe's christmas

joe's first tattoo

joe's finally home from basic training and ait. today, he decided to go get his first tattoo. i, of course, had to photograph everything! the tattoo says "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum." it means, "if you wish for peace, prepare for war." it turned out pretty nice, and it was great to be there during the whole process.

joe's bootcamp graduation

we spent the last few days in missouri for joe's boot camp graduation. it's a long, long nine and a half hour drive, but turned out to be very worth it. it seems like the army is suiting joe very well, despite a few rough patches along the way. it was great to see him do so well, but was bittersweet because our visit only lasted a few days. we're all very proud of what he's accomplished already.

during his actual graduation ceremony, we sat in the very back row, which made it very difficult to take a decent picture. my hands were shaking because the auditorium was cold, and because it was a pretty emotional thing to witness, but i managed to get a few good shots. here are some of them:

after we left joe on the first day of visiting with him, this is what appeared in the sky. a double rainbow, completely appropriate for the day that we had.

joe's leaving day

joe left for the army today. we won't know for a while where he's going, or for how long, it's just the first step into the unknown for a boy who's never been away from home.

good luck, joe!

joe's graduation

joe graduated on friday.

congratulations, joe!