Happy Veteran's Day & A Weekend Getaway

Every year the 4th graders present an inspiring tribute around Veteran's Day.  The children learn a good number of patriotic songs and a few students are selected to share a personal story about a veteran in their family.  Anna was chosen to read the paper she had written about her Great G-pa Bill.  

She was the final reader prior to the slideshow presentation that concluded the program.  My heart always swells within me when I think of the sacrifices so many men and women have made for the U.S.A.  I know I wasn't the only person wiping away the tears this year - it was an amazing program.  After school Anna told me how she cried "happy tears" after the first (morning) performance when she saw how emotional her teacher was.  It was truly a heart-warming experience.

Thanks to all the Veteran's of this great nation!  

Lacie and Anna

Anna’s American Veteran Report

William “Bill” P.

My great grandfather, William P. or “Bill”, served in the Navy during World War II between the years of 1943-1945.  He was a radar operator looking for enemy airplanes that were attacking the American Navy fleet.   His small ship had only 32 crewmen onboard.   They had bombs and a lot of guns. During battle, my grandpa was a gunner. 

The food was not very good and they ate a lot of navy beans.  Bill got permission to catch fish for the sailors.  He was an excellent fisherman.  He also shot turtles so they could eat turtle soup.  The food was better when the admiral of the fleet was onboard. 

My grandpa fought in many battles throughout the South Pacific and off the coasts of Japan and China.  When the Japanese kamikazes were attacking the fleet, the admiral would ‘hideout’ on his small 32-man boat.  The enemy never suspected the admiral would be on such a small boat so he was kept safe.  At other times, Bill’s boat was in charge of circling the fleet and making smoke from diesel fuel to help hide the big ships from the enemy.  It was very dirty and dangerous work.

Once when the fleet was near Norfolk, Virginia Naval Base, there was a terrible storm that lasted all night.  In the morning, my grandpa’s boat realized they were completely lost from the rest of the fleet.  They later learned that German submarines (or U-boats) had attacked but my grandpa’s life had been spared because they weren’t with the fleet.

While Bill served in the Navy, a fellow crew member introduced him to a beautiful young lady named June.  They wrote many letters and decided to get married in San Diego, California during Bill’s week long leave. They did not get to see each other for one whole year when the war was over!!!  I am grateful my grandpa was courageous and willing to sacrifice for our country.

 Later that afternoon, I packed my bags and headed out of town for an evening getaway with the K-1 Crew.  Ahhh, good times!

 Since Ker-dog and I made excellent time with our travels, we met up first and checked into the Hampton Inn in P.  A special thanks to Matt for passing on his awesome hotel rates to us!  Ker-dog and I journeyed on to check out the local eateries before settling on a Thai restaurant.  Before long, we hooked up with Cyd, Malin and Hilary. It wasn't hard to spot Cyd's car on Main Street - windows down - blaring the music of our famous K-1 Crew CD.  Within minutes, we were laughing and talking and walking through town to enjoy dinner together.  It wasn't until after we finished eating (family style) that we thought to take a picture.  Never mind all the dishes - the Thai guy taking our picture didn't see a need to clear the tables first.  

And then we were on to soak in the hot pots!

Malinda, Hilary, Cydnee, Heather

 We all made sure to get our $7.00 worth of time in the natural hot springs.  It felt soooo good to sit and soak without a care in the world.  Hooray for awesome husbands who happily took over household/children responsibilities so their wives could have a "night off duty".  There is something very rejuvenating about reconnecting with such amazing ladies!  After enjoying a little KiwiLoco and listening to Cyd's latest music recordings (awesome), we ventured to the hotel where we stayed up WAY too late attempting to squeeze in a few more conversations before calling it a night. 

Keri, Heather, Malinda, Cydnee, Hilary

I love yummy continental breakfasts!  The oatmeal was perfect.  Keri was the first to leave as she had to speak at her niece's baptism that morning.  The rest of us hung out in the hotel room long enough for me to do three foot zones before checking out.  And what would you do with a little time left together?  Go to Costco, of course.  We didn't even bother getting lunch because of all the free samples...  Honestly, it doesn't matter where we are when we're together - it's a good time!

Til next time - long live the Crew!

(We missed you Kaylynn).