A year ago Man was under the gun, again, testing to make his next rank. After not making it the year before we set a new path for conquering the "beast". Because he sewed some of his early stripes on quickly he has to make these ranks almost totally on the points he earns from taking the test. Meaning, he has to know his stuff. So, he studied every.single.day for ONE year. He dragged the books on vacation, used the apps, and fell asleep with papers on his face many nights. BUT...he passed! And since I am his wife, I can brag and say it wasn't by just a point or two. Icing on the cake? The cut off was the highest it has been in 30 years! After we got the awesome news (while at Disney World no less) we celebrated and then waited for eight months to actually see him put the stripe on.
The girls and I, along with the best neighbors ever, were there to see him put them on. I can't say how wonderful it is to have other people be there to support you and celebrate with you when these moments are happening in your life. The military life can feel very lonely at times but them being there truly felt like we had our family right beside us.
This is how it works. They call your name, you come onto the stage, they say lots of things that I can't remember, give you a piece of paper, shake your hand, and wave your family to come up. Of course, the girls were on the edge of their seat and were on the stage in seconds of getting the "ok".
Olivia and Addison actually put them on for the first time, under the close supervision of his Chief (on the right) and Commander (on the left). Then came the part they had been waiting on.
The tack on. Yes. Each arm gets "tacked on" with a good solid punch. In our case, he got four punches. :)
This is yet another shining example for our children that tenacity, hard work, dedication, and sheer determination will achieve results. He let nothing stand in his way for this and I could not have been prouder of him!
----The Mama
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