San Diego Trip-Farewell Soldier

San Diego is a great vacation spot my family loves to visit. We have been there at least six times together over the last several years. This particular trip though was the first time we have been on vacation all together since my brother and I have been married.The purpose of this vacation was to have fun before we sent my brother off to Afghanistan. He isn't leaving until the 7th of this month but he had training in July, so we had to plan the vacation for sometime in June.

Sea World tends to be our favorite adventure in San Diego and since Matt and my sister-in-law had never been there, we decided to take the trip. I was a bit worried at first how we would all manage to have a good time with the new additions in our family, however it didn't turn out as bad as I thought. Granite I didn't get to spend as much time with my brother as I wanted to. It is funny how life changes and things aren't the way they used to be. I don't know what's normal when it comes to the relationships you are supposed to have with your siblings, but for those of you who don't know, he is my only sibling and we are four years apart. I tend to criticize myself a bit too much sometimes but I have a hard time feeling completely close to him or like I am a good enough sister. He likes to remind me of the times I used to be so mean to him when we were little. Other than that we do not have much to say to one another. We are so different from each other.

For some reason I thought going on vacation would allow for the old times to kick in and for us to grow closer. He was busy with his own family and having fun with them but how could I blame him. I did get to enjoy my nieces in the meantime and went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law once without my parents. Otherwise we all ate dinners together each night and usually went our separate ways when we arrived at a location.

We ended up going to Sea World, the beach, and the San Diego Zoo as a family. You might have noticed from my earlier post about the photography, that Matt and I managed to hit up Balboa Park before we left for home.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was at Sea World during the Shamu show. At the beginning of the show they invited all the soldiers to stand up and thanked them for serving our country. Of course you know my brother is in the army, so he stood up to be honored. Generally speaking, Sea World respected soldiers quite a bit; they let his whole family get in free. It was great to see him stand up and be honored in a place that he used to come to as a little boy and loved. I was sad I didn't get to see his face, as I was sitting behind him, but it did make me proud of him.

To let you know a little more about what my brother is doing in the army, here is what I can tell you. He drives a huge buffulo truck to find bombs or mines in Afghanastan. He was ranked in the higher division according to his IQ test, sharp shooting skills, and the first to be on scene. So you can see how I am a little worried about him and his safety. It makes it even more difficult to see him leave considering that I feel like I am not the best sister and we aren't as close as I would like to be. But I am confident that in time, as we grow older and experience more in life, my brother and I will find more in common and will build a stronger bond. For those who are willing, I would really appreciate it that you remember my brother and his beautiful little family in your prayers. It's a difficult time for my family and especially for his wife and two girls, but with many heartfelt prayers offered on his behalf, I know God will protect him while he is in Afghanistan. Thank-you!