My Journey with Lee

First, let me apologize for my absence...I know I have fans out there...and you must receive updates.

The past week I was positioned in the "State of Pleasant Living". I will call it Maryland from here on out...Our purpose was a training for Operation Purple Camp. Operation Purple Camp is a summer camp that is funded by the National Military Family Association and the Sierra Club...it pays for children or dependents of deployed military men and woman to attend camp. the Eastern 4-H Center was one of nearly 70 camps in the country to receive this wonderful honor. We met with people from all over the country...I even met a 4-H leader from Guam. I later discovered that Guam is about the size of a small county.

Monday was the most notable day of the trip and here's why... this is how Monday's adventure transpired:

Monday
5:30 am - Wake-up, eat breakfast, get dressed, spill coffee, change clothes, load car
7:20 am - Depart for Rocky Mount to meet Scott Enroughty (Roughty). Roughty is the Operation Military Kids Program Coordinator for our state.
9:00 am - Arrival in Rocky Mount at Pineview Cemetary
9:02 am - Lee realizes we were supposed to meet Roughty in Nashville (Nash-vegas)
9:10 am - Arrive at Nash County Extension Office.
9:30 am - Roughty reports that he brought granola and banana chips - Lee calls him a "hippie just like Chase".
11:00 am - Lee eats some of Roughty's banana chips
12:30 pm - Fuddruckers Hamburger joint - I ate an ostrich burger, while the "manly men" ate old-fashioned beef. My burger was good - if you enjoy greasy cardboard, but I swore to their face that it was delicious.
2:30 pm - Arrive in Washington DC - I had never been to this place. I asked if we could "go by the Washington Monument" - Lee said "yes"! I was getting excited!
2:32 - Lee takes me by the Washington Monument...at 65 miles per hour, but I did "see" it.
3:00 - Traffic jam, and the water I drank for lunch has run it's course.
3:30 - Traffic moves...finally
4:30 - Arrival at Sandy Cove Conference Center...I got to meet all of the people from NMFA that send me emails...this was exhilirating. I also discovered that my name was left off of the check in sheet - but they gave me a room anyway.
4:45 - So I'm kind of a big deal...I have a room to myself, courtesy of the NMFA. I proceed to place my luggage throughout the room, marking my territory. I also discover that I have the good fortune of being located right above the Sandy Cove Conference Center's "Business Lounge", so I also have wireless internet! I will hold this secret until Tuesday!
6:00 - Dinner time - Roughty, Lee, and myself congregate with other Operation Purple recipients, as well as other 4-H Camp Directors. Our meal is good...for the first time in my life, I am not served Lasagna on opening night of a conference!
7:00 - We are "Welcomed" and "Thanked" by NMFA...we proceed to get in our groups, or squadrons, and I have people from Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and "Alabama the Beautiful" in my squadron. There was even a dude from Scotland in our group...and the ladies loved his accent. We dubiously named our group the "7th Squadron Lucky Charms." Our group's leader was Brittany - she was the Sierra Club Representative! While in our groups, we participated in the Wall of Honor - an activity that Operation Purple Campers participate in. The Wall of Honor requires everyone to bring a picture of a friend/family member that is currently deployed...When it's your turn, you describe the person in your picture - I chose my friend Zack - He's in the Marine Corps....The picture is then attached to a large poster, joined by everyone else's pictures...this is a pretty moving ceremony!
9:00 - Bedtime - I retire to my private chambers to catch-up on emails, eat the remainder of the Gummi Worms I procured in Baltimore, brush my teeth, and then head on off to sleep.

The entire week was a neat experience...I gained a greater appreciation for the military.
Unfortunately, I don't take enough time to remember our brave military and what they do...while I am reading a magazine, losing my keys, griping about television commercials, and cooking dinner there are genuine heroes sacrificing their lives, families, and luxuries, probably wishing that a lost set of car keys was the most important part of their day. Truthfully, all people think too little about these soldiers. Also - the families these folks have to leave at home while they deploy are left behind to do EVERYTHING! Could you imagine your spouse paying bills, buying groceries, packing lunch, dropping the kids off at school, and herding the kids when they come home from school, ALL BY THEMSELVES!?! Our military families make sacrifices, too. Luckily, I work for an organization that supports these heroic families. A week of Operation Purple Camp does many things...first and foremost it allows for children to get away from a television and play outside! Secondly - it gives these same children the opportunity to share this fun time with each other...they also share many of the same situations. They understand, comfort, and enjoy each other...Additionally - the week gives that parent some time to themselves...trust me - they need and deserve it! The very next time you see a news report with a soldier on foreign soil - think about their family...and think about your family and how lucky you are...