Thursday, September 10, 2009

Together Forever

After my grandmother, "Mimi", died 18 months ago, my poor PawPaw was so lonely. When I called to check on him, he would always tell me, "Oh, honey, I'm doing just fine. I just keep pretending she's in the sewing room doing her thing, and I'm in the living room doing mine." I knew he was staying strong, but my heart broke for him that he didn't have his greatest love with him every day. We all knew he was ready to be with her again, and now they are - together forever. I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of them, as well as some photos of his funeral this week. Since he was a veteran, and was being buried in the Houston National Cemetery, we had a funeral with full military honors. The flag that was draped over his casket was the same flag that he was presented at my brother's funeral. That flag was folded and presented to my mother, and my 2 uncles received folded flags as well. It was very difficult to go through another Marine funeral, but it was an honor he deserved, and I am very proud of him for his service to our country.

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Freedom Journey


In December of 2006, just 2 years after Byron died in Iraq, we decided to take a "Freedom Journey." We spent 3weeks on a road trip through the eastern US - from Austin east to Savannah, then all the way north to New England, and back a little inland to Texas. We traveled over 6000 miles in an effort to see our beautiful country and understand what Byron sacrificed his life for. We drove scenic routes, through small towns and big cities, stopping at places that held history in shaping our nation. We stopped at Veteran's Memorials, National Cemeteries, historical monuments and some of the most beautiful places in America. In each place, we left a "Freedom Rock," a smooth stone that had Byron's name and KIA date on one side, and said "Freedom Isn't Free" on the other. It was our way of taking Byron with us and leaving a bit of him in each special place. This experience was so healing for us, and truly one of the most memorable and special events of our entire lives. Here are our favorite pictures from the Freedom Journey.