Everyone had to try on our mustache. Here's Hayden the Great.Monday, November 2, 2009
Mario and Luigi
Everyone had to try on our mustache. Here's Hayden the Great.Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Stitches & Contact Dermatitis? Lame!
**Warning** this is a little graphic. If you have a light stomach probably just skip to the next post. =)
Last week I went to the doctor to get my keloids shot. (Sounds fun right?) Anyway, I showed the doctor this bump on my arm that I had had for a while and he said it is a granuloma and that he should remove it. I've had a mole removed before so I wasn't too worried. But this one was different. It honestly didn't hurt (besides the little numbing shot) then he took an instrument that looked an orange peeler with a metal circle on the end and put it right over the granuloma. He pushed down a tiny bit and pulled it up and the skin/granuloma came with it, except a tiny string of skin/tissues (I'm not sure what it was). I was pretty okay with everything that was going on up until this point. 
Then he pulled out the stitches and started stitching the hole up. That is when I lost it. It still didn't hurt but I could feel it tugging a bit on my skin while he was stitching it up but it was too interesting not to look. I started getting tunnel vision and I could tell all the blood had rushed out of my head. The doctor had me lay down for a while. Awkward! Luckily, the only thing that hurt was my pride.
Now that you know the story behind the stitches... The doctor had put Band-Aids over the keloid shots as well as over the stitches. Later that day at work, I was in so much pain, but it was from where the Band-Aids were. I have always noticed that my skin gets agitated beneath Band-Aids but I thought everybody did.

Well I developed these nasty rashes and blisters everywhere that the Band-Aids were. It was so sensitive and hurt. One of the doctors I work with explained what it was "contact dermatitis" I am allergic to the adhesive in Band-Aids. Who is allergic to Band-Aids? Honestly?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Dodgeball Tournament & Costume ideas
This team was "On A Mission," pretty hilarious if you ask me. The cute gal in the middle is Caleb's new assistant Ashley. She's been such a help with getting Caleb all caught up on his work, which means we get more time together.
Lastly, here is Caleb's team. Team "Rock Stars" The guy on the far right is Troy, he's over store operations for every store so he's kind of a big deal. And I love that he totally got into character. He's the one that came up with the team name.
Caleb has been begging me to cook him a turkey so I finally gave in (after he bought it and brought it home). I don't mind eating turkey I'm just not a fan of handling any raw meat. This thing was particularly disgusting to me. The picture looks like a huge gaping wound. Sick! Anyway, Caleb was very sweet in helping me with everything until he was pulling the gravy packet out of the inside of this thing and accidentally hit me in the FACE! Right next to my mouth! Naturally I freaked out and washed my face but I don't think I'll ever be the same again. He didn't understand why I was making such a big deal out of it.
He had me leave the room so he could sever the breast bone after it was cooked but I could still hear everything. I think we'll stick to bringing the mashed potatoes or rolls to Thanksgiving. Caleb said this was the best turkey he's ever had, I was too distraught over the whole ordeal to even try it. It looked normal, except I'm pretty sure I saw an aorta on the plate of "good meat"
Caleb and I went to Halloween USA to look for ideas for our costumes this year and we found some pretty good ones.



Saturday, October 3, 2009
Running makes me crazy!


I always get a little self conscience that people might think I'm dying when I'm running but Aynna told me that she couldn't even tell that I just ran so that made me feel like a million bucks!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
You know you do this too....
So, I figured I was always a fan of plagiarism while in school so why stop now. =) I stole this from Lindsay blog.
You've probably all gotten this e-mail by now, but for those of you haven't...enjoy!*More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
*Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
*Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
*I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
*Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
*Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in
*There is a great need for sarcasm font.
*Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.
*I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
*How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
*I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
*I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
*The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
*Was learning cursive really necessary?
*Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
*I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
*Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
*My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
*Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart.”
*How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
*I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent an idiot from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
*Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"
*What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
*While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
*MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
*Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
*I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
*Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
*I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
*Bad decisions make good stories.
*Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
*Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
*If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
*Why is it that during an ice- breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....
*You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
*Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
*There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
*I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
*"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
*I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
*I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
*I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
*When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
*I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
*Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
*As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
*Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
*It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
*I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
*Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
*Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey- but I'd bet everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...
*My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?
*It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
*I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
*The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fatty before dinner.
Monday, September 14, 2009
My Hero ...

She and I shared the same major and minor in our undergraduate degree, and so we had MANY classes together. The more I got to know her, the more I absolutely adored her. Her strength and commitment amazed me. I could try to describe to you her story, but it’s something that is even more moving when read from her perspective. (Check out the website below) This video shows Meg doing her basic daily routine, and really makes me appreciate so much in my life.
During one of our many semesters together, Meg was describing to me a painful surgery she was having done on her hands. The end result would be that she could pinch with her fingers (I’m not sure all the technical stuff… it was awhile ago.) She functions well without this ability, and I asked her why she was bothering going through this VERY painful surgery for such a simple task. Her response brought tears to my eyes… “Well when I’m a mother, now I won’t have to change diapers with my teeth.”
This profound statement made me question my own gratitude (or lack thereof) for what God has given me. She has overcome so many physical and emotional trials because of her accident. She is not embarrassed at all by her disability, and uses it as an opportunity to help people reflect on their own problems.
One of my favorite memories of her was in PR class. It was in the middle of winter and bitter cold outside. There was a huge blizzard, and the snow was piling up. She came rolling in and sat next to me, as she did every day. I looked down at her feet, shocked, at her sandals. I said, appalled “Meg! Aren’t your feet freezing?!”
Instead of getting offended or telling me I was an idiot… Meg just busted out laughing. Once she caught her breath she reminded me “Sierra, I’m paralyzed!” And she proceeded to start laughing again. I could not help but laugh along with her! Even though it’s hard to not notice a wheelchair, I had become so comfortable with her that this fact completely escaped my mind.
As seen from the above pictures, Meg is a gifted artist (despite not having full use of her hands). She used to tease me, because I have full use of all my limbs and STILL can’t draw like she does! (Pathetic, I know, but not embarrassing because Meg is amazing like that). On top of founding the Ms. Wheelchair Utah pageant, drawing and selling calendars, and being an AMAZING motivational speaker, Meg has begun writing books. These books are short, but very inspiring. They tell her story, in a very personal and emotional manner. They have really made me reflect on who I am and my perspective on life.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
He's a keeper!
He actually burnt both batches so I'll probably make him some today before he gets off work but I was grateful that he took the initiative and made them. Saturday, August 15, 2009
Why is everybody always pickin' on me
First, let me start by letting everyone know that the drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm.
Now back to me. It is only
What Does a Groin Pull Feel Like?
Here are some symptoms of a groin pull:
- Pain and tenderness in the groin and the inside of the thigh.
- Pain when you bring your legs together.
- Pain when you raise your knee.
- A popping or snapping feeling during the injury, followed by severe pain.
Groin pulls are often divided into three degrees of severity:
· 1st degree: Pain, but little loss of strength or movement.
· 2nd degree: Pain and some tissue damage.
· 3rd degree: Pain, loss of function, and a complete tear of the muscle.
It’s honestly probably not even a 1st degree pull, but still it hurt and made for an awful run, more than usual. Caleb had drill today so I ran by myself. I love that Caleb will train with me and it helps motivate me a lot more when I know he’s waiting, but I did not have that extra motivation that I really could have used today. People looked at me like I was a freak on my way back home. What??? gimpy people with limps go for jogs with the hood of their jacket tied securly under their chin all the time, it’s not weird.
Well when I got home I took a shower and my conditioner was pretty much empty. Hate that! So I do what I can with a ¼ teaspoon of conditioner.
For lunch I looked all through our cupboards and realized we don’t really have food. But since we’re going to Lake Powell next week we don’t want to go grocery shopping, so I decide I’ll just eat the last of Caleb’s pizza… oops :) I put it in the over on broil and clean up a bit. It BURNED to a crisp. That’s pretty frsutrating because it took me so long to decide what to eat anyway.
So I go for the next best option… Macoroni & Cheese, or Death in a Box as my Nutrition professor used to referred to is as. My sweet mother-in-law bought me Scooby Doo Mac & Cheese, because as we all know the shapes taste so much better. Well it wouldn’t matter because apparently I cooked them to mush. I didn’t even know that was possible.
I think Taco Time’s Crisp Bean burrito is sounding pretty good right now.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Yard Work
Thursday, July 2, 2009
1 month 3 weeks and 2 days since Bahamas Cruise
This was both Caleb and my first cruise and we are hooked! We absolutely loved everything about it. What’s not to love? I love love love Strawberry daiquiris. (virgin of course) and every half hour these tan men would approach us and give us more daiquiris. I was in heaven. 
We went on a short 3-day cruise. 1) because we weren’t sure if we would like it/get sick and 2) it was free so heck we’ll take what we can get. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge American Eagle fan. So they started sending me surveys to take and I won this cruise from it. Pretty sweet deal.
On our cruise, we went to
Anyway, in the
I kept diving trying to get a closer look at the reef and every time I did Caleb would grab my leg and pull me back up. The first couple of times I thought it was an accident then I started to get annoyed, because I had to fix my mask every time I would come up. Finally, he pulled me up and told me to stop. I guess they told us we weren’t able to touch the reef but I wasn’t listening. Good thing Caleb watches out for me. :)
Lastly, while on the island dozens of ladies would come up to me and say, “Hey pretty girl, you want me to braid your hair?” Caleb thought this was hilarious because clearly, my hair looked super nappy with the humidity, but that was the only day I really did my hair and I already had it in two braids.
We had a really fun time and it was so good for us to spend quality time together. We're excited to go on a longer cruise next year, but there are a few things that we'll remember from this trip: bring camera and take lots of pictures, pack lots of sunscreen, and bring plenty of spending money for the souvenir shops because most of them only take cash.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
a place to call home .....
Before- Master bedroom

After-this is definitely a work in progress but so far it's looking good. :)- if you accidentally leave the front door open, people will come in
- just because the home was built in 2006 doesn't mean the microwave will still work
- the random lake on the edge of your property is not your neighbors problem, it's actually YOUR broken pipe.
- if the previous owners left an awesome grill behind.... there was probably reason
- you know you need to glaze the bathroom windows when Caleb makes eye contact with a neighbor kid while showering.
- you won't notice a leaking ceiling until after you've had all of the carpets cleaned.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Family Lagoon Day
All of the lines were pretty short so it was an excellent day to go.
In the video you can hear them screaming I'm not sure if it's Caleb or Cara screaming the loudest. :)Some of the fun memories from the day were:
*Adam and Caleb double teaming poor little Gavin
*Me breaking Feliz's legs :)
*Hayden's yucky burp in Gabby's face during dinner
*Feliz stealing the little boys money on the Samurai
*Gavin taking 45 minutes to make a Root beer Float
*Cambria's inability to locate her fans while riding rides
*Cara stealing Eric's 50 cents in her "pocketbank"
*Caleb's retarded dot for a stamp
*Adam wasting their life savings trying to win a giant banana
*Feliz killing me in my one game of fame
*220 Adam ha ha ha "Your shirt was in the way"
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Insomnia and the Weasel
Anyway, I’m pretty sure that my problem is that my mind starts to race a million miles a second when I even think about going to bed. That is really the only quiet time Caleb and I get together so I always want to talk, plus he has the best answers/responses to all that my mind could wonder at night.
Well, the other night I had forgotten that Caleb had asked me to scratch his back right when we got into bed and this is what happened once I remembered:
Becky: Caleb?
Caleb: silence (he must already be asleep)
Becky: Do you still want me to scratch you back?
Caleb: yes!!
What a weasel! He pretended to be asleep so I wouldn’t keep him up asking questions like, “What happens when pirates attack cruise ships?” It’s a legit question. We’re going on our first cruise in 2 days and I’m a little nervous… wish us luck =)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Resorting to Bullets :)
- I flew up to Oregon to visit Brandon, Marci, and little Rocky. They have the cutest little place and everything up there is so green. It’s like out of a movie. We had such a fun time and Marci introduced me to yoga which I LOVE!
- Caleb and I (with the help from our amazing agent Marie Parks) listed and sold our home in 5 weeks!!
- We moved in with my sister Hollie and Jed living free of rent if I help out tending the kids. Which I absolutely love! So it works out for all of us.
- For Valentines Day Caleb and I got each other the same gift on accident. We got couples massages from Beyond Spa so it was perfect… that way we just had to go twice.
- For our anniversary we drove down to Vegas to stay in the new South Point Casino. We stayed 2 nights with Adam, Cara, and Cambria first. It was the first time Caleb and I really got to hang out with Cambria all by ourselves. She really liked us. (even though Caleb added another bruise to her forehead)
- We have two offers placed on beautiful short sale homes and are waiting to see what happens next.
I think that will be enough for now. I’ll try and stay on top of things now. If Brandon can keep his up to date then there is no reason I shouldn’t be able to.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Dance off
Here's a sweet little bonus video for the weekend!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPZhrUCQgn0&feature=channel_page
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Thing That Ate Kids For Arguing
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Families are Forever


I just assumed this next picture was payback for making the guys wear pink ties for our wedding.
Gabby looks either 1) drunk or 2) belonging to the "special needs class" I can assure you that he's neither.

Kimmie and I used to go dancing every weekend. My dad has this picture up in his office at work and tells us how irresponsible we are for turning around to take a picture while driving 80 mph down the freeway.Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Condo for Sale!

Almost all of our decorations either were given to us or picked out by Cara our interior designer sister-in-law. Actually, come to think about it, nearly 85% of the stuff in there was specifically from her.
This is the wall that I painted all by myself while Caleb was studying for finals.
Cathy, Cara, Kristin, and Hannah Cahoon gave us the sign above the sink that says "Bed and Bath You Make Both"
This is the sink that Caleb does the dishes in :)


Saturday, December 20, 2008
i am
i think: about the future
i am happy: that Caleb graduated and now has time to be with me!
i have: a cosy home with an awesome husband
i miss: the warm weather
i fear: Caleb being deployed
i feel: grateful for our Christmas bonus
i smell: Caleb's cologne
i usually: have a tidy house
i search: in my purse for my keys everyday
i wonder: who wrote the book of love?
i regret: getting a tattoo
i love: hanging out with my family and friends
i care: about what people think
i tell: funny jokes
i worry: too much! Ask anyone
i am not: messy
i remember: last week when I got home, Caleb had opened one of his Christmas presents (an X-box game) and was playing it
i believe: in God the Eternal Father and in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost
i sing: in the shower
i don’t always: think before I speak
i don’t like: when people say "Your time will come"
i write: secret love notes and hide them in Caleb’s pockets
i win: every game we play after family dinner
i lose: rarely (because I'm a sore loser)
i dance: like a white girl
i wish: we could travel more
i never: sleep in
i listen: to Caleb sleep
i don't understand: why people forget how to drive in the snow
i can usually be found: goofing off
i am scared: of jellyfish
i need: to go shopping for Christmas presents
i forget: to call people back
i tag: my family, Jen, Rachelle, Michelle, and Erin
Monday, December 15, 2008
Weekend Update

I decided to take Caleb to Red Robin to celebrate his graduation. Way to go Caleb!!! With his graduation he was promoted at work to "Staff Accountant" I'm so proud of him.
When we were at Red Robin after we had sat down we held hands. Nothing serious we just both put our hands on the table and reached across. Two seconds after we were seated the waiter came and asked us if we wanted appetizers. It was so awkward. It was like we were in junior high and we had just gotten caught doing something bad by Mr. Daniels. (Rachelle you know what I'm talking about :) ) The rest of dinner was great after that.

Saturday I babysat Scott and Romney's beautiful baby girl Jocelyn while they went to the temple. She was such an angel! When we have kids I want to have perfect little children like her. :)
Saturday night we had a family Christmas party.... boring.... as Marci would say. After the party we went to the Howard's to play games, and eat Kristin's delicious birthday cake (even though Marci ate ALL of the corners, not even the birthday girl got a corner piece)

We played this game Boggle, and it was pretty fun. We let the Kristin win because it was her birthday. :) (Except Matt, he challenged her word "exo" and even got the junior high dictionary to prove her wrong, but she ended up getting the point in the end)
Caleb and Brandon played a pretty intense game of ping-pong while we played Boggle. (I asked Caleb how I should word this and he said "say we had a good time, we missed each other") So poetic.
Momma Rigby: Lingerie
Caleb: "You have lingerie? Sick"
Monday, December 8, 2008
**Warning May Not Be Suitable for Children =) **

This Saturday Caleb was Santa for our ward Christmas party. He did such a good job. We took advice from Justin and Michelle's Halloween costumes and put flour in his eyebrows to make them look gray. :) Brooke would not go near Caleb when he was dressed up. I bummed that the picture I have is blurry but she was crying when I put her on his lap. When we were going through the pictures she said "this is Brooke wearing a dress and that is Caleb wearing a Santa costume" so I guess she figured it out.
Hollie and Kim went and got their Christmas shopping done while we had the baby so this is her taking up our whole bed during her nap. Her pony tails were all over the place when she woke up but she looked cute while sleeping. When she woke up from her nap she came in the living room and said to Caleb "You have football too? My dad always watches football when I take my nap."Monday, December 1, 2008
Complete Randomness
Brooke finally went down the big slide and even Colby would go down feet first on his tummy. :)Here is Brooke peaking out at us from the tunnel.

Here's my newest nephew Ashton. He is 3 months old, I know it seems like he's older but he was just a really really big baby. He was 10 lbs! Luckily he was C-section :)

I needed this ice cream to make pies for Thanksgiving and I walked in to find Caleb eating it... and not only that but he was eating straight from the container! Little weasel.

Caleb and I had our dads over for the BYU v. Utah game. Caleb is a BYU fan and I am a Ute fan (probably just because Caleb is a Cougar fan). Anyway, we had a good time. I told our dads that they can be bff's now. Neither one of them understood, but their friendship is just budding. :)My friend Krista told me we couldn't be friends anymore if I wasn't a BYU fan so I quickly jumped ships.

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. Brooke sure did have fun with her watercolor paint. She is ready for a night out on the town here, with her painted on outfit.

When I went over to my mom's for lunch Brooke was playing with the dress up clothes so I took some pictures.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Cute Hair Styles
http://shedoeshair.blogspot.com/
I've borrowed some of the pictures from the site to show you some of my favorites. She does step by step pictures of how to accomplish these hair styles. So cute!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Will you give this to my Daddy?
Will you give this to my Daddy?
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. 
Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.'
The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her Daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.

As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
























