And then there were 4......

Today was the end of a chapter, and tomorrow starts a new one.  Today is the day our house now goes from 5 children to four because today was the day we dropped Braeden off at the recruiters to start his new life.  Tomorrow he flies to San Antonio to officially start BMT.  It's been a long road getting to this day, but it finally came.  Everyone wonders how we're doing, and I never really know how to respond to that.  Have I cried?  Nope..  Will I?  Most likely some day when I'm alone in the house and wondering why he isn't stopping in to see me.  Or at night around 11:00 when I'm still up and he's usually coming home from work.  Or when I see Jorie sitting on the couch laughing at some video she found and he's not there for her to show.  Like any other time a child leaves, we smile for their accomplishments and cheer them on, but we still always have our moments when something reminds us of what it was like when they were there.  But for today, no tears, just joy, admiration and pride. 

For those of you that know Braeden, just getting to this point was a huge accomplishment.  He decided after school that he needed to make some changes, that he wasn't happy with where he was, or where he would be headed if he didn't do something.  Well, he set his mind to it and he got working..  The gym became his second home, literally!  I would see him get up earlier in the morning than he used to, have something to eat, and about 3 hours before he had to be to work he would be out the door heading to workout for a couple hours before starting his job.  The transformation we have seen over the last 8-12 months has been amazing.  Along with the physical changes of course came the mental just simply from the determination he had to reach his goal.  Tomorrow when he is sworn in, he will already have won more than half the battle.  I know BMT will be anything but easy, but he is prepared and I couldn't be more proud. 

As I walked up our street tonight, and I saw the flag waving in the breeze, it meant more to me than it ever has.  Everything has changed with the closing of this chapter, but like any other good book, I can't wait to read the next one, I know its going to be awesome.  If you ever get a chance to read this Braeden, I am so incredibly proud of you, for the choice you made to serve, for everything you've done to get here, and for everything I know you'll become.  Like you're sister who's gone before you, thank you for being an awesome example to your siblings.

-One proud Air Force Momma