Military Family Appreciation Day

On Sunday was the Military Family Appreciation Day out at Gowen Field. I had never been before and it was a really cool event.

I really enjoyed the whole experience for a variety of reasons... but one of the best was that Brett was able to come to church with me even though it was Drill weekend!! Yay! Actually it was a farewell of a great friend who was leaving for his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Lithuania and I really wanted Brett to be able to come with me. On a normal Drill weekend that would be basically impossible. BUT... because it was Family Appreciation Day he was able to leave base and come with me. He did have to go back to help clean up and such but was able to spend the couple of hours with me and it was awesome!

After we went to my friends farewell we were able to make it back downtown to our own ward to have lunch with our ward members after church was over. It was nice to be able to get in a little bit of everything and even better to have my husband with me. 

After we ate lunch we headed back out to Gowen Field and I was able to experience all that was the family appreciation celebration. It was fun to spend time getting to know better the people that Brett serves with and the things that they get to do together. It was also a great experience to see the community really come together and show their gratitude for the men and women who volunteer to serve and protect our nation and our freedoms. 

We had a blast. There was food, music, vendors, military affiliates, there was a play area for the kiddos with bounce houses, cotton candy, ect. They had antique cars out on display along with a whole line of satellite systems, air planes, and a helicopter, a tank, ect. It was really fun to hear the different people talk about and show the capabilities and histories of the different things on display. We got to see and talk to several different people. However, the highlight of the day was being able to meet the man who was so influential for Brett in his decision to join the Air Force. THis man helped answer all his questions, took him to the recruiters office, and was actually able to be there the day that Brett officially joined the Air Force and actually swore him in. So, that was a really cool, really unique experience and I was happy we were able to be there and to meet him. He was so helpful and kind to Brett. Brett loved being able to spend time with me getting to know him better. 

Ah! So splendid! It was a great way to get to learn more about what Brett does while he is there, who he works with, and to see the community support for our men and women. It was also a great way to really wrap up our summer before I add working 20+ hours a week to our already very busy school semester!