I'm Ready to Go Back on Vacation

Okay, it's only been about 2 weeks since we got back from the cruise, but I'm ready to go back again. Being on vacation is so much more fun than having to wake up every day and actually go to work, but I suppose it's necessary to work in order to be able to afford to go on vacation, at least for those of us who are not independently wealthy.
The cruise was great and super relaxing, and probably just about what I needed after getting back from Afghanistan. 9 nights of not having to worry aobut anything other than what I wanted to do and being able to relax however I wanted to was wonderful after 6 months of having to work 7 days a week. I did a spa treatment which was absolutely divine, and definitely made me realize how people can become addicted to going to the spa. However, trying to run after eating gourmet meals for that long made me realize that I really, really should have done a lot more working out and less eating while I was there. Oh well, you only live once, and I had some absolutely awesome meals.
We visited Grand Turks, which was essentially a desert island because they have to import everything to the island and there is no naturally occurring fresh water source on the island. However, it was the island where John Glenn's space capsule ended up after his first trip in space (I think), so at least there is a little bit of history to the place. We went horseback riding in the morning when we were there, and actually rode the horses out in the ocean which was a blast except that mom managed to fall off her horse (luckily didn't get hurt) and we hadn't really thought about the ummm, floaters, that would accompany swimming horses. Let's just say that it paid off to push your horse to go fast so that it was at the front of the pack and not at the back. After finishing up horse back riding we spent a few hours by the pool at the Margaritaville before heading back to the ship.
Next we went to San Juan and toured the Bacardi factory and then went to an old fort (El Moro). It was such a contrast seeing all the touristy areas and then the poorer areas around the factory. We went to Senor Frogs and had the super tall margaritas and a waaaayyyy overpriced thing of guacamole and chips, but since the drinks were free (after purchasing t-shirts in the gift shop), I guess that it was one of those fun things you have to do.
We headed to St. Thomas next, and en route found out that because of the new Hurricane (Florence I think?), we weren't going to be able to head to Bermuda at the end of the cruise like we were supposed to, which was pretty disappointing. That meant we had to change our plans for St. Thomas because I wanted to go snorkeling, so we went to St. Johns on a catamaran and spent 2 hours snorkeling (where we saw sea turtles, sting rays, and lots of fish.) It was so beautiful and really felt like being in the tropics, so I was super glad that we were able to get on the trip even though they were showing it as booked up.
So after a trip like that, being back at work and having to wake up every morning to go to PT, especially as it's starting to get colder. Welcome back to the real world for me, thats for sure. :-)

"Well Done"

After getting back from the cruise (which was excellent, more to follow on that), we stopped at West Point to visit my sponsor family and my brother. It's funny, because even after 2+ years since graduation, I still got that "going through the gate" feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know some people were excited to see the gate in their rearview on graduation and hope not to see it for a long long time again, but it still felt fairly welcoming to me. After visiting with Brandon and taking a quick gander through the C-Store (picked up some brown bombers for some of the loose FMs I have, toolish I know, but so what, they're convenient), I walked back along Washington to my sponsors' house. Since they're just down the street from the cemetary, I realized that it would feel wrong not to pay my respects to the members of my class lost in Iraq.
Walking through the gate to the cemetary reminded me of when we went to the cemetary, I can't remember if it was Intersession or an MS class or what, but it put me in a somber mood realizing that the people we've lost also did that same walk, and doubtless they did not plan to be there so soon after graduation. I wandered around looking for the section, and was struck once more by the history contained there. But history is something that seems like it should remain in the past, and it was glaringly apparent that our class had painfully contributed to the history of the Long Gray Line when I came upon the headstones for two of my classmates, next an '03 grad, and surrounded by the other recent heroes from OEF/OIF. I didn't know either of them particularly well, I think we maybe had a class together at some point, but my memory is uncertain. However, walking up to their resting place, with the strains of the Alma Mater going through my head, to render a salute and say "Well done," I found myself with tears streaming down my face. It was quite possibly one of the most profound moments of my life, and extremely sad. I stood there for a few minutes, ignoring the cars passing by on Washington Road while I knelt and prayed, knowing that they served with honor a society where such a word means little these days. I only hope that we can all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice. I walked away from the cemetary a little sadder, but more inspired, and reminded of just what "Duty, Honor, Country" really means.
Well done, boys, well done.