wp 10

ten years ago this past spring i was smiling because i had a really cute boyfriend who happened to look good in a uniform.

this was his graduation day. i could have NEVER guessed that I'd be visiting 10 1/2 years later and that we'd have four children and that we would have been through all we've been through.

going back was a little surreal.

i really didn't take many pictures and i am KICKING myself for that. but i was too busy laughing. and talking. talking so much i'm hoarse today. but i would have loved to have a snapshot of jimmy talking to all of his old football team mates. oh well. :)

friday night was the class dinner and j and i went without the girls. it was SO fun to dress up.

seeing all those boys (who are now men--but i can still see the boy in them) was incredible.

they are all just as handsome...even more handsome,actually.they are happy. and successful. and handsome. and most of them are daddies and husbands. they have been through deployments and some of them have lost their friends. they have led men into war,flown helicopters,run corporations.

they drink scotch instead of beer, they are calmer and more settled, more world-weary...but the laughter,the inside jokes, the fact that they love being together..those things are the same.

they are the best of the best.

i got to see wives that i've known since we were all just girlfriends,and i was able to "meet" wives that i feel like i've known forever, even though it's just been through a computer screen. i got to meet this girl and it was the highlight of my entire weekend. she's smart,funny,beautiful,and snarky all rolled into one. my kind of girl.

saturday was the football game. we stayed on post with my best friend sarah. you've probably heard me talk about sarah over the years. we have been friends since sophia and harper were one. we've been through the scariest deployment possible, we got pregnant around the same time and had babies three weeks apart. she is the friend of my heart that i miss SO much. being 3 hours from her this year is a huge gift.

please note that we were accidental twinners. or "sister wives" as jimmy calls us when nick is gone.hahaha!

her husband is in saudi arabia for the year and there was a huge Nick-shaped-hole this weekend. but we thought of him and talked about him nonstop.

first up was the mandatory bloody mary (to go in a coffee cup of course)

then we got the girls into their cheerleader outfits:

and the babies into their t-shirts (they had a sitter for the game but they still had to show army spirit!)

and we were off! we walked to the game and watched the black nights lose..boooo. :(

we might have lost, but at least we got to see lots of people we love and introduce them to the girls. you should have seen people's faces when they found out j had four girls.HAHAH!

we went to get the babies and then we walked to a tailgate. you walk everywhere on west point...i would LOVE to live there. it's an amazingly beautiful place.

man. i had no idea all those years ago what an honor it truly was to go to west point. i didn't even really know what it meant. when i met jimmy i had NO idea that wp was the army service academy. i didn't even know where it was. (it's in new york- about an hour from nyc-for those of you who don't know either).

but now...especially when we go back to visit...i'm really humbled by the magnitude of what it means to be a west point graduate. it's awe-inspiring.

they are the best of the best. they were then, they are now. they always will be.

happy tuesday,y'all.xoxo

Comments

[reyanna]

Oh, how fun!!! It is such a beautiful campus! I think I've been once, but I have no idea why I went! LOL. :-p

[Heather]

Lovely post!!

[Jen]

Looks like a blast! I thought of you all this weekend when I saw a handmade West Point uniform (for halloween) at a consignment sale. P.S. - I love your coat!

[Freckled Fawn]

i love how sweet you both look in the graduation photo at the top.

[Kristy]

It is very awe inspiring. He and you should be very proud.

[Linda]

Very proud of you all! Thanks for sharing so much.

[Amy Coose]

I miss USMA so much, I forgot how gorgeous it is in the fall. We missed our 20th last year because of sweet Davis, but I am looking forward to the 25th. There's nothing better than the USMA reunion. I love the pics!

[Laura]

Go navy! ;)

[NikkiM]

Beautiful post. I wonder what goes through Jimmy's mind what he reads your posts. Something along the lines of "man, I am a lucky guy!" :) What a treasure trove of memories out there for all of your girls to read about on down the line. Thanks for sharing. As always.

[Jenni Hufford]

awesome post, and oh my word, you look EXACTLY the same as 10 years ago!!!!!!

[Michelle Whitlow]

What a great post! Thanks for sharing for us non-military folk :)

[sherried]

Thanks for sharing. I loved going to West Point when I lived in New Jersey. A favorite memory is going for the 4th of July concert. It was fun seeing the new recruits in their dress uniforms and listening to the 1812 overture. In fact, I probably went to a concert when J was there. :0).

[Erin R.]

Glad you had a fun weekend. You look gorgeous by the way. So 'ashion. You are a woman after my own heart when it comes to fashion. Classic with color. :o)

[Chelsea]

What a great weekend!!! Did you notice on the picture with you and Leigh (she has a black dress on) the sweet little reflection in the mirror behind you. That is really the coolest surprise when you take a picture of something and discover something hidden in the background. Not sure if you noticed it but I thought it was pretty pro!

[diana]

Great post! Looking forward to seeing the 20th anniversary post! Maybe there will be even more girls? LOL

[Vicky Wilbeck]

Wonderful post! You look so beautiful in all your pics. :) Thank you for sharing.

[Kelly Massman]

You have to know me in person when I say this but here goes anyway. "HIGH Five!"

[Audrey Nielsen]

Thanks for posting pics. My brother graduated from West Point in 1991, and I have not been back, the pictures are a blast from the past. Glad to hear you had a good time.

[Natalie Hua]

You look the same 10 years ago and 4 kids later!!! You're just too awesome!

[Kimber-Leigh]

this makes me smile! and really makes me wish we had gone to Brent's 10 year at the AF Academy. :) so glad y'all had a great time!

[sam]

beautiful post. you are so loving and proud and that really shines through:) love that you and your bestie are wearing almost the same outfit.

[libbywilko]

Reunions are so great aren't they! Thanks for the WP info... all I know about it is what I read Mary O'Hara novels The my friend Flicka trilogy as the father and son went to West Point. Love how excited the girls look too.

[mara]

great post :)
my cousin just graduated from the naval academy (i know, i know, rival!)and when we went to Annapolis to visit I was in awe of the campus, of the people, of the everything. it's awesome that your girls get to experience that with their dad - and that you were able to see / meet friends!
sorry they lost the game, but such a fun weekend!

[Candace Bunch]

Amen.

[Melissa]

Ask J if he knows Rob (Robert) Smith and Libby (Elizabeth) Haydon Smith. Both Rob and Libby are/were in J's class. They are dear friends of ours and they were at the reunion with you! In addition, my dear friend Susan was there for her husband's 20th USMA reunion and my dear friend Kristi lives at WP with her husband Beau, and they were all at the football game together! So technically, I knew four different families at West Point last weekend! How cool is that? We were there last year for my husband's 25th reunion (hard to imagine, I know!) and got caught in a FREAK snow storm that shut the post down! It was crazy! SO glad you had good weather and just an enjoyable time. And I think your photos are fabulous!

[Leigh Erin]

Ah yes, I wasn't able to hide my snark huh?! LOL. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AND J! D tried to tell me last night that you were "his people." I laughed at him --- then I tried to head-butt him. It got physical.

[Koko @ Koko Likes]

This looks like the best weekend EVER!!! Cutest pictures!