*Remember Who You Are*: Becoming a Marine

So 13 weeks after Jason left for Boot camp he finally graduated and became a Marine! I flew to San Diego so I could see him graduate and spend some much needed quality time with him. I was kind of nervous flying to a place I've never been, finding my way to the hotel and around town, and spending a night alone in the hotel. But I was too excited to let the nerves stop me. The plane ride SUCKED to San Diego because it was the smallest plane I have ever been on. It felt like a step above a helicopter! I usually enjoy the window seat but not when I feel claustrophobic! It was so small that I could barely move! UGH! But I made it safely so I shouldn't complain. After I picked my bags up from baggage claim I called the hotel and they came and picked me up. The hotel was very nice! It was clean and tidy with a king sized bed, fridge, and microwave. The people who worked there were very nice too. I spent the night alone which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually slept better than I have in a while!

I got up early in the morning and got ready for the Graduation. MCRD (Marine Corps Recruiting Depot) wasnt far from my hotel but it took atleast 30 minutes to actually get there! The guards wouldn't let the shuttle thru a certain part of the base and then we got stuck behind a bus that wouldn't move! Some redneck got out of his car and yelled at the bus driver threatening to call the cops and get him deported. The whole thing was kind of funny. When we (me and 2 other people in the shuttle) finally got to the wrong entrance of the base again we jumped out and the guards let us walk in instead of drive. We weren't supposed to walk thru so it was nice of them. We just had to show our ID's and we were good. Once on base I had absolutely no clue where to go. MCRD is huge! Somehow I found my way to a gift shop which ended up being one of many of base. I didn't have much time so I bought myself a hoodie and keychain... Then I hurried over to the Parade Deck which is 6 football fields long! They had bleachers set up by platoon so that you could somewhat see the platoon that your Marine was in.

Jason was platoon 2108 which was the last of the 7 that were graduating that week. The Graduation process was slow and since it was soooo big you really couldn't hear what was being said. They should invest in some kind of PA system or something! I spent the whole time trying to zoom in on my cameras to see if I could find Jason but I couldn't zoom in far enough to see any faces! When each platoon did their last march close to the bleachers I finally found Jason! I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a little during graduation. It was mixed emotions of seeing Jason for the first time in 13 weeks and the reality that he, along with almost 500 men, just became Marines that week to serve our nation and protect our freedom. Marine Corps graduation is definitely a big deal. I think it was almost 2 hours long. The band played a few songs, prayers were said, and a ton of very slow marching was done. It was awesome to see 500 people in complete unison with every movement. You could tell that it took a TON of discipline to get that accomplished! When they finally ended graduation you could see every Marines face go from seriousness to complete happiness. It was awesome! They looked like robots that turned into humans haha!

We hurried off base since Jason was "finally FREE" and went to the hotel so he could get out of his uniform. He tried putting on his civilian clothes that we wore on the way to boot and they didnt fit! Jason lost 20 lbs haha. Not even his belt fit! Luckily I brought him his gym shorts so he wore those! We went out for lunch to a popular mexican restaurant called Coyote Cafe. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because almost every table had a Marine sitting at it! haha. After lunch we walked around the Historic Park. The next day we packed up and headed to the train station which we took to Los Angeles. The ride was really cool because it was along the coast most of the way so we just watched the ocean. In Los Angeles we visited his family, went shopping, and to the beach. Every single meal we had except breakfast was Mexican!

Those 10 days spent with Jason were the best 10 days ever! We had so much fun and I didnt want it to end. But it was time for Jason to leave again. He reported into Camp Pendleton 2/9/10 for Marine Combat Training which is about a month long. He only really gets part of Saturday and Sunday off and has to stay on base. If they behave they get their cell phones tho! I got to talk to Jason for a few hours today! After MCT he begins his job schooling which is 96 days!! But during that training he can go off base on the weekends. I am so proud of Jason. Sure it sucks not being able to see him and talk to him whenever I want but he is preparing to protect my freedom and that is pretty awesome. I am looking forward to what the future has to bring and then next time I get to see my Marine!

(sorry the pics are out of order. It is a pain trying to upload all these pics and sort them)