Happy birthday, Marine!

This past Monday was my son Nick's 23rd birthday.  I can't believe how time has flown!  It seems like yesterday that he was the adorable toddler who had stolen my heart the very day he was born.

Then there was high school.  What a handsome young man he had become!  And then college - my, what a time that was!

And now here we are, 3 1/2 years later, and we aren't preparing for a graduation - we're preparing for a deployment.  In April 2009, he called and asked me to gather some info on the USMC.  When I figured out that it was for him and not a buddy, I was shocked.  He had never mentioned the Corps, or any military branch at all, and suddenly he was asking about the Marines.  I guess he took to heart the motto "Go hard or go home"!  He headed off to boot camp Jan. 2010, and I cried and prayed for 3 months until I saw his face again.

And now, 2 years after that momentous phone call, I have a jarhead on my hands.  And not just any jarhead - that's LANCE CORPORAL jarhead to you! :)  My precious toddler has grown into a big, bad Marine, and he's heading off to war.  I've always been very proud of my son, and I'm even more proud of the man he's become (and is still becoming).

So happy birthday, LCpl. Jackson, my precious boy.  Be safe where you're going, and know my prayers go with you.  Do the job you've been trained to do, and come back home to the family and friends who love you more than anything.

Semper Fi, Marine - ooh-rah!

All my love forever, 

Your Marine Mom