I just got my first call from Aaron!

Aaron just called me and quickly gave me his address:

A B Bryant, Aaron D
322 TRS/FLT 188 (Dorm A-10)
PSC #4
1015 Truemper St, Unit 364071
Lackland AFB, TX 78236-6040

He couldn't talk and had to get off the phone quickly, so we couldn't talk. He did said that he's doing well, and that it isn't as bad as he thought it was going to be! (YAY!!!) He is looking forward to any letters or cards... so I better get crackin! Don't hesitate to send your thoughts and encouragement, too! =)

02.09.07 - Aaron called last night again - YAAY!!! I am updating this again because the first line is wrong! Aaron said that every time the address is wrong, they make him do 20 push-ups (for each letter!) *giggle* He said it doesn't hurt anything, however, for his comfort, I am correcting the address once more!

01.30.07 - I just updated this because I misunderstood Aaron when he gave me his address. It's TRS not TRF. I just got some correspondence from him regarding parking at the AFB, and there it was! Sorry!

They grow fast, don't they?

Okay, it's only been 3 days since my youngest son, Aaron, has technically been in the Air Force, so I have to put some pictures up now before he sees them. He can't complain now, because he doesn't have Internet access. (hehe!)

By the way, Brandon and I are doing well. We're staying busy... but we do miss him a lot. It's strangely quiet around here.








How do they go from this...





...to this so fast?! Where did the time go?

This is Jeremy (one of Aaron's best friends) and Aaron!




See? Aaron was the sweetest, plumpest, little thing! It's hard to believe he was even remotely plump, because he is so lean now. In the hospital, I couldn't get over those huge, kissable dimples after he was born! Of course, he didn't laugh or anything, but when he yawned, they were there to my delight! Also, when Aaron slept, he would spontaneously grin, and those gorgeous dimples would often re-appear!


Aaron inherited those fantastic dimples from my Aunt Kathy and Aunt Jeanne! Of course, keeping it all in the family, my Dad, David, also has them (no picture because he wasn't there, so you'll have to take my word for it!) I will also give credit to my late Grandma Helen and late Grandpa Ted for passing them down plus the great smile!




Here's Aaron with my Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill is married to my Aunt Kathy! Uncle Bill was the one who roasted Mr. Aaron and prayed for GOD's blessings for him on Saturday! It was just awesome!




This is my sister, Kristina, Aaron, Ken (Kristina's husband), Anna (niece) and Frankie (nephew). Lovely, lovely family...




Here's my oldest son, Brandon! And right next to him, there's Aunt Jeanne, Anna, Frankie, my baby sister Jan, and Brother-in-law, Kenny!



Here's my brother Jeff and Aaron! Jeff, bless his heart! We use to fight like cats and dogs... but the joke was on me! GOD put Jeff in my life so I could prepare for Aaron! They are twins even though Aaron doesn't want me to say that. Aaron IS his own person, yes, but there is no denying it... Aaron's mannerisms, dry sense of humor, attitude, and even his talk... it's almost exactly like Jeff. Okay, so when Jeff was younger, I would say they sort of look like each other, too. Oh boy, Aaron's going to be so upset with me! Oh well... he's in San Antonio! (nya nya!)





Here's my handsome oldest son, Brandon, playing around with my cutie-pie niece, Anna!



Yes, it's a shocker! Aaron and I actually got up in front of everyone, and I even said a few words. Even though I actually have the ability to stand up in front of others, you have absolutely NO idea how long it took me to mentally prepare for this...



Here's a partial view of all the great folks who were there on Saturday as they were listening to Uncle Bill roast my Aaron good! (((hugs))) Thanks so much for braving the treacherous weather and being there for Aaron!

Oh, my heart...

I have come to the realization that when children grow up and move on, it's almost like a second birth; it feels as though that my doctor is cutting the umbilical cord... again.

I have tried all day to be strong; even until the end, I didn't cry. I didn't think I had anything left in me. I didn't want him to see me all messed up, and I didn't want Brandon to see me like that, either. It was very hard to watch Brandon get emotional. I knew he loved Aaron, even though they often irritate each other to the point that they can't stand each other. They have been buds for a long time now, and they have come to rely on each other.

Now, it's as though I just can't turn this ache off. Last night was tough. I stayed up to watch Forrest Gump with Aaron; just like old times, he layed in front of me, so I could rub his back. It was so sweet... but afterwards, I couldn't drift off to sleep because the tears just wouldn't stop. It's been a long day, it seems.

I didn't think his moving on was going to be so hard. I am going to continue to pray that tomorrow will be easier.

SONG ON MY MIND: There are so many songs that remind me of Aaron. We enjoy so many songs together only because he knows that what he enjoys I probably will enjoy, too. He knows me too well! DC Talk is just one of those groups that we ended up both being passionate about, and if it wasn't for him, I might not have loved them as much as I do now. We have listened to this song thousands of times, and for some reason, this is just one of those songs I wanted to hear tonight.

FEARLESS - DC Talk

Haunted by a jaded past
Never thought that love could last
Hope was but a castaway at sea

Skepticism took it’s toll
Closed the windows to my soul
Was fighting just to keep my sanity

When out of the noise I could hear You breathing
You came along knowing just what I needed
Turned me around, and You got me believing
You would die for me...

(chorus)
Now I’m fearless... with nothing left to hide
All the doubts of yesterday, love has driven them away
And now I’m fearless... when I am by Your side
It’s forever me and You in this covenant of truth
You know I’m fearless... oh, yeah

Patiently You stripped away
The walls of pride that I had raised
You revealed the child inside of me

We will run and not grow old
Soar on wings as I’ve been told
Together we will fly the heavenlies

Cause out of the noise I could hear You breathing
You came along knowing just what I needed
Turned me around, and You got me believing
I would die for You

Some of us leave the vine
Some of us fall in line
All of us have a friend in Jesus
Some of us live in fear
Some of us persevere
Knowing that You are near me, I am fearless...

David Bowie turns 60 today...

I have often wondered where my fascination with David Bowie lies. Was it mainly his deep, rich, haunting voice or was it the unusual music and nonsensical lyrics? Or was it just the entire bold, cool, unique and complicated package?

I literally have been following this man's career since I first heard of him when I was around 11-years old. I can't believe this musical journey has taken me through 30 years of unmatched fascination.

My first memories were of hearing his song FAME while I was swimming at the local pool in the summer. At this point, I wasn't even aware of his Ziggy persona. I remembered, soon after, catching a very mysterious performance of him while I was watching him on the Sonny and Cher show, and I was captivated.

About that same time, I was totally in love with the squeeky clean and always good, Donny Osmond. Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy were just NEVER good enough. Donny was the the best singer PERIOD! Donny's posters graced my walls like nobody else did (well other than Andy Gibb!) It is funny to think about it now, but in a way, David Bowie was the antithesis of Donny Osmond, and I was entranced with both the good and the bad.

In my teens, I was obsessed with a lot of different styles of music, but I was hopelessly obsessed with David Bowie's music style. I would call our local radio stations and ask about certain songs that I had heard, but I didn't even know the names of the songs yet. I would sing to them what I thought I heard.

With money that I saved from babysitting, I would foolishly spend it on David Bowie albums and magazines. As I played his music over and over again with a freakish ferver, I committed each old and new song to memory. In my desperate attempt to find any kind of news relating to Bowie, I would go to our local Farm Fresh store and stand there for hours and hours in front of their magazine rack and pour over their magazines. I am willing to bet that the owners didn't like me much...

I was driving my family crazy with my eclectic taste in music (they can tell you stories!) and I know my close friends, at times, must have thought I had lost my mind. I was lost somewhere between the layers of harmony, saxophone, haunting vibrato, electronica, soul, folk, melodrama, punk, falsettos, violins, glam, heavy metal, piano, ying and yang, lyrics, and much of his work in minor keys... I'm not sure exactly what it is or why I had identified so closely with his music; the complex combination of it all just resonated very strongly within me. The impact of his music helped me lessen the toxic pain and void in my life.

Since then, I have studied a lot of who and what David Bowie is. We share a few things in common:

• A feeling of isolation, being different and set apart
• Because mental illness run in our families, I often wondered if I sympathize with him.
• A vivid and creative imagination
• A voracious love of music

Regardless of who or what he is, thankfully, I am really nothing like him. I don't think we are on the same side politically or religiously. I am a steretypical introvert, and he's a gregarious and fearless extrovert. The idea that I would want to change or to be in front of people, just for attention, just seems totally abnormal to me. Still, I admire and respect him, and he is the one person that I would really, REALLY want to meet and talk with. Only one word really sums up what I think of him: fascinating

Bowie never seemed to think on the terms of mainstream. Even though he was married and had a child (Duncan) in the 70s, at that time, he actually admitted to the world that he was gay. One would think that he might have admitted this to promote himself, however it was well-documented that he was an openly gay, drug addicted, and a very lost man. For his and his children's sake, I am thankful to GOD that he has turned his life around. He is happily married to supermodel, Iman, and admits that he is strictly heterosexual by choice. They have a beautiful little girl, Alexandria.

If I hear anyone say that gay people don't make choices to be gay, all I have to do is point to David Bowie. He had made that choice.

Anyway, happy 60th birthday, David! I still think you are THE BOMB!

SONG ON MY MIND: There are many songs that I could put on here that I love, but here's a simple song that was made back in the early 70s that's actually a cover song from the Merseys. I don't have any recent songs on mp3s. If I do find something, I'll add it on here... until then, please enjoy a little of his older stuff with me.

SORROW - The Merseys (cover by David Bowie)

With your long, blonde hair and your eyes of blue
The only thing I ever got from you was sorrow... sorrow

You're acting funny trying to spend my money
You're out there playing your high-class games of sorrow... sorrow

You never do what you know you oughta
Something tells me you're a devil's daughter
Sorrow... sorrow

I tried to find her 'cause I can't resist her
I never knew just how much I missed her
Sorrow... sorrow

Purchase Bowie merchandise HERE!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve, and I hope 2007 is a wonderful, prosperous year for you! I love you, all! Sandy =)

Psalms 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.