We've survived so far!

 We've survived so far!! I need to stay on top of this thing on this trip lol. After our family reunion in Idaho we headed of on our cross country trip. We decided to stop at the Hoover Dam along the way.

 Then we drove the rest of the night and stayed at a hotel in the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon was amazing!! I loved it!

 Then leaving the Grand Canyon we stopped to eat and ended up in Cameron, AZ at the trading post. There was a lot going on!

 The ceiling in the restaurant was pretty cool

 The food tasted really good! I loved the Navajo taco! Then we drove to Cortez, CO for the night.

 Today we went to Mesa Verde and it was quite the experience! We climbed ladders and some interesting steps to get to the dwellings and to get out

We had a good time, and had to drink a lot of water!! Tomorrow we head out for Texas!

Another Memorial

 Ryley's elementary school decided to put up a memorial for Ryley in front of the building back in August, but decided not to overwhelm us and wait to do the ceremony till now. They have this beautiful plaque in the ground already, and will plant the tree after the summer.

 The 4th graders performed a few songs for us and wrote cards to us and to Ryley. At the end they gave Susan and me these flowers. It was great to see how much they really paid attention to their teachers teaching them about memorial day and Ryley's sacrifice and what it means to them. They made us all a little teary eyed.

Portrait

Last month I was in NC for the battalion memorial to honor the 8 men who gave their lives this deployment. 2 sailors and 6 marines. It was a very moving ceremony and couple of days. At the ceremony they had speakers including a friend of the men who died to give a speech about their friends, we listened to the different prayers (for marines and corpsmen), listened to the final role call, taps and amazing grace on the bag pipes. An artist does portraits of the troops in all branches who have died, all 8 of these were paid for by a veteran who we didn't get to meet because he wasn't able to make it. At a dinner after the ceremony we were presented with the portraits as well as meeting the men on the committee of the Purple Heart Foundation (I do believe is what it's called? correct me if I'm wrong) and were presented with Purple Heart coins with our loved ones names, date, and location of death. Today I got the portrait of Ryley from the FRO for 1/6 and it made my day :) Now I need to decide where to hang it up!

Congrats Wyatt and Noelle!

Wyatt and Noelle tied the knot! :) Welcome to the family Noelle!

We remember..

Today for 9/11 we lit candles in remembrance of those who gave their life on that horrible day and for everyone who has given their life for this great country. Also today happens to be the one month marker for the day that Ryley died so the white candle on the left is for him. Ryley I miss you like crazy and I love you with all my heart! I'm so proud of you! Thank you for continuing to be my hero, watching over me and comforting me constantly..

Homesick...

One morning at breakfast before deployment...

Packing... Gosh I love that face... He always loved when I said gosh..... he said it always made him smile... that wonderful amazing smile I miss so much.. the one I heard on his face and saw all the time..

On a train in Chicago after getting married...

A picture he sent me while he was still on his way to Afghanistan.. He loved sending me random pictures and stealing my phone when I wasn't in the room and taking pictures of himself...

What to say...

Ryley Gallinger-Long July 4, 1992-August 11,2011..... I decided to make my blog public again.. I can't run from this forever, it's my life now and I need to be open and honest and my life is now very out in the open and I need to embrace it more than hide from it... I never wanted this, but life rarely works out the way we want it too. I miss my best friend, the love of my life, and I can't wait for the day that we can pick up where we left off...