Promotion Day!

My amazing husband woke up early on this particular morning (March 2, 2007) a very happy man. Okay, he wakes up most mornings a very happy man. Mornings when he wakes an unhappy man have usually involved having to get up during the night because my dog, Sydney, needed to go outside. He also rises with a frown after I have had a rough night filled with bad dreams. He claims I become physical in my REM confrontations. I plead the 5th.

This morning, regardless of how my night might have been, would only bring promises of excitement. This was the day he would be promoted. It was a very, very long time in coming. He overcame many obstacles and fought his share of battles.

This day would see the end of gold oak leaves as they would be replaced by silver oak leaves.

My parents flew in from Colorado that morning to be present for the ceremony. My dad was the special guest. My husband had requested my dad attend and say a few words about him. My dad, pleased to do so, found a set of his silver oak leaves from his active duty days and presented them to my husband. It was touching.

Notice the gentlemen at the podium. I think he is wiping a tear. I, however, was so proud of my husband that I could only grin until my cheeks hurts. My dad did say very nice things about the man I married and the soldiers with whom he serves.
After highlighting the noteworthy military accomplishments of my husband's career, my dad pinned on one silver oak leaf, and I pinned on the other. Our daughter pinned a third on his beret.
Once our family congratulations were finished, we posed for an official photograph. My mother, the official photographer, is behind the lens and is not in the picture.

Our foreign exchange student, Mona, was also taking photographs on this momentous occasion.


I took the photograph of the cake. My mother is holding the cake. Those are her hand to the side.

My husband, in his spare time, ordered all of the food and organized the ceremony. He even ordered the cake. On the red frosting side of the cake, that half is chocolate cake. The white frosting side of the cake is white cake.

Neither my mother nor I was aware of this until after all of the chocolate side had been eaten and we noticed that the color of the cake had changed.