The Polar Express

When I was a little girl my favorite Christmas story was Polar Express.  We read it every Christmas Eve, and every time I would proclaim how I could still hear the bell (I knew if I couldn't "Santa" wouldn't come).  As I got older I began to understand the importance of "hearing" the bell.  It meant that the spirit of Christmas, the innocence and wonder of a child's belief was still alive.  So, my first Christmas out of college I received my own copy of the Polar Express. 
Now, that I have a child of my own he hears the Polar Express every Christmas Eve, and sometimes a few times before.  The Wilmington Railroad Museum hosted a reading of the Polar Express.  It was wonderfully done, complete with a "first" gift of Christmas.

After hearing a local news personality read the children got to see Santa.  Along with a bag of candy, each child received a bell from Santa's sleigh.  Collin was pretty excited, but was much more interested in the trains.  He loves trains.  Then it was off to a place of his choosing for dinner.  Of all of the places in Wilmington Collin wanted to have dinner Chick-fil-a. 
It was a good night.  Collin was a hit in his pjs with Santa in a rocket ship, and note the rocket ship slipper to match :) 

A Tribute to My Husband, My Hero

I nominated Robert for an award at our alma mater, The University of South Carolina.  He made it to the final 14 (out of more than 200), but did not make the final 5 that go up for vote.  After looking at the applicants who won I realized that Robert just wasn't who the university was looking for anyway.  I may be more disappointed than he is.  Guess we aren't as young as I thought.
In any case I am posting his application here for you to enjoy.

Why should you be the face of y'all?
I am a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a Marine, an alumnus, a Gamecock; I am the face of Y’ALL. Like so many other Carolina graduates, I have been a Gamecock since I was a young boy. I have loved, cheered for, and cried over our teams my whole life. I followed my passion to Columbia in 1999 and graduated cum laude with a degree in civil engineering in 2003. That very same day, I was commissioned by my uncle as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. While we didn’t all follow the same career path, we have all been living as ambassadors for our alma mater since the day we walked across the stage.
During the past 7 years as a Marine Corps pilot I have taken my pride in and passion for Carolina and the lessons I learned there into the cock pit and half-way around the world. With a gamecock on my helmet, I have flown the V-22 Osprey into combat in Iraq, on relief missions in Haiti, and in support of our forces off the coast of Africa. The Carolina flag has even found itself flapping in the winds of an Iraqi sandstorm and hanging on a wall of the USS Nassau . Late at night, in the ready room of a naval ship, half a world away, I saw our baseball team win the college world series. I spent my first weekend home from my last deployment in Williams-Brice Stadium enjoying the sound of 2001 as I watched the Gamecock football team run onto the field amidst a cheering crowd excited for the promise of an incredible season. I checked the status updates on my phone while training in Arizona as our football team beat Alabama this year. And even now, I am cheering our basketball team to victory as I help my squadron prepare to deploy to Afghanistan this summer. I am the face of Y’ALL.

Just like so many other Carolina graduates around the country and around the world, I am leaving a legacy; a legacy of service, a legacy of pride, a legacy of tradition, and a legacy of honor. I am proof that a dream can be realized, that perseverance pays off, and that hard work has its rewards. I am proof that the University of South Carolina educates and grooms young men and women who will leave a legacy. I am the face of Y’ALL.

What would you say to over 47,000 alumni and friends who made a gift last year?
A wiser man than me once said, “Our children are the gift we leave to a time which we will not see.” I believe our legacy is the same, a gift we leave to a time which we will not see. The change in the world we want to see and choose to make, the imprint we leave on those around us and those we love, the life we choose to live for the betterment of others; these things create our legacy.
I am leaving a legacy because those who came before me chose to leave a legacy. Years ago, someone sitting in your seat chose to support the University of South Carolina. With their simple donation, they were investing in a dream, not their own, but the dream of a young man who years before had decided he wanted to be “Top Gun.”

My dad always jokes about how parents should be careful which movies they allow their children to see. This doesn’t have much to do with ratings, but it has everything to do with dreams; because my dream to be a military pilot started in the living room of my parents’ home as we watched Top Gun. As a 10-year-old, my dream was based on Tom Cruise’s cool factor; the great glasses, the pretty girl, the awesome motorcycle, and of course the jet. But as I got older a sense of tradition, honor, and service to my country began to take root. I realized my dream had more to do with the legacy great men like my grandfather, a career marine, left; and the legacy I want to leave for future generations. What I didn’t realize at the time was the importance of the legacy alumni from the University of South Carolina chose to leave.

Because generous people with a passion for their Gamecocks and a passion for education chose to invest in the University of South Carolina, they were choosing to invest in my future. They insured that the Carolina I attended was even better than the Carolina they had left. They don’t know me, they don’t know the others who graduated with me, and they don’t know the students here today. What they do know is that they want others to have an even better experience and an even better education than the one they received, and in so doing they leave a legacy.

It’s much like the work I do in the Marine Corps. Marines before me, like my grandfather, made investments in our Corps and in our country. These investments came at a high price, for some, the ultimate price. These great men and women knew they may never see the returns on their investment, but they did it anyway. They were leaving a legacy for me, for all of us, so that our lives might be a little better. With that same thought, I invest to leave a legacy to those Marines and Americans who come after me. I also invest in the University of South Carolina with the hope that I am paying forward the investment made for me.

So when you are thinking of whether or not to donate to the University of South Carolina, think of your own experience here. Think of the number of donations, small and large, that it took to make Carolina the place you remember it to be. Think of what it takes to make Carolina the place it is today. What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Ronald Reagan once said, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they’ve made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.” While I believe President Reagan was right, I also believe that applies to those who donate to this great university. You don’t have to look far to know that your investment made a difference; your legacy matters. To those of you who donated before 2003, I stand before you as a testament to the legacy you chose to leave. I graduated cum laude with a degree in civil engineering. I attended Carolina on scholarships, some of which were possible because of your donations. The day I graduated I was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. I attended The Basic School in Quantico, VA, from there I went to flight school and earned my wings as an MV-22 Osprey pilot. I have since deployed twice and attended Weapons and Tactics Instructor Training, which is the Marine Corps version of Top Gun. While I am not here to belittle the hard work I’ve done and the contributions of my family, know that your choice to give to Carolina allows me to stand before you today as a man who has realized his dream. I am part of your legacy. I am the face of Y’ALL.

How do you carry out the spirit of Carolina today?
My freshman year at the University of South Carolina was the year our football team was 0-11. My wife, who was a freshman the same year, always tells the story of calling her dad and asking him if she should be concerned because the fans were cheering for a first down. But I think that one action demonstrates most completely the spirit of Carolina. It is a spirit of passion, undying hope, and perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. It is the electricity you feel as the student section at Williams Brice vibrates with excitement and energy just as 2001 is about to play. It is the whisper of fall leaves as they blow through the Horseshoe while students study, question, and discover. It is the apprehension in a parent’s eye on move-in day and the prideful tear at graduation. The spirit of Carolina never dies, but lives on through its alumni.

I so often find myself living out this spirit, whether it’s at a Carolina game feeling the same excitement I did as a student; reminding my 3-year-old son that he can do anything he puts his mind to; or bringing my plane in for a night landing on the deck of a dimly lit ship in the middle of the ocean. It is the spirit I saw flying relief missions in Haiti and combat missions in Iraq. It is the spirit I feel as I study for a flight and train for a deployment. It is the spirit I see as my toddler comes running in the den, with his Carolina t-shirt on, shouting, “Go Gamecocks!” It is this Carolina spirit that keeps me always cheering for, always hoping for, and always expecting the best.