Ferry Ride to Coronado

We took Emily and Stephen to downtown San Diego to see the big ships in the Harbor and to ride the ferry to Coronado. Aaron was fascinated by the U.S.S. Midway and loved the ride to Coronado. Stephen had to hold onto his shirt to make sure he didn't go overboard. Aaron in turn helped Isaac stay aboard ship as well. It was cute to see him with his arm wrapped around his little brother in such a protective way. Aaron was full of chatter the whole day. I'm not sure which was better for him, the ferry ride, or the ride in Emily and Stephen's car at the end of the day. He seemed pretty enthusiastic about both.

I have loved living in such a military hub. The presence of the military is all around us. We live right outside the gate of the Camp Pendleton Marine base and many of our neighbors are current or retired military officers. There are many opportunities to really feel a sense of gratitude and patriotism. We have met so many wonderful people who have sacrificed so much of themselves for our country. We are grateful to associate with them.

Because there are so many military families in our school, they have an extra emphasis on the hymns of the armed forces. As we walked from the monument to the cruise ship, it was fun to hear the girls recall the hymns they have learned, some of them I'm not very familiar with so was impressed with their memory. I love going to the Monday morning assemblies because they always sing the songs and every time I get lump in my throat.

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles,
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.