Linkup!

Saw my son today for the first time since he left in July!  He looks so thin and young....

There's an app on my phone that will allow someone to see my location in real time, about 20 min out I sent him a message so he could watch me get closer and know when I'd arrive.  He was waiting for me just outside the main gate when I pulled up at the visitors center.

Barracks are a little different than they were in my day; as an officer I didn't live in barracks, but my soldiers did, and his are luxurious by comparison.  The outside could be that of a suite hotel; enter his "room" and you enter a kitchenette/laundry with a bathroom.  His "roommate" and he each have their own rooms off of this kitchenette!  I brought him a complete set of dishes and silverware, and he's already hooked himself up with a TV and PS4.  I brought him a Chromebook for Christmas!

We practiced driving today--grandma gave him her car for Christmas, and he hasn't before driven a stick.  He improved from his first attempt, that's for sure!  Tomorrow when it's daylight again we'll do some more driving, including on roads with other cars.  When I leave Sunday he has to be proficient!

He's already back at his barracks, I think the day took a lot out of him.  I brought him a number of things from home, and he has to "process" all this stuff--his clothes, a few books, and now all his new toys.  I gave him the owner's manual and told him to spend some time relaxing tonight and familiarizing himself with what's in it.

Big day of "training" tomorrow--plus I got a gift card for Outback Steakhouse for Christmas, so that'll be dinner after a fun day together!