Georgia.

My younger brother joined the Army earlier this year, and shipped off to boot camp at the beginning of the summer. I am so excited for him that he is doing something he has wanted to do for years and so proud that he is dedicating part of his life to serve a cause greater than himself. And hopefully he gets to see a few pretty cool corners of the world while doing it.

 

Even though we're all happy for him, going 10 weeks without seeing or talking to your brother is tough (although not nearly as tough as the work he put in during that time). My whole family was excited to fly down to watch him graduate from Fort Benning, GA on September 11th. We had two days to spend with him, and then planned to take another day to travel back to the Atlanta airport before catching a flight home.

The first morning after we arrived was family day - we strained for a glimpse of him while watching the platoon do their typical morning exercise, then ate breakfast in the camp mess hall. The food might not have been Instagram worthy, we had our fill of cafeteria eggs and waffles. We watched a quick ceremony, and then were finally reunited with our soldier - this was the first time we had seen him since our goodbyes a few months earlier. It was awesome to have our whole family in one place again, and it immediately felt like we hadn't been apart long at all. We spent the morning swapping stories of boot camp and life at home.

 

We had two days to hang out and explore all that Columbus, GA has to offer. Which, as far as we learned, was endless strip malls, fast food joints, and chain restaurants. This worked out just fine for us - after a few months of eating cafeteria food, my brother wanted nothing more than a Chick-fil-a sandwich. We hit some of the best fine dining in the area, Red Lobster (bottomless Cheddar biscuits) and Longhorn Steakhouse ;) We also managed to squeeze in not one, but two, visits to the local movie theater.
 

We spent the second morning of our visit watching our private's actual graduation. It was amazing to see how much a person can grow up in two short months. The graduation was held at the National Infantry Museum. This was a sight to see all in itself - all of the state flags lining the walk way, and a 3/4 replica of the Vietnam memorial. After spending a second day together, it was tough to say goodbye. 

 

With our soldier on his way across the country for his  advanced individual training, we were left with a day and a half to be tourists. First up was a stop at the Columbus River Walk and an impromptu drive across the Alabama state line to visit a Piggly Wiggly, of all places. Maybe not one of the wonders of the world, but it was a fun pit stop.

 

Then we drove about an hour to Warm Spring, GA, a stop recommended by one of my colleagues. This is where FDR built a summer home after he was diagnosed with polio. He believed that the springs had healing properties, and even opened up a therapeutic clinic for affected children later on in his life. The house was modest, and reminded me of my grandparents' house.  We visited the pools as well and got to feel the spring water. The town is pretty small, and really embraces its presidential claim to fame. There's even a weeklong festival for FDR's Scottish Terrier Fala! I loved driving through town and eating lunch on the main street. It's the kind of place where people sit on the front porch and everyone knows everybody.

 

Next up was Altanta. We briefly drove around downtown and walked through Olympic Park, but most of our time was spent at the Coca Cola Factory. It was a lot of fun! Coca Cola puts the entire tour together really nicely, and we learned a lot about the history of Coke and how it was made. My favorite part was the tasting room. There were samples of every Coke product from around the world: vegetable soda from Japan, Inca Cola from Peru, Pine Nut soda from Africa, the list goes on and on….

I enjoyed turning a short trip into a chance to see a part of the country that I might not visit on my own, and I loved seeing my brother after a long basic training. We're proud of him, and excited to visit him in his future stations of duty around the US and the world :)