In what feels like the blink of an eye, Jake has moved out of the house. There were less than two months from the day he committed to go to the Air Force Academy until the day he reported there. And those two months were packed with many activities and milestones, graduating from high school being just one of them. Needless to say, those two months were a whirlwind, and looking back, felt like a mere two days. But here we are. Time marches on.

Wednesday morning, my mom and dad came by to take command of the other kids while Jim and I left to bring Jake to school. You’re not going to find better grandparents anywhere.

Jake’s first day of college…

…versus Jake’s first day of kindergarten.

Jake was ordered to report Thursday morning, and we arrived with Alles in Ordnung.

They brought appointees and their parents under the tent to listen to welcome messages from the Superintendent, among other school leaders.

After that we were abruptly told to say our goodbyes, then the appointees walked in to a building to begin their inprocessing. We had been warned that if anything was missing from the required documents and papers, that kids would be turned away. There was a little voice in my head asking, “are you sure he has all his papers?” It was a relief to see him progress down the staircase with a badge around his neck. First test passed.

He was told to be sure and dress blah–one does NOT want to stand out on this day or draw attention to oneself in any way, hence the black shirt and khaki shorts. As you can see from the above picture, not everyone followed that advice.

The kids walked over the Legacy Bridge after listening to a USAFA alum talk about the tremendous journey they were about to embark upon.

Jake then got his game face on and boarded the bus, where the yelling from the cadre commenced. This was also the last time we’d see him in person until September.

We subscribed to an organization that takes pictures of the basic cadets throughout their day, so all of the following pictures of Jake are from it.

Off the bus.

Meanwhile, Jim and I walked into the chapel, sat down, and talked and cried together.

We also joined a tour of one of the buildings. Our tour guide was the architect!

It was reassuring to see and hear the opportunities Jake would have here…once basic training is over.

All of the basic cadets were sworn in on Friday. It was impressive to see over 1100 recent high school graduates marching as squadrons.

There were rows and rows of parents along the chapel wall overlooking the field. We arrived 1.5 hours ahead of time, and the wall was already packed.

Can you spot Jim?

Since then, we’ve been able to catch glimpses of Jake through the online photos: playing intramural ultimate frisbee

going shopping for items such as cleaning supplies and an ironing board (I love it!)

and waiting with his squadron for a dentist appointment.

This process has been so bittersweet. We’ve felt moments of deep sadness that someone is missing from our day-to-day life at home, yet we have also experienced an undeniable peace from God that this is exactly His plan for Jake.