10-Day Leave (Oct 2 - 12)

After graduation with his new phone.

We sure enjoyed having Jeremiah back with the family for awhile.  After graduation we gathered up his things and headed to Souplantation, a buffet, for lunch.  From a bunch of the things I'd read from parents of Marines, the Marines are HUNGRY and we were told to stock our refrigerators.  So, I thought a buffet would be a good idea since Heather's husband, Rob, can really eat, and I figured Jeremiah would too.  Instead, he was more interested in getting his new smart phone set up (his graduation gift) and only went through the line once, since that's all they could do at MCRD and he didn't want to break that habit.  His leave was only ten days, after all.  It wouldn't do to completely change his Marine training within an hour of leaving base!

Following lunch, we headed back to the hotel so he could get out of his uniform and we could decide what to do for the afternoon.  He got changed and we headed to the USS Midway to tour the aircraft carrier.  We only had an hour on the ship, but it was plenty of time to get an idea as to what those sailors had to endure for living conditions.

Hope on a bunk in the Midway.

Then we headed to a beach that Heather knew about and had taken Samuel and Hope to the night before.  Jeremiah and I sat and talked while the others played in the water.  Eventually Jeremiah did go wade and look for shells, though.  Hope had been in a dress since she refused to change at the hotel, and ended up freezing cold and completely drenched.  Jeremiah took off his shirt and got Hope out of her wet things.  Luckily I'd picked up a new shirt for him at the USS Midway, so he put the new shirt on instead.

Menu at In-n-Out Burger

Dinner was next on our list since it was getting late, so we headed to In-N-Out Burger.  It's supposed to be this really great burger joint, but the have almost NO selection.  I managed to get food for everyone though, and bought Jeremiah a shake along with his burger since the shakes are supposed to be good.  He drank that pretty quickly, so it must have been good.  Personally, I was not impressed with the food.

The next day we went to Sea World.  The biggest reason for going...somebody at church at MCRD had told Jeremiah about a restaurant, the Calypso Bay Smokehouse, that is in the park.  They raved about it.  So, once we were pleasantly surprised by being able to get nine of us into the park for free (because of their Waves of Honor Program Joe and Jeremiah got four tickets each for free), we headed straight for the food.  I guess Jeremiah was hungry after all.  We all ate and then divided up into a group that wanted to do thrill rides, and then me with Hope and Sam.  I'm unsure what all the others did, but Hope and Sam enjoyed their time at a playground and the kiddie rides in the park.  We did all meet up and see a dolphin show, though.  Some sat in the "Soak Zone," but Jeremiah, Matt, Sam, Hope and I sat up where we wouldn't get wet.  It was a fun outing.  We probably would've stayed until close, but we were scheduled to meet the Kennelly family for dinner.

Mormon Battalion Visitor Center

We met the Kennellys at a diner, but the wait ended up being over 90 minutes.  The kids had been goofing around on the lawn, but were starting to get cranky, so we left the diner without eating and headed to a Mexican restaurant that Shane knew of.  It was far less money and much faster than we had anticipated.  Once we ate, Heather and Rob started towards Vegas since Heather had to be back in Ogden to work on Monday.  The rest of us got ready for bed so we could head out in the morning.

Jeremiah and Jacob dressing as members of battalion.

We actually decided to take in something that would be spiritual on Sunday before we left San Diego.  There is a visitors' center there about the Mormon Battalion.  So, we checked out of the hotel and went over there.  We even listened to a General Conference talk before our tour started, which was nice.  The experience was educational and even had a "dress up" section where some of the individuals were asked to dress like members of the battalion.  Jeremiah and Jacob did so.

At the end of the tour, they took a picture of the family and then there was a place to pan for "gold."  Fools gold, obviously, but Sam and Hope had so much fun getting their two pieces.

Jeremiah and Hope panning for gold.

Samuel panning for gold.

We left the visitor center and started our drive back.  Again we took a detour and stopped in Beaumont where Hope and Sam could play a bit and we visited with Ty and his wife.  Jeremiah fell asleep for a short nap on their couch without even realizing he did so.  Marines apparently can sleep anywhere!  We stayed for a little while then drove to Cedar City, UT for the night.

Monday we got an early start and drove to Payson so Jeremiah could visit Grandma Behling.  She was so thrilled to see him!  He managed to see his Aunt Linda, Uncle Gary, Aunt LeAnn, Uncle Richard, and cousin Lois while we were in Payson.  Then it was off for home and our own beds.

Jeremiah and Heather at airport.
Jeremiah heading to Marine Combat Training

The last week of leave was probably pretty dull for Jeremiah.  He did PT a couple of times with the Poolees at the recruiter's office, went to a YM activity where they did laser tag (everybody was excited to see him), watched his little sister play a soccer game, and helped his dad put new gutters on a rental unit that we manage.  I sure was thrilled when I saw him dress in his uniform to go to church, though.  He looks really good in that uniform and stands so tall and proud.  Most of his time seemed to be on the computer and new phone.  I had to encourage him to get his dry cleaning and laundry done, which he did.  Monday (Oct 12) he packed up his gear and he and Joe headed to Utah so he could fly back to California.  They stayed with Heather so she could take him to the airport.  He got back to California without any problems and started Marine Combat Training on the 13th.  He should finish that up on November 10th.  We're waiting to see if he will be able to come home, or if his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) school will start that close to a holiday.

We are basically out of communication for awhile now...again.  They turned in their phones the day they got to MCT.  Since service is crappy there, I suppose it doesn't much matter.  I do know he got there and was picked up for training.  Other Marines doing infantry were delayed and are stuck on guard duty for awhile.  At least Jeremiah's moving forward in his military career.  I'm excited for him and look forward to seeing just how he progresses through the rest of this journey.

PFC Jeremiah Behling - Oct 2015