Dear Jon (February 14, 2011)

My son is winding down his Navy Boot Camp 'Experience'.  In less than two weeks we'll be attending his graduation at Great Lakes in Illinois.  We've been exchanging letters over the past six weeks, I'm posting a few outgoing letters from me to him because I want to remember the experience (the good, the bad, the 'weird').

I miss my boy.  From the letters we've received home, he seems to miss us too.  This, I did not expect from him.  He's the 'reserved' Kane, not prone to displays of emotion.  I've learned much in reading his letters over the past six weeks, and it appears that he's learned quite a bit about himself also.
 

Dear Jon,

I’m sorry that it’s taken a while to write again.  Mom told me that she sent you a Valentine’s Day card, and a letter last week, Ben said he sent you something too, so I spent my time, instead, shoveling snow in front of, and behind the house. 

I normally would write to you in the morning (it’s Tuesday Morning now) but for the past week or so it snows anywhere between two and five inches pretty much every night.  In the morning I wake up, make Timmy’s lunch, make sure he wakes up, pull jeans over my PJ’s, get my ‘warmsies’ on and go downstairs to shovel (or snow throw) the driveway and then come back in to shower, shave, and whatever.  By then it’s 7:49 and I’m almost already late to get to work at 8:30 because the roads are ‘interesting’ lately. 

We didn’t hear from you this weekend, so I’m thinking that this is a ‘good thing’.  When we spoke on the phone about ten days ago you said that if you had any problems that we’d know by this weekend.  So far, so good?  Your most recent letters sounded quite a bit more like yourself than the first couple did.  This also, is ‘good’ (I think). 

Don’t worry about the whole ‘Care Package’ thing from here, we had told anyone who knows you that if they send you anything it can ONLY be a letter, or card.  I went online at work yesterday and looked up the ‘8 Count Push-Up’ – yeah, I’m with you, doing 300 of those, that ain’t right. 

You’re not missing much here (we don’t HAVE a $40 Million-Universal-Studios simulator here – although, I think Mom is weakening...).  Maybe when we see you again I’ll have a sizeable down-payment so we can build one of our own in case you’re missing the Navy’s version of it ‘too much’.  But, since you’ll more than likely be spending some time ON a ship or two, who needs a Simulator when you have the real thing above, under, and around you?  Yeah, I’m thinking we’d better save our money in case we ever want to visit you in the future.  Plane tickets are not cheap, and I am NOT driving to Texas (all those scorpions crossing the road freak me out). 

Just so you know, I bought our train tickets for the trip up to your graduation on March 11^th.  We’ll arrive early on March 10^th (10:15am) after riding all night on the scary, shakey, and noisy train. 

Yup, we’ll be there, wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Everyone here is thinking of you and praying for you.  I sleep better now than I did a few weeks ago (mostly because I have that good little girl right there next to me) as it sounds like you’re on the ‘Up Side’ of the Boot Camp experience.  Like I said before, they need to break you down prior to building you up again.  They don’t want a bunch of stoop-shouldered recruits showing up for their graduation on the 11^th – they need proud Navy men and women with shiny white teeth, and from what I’ve seen in the past, very little hair. 

Oops, speaking of HAIR, I had your dog, Sandy, shaved last week.  It was either this or give her a bath.  When I gave her the option or either / or I clearly heard her bark ‘Hair’ in response.   She’s fine, but she looks a little different than she used to. 

I’m attaching a photo HERE just so you’re not surprised by her looks when you see her:

Oh, I don’t know, it could be an improvement, I guess?

More (actual) photos follow at the end of this.  Just so you know, we still miss you and think of you daily (and most days, just plain, ‘a lot’).  Do the best you can while at Great Lakes, you’re a good boy and you’ll be an excellent Sailor when you begin your Navy adventure in less than one month!

 

I miss you more than words can express Kidd-o.  Take care of yourself, take care of your ship mates, and I’ll take care of stuff around here.  I’ve got your back (wherever your back happens to be).

Love,

Dad

Yes, it’s been snowing lately, just like in Illinois (except, probably not as MUCH as you’ve had – and I’ve been using the Snow Thrower)

 

Here’s the ‘snowline’ on the edge of the driveway.  Snow overall is about 18” deep – it’s going to be 38 today so some of it should melt (hoping, anyway)

Oh, snow in the trees, how ‘pretty’!!!

I took this picture this weekend.  Here are the clown fish, the gobbie, and the blue ‘I don’t know what to call it’ fish.  All together in fishy’ happiness. 

It took HOURS to get a photo with all of them together.  The blue fish mostly ‘hides’…  He WAS delicious though...

Sandy LOVES the snow.  It makes ‘Treasure Hunting’ for food…  FUN!

Kelly’s tired of the snow, it’s making her face turn WHITE.  And she barks more now than she used to – I still blame Sandy for this. Your wicked little dog…  J

Here’s a view of the back yard, snow up to the top step of the shed.  We haven’t seen this for a while.

 

“Boy, come home boy, they’re mean to me all the time.  Yesterday they made me eat CAKE on Valentine’s Day.  I HATE cake – but I can’t wait till I pooh today, that makes it YUMMY!!!”


Even though I'm not physically with you, I think of you all the time.  Be well and we'll see you soon.  I'm really proud of you Jon.  More than you can ever know...