My husband Donald, myself, and our children had the opportunity of a lifetime to go to Bethany Beach in Delaware on a retreat put on by Operation Seas The Day. This event is meant to be a week of relaxation and full of appreciation for our wounded veterans and family. We were welcomed by a huge gathering at the local VFW, where there was a ceremony and lunch dedicated to thanking the families, then we were escorted to the condo that was donated by the owner, where we would be staying for the week. The condo was beautiful and had an amazing view of the ocean. The fridge and pantries were already stocked with food and there were gifts laid out for Donald, the kids, and me. The local businesses, and restaurants donated free meals for the veterans and their families, as well as the put put golf course and arcade holding a family night for all of the families who wanted to participate. There was a party and gathering every day just to honor us and the other veterans, and for the community to show how much they appreciated our service.
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| View from our room |
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| Our host, Mike |
We had so many great stories to share, from walking on the board walk and shopping, to being honored in a parade through Bethany Beach while the entire city stood by to wave, show love and appreciation. I went on a spa day where I received a massage, and manicure. Donald and our oldest son Bennett, got to go golfing. Every family was assigned a host family that helped the families, and show them around. We by far had the best host ever, he drove me around the Tanger outlets while I shopped, he took the boys and Donald to do whatever they wanted to do while I was at the salon, and could not put our littlest one, Lincoln, down. It was the longest time in a while I have been able to eat with two hands. We all enjoyed the ocean, playing in the sand, and being so warmly welcomed by the locals. Operation Seas the Day wanted the vacation to be completely at no cost to us, so they gave all the families a gift card to shop and to pay for any other extras we may want or incur. They even gave us parking passes to park where ever we wanted! Everywhere in Bethany beach had a parking meter. The local police even gave us passes...as long as we weren't being wreckless, we technically had a "get out of a ticket" free pass. (How cool is that? That doesn't happen everyday.)
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| Watching the concert |
The parade was amazing, everyone in attendance, was escorted by police and fire trucks in buses to a venue where we were treated to a dinner and Bruce Springsteen cover band concert that had fireworks at the end to just add to the celebration. Flags were flying every where, people standing on the street, people waving and saying thank you, it all was just so overwhelming and humbling to see so many people really care about the sacrifice that our service members and families have made. We have never seen a town so dedicated to our veterans, and wish more places were like Bethany Beach, DE.
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| Playing at the bay |
We were treated to a boat ride to Assateague to see the wild ponies, and play in the bay. We had a picnic lunch on the shore and splashed in the water. That was an experience that made life long memories for the us. The boys absolutely loved the boat ride, the owners of the boat even allowed the boys to drive the boat, that completely made the their day. Seeing the smiles on their faces just made it all the more better.
Lunch and Dinner parties happened every day. All the families were treated like VIP's, we were all waited on hand and foot, there were so many things to do and so much food to eat! Even the Governor and Mayor of the town showed up to these dinner and lunch events! One lunch included the local girls soccer team showing support by sponsoring and being our waitresses for a barbecue lunch, and one dinner included photographers taking family portraits that would have otherwise cost hundreds of dollars for free.
There was also time where the caregivers and veterans spent time apart in meetings where they could relate to each other and discuss resources for support and various other important information with one another. It was a confidential setting where we could vent, relate, and talk about the similarities and differences in our lives with out veterans. Sometimes when you think you are the only one dealing with an issue, it's comforting to know that there are others walking the same mile in your shoes.
We also made memories at the beach, boogie boarding, playing in the sand, dipping our toes in the water and the boys burying their daddy in the sand.
Then there was the closing ceremony on Sunday. The local fire station hosted a breakfast for all the families in attendance to thank us one last time for our service. There was a moment of silence for all of those who lives were lost on 9/11, then the hosts of the event went on to recognize all the veterans and gave us caregivers flowers. We all took a picture together to remember the whole event and the friends we made, hugged each other, hugged our host (who I could not thank enough for holding my 9 month hold so much so I could remember what have two arms felt like), put some gas in our car and drove home with some lifelong amazing memories and a once in a lifetime experience.
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| Look at that form! |
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| We made it! |
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| Bennett's first oyster |
My husband Donald, myself, and our children had the opportunity of a lifetime to go to Bethany Beach in Delaware on a retreat put on by Operation Seas The Day. This event is meant to be a week of relaxation and full of appreciation for our wounded veterans and family. We were welcomed by a huge gathering at the local VFW, where there was a ceremony and lunch dedicated to thanking the families, then we were escorted to the condo that was donated by the owner, where we would be staying for the week. The condo was beautiful and had an amazing view of the ocean. The fridge and pantries were already stocked with food and there were gifts laid out for Donald, the kids, and me. The local businesses, and restaurants donated free meals for the veterans and their families, as well as the put put golf course and arcade holding a family night for all of the families who wanted to participate. There was a party and gathering every day just to honor us and the other veterans, and for the community to show how much they appreciated our service.
Then there was the closing ceremony on Sunday. The local fire station hosted a breakfast for all the families in attendance to thank us one last time for our service. There was a moment of silence for all of those who lives were lost on 9/11, then the hosts of the event went on to recognize all the veterans and gave us caregivers flowers. We all took a picture together to remember the whole event and the friends we made, hugged each other, hugged our host (who I could not thank enough for holding my 9 month hold so much so I could remember what have two arms felt like), put some gas in our car and drove home with some lifelong amazing memories and a once in a lifetime experience.
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