The Okies take New York- Acceptance Day

Kip had decided pretty early on that she would accompany me to Hallie's Acceptance Day ("A" Day) to watch her sister march with her fellow cadets and take her place in the class of 2021, alongside the others.

Lacey didn't think she could take time off from work, so the last thing Hallie knew (and was living day to day, looking forward to) was Kip and I heading to NY in August.

She kept herself moving, knowing that day was coming.

Her sister, Chaurley, (her oldest sis on her dad's side) lives in NYC and also planned early on, hopping on the train  on Saturday morning and heading to the plain to meet us, and watch the new cadet become a private, marching with her 1200 classmates

Well.  Another sister and one boot later, plans changed.

Lacey, Kip and I have a 3 way message stream that we text on constantly,  In one of our texts talking about plans to NYC, Lacey flipped her stuff and decided that she had to go.  "I CANNOT STAY HERE WHILE MY SISTERS and MOM are ALL TOGETHER ON THIS IMPORTANT DAY".

Ok, well everyone knows what an incredible secret keeper I am.  I mean, for really.  I LOATHE it.

After first day of school obligatory pics with the takeouts in Norman on Thursday, Lacey & I headed out for Dallas Love Airport, to go meet Kip for the last leg to NYC.

When I was trying to decide what Hallie needed at school, I kept adding stuff and adding stuff until we ended up looking like a small circus at the car rental place.

6 suitcases, 3 backpacks, 3 purses and one ukulele.  Hallie had asked me to bring her guitar, too but I had to politely decline.  (Should I bring the piano also??)  It felt like I did with that big brown suitcase.  Whoa.

About 3 pm on Thursday, our sister friend, Jessi, text me and said "Why aren't you uploading pictures? It's weird", so we decided we better put some pictures on social media.

 Here was what we posted,

 Here is what was really going on!

Two sets of pictures that whole first day and most of the second.

The girls had never been to New York, so the plan was to get there Thursday night, take in Times Square due to late arrival and get up early on Friday and do a bus tour and see the highlights.  

Headed to Times Square on Thursday night and you just can't describe it.  Smells, people, lights, buildings, more people and activity.  Construction was at a minimum where we were this trip, and for that, I am eternally grateful.  The funniest thing that evening was the painted blue lady in Times Square.  She literally walks around in a g-string, her body painted red, white and blue with a big N Y on each butt cheek.  I have seen these ladies (cough) everytime I go there, but I was tickled to see the girl's reactions.  Kip averted her eyes, but Lacey couldn't take her eyes off of them... "It's like a train wreck, you don't want to look but you can't stop staring".  I rolled.  It's not everyday you see blue boobs with stars painted on them.  Mercy sakes.  Only in NYC.

Friday morning rolls around and it's just raining straight down.  Boo.  No bus ride for us.  We walked and took pics, still a fun morning.  

 Highly recommend this hotel, it's just a block from Times Square and such a good deal.

Headed to West Point about 1 pm.  Kip and Lacey had been snapchat-ing with Hallie most of the day, and Hal has this fun icon that you can actually see her location on the app.  So we had to put Lacey in "Ghost" mode so Hal couldn't see her driving toward her!  The girls loved the drive to WP, it is just so beautiful and green and again, no real words to describe it. 

We ran to our AirBnB (we stayed in their studio apartment by the pool) It was exceptionally nice.  I have had some pretty excellent stays from AirBnB, you should check it out for your next trips.

We decided to head to WP to look around and see if I could get a parent ID (LOL, 3 hour wait since every other parent there decided to get one too) and to head to a parent's meet and greet over by the Library.  Met up with Jack Greer's parents and sis, visited with them (so fun) (can't believe I didn't take a picture with them) and headed to the event.

On the shuttle ride over, the ever watchful Kip was on her phone looking at the snapchat live mode and decided we were right next to the building that Hallie was currently in.  I won't lie, we screamed on the bus.  Kip immediately sent a snapchat to Hallie saying, "We think you're in here, with the building circled)

As we were gathering our wits about us, just so thrilled to be breathing the same air she was breathing, we took a minute and took a selfie...

and walked into the parent deal.  SO MANY people, SO LITTLE food, we just milled around for a second, said hello to the Barkers (from Washington OK) and then a "talk to you later: to the Greers, and headed out the door.  As we stepped outside, Kip said, "Hey I just got a snap from Hallie and she took a picture of our building!"  I was still processing those words, when Lacey goes, "Who is that waving to us?" Kip said, "Are they waving to US?" and Lacey finally saw the boot and screamed, "oh my gosh, It's HALLIE!"  (in my defense, they all look alike)

At that moment, the words were still circling my brain, and all I heard was "There's Hallie" and I'm not going to lie, once I spotted her, there was NOTHING going to stop me from getting to her.  I ran straight out into the street, screaming, with little regard for any of the cars, trucks and pedestrians on the road. All I saw was a smile in ACU's with a boot and I was getting to her. 

Oh People.  How sweet it was. 

We got a little footage, but we were so busy making a scene, no one thought to get anything on camera.  But, I've never had a sweeter hug.   Her take,  "That day had been the worst day ever, everything that could go wrong with my computer, did and I shouldn't have even been in the building.  I got Kip's snap and knew that you must be close, so when I went outside, I saw Lacey coming out of the building and thought "Dang, that looks like Lacey, but Lacey isn't coming, and then I saw Mom and Kip and knew it was you.  I asked my officer for permission to wave at you, and WOW, the day got WAAY  better!"   

Side note: as we were running across the street in front of cars, we were yelling  "Can we do this, can we talk to you? IS it OK??" not really caring what the answer was, we were getting to our girl!

We had a good 56 seconds with her before the volleyball van whisked in and took her away, but what a perfect 56 seconds.  

Day. Made.  

Of course since everyone within a 10 mile radius heard us screaming, and immediately after the van took off, and we were standing there, I'm pretty sure still squealing because we were in such shock we had really seen her and looking at what pictures we had  just taken having to pinch ourselves and make it "real", a couple came up and said, "Was that your new cadet?"  to our loud and excited, "YES!"   They were so cute, and laughed with us and said, "We should have taken pictures for you, and you are so lucky!  We've been looking for our cadet for two hours and haven't seen a sign of him."  The husband said,  "We are so happy for you, but kind of hate you too.  Damn it."

This is super sleuth Kip checking Snap Chat trying to figure out Hal's location

As the van rolled away, Lacey yelled, "I don't have to lie anymore!  NO MORE SECRETS ever...let's make a pact!"   Yes, please.

What's so cool about that place, is EVERYONE is in this thing together.  They've been to the wall, they've conquered the beast, they've missed their cadet and seeing you with your cadet makes them feel closer to theirs.   We were strolling down the plain, I was showing the girls around, and there was a couple face-timing on speaker with their cadet, who was in his barracks across the way, standing in his window talking to them on his phone.  We all waved to him and were so excited for them.  It's just a big family.

Saturday morning we grab Chaurley at an obscure train platform (it felt like a cow trail getting to it) but it was so fun to have her with us and so beautiful, what an adventure.  We got her, and headed to WP.  We weren't sure of the plan for Hal, we knew she wouldn't get to march, but was hoping that she could be released to go to the fieldhouse so we could hang out with her during the ceremony.

It totally happened. 

While everyone else at West Point, sweating with 5000 other people in the bleachers, doing boring things like watching people jump out of helicopters and most of them seeing their cadets for the first time in 6 weeks, we were sitting with ours, munching on gummies and pringles in the Gillis Fieldhouse .   

Legit.  No regrets.

We ran into her squad mate Grant Williams at the Diversity Luncheon we went to (I'm still wondering how this white male with glasses is "diverse", but we were happy to meet him) and Hallie cracked up, afterwards, when she looked at the picture "He looks so happy".  Well duh!  He met us!

At 1:00 the volleyball girls got together and scrimmaged, of course with Hal being in a boot, she didn't get to participate, but she kept some mean stats.  They have three injured players right now.   The team is amazing.  

Hallie is BUFF.  Solid, 100 percent muscle. 

This is the back of her. 

Here is the front of her, in her official Army volleyball photo for the website.

Here is the link to see them all

When the scrimmage was over, we got to take her back to the house and feed her all kinds of food, and stare at her while she talked to us.  We did this for about 4 hours before we took a break. I'm serious.  Very little tv when that girl is around..   It was the Hallie show.  

We all had front row seats. 

Sassafrass.

We went to Walmart and met about 15 of her cadet friends and their parents, all of us vying for the same storage units and school supplies.  Tons of fun.  About midnight we all ran out of gas, so we drove her back to her barracks (as close as we could) and it took her two trips to haul all the crap we bought and brought for her.  That's no bueno in a boot.

Kip and Lacey got up at 5:00 am (yes a mere 5 hours later) and headed back over to get her.  She had caught the stomach bug her roommates had had the prior day and was throwing up out both ends when they got to her.  We kind of didn't care though, bringing this sick chick in our midst.  What's a little norovirus between friends?   Another run to Walgreens for all things medicine, got her fixed up for her own little medicine cabinet for her barracks.  She started feeling better around noon, and we cautiously fed her and headed back to WP to get her back in time for her 2:30 briefing.  Man, 20
hours is not enough time to spend time with someone you love and miss.  We crammed an immense amount of laughter in that time frame, and she spent most of it awake.  I heard stories from other parents, "our cadet slept most of the time."  Well my cadet talked the whole time, and we just loved it.

She didn't feel great in this pictures, but I insisted on stopping and getting some with the view in the background.  Just gorgeous day, and how we loved seeing the baby sister.  

We made the goodbye brief.  She needed to get moving and we needed to not cry.

How incredibly proud I am of her three sisters.  I listened to them laugh at her, and listen to her, and give her such wonderful advice.  They are all such great Jesus lovers, and poured into our cadet and gave her vision and solid wisdom for her time ahead.  It was a privilege to witness that.   

I don't think there will ever be a time she walks away from me now, that I won't experience heartache.  I know I will see her in Chicago in a couple of weeks for a game, but every visit will now need to be spent with intention.  Every second of every visit counts.   I've learned this from Kip, who taught me how to make that work, with her living so far away.  We will make this work.  Lacey kept saying, "She's just going to college in another state now.  She can do this, We can do this.  Why are both of my sisters on opposite ends of the world??"

I don't think I have ever been so proud of her.  This kid has had some proud moments for me over her lifetime, that's for sure, but the way she has handled this experience, hurt, injured, homesick, no military experience ever, held a gun once before she left and now is becoming an accomplished, self assured human (she's always been this to a pretty high degree, but NOW.....wowsers)

Chaurley saved our bacon when we drove back to New York, getting us to our hotel, helping us get the car back and walking us to the subway to show us how to get around.  She is amazing and we just loved spending time with her and laughing and laughing. She is building a wonderful life with her husband, Danny, and I cannot say it enough how much easier this whole experience is, knowing Chaurley is a  mere hour train ride away from Hallie, if ever Hal needs her.   

So, after dropping the car, the three okies took the subway to central park and laughed some more for three hours.  We did a night bus tour (which is definitely the way to go when you are crunched for time and are too tired to walk another step), had some Ray's pizza, got in bed by midnight, up by 4 am and landed in Dallas at 8:45 am.  

Talk about cramming in as much as humanly possible in 72 hours.  We did the dang thing.  And I would do it all again tomorrow.  I thought about how early we got up and how much we accomplished in a day.  That's  Hallie's life in a nutshell right now.  

Hallie Lauren.... you are an incredible human.  You are handling all the things being thrown at you with grace and excitement.  You is kind, you is smaht, you is important.   Keep being a light, be exceedingly kind to everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) and please study more than you use to in high school.  23 hours of classroom training is more than most,(Most take 12-15 hrs and aren't a D-1 athlete on top of that)  but you have prepared yourself for this task the last two years, with your whirlwind of activity you made yourself do.  You.  Are.  Ready.    Now take that training and go Go GO.

Your mama will be right behind you, cheering you all the way!!!