You never know who you're gonna meet...

Two years ago, I made a trip to Hawaii with my sister for a vacation/professional conference. I'm always amused with the civilian perspective of the military community. Upon hearing that I had spent some time in the Navy, a nutrition colleague at the conference stated "Oh, you must know Ann then. She's in the Army too." In the non-military affiliated mind, all branch's of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc) as well as all divisions (aviation, infantry, medical, etc) are all the same and everyone must know everyone! It was no use trying to explain that I probably didn't know her since I was Navy, enlisted and aviation while Ann was Army, officer and medical! Later during the day, the same colleague introduced us and Ann & I ended up hitting it off instantly. Our paths have continually crossed as colleagues and good friends in the two years since.

A few months ago when Ann invited me to her retirement down in San Antonio, I instantly said "yes" and booked a ticket. If her friends and family were anywhere near as full of life and had as much as a flare for finding adventure as Ann, I knew this was going to be a great celebration! I was certainly not disappointed!

It didn't take long for me to remember why I loved the Navy community so much; Ann's group of friends at AMEDD (Army Medical Dept) were tight knit and obviously respected and enjoyed each other's company. In the first picture is Ann with one of her friends who retired at the same time as her. Both Colonels, Maria closed the chapter on over 24 years in the Army while Ann finished up with nearly 26 years. They ended their Army Dietitian careers right where they started them with internships over two decades ago- at Ft Sam Houston. In a tremendous testament to the bond of military friendships and to Ann's sincere spirit, one of her classmates from her internship, Stephanie flew from Seattle with her husband Keith to help her close this chapter of her life.

Watching the faces of the 11 patriots lined up that morning to close the Army chapters of their lives, I marveled at the spectrum of emotions. At one end of the spectrum were the somber-faced and downright looking scared witless to the other end who could hardly suppress their smiles and readiness to move on to the next phases of their lives. Ann certainly fell into the jubilant category! At the "beret burning" later that evening though, she explained that it wasn't because she disliked the Army that she was happy to be moving on, but rather it was the excitement of the next adventure that was making her giddy about stepping out of the uniform for the last time. As you can tell from this picture of Ann with her sister Pat, civilian attire suits her just as well as Army green!!

The days leading up to the retirement ceremony on Thursday were filled with both local and out-of-town friends and family. On Wednesday, I was informed that I may want to wear comfortable shoes since we were "walking for food." Five miles of walking later, we arrived at a great little bakery for breakfast! The next 48 hours were filled with visiting, eating, drinking and celebration. The ceremony was succinct and professional whereas the private reception for Ann that followed was lively and informal. It was clear from the number of people who attended as well as from the words that were spoken that Ann was not only well-liked by those with which she served, but she also made a significant impact on the lives she touched. The festivities culminated in a get together at her friend Lise's house (also my gracious B&B hostess!). In the last pic is Ann (standing in black), her internship friend Stephanie, her sister-ish from Oregon Mary Lynn with her husband Sigfreid and Lise.

I arrived back into San Diego in time to catch a cab from the airport to Whit & Kathie's house for a Halloween get-together. I think I'll be in town for the next 2-3 weeks, so I'll keep ya'll posted on any local adventures. . .