Scrapbooking: OIF 2: Cover

I've always loved this picture.

added 3/27/04

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I am not that much of a scrapbooker really, but it seems whatever I get into, it’s 100%. Of course, my tape jobs are severely lacking, but believe me when I say, they are taped in well with packaging tape and will never fall out!

When I worked on Aaron’s scrapbook from OIF 1, I spent a great deal of time on the weekends out in Mom’s backyard. That was a good time. It was a time of renewal for mother and daughter, political and family talk … where the war was at, which wasn't bad at the time.

Even though it was Fallujah that Aaron was going to, I wasn’t as worried the 2nd time as I was the first, until April 1, 2004.

Aaron was disgusted about the mission the 2nd time. When I asked him what they’d be doing the second time around, he said, “Instead of kicking down doors, we’ll be knocking on them and passing out candy!” Aaron was a Marine. He liked the kids there in Basra, but he didn’t trust them in Fallujah. He would push them back away from him there. I know everyone likes the pictures of the troops with the kids, and I have several of those from the first trip.

Most in my family were very worried the 2nd time around. Of course, none of this was shared with me until after the fact. Gary, my brother, had a dream in which Aaron was killed. When he woke up the next morning, he told Karen, “We’re scr**ed.”

Greg didn’t feel good about it and neither did Lisa, but they didn’t share it with me at the time. I was busy talking to Tiff constantly, making wedding and baby plans. I was out of school—life wasn’t bad. Aaron was calling ALL the time, working out twice a day, giving me long lists of ASAPs!

Juanita, or ‘Grandma’, Aaron’s paternal grandmother in California, called me and asked me if I was going to make another scrapbook for Aaron. I told her that I didn’t think there would be that much from the newspapers this time, but that if she’d send me some stuff from the newspapers out there, I would.

I started and it took up my time—just like blogging does now, and then things changed. I began to live, literally live, in front of FOX news. The scrapbook was hard to work on.

After Aaron was killed, I put it up. We drew names for Christmas in 2005, a Christmas in which “handcrafted” gifts was required. It was Zach’s name I drew. I took the scrapbook out and finished it—with a different theme. But before I could start with the new theme, I had to finish up with the dates leading up to April 26, 2004. That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do. It is what I’d imagine it would be like to induce labor to deliver what is already known to be a stillborn child.

I finished it and gave it to Zach, Lisa’s son, and it will be handed down to Weston, Zach and Jesika’s son.

I’ve borrowed the things I gave to my nephew to scan and share with you. If it’s something you’d rather not see, then skip it. The scrapbook is easier for me to look at now than it was to work on then.

Everybody is different. Karen and I like to look through the things, even though there had been those times that were harder than others, just like now. Mom has a hard time with the pictures of Aaron and Lisa probably won’t want to do the scrapbook, but I want to tell her right now ... I won't be leading up to Aaron's anniversary. For the most part, the photos will be random. No doubt, I'll do something special for his ROLL CALL, but I don't have anything in mind just yet.

I’ve worried at times if it seems morbid or if it may seem like I want people to feel sorry for me. After all, I was encouraged to do this by Ramos, so I don’t trust any direction he’s sent me in. Yet, I’ve had two people encourage me, well three, counting Karen, and considering what I think of these people, it’s enough for me! I'M PROUD OF MY SON AND I WILL ALWAYS BE A SHARING PERSON. I'M THAT WAY. But then again, I know I'm a little strange. After all, I'm the one that walks around the cemetery looking at all the pictures on the headstones, and too, I have the little markers of my great-grandmother's grave as well as my step-grandmother's, in my flower bed. So...? :)

I’m going to share more of Aaron. After all, this site is dedicated to him.

Gunz Up!