Toby Keith Concert

Well, since this time, the impending departure really feels "real", Leesh and I got out of town. We hired a babysitter for the two older girls, and took Thomas and hit the road. Stayed in a nice hotel over in Mannheim, the other side of Germany.

Had a super nice dinner (with the hotel providing a babysitter for Thomas - how about that, two babysitters in two different towns at the same time!)... went for swims in the pool (since we don't have one here)...

And enjoyed the quiet and downtime together. After so many false alarms, it's hard to keep saying good-bye over and over again. This time, we just kept holding each other and enjoying the time.

And, thanks to the USO http://www.uso.org, we got to enjoy a free concert by Toby Keith (for those of you not reading the post title.)

Now, last year, Toby came to Illesheim http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=21694&archive=true. That was an incredible experience (especially since our lil' ol' base is so tiny, NO ONE ever comes to it - it's so tiny, it's on no maps.) Leesh wasn't here yet then, and we could only share the experience via an international cell phone call!

So this year, to be able to share the experience was like a second chance, and the timing of it... so soon before my impending departure... made it special. To listen to "American Soldier" while holding my wife, and thinking about where I'd be in a few days time... As it tends to happen at a military concert, while we're raucous during certain songs (e.g. "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue"), the crowd is usually very quiet and just sings along in a subdued way during "American Soldier".

Thank you, Toby, and to all the others who come to those of us who are out of the way. He doesn't do it for the cameras (Jesica Simpson - coming to a TV special near you on ABC, complete with free US Soldier props), he does it for us. God Bless Him...