Strong Bonds

What a weekend!
( I am not sure about other branches, so when I am writing this... I am referring to my experience with the Army National Guard.)

The Guard has what is called a Yellow Ribbon Service.
Basically, it helps with the service member (and the spouse) with coming home and reintegrating into civilian life. We actually got to go to a Yellow Ribbon Service BEFORE Marc deployed (to give the spouses information as to what resources were available to us during the deployment.)
Once Marc was home, they had another one, just to remind everyone that they were there for us.

This past weekend... There was a Yellow Ribbon Service as well as a Strong Bonds retreat.

What is Strong Bonds? Basically... It was a marriage retreat.
We went and I think we both had a great time.
All the guys were there... and not in uniform, so I am sure they liked that better than the normal drill each month. They put us up in really nice hotels...

We actually stayed at the Westin in Savannah.
Our hotel was beautiful.
The room was nice...
The toiletries were Green Tea Aloe... LOVED IT! :)
Our room had a view overlooking the Savannah River.

The Yellow Ribbon Service and the Strong Bonds were held at our hotel... and at the convention center next door... So it was very convenient.

With the Yellow Ribbon, they had different schools there... And potential employers.
They also had booths set up with information on activities for children...
Including reading material to help children with the readjustment of their loved one returning from deployment... (Broxton got a really cute book/photo book... Will be talking about that soon)

As for the Strong Bonds...
We had "class" for 2 days...
It was not that bad though...
Yes, as anyone in the military knows... THEY LOVE POWER POINT...
So there was plenty of Power Point going on...
But they also included video (some pretty funny ones too!) to get the message across.
Also, they gave you titles of several books if you were interested in reading...

The message of Strong Bonds?
Communication is key for a strong and healthy marriage.
They had Chaplains leading the class....

The best part?
At the end of the weekend...
Those that wanted to...
Could renew their vows.

They said that renewing your vows was a renewal of your commitment to one another.
You know, that no matter what lies ahead...
Good or Bad, you are there through it all!

And yes...
Marc and I renewed our vows.
It was sweet... They gave all the women a rose...
and then the Chaplain spoke...
Then the guys said their vows.... then we said ours...
You know me...
I CRIED...
but, I was not the only one...
We even have a certificate saying we renewed them.

It was a great ending to a weekend...
How was yours?

Comments

  1. HBSeptember 2, 2010 at 8:58 AM

    We did the same thing in the Marine Corps when Sean got home. We stayed in this really cute town out in Cali for the weekend in a retreat and had classes with PPTs led by Chaplains. Then at the end of the weekend we renewed our vows. It was awesome. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liz MaysSeptember 2, 2010 at 4:41 PM

    You renewed your vows? That's so wonderful!!!! I can imagine that separations can be difficult on marriages. It's wonderful that they do this kind of thing to help them stay strong!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Colette SSeptember 3, 2010 at 3:47 PM

    Wow. What a fantastic thing they are doing to help the families! Gosh I feel so happy for you!

    Keep it strong and grounded you both :)

    ReplyDelete

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