This a picture of Natalie and all of the girls in her platoon! I don't know how well you can see the girls but Natalie is just behind the front row of girls sitting on the floor. Second one in from the left. I hope this is not the only time since they got there that they were allowed to smile! It did my heart a ton of good to see her sweet smile, I must admit.

The night before Thanksgiving, I was still at work and at around 6:15 p.m. my cell phone rang. I did not recognize the number but I was doing a job that I was able to answer it, so I did. To my surprise it was Natalie's Senior Drill Instructor. She said that herself and the other Drill Instructors had decided it would be ok if the girls called because of the Holiday. We were told we were probably not going to hear from her until Christmas, so I was very excited and thanked Srgt. Nelson for the chance to talk to her. The next thing I hear is "I MAMM"!! I figured Natalie was talking to her DI. Then she said it again. "I MAMM"!! I said, " Natalie, is that you? "I MAMM"!! was the response I heard. " Can you not really talk to me?" I asked. "NO MAMM!!" in a slightly shaky voice she answered. I was trying so hard to not cry and be strong for her. It took me the first 30 seconds of our conversation to understand how the game had to be played. I just wanted to talk to her so bad. I asked her if she was tired. "I MAMM!!" I figured by this time that I MAMM meant yes. I asked her if she was getting enough sleep. "NO MAMM!!" I asked her if she was getting enough to eat. After a slight pause, she answered "I MAMM!!" I told her how much I loved her and that I prayed so many little prayers each day for her. I told her that I would tell everyone here at home know how much she loved them. "I MAMM. . . I MAMM!!" she said. I asked questions the best I could with her answering them the best she could. I did not know if I would get her in trouble for keeping her on the phone too long and asked if I should let her go. "NO MAMM. . . NO MAMM!!" OK I said. "They come and take the phone from you when your turn is up? " I asked. " I MAMM!!" We said what we could for about 1 more minute and then the last thing I heard was "HAVE A GOOD EVENING MAMM". I told her again how much I loved her and she was gone. Then I cried. . . . and cried. . . . and cried some more. I miss my little girl so much.

Well it got closer to Christmas and all of us were getting more and more excited that we would be able to actually talk to her. In her letters she sounded pretty confident that we could have a normal conversation with her. Since she called on Thanksgiving Eve, we figured that her Christmas call might come on Christmas Eve also, so that is when my cell phone became pretty much glued to me. The call did not come in that night so I slept (NOT MUCH) with my phone under my pillow so if she called first thing in the morning I would not miss it. All of the kids came over around noon and we ate food and played games the rest of the day. I started really getting discouraged at about 7:30 p.m. our time because they are two hours ahead of us and I know they don't let them stay up too much later than that. By nine o'clock our time I was pretty down in the dumps about it and realized the call was not coming. It snowed so much Christmas Day and into the night that all of the kids and grandkids were just going to stay over. We were still up playing games at about 2:00 a.m. on the 26th, when finally the snow plow came by many times and cleared the road. Everyone decided that they could probably make it home now, but the snow plow pretty much had packed all of the cars into the driveway. Steve got the snow blower out and dug the snow out from behind the cars. Andy was the only one that ended up staying over. He had gone to bed and I started thinking that maybe the circuits were busy like happens on holidays, if Natalie had tried to call. I got on my e-mail to see if maybe the Drill Instructor had sent me a message stating that the girls had tried calling but that some of them could not get through. There was a message from her but it did not say anything about phone calls. She said that Platoon 4005 wanted to wish us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. She said they all were well. They had just completed "Gas Chamber and Repelling" day and that there was quite a bit of drama from some of the girls but they all were fine. Then she said that the following attachment was from the girls. I scrolled down on the page and there was the picture of the Platoon. It took me just a second to find Natalie, because my eyes were searching frantically to find her. Then I saw her and I wanted to reach through the computer and hug her.

Like I said earlier, I miss my little girl so much . . . . but it is turning into something more.

Of course I miss her terribly but I am so proud of her for having the courage and perseverance to accomplish the things she is doing and also that she is doing them so well. She is and always will be my baby girl, but now she is also a beautiful, strong young woman that I am very proud to call my Marine. "I MAMM!!!"