A note from the family.

“My wife and I are beyond thankful to BSB and all the donors and contributors for making this family adventure possible for us. Over the last year we have gone through a tremendous amount of transition and emotional adjustment. This week was an opportunity to set aside the external stressors and focus on time with each other. It was not all rainbows and unicorns, however. As much as we enjoyed our time, we worked through some emotional stressors during this culmination of a season of transition. We faced and overcame fears and bonded as a family in the serene backdrop of Big Sky.

During this trip we were in between homes, spending the majority of the summer preparing our last house for sale. It took more of a toll on the family than I had expected. As we left on this adventure, all of our household goods were in storage as we bounced between grandma’s house and a short-term rental. The Family Task Force was a great opportunity to leave all that behind for a moment to spend time with each other. This was also the first flight for our seven-month-old son as he joined his well-traveled siblings.

We had many other firsts as well. This was the first time our daughters got to go on a horseback ride with their mommy that they will never forget; it was our eight-year-old’s favorite part of the experience. It was also the first time we were on a boat together out on Hebgen Lake – first time being a “boat captain”, or riding in a tube on the lake, which I didn’t think our kids would do. Also, first time on a gondola tram, getting to the top of the climbing wall, or arriving at the peak of an 11,000-foot mountain peak!

This week’s theme was overcoming fears. Whether it was getting to the top of the climbing wall, getting on the gondola for the first time, getting into a pull-behind tube on the lake, or making it all the way to the top of Lone Peak on the tram, we learned the beginnings of what bravery is – being scared of doing something and doing it anyway. My wife and I are so proud of our daughters and sons for being able to face their fears and overcome them. The hardest part of overcoming our fears is taking that first step, and we did that together multiple times during the week. Every day we did something that was out of our normal comfort zone as a family, and it forced us to bond as we worked through it together.

Although you don’t have to go to Montana to play wiffleball in the backyard, this was probably the first time I was able to start to teach my kids how to hit a ball with a bat. I will always remember, and I am pretty sure my daughters will too, playing wiffleball in a grassy field surrounded by giant pine trees and mountains. I am hoping to take this forward with me to spend meaningful time with my kids in play.

Again, this was an amazing experience. We are so grateful to everyone who made this possible for us. At the outset, I thought it would be completely relaxing and easy, but that was not the point. The point was building the family, and that takes hard work and some self-sacrifice. This is not a foreign concept to us, but we often neglect our wives and families for this very concept. This is probably the first time in my entire career in the military that people cared enough to bring us together as a family.

Special thank you to Jackie, the BSB team, and all that contribute to the program, thank you so much for making this possible for us.”