Happy Veteran's Day! Our Real Life Experience Storming the Beaches of Normandy (November Challenge Day #11)

As many of you know, this past summer we had the amazing experience of visiting France.  Some of what I blog about now I have in a past post, but since it's Veteran's Day I thought it would be a good recap.  

Of all the places we visited, the Normandy region was hands down my favorite.  The rolling farm hills with the ocean as a back drop were just stunning.  It truly should be added to anyone's list of travels.

We were fortunate enough to time our visit with the anniversary of the invasion of France by the allied troops in WW2.  There were ceremonies and parades to commemorate the occasion.  It was a fun part of history to experience and get in on.

I was so impressed with the American cemetery at Normandy which allows over 9,000 of our fallen soldiers to rest in peace in a beautiful location.  It its well taken care of and the precision in lining up the crosses is amazing in and of itself.

Do you see the side of the cross in the middle of this picture?  It is a row of crosses as long as the ones you see on either side but the exactness is so precise it looks like just one.  Truly amazing!

My boys got to romp on the very same beaches that countless men died on defending freedom from an evil I hope we never experience again.

We also got to see real life paratroopers jump out of airplanes and land in farmers fields.  That was truly exciting!

There is so much to be thankful for when you think about all that people sacrificed on behalf of freedom.  Men and women were and have been willing to die for our country so that we can do all the things we do day in and day out with little or no thought of how it has all come about.  I hope you each take a chance to reflect on the blessings you have because of those who have gone before you.  I'm sure you will find that your cup truly runneth over.

Happiest of Wednesdays!