After our exciting meeting in Portage, Sue & I headed north to Tomah.  We met Commander Wayne and his wife Donna and had a wonderful dinner and some much-needed down-time.  It's always great to enjoy an evening with good friends.

It has snowed a bit overnight, but bright and early Thursday morning, February 14, yes Valentine's Day, we headed to the Tomah VA for the Legion's official tour.  But before all that started, we got the greatest treat!  We got to watch the Veterans Creative Arts Festival competition.  How awesome to see these great veterans performing live.  There were vocal and musical numbers and each was performed with such grace and precision.  It was very touching to watch as these gallant men and women came to the microphone, some visibly struggling with past traumas in their lives.  The show was awesome! 

One of the highest honors Sue & I  received this year was being asked to be judges for the vocal and instrumental competition.  The performances were all so good, it was difficult to score the competitors.  It's definitely something I will always remember. 

We also had the pleasure of having lunch with some of the veterans in the cafeteria.  We were treated to sweet treats provided by a local high school.  There was also musical entertainment during our break.

In the afternoon, we accompanied Commander Wayne as the Legion made their official tour of the facility.  Like all the other VA facilities around the state, it has it's own personality and addresses the needs of our veterans in the best possible ways.  Laura Bishop was our tour guide and took us to an area that is being newly renovated with the latest technology so the patients experience the best care. 

To make our day complete, the Commander gave Sue & I a box of chocolates so we wouldn't miss celebrating Valentine's Day away from our husbands.  What a guy!!  Oh, just in case you were wondering, his wife got one too!!

After a really great day, with lots and lots of walking, we bid good-bye to the Jensen's and hopped in the car to head down to Ho Chunk for our next event on Friday.