There's nothing quite so American as a mid-summer church picnic - except, perhaps, one highlighted by a soldier's return to his family.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Newlon of the Missouri National Guard, with the planning of his wife, Gina Newlon, surprised his children with the best magic trick of their lives, appearing from behind a "curtain" before the St. Stanislaus Parish Picnic quilt auction Sunday in Wardsville.
Newlon, of Centertown, returned home this weekend after 10 months in Kosovo, along with 11 other local guardsmen, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
At the picnic, Newlon hid behind a hanging quilt at the auction stage while local magician Gerry Tritz, who had been performing throughout the afternoon, invited the Newlon children - Asher, 10, Arabella, 5, and August, 3 - to join him on stage for a magic trick. When the children failed to track the magician's red ball as he transferred it from hand to hand, he told him they hadn't won the quilt but could take the consolation prize behind it.
Ryan and Gina Newlon reunited Saturday when Gina picked up Ryan from the airport in Kansas City. Gina, who homeschools their children, told them she would be away at a homeschooling conference until she returned home to bring them to the picnic Sunday.
The Newlon children stayed glued to their dad after his magic appearance, and had little to say except for Asher's bewildered "I feel like this is a dream" to his mom.
"It's been a rough year. I've been half of a whole," Gina Newlon said. "I had no idea what the military wives have gone through, but when people say "thank you for your service' - and I've said it to other spouses - I get it now."
While nothing could fill the absence of their father, Gina filled the time without him with special activities for the children - for example, she took Arabella to see "Cinderella" at the Fox Theatre and Asher to LEGO KidsFest in St. Louis.
"We kept really busy. I really think it helped make the time go by faster," she said.
Ryan and Gina Newlon, who have been married 12 years, enjoyed one perk of his being oversees - a second chance at the honeymoon they never had.
"Halfway through I met him in Rome for the greatest week of my life," Gina said. "Of course, we had to say goodbye a second time."
Now that he's home, Ryan cannot be deployed for at least another two years. Next week the Newlons will travel to Washington to visit his family. Past that, their plans are simply to start making up for lost time as a family.
"We just kind of want to hunker down and just do normal family stuff - work in the garden, fishing," Gina said. "I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay home and have my husband."