St Patty's and sleepovers

One great thing about military bases is they usually have some good support groups available. Our base has a monthly gatherings for families with deployed members. So- today we are going to be on the base float for the St. Patricks parade. This morning we need to get some green dress up and head to the parade. The base is also treating us to lunch afterwards. I look forward to these events hoping to chat with other spouses going through the same thing.  It's also nice to have a busy schedule for the kids, this way they are not bored and driving me crazy. LOL

My son had a sleepover at a friends house the other day. So my daughter and I had some fun girl time. I picked up my son around 130pm. H elooked very tired!! So we headed home and I told him I had to run to the base for a bit. He obviously didn't get much sleep so I thought maybe a nap would be good for him. Well, good golly, he didn't get up until 6am the next day. We couldn't believe how long he was sleeping. I kept checking on him and trying to wake him but to no avail. So my daughter and I ended up having an all day girl time. It was very nice. Talking to him this morning I informed him that spending the night there cost him 1 whole day afterwards. So crazy. Hopefully he learned that sleeping on a schedule is a good thing. Although- I must admit- I did this many times myself. BUT, I was not 13!!!

Goodbyes part 2

We just got back from visiting NYC and New Jersey. What fun we had.  There is so much to see there and I am really bummed we didn't have more time.

 Hubby was finishing up his combat training and then he would be off to overseas. They did not allow him time when he was done with training to come home so I thought it would make a great trip for the kids and I. He had been gone for 5 weeks already so this would be a sweet treat.

The hard thing about the visit is that we already said our goodbyes and now we know that they are going to come again. The kids and I were in our "no dad" routine and were emotionally starting to grasp the deployment when we had to start all over. It was harder this time to say goodbye because of course I knew there would be no visits after this point. The deployment didn't really seem real before because we knew we would see him in 5 weeks so now the reality has set in.

Although it was terribly hard to say goodbye I am so thankful that we went. What a great time we were able to have with him before his departure. The kids have great memories to carry them through the next several months. We were taken out of our everyday element which provided them the ability to come home and not connect home with a deployment. Not sure if that makes sense but it did seem to really help that we weren't at home saying goodbye. Once we got on the plane and got home we started our "no dad"  routine again.

I haven't had my pitty party yet.  LOL  I thought I would break down the day we returned but I just didn't want to yet. I guess I was scared what a cry fest would bring upon.

Were back

We are back from our trip and I am physically exhausted and emotionally drained!! Had a great time but of course it seemed to go by so fast.

I picked up both our dogs and were very proud of them. Our little one- Cassie- stayed with a friend. She's just a small 3lb Yorkie. She was a good girl and did very well with there 3 other animals. My biggest relief came from our big dog- Copper- he is 82lb's. He stayed at a dog kennel and met some new friends. He played nice and got along with everyone. I was terribly worried about him because he isn't around a lot of people or other animals so I wasn't so sure. I did make sure to take him over there several days before dropping him off to familiarize him. He seemed very happy when we picked him up and got a grade "A" from the staff.

Well, I am off to relax for the evening before we get back on all our schedules. Will post more tomorrow.

Nighty-night!   :-)

~Cheryl~

Sunshine

 I am very excited!!  Tomorrow the kids and I get to go on a short trip and see hubby before he heads over to Iraq.   It is such a great feeling when you love someone so much. I am so thankful for our wonderful marriage and the life we have built together. Even though he will be away for 7 more months I know that we can make it through. I always tell him that it would be so much easier if I didn't love him so much. LOL 

So today is filled with packing, laundry and the before trip chaos. Of course I am on a good high today but I know when we say our goodbyes (again) in a few days that I will be a Debby Downer!  I will have my pitty party with a glass of wine and then it will be time to move forward and be strong. It's always easier said than done but at least I am trying to get in the mindset of what is to come.  

The sun is shining and even though it is very cold I can still feel the slight warmth the sun is bringing. I absolutely love the sunshine and bright days! I feel like I can do so much more today than recent days. So- here's to sunshine   :-) 

Quotable Quotes

"A true soldier doesn't fight because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what's behind him."

GK Chesterton 

I read that quote yesterday and it really stuck to me so I wanted to share it.