My Last Night....

Of sleeping alone! Tomorrow not only do I have a day off of school, but I get to bring my husband home with me! I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to have him home...finally.

I will post pics, and give a story about the Homecoming Ceremony as soon as I can! Lord knows it will be interesting with all of the security and people they are expecting (Last count...5,000) INSANE!

I will be a little busy for a few days ;)

I want to thank all of my friends for getting me through this last year. I couldn't have done it without you.

At the End of a Long Journey

I forgot to post this picture earlier. There were many reporters at the airport as the unit arrived home. There is a certain VIP in the unit that creates this press, but I will talk about that later.

Pictures were taken as the soldiers got off the plane, and Michael was in one. He is third up the stairs...one head is almost hidden behind Major Sullivan (the first on the stairs), but he is the third! This was when they finally arrived in New Jersey, the LAST stop after arrivals in Bulgaria, Germany, Iceland and New Hampshire. Talk about ridiculous!

2 more days until he is officially HOME!

NO MORE WORK

No, I didn't quit my teaching job, although there at times I wish I could HA. Last night was my last night at the restaurant for awhile. At least until Michael leaves for his Captains' Career Course in October. We have trips planned for the next two weekends. Next weekend it's Philly, and the weekend after that New York.

I love the city, and I can't wait to get away with my husband!

Today is going to be spent planting flowers, buying pumpkins, cleaning the yard and house, because my husband will be HOME this week!

Two Hours of Heaven

Today, around 4:13, the three blue bird buses pulled up and returned my husband to me. Well, not really since I had to leave him there, but I got to see and hug him. It was amazing. Leaving wasn't too bad since I know I will see him again in 4 days and I can call him whenever I want if I need him.

But it still hurts to have him so close but not be able to bring him home. Soon...

Welcome Home Love!

TOMORROW!

Tomorrow morning, early, (o'dark thirty) my husband will land in the United States. He will get off the plane, turn in his weapon and start the demobilization process. Because he is not normally full time active duty, he is in the National Guard, when I get to see him he will not be able to come home with me. Instead, he will demob for 5 or 6 days, and then he will be dismissed after his homecoming ceremony.

I will get to see him for a few hours tomorrow afternoon when they give him a break. Those few hours are going to be amazing. I cannot wait to see him and hug him again, finally. I have needed a hug from him in the worst way for the last few weeks, and tomorrow I will get to breath a sigh of relief.

I am hoping that when I see him I don't break down like I did when they told me he was on his way. It is just a relief to know that he is out of harm's way and that I don't have to wake up and check my phone to see if I missed a call or email. Let's hope I can keep it together.

I know leaving him will be sad, but it will be just four short days before I can bring him home after the ceremony. Let's just get through tomorrow....

Geezzz...

This week could not take any longer. Holy cow. I hadn't heard from Michael since Monday afternoon and started to get worried when I hadn't heard anything in over 24 hours. I knew he was getting a flight out of the s***hole to s***hole #2 (Kuwait), but I knew it wasn't a log flight. Thankfully, I heard from him early this morning, that he arrive safely.

Now, we play the waiting game. He will be arriving to his final destination sometime early Friday morning, and then I will get to see him Friday afternoon. Only one more full day without seeing him, but I am sure it will be the longest day on the face of the Earth.

Pray for the brigade's safe return.

This is an Official Phone call...

I got it. THE phone call, the one tell me when I can see, hug, kiss....my husband! At the end of this week ladies and gentlemen, my husband will be in the continental US. After I got off the phone, I immediately started to cry. I have no idea why. The thought of all of this : sleepless nights, worrying constantly, not wanting to hear the news, missing being hugged at the end of the day... being over, was amazing. Just thinking about it now I get teary. I can't wait to have my husband back.

Pray for a quick week, and a safe return...

Frustrated...

Ok, it is now 1900, for you civilians (ha) that is 7:00 pm, if I performed my math correctly. I am supposed to get a phone call by the end of the day to tell me when I can see (hug, kiss...) my husband. I can't begin to tell you how badly I need to be in his arms and wrapped up in a hug. I don't think anyone can possibly imagine or understand it unless you have been there.

As each minute passes, I get a little more sad, thinking the date will be pushed back and I will have to spend another day without him. He still isn't out of that effing country. He was supposed to be yesterday...half his unit has been out since Friday.

Phone, please ring....

Expired

Last week, the the demob Sgt. gave us a time range of when to expect a phone call telling us when our husbands would be home for sure, and when we could see them. We had from the 18th to the 20th. TODAY is the 20th, which means I better get a phone call before the end of the day.

Thank you.

Hello Officer...

Soooo, on the way home from work last night, I may or may not have rolled through a stop sign.

I may or may not have gotten pulled over.

NO WORRIES! I knew him, and only got a warning. I am sure I will still get a lecture from my husband though. Ahhhh

Impatient

Ok, because of OPSEC I can't tell you anything - where he is, where the unit is, what he is doing, etc.

Even if I COULD tell you, I couldn't because I don't know myself.

Stupid Army.

I want my husband in the continental US...NOW.

Is it Next Week Yet?

I mean damn. This week is so busy, but Holy Cow.

I also discovered I was out of wine tonight. How did that happen? Military wives should NEVER run out of wine on a deployment. It was fixed right away!

One week. Lord, help me get through it.

My Life these Days

So here we are, about a week out from seeing my husband at the demob station and I just can't wait. I have been busy this week, and although when I'm in the moment it feels like time is d r a g g i n g, when I think about it, Tuesday is already over and it's almost Wednesday!

I have been busy and I am thankful for that these last few days although I am exhausted. School is busy with parent conferences crammed in before hockey practice or a game. When I get home at night I am glued to my computer for about two hours doing nothing but my online classwork. It isn't hard, as nothing ever is really, but just a lot of busy work that is consuming my life.

Tomorrow will be filled with two more parents conferences, practice and more work at night. Thursday, parent conferences, a hockey game, then Open House at School, and I'm sure more school work. Friday, school then work at the restaurant, Saturday, practice then work at the restaurant at night. Although I am thankful to stay busy, I am exhausted at the moment.

We are almost at the end of this deployment, and I honestly can't believe it. I remember this time last year I was praying time would slow down so I could savor every moment with my husband, now time can't go by fast enough. I miss him so very much.

Nothing a glass of wine can't fix for now....wine and classwork? Let's see how that mixes tonight!

One more Full Week!

This is the the LAST full week that I will not be able to see or hug my husband! Ohh we are so close!

Another Lovely FRG Meeting

Tonight we had an information session with our FRG. I have to say I was super excited and have been waiting for this meeting. It was VERY informative, and I especially loved listening to the soldier who will be with my husbands unit while they demob at the base. He was full of so much information - what to expect, when they are coming in, when we will be able to know a final date, etc.

Of course, there was the person who is also in charge of something family related, who stood up and told that we should be prepared for our soldier to be tired after traveling and not be upset if they aren't excited. Really? You think my husband, who has been gone for a year, won't show some emotion of being happy he is in the continental US? She went on for five minutes about it and all I really wanted to do was tell her to shut her effing mouth because her husband hasn't been gone for the last year, so she has no right to lecture me about how my husband will be feeling.

Other than that, it was an exciting meeting. I honestly, and surprisingly, found myself near tears many times just thinking about how great it will be when my husband marches onto that field. I can't wait.

You're Invited...

Today I received the BEST e-mail (besides the one that will tell me my husband is in the air coming home). It was an invite from the General the homecoming ceremony of the brigade on the last day of THIS MONTH! I will be with my husband in just THREE weeks!

YAY!

Teacher Retention? Now I know why it's low...

Stupid administration. I already have the most number of kids in my class out of all the fourth grade classes. I'm not complaining, but I expect other classes to get more kids before I get any more, right? I received an e-mail today that was quite interesting:

I was informed that a student would be switching into my class because she had a reading problem, and her mother requested that she switch 'environments' because she was having stomach problems. Which of course, our administration granted.

I went to the teacher who has her now and asked her what the situation was. The teacher had no knowledge of the student having ANY issues, and was clueless. So I went to the administration after school to clarify and see what was causing her stomach problems, and if there was anything else I needed to know.

I was told that she heard that the student ALWAYS wanted to be in my class and her stomach hurt because the work was too hard. I informed our administration that it was not going to get any easier in my class, to which my boss said "That's what I want the parent to realize."

REALLY?? You couldn't just tell the parent this and save me the trouble of adjusting her to our class, teaching her the rules, getting her caught up and everything else? OH MY GOD. Add it to the list of 1,489530 other things I have to do during the school day. So what if other students get stomach 'problems' and want to switch to my class? Will I end up with 45 students? Give me a break.

Add this to me being exhausted already and missing my husband, and I was near tears. Was this something to cry over, normally NO, but me being tired makes me a big baby about everything.

Just one of those days where I need my husband and a hug at the end of the day :(

Almost DONE!

Some good news on this Labor Day weekend...the replacements are there and getting settled in! I can almost see the light! So excited to have my husband home....soon!

Vacation? What's That?

So it is Labor Day weekend and our district has a 4 day weekend! Do I? Of course not! Tomorrow morning, I will be waking up bright and early for practice from 7 - 9, then I work at the restaurant that night. I work at the restaurant Saturday, Sunday AND Monday night, and I also have practice on Monday morning from 7 to 9. Ahhhh.

At least I should make some money right? It also means I don't have a day off for three weeks as I work all next weekend as well. But it's ok, because that means I am one step closer to seeing Michael. After these two weekends I have one more weekend at the restaurant, and then I am taking the next one off to clean, inside and outside, and take some relaxation time for me. You know what that means...my husband will be coming home shortly!

So as everyone is enjoying this unofficial end to summer, enjoy a beer for me, I will be working my behind off.

Welcome September!

Did I ever think this month was going to get here? No. Did I think I could survive this long without my husband? No. Do I still miss Michael just as much as the day he left me? Even more.

It is FINALLY SEPTEMBER! This time last year I was wishing the days would drag. I was planning his going away party. I was trying not to cry every time we went to bed knowing it was one last night we would get to be together.

But now, it's a year later and things are completely different. I am planning his homecoming (aka trying to figure out what to clean first and how early is too early to start) and wishing the days would FLY by. We don't have exact dates, but I am pretty darn sure my husband will be home THIS MONTH.

When he finally marches onto that field, I can finally breath again.

Less than 30....:)