Day 1

It's here.  The first day of my hubby's deployment.  I am anxious to see what this year will bring.  Please forgive me in advance for any rants or tangents.  My goal is to stay positive and to refrain from complaints, but if I slip up please just look the other way... or if I need someone, just be there.

How can I be anything but proud of my husband and the sacrifice he's making?  I spent a lot of time this weekend meeting some of the people he'll be with over the next 12 months, and I am SO thankful that he'll be with such a great group of people.  It's so odd to me though, because when he talks to the other soldiers they talk about how excited they are to go because it's what they were trained for.  I know that you can't join the military in a time of war and expect not to go, or expect not to be trained to go...

I think I've finally gotten over my initial feelings of the Army having replaced my importance in his life.  I am beginning to understand the duality of his emotions.  During the mobilization ceremony yesterday the Sergent Major got up to speak... he sounded very choked up and had to end early because he couldn't steady his voice.  My husband told me later that this is his last deployment; his first was during Vietnam and he was handing in his resignation when he found out that his unit was going to deploy and decided to wait to turn his papers in until after this deployment.  I think it's so wonderful that he wanted to see his unit through another deployment even if it meant he wouldn't retire "on time."  My husband said he knows each of the soldiers by name and well enough to converse with them and remember their last conversations.  That's 400 soldiers, from 2 different states; in our state alone that is over a lot of geographical space.  He's told me about conversations with this man in the past, and I can't help but respect him.  How many others would put off their retirement to join their troops in the war?  He's definitely worthy of being a leader and has earned my respect.  It makes me feel good to know that he'll be in charge while my hubby is away.



So, now I get to figure out what I am going to do for the next year.  I already decided I'm not doing "resolutions."  Tomorrow I'm going to start looking for a place for my son & I to live.  I need to finish up some Christmas sewing projects (I'm so bad!)!  I first put them off because of school, then because I wanted to spend all my time with my hubby, now I have to get them done before school starts again (2 weeks to find a house and finish my Christmas projects for the nieces/nephews).

We had contemplated getting a dog, but I think that's just not a good idea.  So, after we get a place I'm going to take my son to pick out some fish.  He had some neon tetras before... 2 of them named after himself... but one was allergic to air and the other was allergic to kool-aid.  I think this time we'll get a better filtration system and some bottom feeders so we don't have as many opportunities for accidents.

Anyway... a lot of thoughts are going through my head about what this next year will be like, but I'm not going to worry.  I have an amazing group of family and friends to keep me sane.  I love you all.


But here's a song that's been stuck in my head:



My hubby played this for me Saturday.  Boy I sure do love that man.