My husband is my hero. I mean that. What Brian does for our country and what he must sacrifice for our family with being away from the kids, myself and the rest of our loved ones is unbelievable. I know for a fact that emotionally & mentally, I could not endure being away from all that is normal and important to me... most importantly Thomas & Abbigail. I know I say that because I have a choice and Brian doesn't. But how he handles the distance, the void and the absence in our lives speaks volumes for his emotional strength.
Up to this point, I have not let myself really slow down to reflect on the fact that my family is in the home stretch of this deployment. I guess in a way it is just so much easier (emotionally & mentally) to just press on and not get distracted by months, weeks or days that are left (or that have already passed by). But we are at the point where people are starting to ask about his return date and we are both starting to let ourselves think about our reunion and the four of us being together as a whole piece again. It's exciting although its still important that we both press on with our responsibilities and focus on what is still to do before the homecoming - if not, these next few weeks will start to D-R-A-G on and it will feel like the final 3 minutes of a football game where there are 2 timeouts remaining and commerical time to account for.
Over the course of the last 6+ months; 27+ weeks; 190 days...
Abby has: more than doubled her birthweight, had several shots, been admitted to Sacred Hospital for Croop, enjoyed a round of "Firsts" (Halloween, Turkey Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day), 2 new teeth, started to babble and communicate with all of us, learned to roll over and is determined to scoot to what ever toy she wants while on her tummy. Brian will be awe struck when he holds his baby girl for the first time in 7 months. He will most certainly be in love and wrapped around her tiny little fingers from the first hello.
Thomas has: become the proud & protective big brother, learned the alphabet and is on his way to identifing some key "sight" words, developed such an amazing amount of conversation ability, discovered he loves to race anyone & anywhere, has grown over 3 inches but has stalled out at 30 lbs this entire time. Brian will be so proud of the little handsome, look-a-like fellow who always says "please" and "thank you" and who can't wait to enjoy his Daddy time in the garage, on the boat, in the truck or just laying around. Brian is about to come home to an amazing little boy that I know will match him in energy, attitude and heart.
I have: enjoyed maternity leave with Abby, but found my place back in the classroom teaching crazy teenagers refreshing, juggled the chaotic lifestyle that exists when Brian is gone + 2 kids + 1 wild dog, taken on yet another Masters Degree Program, lost baby weight, learned how to "cook" for 1.5 people, how to ignore the mounting laundry pile, dirty kitchen floor, and dog shaggy carpet all just to enjoy an extra laugh, giggle, smile, hug or kiss with Thomas & Abby. I have discovered that everything is worth putting on hold if I can just have one more of those from the two sweetest things in my life. I can't wait for Brian to be able to enjoy it also again.
What has Brian been up to? Looking at the “Donut of Misery” it says I left my family and normal daily routine 31 Aug 2009. It is now 13 March 2010, Tom’s Birthday and I have been away 195 Days, 27.8 weeks, or 6.5 months. It also says I am 88% complete if I leave here 10 Apr 2010. Since I left I spent 26 days training at Ft. McCoy, WI, learning how to spot IED’s, shoot heavy weapons, convoy operations and all other ARMY stuff plus get issued mountains of useless crap. From there I proceeded to the brightest place on Earth... Al Udied, Qatar, where we got more useless crap and waited on airlift. I arrived in Basara, Iraq and luckily my team got right to work building seven 7K sq ft living facilities for the drawdown of southern Iraq and a chapel for the 10K people at Basrah. Finally, after Christmas we were complete with work in Basrah and we got sent to Talil, Iraq where they didn't need us!!! So we got sent where we were promised not to go because we don’t like cold weather... Kandahar, Afghanistan. The work is great but trying to live here is like Disney World on Spring break every day since it is a NATO base. Luckily we have 11 facilities in one compound to work on and I finally have a room with direct access to the showers and latrine. So, I have been at the front lines building facilities and spending @ $7.5M dollars of your hard earned tax dollars.
So, how do I stay sane? I have the Greatest wife, Children, Parents and friends which keep stress to a minimum. Skype has allowed me to talk to Michelle, watch my children grow, stay in contact with family. I spend a lot of time at the gym and walking up to get a Mocha from the coffee shop. I read fishing magazines, watch fishing videos, buy fishing stuff on EBay, and research exotic far away vacations (fishing trips) for Michelle and I.
To sum it all up, being away from my family and friends for extended periods is tough, but it makes being with them so important! Never lose sight of what is Important …LIVE, LOVE & LAUGH Everyday!!!
Brian
Cheers to the final month, final weeks, and final days. The Hecks will be whole again soon.
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