Sweet Reunion

The day finally came! And it came earlier than we had anticipated!  My hubby is home from Afghanistan!  All the children except our oldest (he had to work) went to the airport with me.  We waited for  a while and the children were a little restless as they waited but they did a good a job.

One lady who arrived from a different flight saw my daughter holding the sign we had specially made for our reunion.  She approached her and told her to please give her dad a big hug and kiss for her and to say thank you and that many were very proud of him.  It caused my daughter a bit of a shock.  After all who is this strange lady asking her to kiss her dad for her.  LOL  But it made me cry and I told the the lady would we tell him and thank you.

I was a little concerned about whether the youngest ( not quite two years old yet) would remember her daddy.  Skype is an amazing tool and I think it helped a lot in this regard.  One of my older daughters was taking photos so we didn’t get the shot I would have liked to have had.  It was priceless to me and I will remember it forever.  When her daddy came walking toward her, the three siblings closest in age to her went running.

She stood there in what seemed like shock with her arms outstretched for a several seconds before she could even seem to get her feet to move!  Then she went running into her daddy’s arms.  She recognized him and was so thrilled to see her daddy!

We are all so very glad to have our family back together again.  It seems a bit strange to be honest.

Hubby is adjusting to being back in the states.  He is still adjusting to the cooler weather here at home. Things like walking into a grocery store seem strange to him.  Not hearing the big guns on a regular basis and not having sand filled air seems strange to him.  He has forgotten which drawer the silverware is kept in.  But he is glad to be home and we are so glad to have him home.  He is still not sleeping well.  So pray for him. Between the time difference and his Afghanistan dreams sleep has been difficult.

He has also jumped right in at home.  He was surprised at the amount of lightbulbs that needed to be changed. (hanging my head in shame, LOL)  He has done several small repairs already.  One thing that is strange to me but also a nice break is that our youngest has changed from crying out for Momma in the middle of night to crying out for Daddy.

So, he is home and life is grand.  Blogging may be a bit sparser than usual just because we are enjoying time together as a family. Hubs gets two weeks off and we plan on enjoying every minute of it together.

“Welcome home Dear, we love you and are so very, very happy to have you home!”

Celebrating My Hubby!

Today is my husband’s birthday.  He is still in Afghanistan but should be home soon.  I miss him dearly.  I am so anxious for him to finally arrive safe and sound here at home in Alaska!  I am so very thankful for him!

I am so very proud of him too!  We found out a week or so ago that he was selected for major and should hopefully be pinning on his new rank sometime around May. He works so hard and gives so much to others!

I love you darling!  Happy birthday!  See you soon!

Two Weeks & Counting

We are down to about two weeks until hubby is supposed to be home!  I cannot believe that we are finally getting that close!  I wish I were not so tired!  There are so many things that need to be done before he gets here!

We are not where I wanted to be with our school lessons by now.  Only a few days behind where I wanted to be but right now that seems like a lot.  I wanted to have the whole first quarter finished when he came home so we could take a break and just enjoy Daddy being here.  This may mean the next couple of Saturdays are school days as well.

The house needs a good thorough cleaning.  We never seem to get any further than just picking things up.  I know that the cleanliness of the house is not what hubby is coming to see but it would be nice for him to come home to a fresh, clean home.

The snow will most likely be arriving about the same time hubby does and I do not have all of the summer things stored yet.  The bbq grill is still on the deck along with all of the flower pots containing now dead flowers.  The trampoline still needs to be disassembled for the winter too.  I need to take the van to get the studded tires put on as well as the usual maintenance. I also have not packed away sandles, raincoats, or break-up boots.  I need to get those things packed away and the winter gear in the house before the first snowfall.

It may not seem like much but with dwindling energy and a growing belly along with weekly treks to the hospital for appointments, labs, and unexpected visits to labor & delivery (another story) I am wondering when I am going to catch up.

But even as I think upon all I have to do.  I do have fresh new motivation, however, knowing that hubs will home soon, I work better with deadlines I think.  Whether it is all accomplished or not, hubby should be home in TWO WEEKS!!!  I am so thankful that this time of separation is coming to an end!  Please pray that his travels would be safe!

Baby Shower Via the USPS

I am not sure about the exact details of how this all came about.  But there is a lady that my hubby has conversed with while over in Afghanistan.  She runs a support the troops group.  Most of the ladies in her circle are from Washington State plus a few others.  This is a wonderful group of Christian ladies!

She has sent my hubby several things that he has needed over in Afghanistan including a projector screen to be used in worship services.  During one of the many conversations this lady found out that we were expecting a baby and the idea of a baby shower via USPS was born.  My hubby never told me about this conversation.  He just waited until I mentioned what was going on.

One day a couple of months ago I received a package in the mail from someone that I do not know.  The package was full of handmade crocheted baby items in boy colors.  There was also a letter from the leader of this group.  She explained how she and her friends were supporting the troops at FOB Wright (where hubby is) with care packages and prayer.  She was excited to hear about the baby boy we are expecting and that she was thrilled to be able to put together this baby shower. Then she thanked me for sacrificing so much by having my hubby off to war and holding down the home front for our family.

I was stunned.  I simply could not believe it!  There were so many sweet little things in that package and I was very thankful for the generosity of the ladies in this group.   I was even more thankful that they took the time to acknowledge the sacrifice of each member of our family!  Little did I realize that everything in that package was from just that one lady!  For the last month or so I have received two or three packages a week in the mail containing cards, words of encouragement, prayers and support, blessings for our new little one, and a cute little baby gift!  All from people who do not even know us!

What an outpouring of love and gratitude!  Though it really shouldn’t, it often amazes me when people display the love of Christ so vividly especially to those they do not even know.  I will be ever grateful for the support of these dear ladies who care so very much for others!

Though the baby gifts are fun to receive I think the love and support is the greatest gift they gave!  Lord, thank you for these sweet ladies!  Bless their ministry to our troops and their families!

Vacationing Alone

Could you do it?  Have you done it?  Vacationed without your spouse?  There are a few things we did this summer just the children and I.  We didn’t do nearly as much as I had planned mostly due to the pregnancy.  But I wonder how much we would have done if I had been feeling better.

A friend called me yesterday(her hubby is in Afghanistan too) and wanted to know if I wanted to take the children and catch the hop to Hawaii with her.  That flight leaves today.  Our schedule could not accommodate that but even if it could I don’t think that I could do that alone.  The trip alone would do me in I think but to go someplace like Hawaii without my hubby just didn’t seem right to me.

My friend also decided against going without her hubby.  This got me too thinking though.  Could I really go on a real vacation without my hubs along?  I don’t mean little trips, I mean the big, real, vacationing kind of trips.  I don’t think so.  It just wouldn’t be right.

Am I wrong here?  Could you do it?  Have you done it before?  If so, did you end up wishing you had waited for your hubby to go with you?  Just curious here…..

Deployment News

I thought that I would share an update. First let me say that I am so glad that this deployment will soon be coming to an end! We have had six months of what seems to be almost constant stress and mini crisis. If it isn’t one thing going wrong it is another. The Lord has been so gracious to us though. He has provided us with a church family that has showered us with the love of Christ. It has been YEARS since we have seen the love of Christ flow in this manner toward our family! I am so thankful!

We have been separated 177 days. We have approximately 35 days to go (maybe a week more–who knows for sure). I was hoping that the home stretch would snowball and pass quickly but that does not seem to be the way of things. The days seem to be growing longer even as the Alaska days are growing shorter. How does that happen??? Maybe we are too anxiously awaiting my husband’s return but it is hard to do otherwise.

So we are doing what we can. Keeping busy with our school lessons and a multitude of extra curricular activities hoping to pass the time more quickly. We are trying to enjoy the beautiful September days before the snow begins to fall.

But what is my hubby up too? Good question. He doesn’t really share much with me about what he is dealing with over there. We will have plenty of time to discuss that when he gets home if he is ready to share. Every now and then the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kunar Province) shares a little of what is going on. Hubby told me about this the other day and it was nice to read an article with hubby quoted and a photo of him at work, even if it is a back shot!

Here is the article on the Kunar team commemorating Patriot Day and the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon and those lost in Shanksville, Pa.

Please take a moment to pop over and read the short article. Make sure to leave me a comment today too! Your comments always make me smile!