First week of Chris being gone

Chris left on Monday after a great weekend with family from Seattle and Rochester. We had a going away party with our friends the weekend before, and as you can imagine, Chris was a good sport about being the center of attention! :) I had suggested that people bring him items that I could ship in care packages over the year and boy did they all come through! I think we have enough toothpaste and hand sanitizer for the next five years! It was a great time and Chris really felt appreciated and loved.

Family showed up on June 24th, that's when the reality of it all started to set in for the both of us. He went Active on Friday and had to work all weekend, but still came home to hang out with the family as long as his eyes would stay open. This was also the first time that the parents had met each other! We couldn't have asked for it to go any better!

Sunday, June 27th was the Army Yellow Ribbon Ceremony where they provided the families with a wealth of information as well as honoring the men and women who have so selflessly volunteered their service to their country. It was in an unairconditioned old airplane hanger packed with about 700 people! Though it was hot and miserable, it was an amazing tribute to their deployment.

Monday... I didn't want to go to sleep on Sunday night so that I could delay Monday as long as possible! Unfortunately the dawn of Monday was inevitable. We were up by 4am to get things packed and be to the base by 5:30 am. From the moment we got into the car I think I was crying. Well, I actually think I hadn't stopped crying from the night before. We didn't sleep much, but it didn't matter.

Monday was horrible, as to be expected. We held on to him for as long as we could, then it was time to get on the bus. We watched him drive away, headed to the airport to do some more training in Wisconsin. Fortunately, he's in Wisconsin for the next couple of weeks so we are able to communicate often. It's made the transition easier for me, for sure! He's so far been filling out paper work and getting settled in. No word on when he'll be heading to  Iraq yet, but as soon as he goes and has an address I will be sure to let everyone know. He will love any mail that anyone can send him, so please be sure to write him as much as you can muster!

So this is the beginning of a long year, I plan on doing my best to keep everyone updated on what I know through this blog. When I get information, I will share it! So please keep Chris and the family in your thoughts and prayers!