Day Not Enough, uhh I Mean 1

Day One folks. Not so bad. I woke up with a crick in my neck but it eased as I got out of bed. & I'll admit I made a scrambled lunge for my phone, just to make sure I didn't miss a call from Dave. Another year with my phone glued to my side *sigh* who would have thought? Well I did actually. I swear when we first learned we were going to be stationed at Stewart I said to Dave "Worst case scenario you'll deploy again" Then I laughed thinking myself funny & not realizing that I had just sealed our fate. Give me just a second to kick myself in the ass for that one.

Yesterday evening was L.O.N.G. I could feel the clock tick inside my body, mocking me. Fighting tears during phone calls, hugs, laughs, photos, you name it & I was struggling not to cry. I think I did well though. We met up with our lil group of friends, boy the dread that was in the air could suffocate a person. We all wanted to go back & play Wii or Xbox, grill, be anywhere but where we were. I was doing fine until it came time for formation. Watching him walk away to line up, knowing that this was it. Then watching the Troop march off into the night, I was feeling a mix of sadness & intense pride.

The girls, I call them "the girls" but they're grown women lol, & I spent the evening talking & eating pizza. All the kids played, comforted one another when someone needed it, & wore themselves out. Spending time with each other really helped the night not feel so ominous. It got late & everyone headed home. The kids crashed out quick & I stayed up for a bit. I had been sitting in bed with my laptop for about 30 minutes before I noticed a note on my nightstand.

Brandi,
Honey I know that by the time you are reading this we have already said g-bye for another deployment. But please don't ever think that those "g-byes" are forever cause they ain't. Ya know it seems like ever since we met there's always been somethin that tries to keep us apart. Whether it was your parents, my friends, my own stupidity, or now the Army. No matter what though we always made it through & we did it together, Always & Forever, just like we always will. Don't ever forget that I Love You Brandi & make sure that our babies know that I love them and I always will! See ya soon!
Always & Forever
I love you!
David

PS .....Always & Forever..... is a very long time so don't go nowhere ok :)

The tears fell again. Blessed. That's the only way I can describe my life. Yes it's hard but how could I not love this man. He is the bravest, funniest, softest, smartest, most loving man. I am a lucky gal :o)

So this morning as I'm getting dressed I see Dave has left his clothes from yesterday lying out for me. He knows the drill. Absolutely nothing he wears on his last day home goes in the laundry. I keep it, unwashed until he comes home for mid-tour leave then he leaves another set of clothes :o) It may sound gross but it helps me get through some of those rough days. When I really miss him or need his comfort all I have to do is grab those clothes that smell so much like him & my day gets better. Yeah it may be weird to you but it works for ME so Ha!

I feel better than I expected to so the kids & I are throwing together last minute Halloween costumes so we can hit the streets in our neighborhood & come home with lots of loot tonight :o) So until next time I'll be glued to my phone with my camera around my neck catching all the special moments that Dave is missing. Happy Halloween!