U S A

U S A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . that was the text Brian sent me on Monday afternoon at 3:00.  Three little letters that mean so much to our country, but held even more meaning to me on Monday afternoon.  My husband was closer to home.  He was in the safety of our "land of the free."

Brian is currently going through the demobilization process in Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  He will return to Kansas this weekend.  Ainsley, Brogan and I, along with our extended family and friends are excited to welcome him home on Sunday!!!  Look for some awesome pictures coming to a blog near you next week!!

Almost Here

Well, Brian is almost here, which means, WE are almost there . . . . to the end.  As I look back on the last year, I can't help but smile through tears.  It has been a busy, crazy, scary and exciting ride.  We've had a lot of great experiences through this along with many sleepless nights and long days that felt never ending.  We've been reacquainted with old friends and met some new ones during this second deployment. There have been days that I've looked back on the year and thought, "Wow, its actually went pretty fast" and then there have been times it has felt like this deployment was 10 years long with no end in sight.

It has been a challenging year for me.  Not just from the deployed wife with two small children standpoint, but also dealing with illness after illness and not one, but THREE broken arms!!  I've put more miles on my van between Quinter and Oakley than I ever thought possible.  It was a challenging year for me at school too last year.  I was definitely ready for summer break and for an R&R visit from my hubby!

As I sit here on this quiet Sunday morning, drinking my warm cup of coffee and listening to the kids play in the garage, I have to smile . . . . . . next week . . . at this time . . . I'll be back in the passenger's seat!  Brian will be home!!