1 Day and a Wake Up!

SgtDub spent all day yesterday in briefings about how to communicate with your spouse, suicide prevention and driver safety. I guess they thought they forgot how to drive while they've been gone. As of Friday afternoon, he should be arriving at Will Rogers Airport on Sunday (June 10th) around Noon. I will post flight info when it becomes available. Everyone is welcome to join us at the airport and help welcome our soldiers home. There will be approximately 60 other soldiers, so it should be a real "joyfest"! As it stands right now, SgtDub and MissDub will be attending a performance of "Wicked" on Sunday night. I had only purchased two tickets because we were not expecting Dub to be home yet. The show is sold out and there are no more tickets to be found. So, I guess they will get Daddy/Daughter date night and I'll get to stay home and pout. Oh well, MissDub will be gone for an entire week at camp, and I'll get him all to myself (woo hoo!) We'll be meeting for dinner at Cattlemen's Steakhouse at 6:00 pm on Monday night. Everyone is welcome to join us, but let me know because we're making reservations. We've decided to take our family vacation in July and will be going to Durango, Colorado. I promise that we will blog as soon as he gets situated. And finally, I emailed our local newspaper to let them know he was coming home, and they're coming out on Wednesday to do a story on him (yippee!!) I believe a trip to Tractor Supply will be at the top of the list following that big juicy steak from Cattlemens! More later . . .

SgtDub Update

SgtDub arrived at Fort Carson, Colorado on Tuesday, and is doing fine. They have him going through all the paperwork and medical exams necessary to release him from active duty. He had a hearing test yesterday that revealed his hearing has gotten a lot worse, and he will need to follow up with the VA to see about a disability rating. I hope they will pay for him to have a hearing aid, so he'll be sure to hear everything I have to say. I'm sure he will disagree and say he hears perfectly clear - he just chooses to tune me out. He hasn't had access to the internet because there is only one connection for all the soldiers, and his personal laptop was stollen in transit. When he first arrived at Fort Carson, they were told they would probably be home by Friday or Saturday and that we could pick him up at the airport. That plan changed the next day and they were told they wouldn't be home until Sunday and that we would have to pick him up at the armory. Apparently they were told they couldn't get a flight out on Saturday. I guess they've never heard of using those military airplanes that are sitting around. This is so typical of the military. They just have to mess with your mind and tease you. They've had total control of him for the past 15 months, and they can't even streamline the process to get them home. Oh well, enough about that, I'm just relieved he made it back safe and will be home by Sunday. This will be my last weekend without him, and by we can resume our lives. I've always said that deployment is like pushing the "pause" button on your life. You must go on with your day-to-day routines, but you don't want to make any changes or do anything major without your partner. MissDub and I haven't taken any trips or gone anywhere together because I feel guilty doing things like that without Dub. Now that he's home, we'll be able to get on with living and hopefully making lots of happy memories as a family. We spent many years saying "some day we'll do that" and now that "some day" is now! Thanks again to everyone for your prayers and support these past 15 months. We hope to be able to get together with everyone soon.

DUB'S BACK IN THE U.S.A.!!!!!

I just got off the phone with SgtDub and he is in Illinois refueling and then heading to Fort Carson, Colorado!!!!!!!! He said he will post as soon as he can get to a computer :}

My Man is Headed Home!

Great News! SgtDub should be home sometime next week!!! He was supposed to return to Fort Carson, Colorado where he would spend a few days before departing to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for a two (2) week school. He learned last night that he had been cut from the school, and would be coming home instead (yipee!). Anyone who deals with the military knows that plans change from moment and moment, and most times for the worse, but not this time! I had been making preliminary plans to take off work the last week of June and first week of July, but that will all need to be revamped (yipee again). I was also supposed to be going to Richmond, VA for a 3 day conference (June 11-13), but decided not to go (whew, good thing). We will hopefully get to pick SgtDub up at the airport and wisk him away for at least two weeks of family time. MissDub is scheduled to depart for Church camp the week of June 18th, so I guess that will give us some much needed quality couple time (he he) together. Our plans will include a steak dinner at Cattlemen's Steakhouse with friends and family and anyone else who wants to come. We will be having the "1st Annual SgtDub Firework Extravaganza" at our home on July 4th -- talk about celebration!! If you're in the OKC area and would like to join us, come on down! Our family truly appreciates all of your prayers and support during Dub's deployment. The support has been tremendous and I feel blessed to have made so many friends through our blog sites. Who would have ever imagined that total strangers would be brought together like this.

Family Vacation

Our family is faced with a quandry as to how we should spend our family vacation. We are somewhat up in the air, since we don't know the exact date that SgtDub will be home. We have a general idea, but not enough to make reservations anywhere. Thus the problem . . . SgtDub is scheduled to be home sometime around the end of June, and he will have approximately two weeks off before he has to report back to work with the police department. He can actually take up to ninety days (I think) to report back to work, but that's only if you can afford to be without pay during that time, and we can't, so he's heading back to work. We've talked about trying to take a trip, but now we're faced with the problem that nothing is available due to the 4th of July holiday - yes, the 4th of July holiday sits right in the middle of our two weeks off, and apparently everyone in the world wants to take a trip on the 4th of July. So what should we do for our family vacation? Anyone got ideas or suggestions for some quality family time? If so, please share your thoughts and ideas. Thanks and have a great day!

Count Down To Homecoming

We're starting to countdown to SgtDub's homecoming. As of today, SgtDub is scheduled to attend a 2 week school as soon as he arrives in the U.S. Hey, what's another 2 weeks when you've been gone 15 months! This changes daily, so I've learned to roll with the flow and not to expect anything. By going to the school, we will miss out on the official "Welcome Home Ceremony". This picture was taken during SgtDub's Welcome Home Ceremony in 2003. This was an awesome day. I vividly remember the moment my phone rang and it was Dub saying that he had just landed and was back on U.S. soil. I screamed and was so excited knowing he made it back safe. I got my first glimps of SgtDub when he marched into the church with the other soldiers. It's really hard to pick out your soldier when they're all wearing the same uniform and hats. The audience went crazy and I immediately started crying. SgtDub was seated several rows ahead of us, but we weren't allowed to go to each other until the ceremony was over. Talk about anticipation! I don't remember the ceremony, only that it seemed like an eternity. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the soldiers stood at attention and were dismissed, and with that everyone in the audience ran to find their loved one. SgtDub turned around and took several steps and MissDub and I ran to jump into his arms. This was one of the best days of my life! During SgtDub's last deployment, I served as an officer on the Family Readiness Group "FRG". The FRG is designed to be a support group for the spouses and family members of the deployed soldiers. Prior to deployment, we had a meeting and elected officers. I decided to volunteer, since I felt like I would have a lot of time on my hands and I thought "what better way to know what's going on", and I was right. As an officer on the FRG, I helped organize activities for the families, holiday parties and meetings. I made many good friends during the deployment, and it was wonderful having people around me who were going through the same thing I was. I haven't been involved in the FRG during this deployment, partly because the majority of the unit is located in another part of the state. I feel like the FRG plays an important roll in the deployment, and can be a very valuable tool. They offer assistance, resources and support. My previous involvement in the FRG has helped me better deal with this deployment and understanding how the military works. I have learned that the military can be your "best friend" or "worst enemy". Once you decide to embrace it and understand it, you will be amazed at all it has to offer. I hope anyone reading this post, who is facing a deployment, will contact their FRG and get connected. Don't allow yourself to be isolated and alone. You need the support and encouragement that the FRG offers. Deployments are hard on everyone, but you don't have to go it alone. You can survive a deployment. You can use the opportunity to become more independent, and you can learn to appreciate your blessings. Absence does make the heart grow fonder! I miss you SgtDub, I love you, and I'm ready to have you back in my arms! Be safe and have a great day!

Rain Rain Go Away!

Here are pictures from our front yard this morning. It's been raining for several days now and is expected to continue. Luckily, we are at the top of the hill, but our neighbors are not so lucky. There are two ponds that have gone over the road and broken a dam. We have several neighbors who are stranded. Anyone who left this morning, will probably not be able to return to their home until the water recedes. I had some trouble getting to work today. I drove through several areas on the highway where the water was across the road, and I probably shouldn't have gone across, but I did, and I'm fine. I would have to say that flood waters are my BIGGEST fear. Not sure why, but I have this recurring nightmare that I'm driving at night and I top a hill and discover that the road is gone and there is nothing but water. It freaks me out! Another reason why I shouldn't drive in flood waters is because if I ever get stranded (or worse swept away), then SgtDub would never quit teasing me. If you recall, one of my first posts was about the time he got swept away in flood waters and totalled our new Chevy Pick up. I guess he thought he could make it through too. We're expecting 2 more days of rain, so if Noah is reading this, please send the ark to pick me up tomorrow. Be safe and stay out of the water!