The Deployment Prayer

Deployment Prayer

Dear Lord:
Give me the strength to say goodbye.
Hold back the tear in my eye.
Cure my insomnia so that I may sleep alone.
Give me a reason to awake when I've none.

Dear Lord:
Please help me pace myself.
Allow me to turn to you for help,
And please let me be strong for him,
Even if I've reached the brim.

Dear Lord:
Please make time go fast.
I don't know how long I can last.
This is the hardest time of my life, But this is my job: the soldier's wife.

Dear Lord:
Let them all stay strong.
Give them the will to go on, And Lord, Please bring back all our men.
In the name of our country. Amen.

~By Leanne Thomas~

Week 2

Well, sorry I haven't updated in awhile but the past couple weeks have been very busy. First off the emotional good-bye took a toll but then I only had a week to prepare for my besty friend and her daughter's visit. They arrived last Thursday night and we had a wonderful 4 days.

There was my friend Kim, her 10 yr old daughter Emily, her 15 yr old daughter, Kaitie (my god daughter) and Kaitie's best friend Jenna.

Last Friday I made my first drive up Pike's Peak. I must admit the anticipation of the drive was more nerve-racking than the drive itself. The girls loved the mountain! Friday also happened to be Jenna's 15th birthday so after the mountain adventure we went out to dinner at Carinos and came home to a mini birthday party for Jenna, cake included.

Saturday we hit the Colorado Springs Flea Market with my neighbor and her daughter and spent Saturday evening sitting around with my neighbors and partaking in a few drinks.

Sunday I took my guests to Manitou Springs, CO for more shopping and to visit the Indian Cliff Dwellings. The girls loved the cliff dwellings...however I was less than impressed, enjoyed the shopping much more.

Monday was another day of shopping and then Monday night they had to prepare to leave on Tuesday morning.

We had a wonderful girl's weekend...the only downside is that my friend brought a cold with her and decided to leave it with me. So Tuesday when they left my cold kicked in bigtime and I've been suffering with it the entire week. Today seems to be better.



While I was busy with the girls Dave was busy getting things in order at his new base. They got internet hooked up yesterday so we were able to chat on Facebook this morning. There is no wifi so I doubt we'll be able to Skype which is very disappointing. It was good to be able to chat with him in real time though.

He says the people in Afghanistan are dirt poor and is looking forward to doing things to help them. He also said some of the Afghani kids see them as good guys and some do not and throw rocks at their convoys. He seems more committed to the mission than ever and is excited to make positive changes for the people of Kandahar.

Deployment Day

Well deployment day has come and gone and the adjustment period has begun. Sunday was undoubtedly the hardest day of my life, saying good-bye and seeing Dave for the last time for atleast 6 months. We arrived at the unit at 2pm and stood around for 3+ hrs while the guys were issued their weapons and a year's supply of anti-malaria medication. It was a long hot afternoon. At 5:30 the buses pulled up to the unit to take the guys to a larger gym on post for the formal good-byes. That building was hot and as the people filed in it got hotter and hotter. We stepped out to the lobby and had our last few moments together there. I was overcome with emotion and we decided it was time to say our last good-bye and for me to head home. It was about 7pm and it has already been a LONG, hot, exhausting, emotional day. That last good-bye was heartbreaking.


This pic was taken at the unit...
Dad and Chopper saying good-bye.....

He looks entirely too happy...

Yesterday I heard from hubby by text and a quick call letting me know that they had made it to Germany and were awaiting their flight to Kurkistan where they will stay for about a week before heading into Afghanistan.

This morning I got an email telling me that they had arrived in Kurkistan and he was sleeping in a tent with about 200 other soldiers and that is was HOT.

All I can say to that is...."GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!"

On the homefront things have been very quiet. I'm not sleeping well, have had a constant headache and I'm sick to my stomach most of the time. Its going to be a long year...

Only 364 more days.....

At the Cubs/Rockies game

Although the outcome was not what we had hoped, we still had a great night at the ball park.

Quick update

Got news this week that the deployment was delayed by a day so we have a Sunday D-day now. That delay enabled us time to get to the Cubs/Rockies game tonight. Yay! We spurged and got great seats so......Lets Go Cubbies!!!

Also found out that the base the company is going to in Afghanistan is one of the nicer ones and they should have showers and internet access. Both things--- great news. I had Dave ask his executive officer (who is already over there) if he felt safe and he said "Yes" and that they got lucky with the location they're going to. That makes me feel ALITTLE better.

We also got a mailing address and I've already began planning the first care package which I'll probably mail out next week and he'll get it toward the end of the month. He's gonna love it. (I better not share cuz he might read the blog and I want it to be a surprise.)

Oh....and they will be 10.5 hrs ahead of our mountain time zone.



The report time Sunday is 2:30pm and the families will be able to stay with them until 8:30pm and they fly out at 2am. Its going to be a LONG day.

One more week...

Well, we've only got 9 more days until deployment day. I can't believe its that close already...the time is really flying by. I've got tons of things flying through my brain...mostly hoping we've gotten everything in order as far as Powers of Attorney, money issues and house/car issues go. We had a meeting last week given by the battalion commander briefing us on the deployment and answering questions by the audience. One little girl in the back of the auditorium asked..."Is my Daddy going to come home?" It was heartwrenching....BC answered as best he could without promising her anything. Needless to say, the Q&A session ended right there. I learned alot of good info but more importantly it made me realize that I am not alone....there are hundreds of Army spouses in my exact situation and I'll be okay. Atleast I know this is Dave's only deployment and we have that retirement at the end to look forward to.

Dave came home last week with new patches on his uniform.
The flag used to be red/white/blue...I like that one much better than the new one!

Happy Birthday!

Wow, I can't believe its been a month since I last posted. We've been pretty busy getting ready for the deployment, getting ready for block leave and we just got home from leave in Iowa last Friday. It was great seeing everyone but also bittersweet knowing that Dave wouldn't be seeing anyone for a year. While we were home Dave's grandpa passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. I was so happy we made it there in time for Dave to see grandpa while he could still know we were there and recognize us.
While we were driving home to Colorado I couldn't help but think about how close the deployment is. Less than 3 weeks now.

This week there is an important meeting on post regarding the deployment. The battalion commander will be providing families with info about what to expect while our guys are gone. Hopefully he'll have some information about how and how often we'll be able to communicate. We'll also find out exactly where the guys will be and info about the area. I'm anxious to hear the details.

Today is Dave's 41st birthday.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!