We're a team, you and I

Today at my mom's house, I had my first deployment-related breakdown since quite a while ago. And it wasn't because of the reason you would expect. I simply am sad to be leaving Ohio again. I'm ecstatic that Jeff will be redeploying soon, but it's so hard to have to say goodbye again. To cry and mourn our my separation from loved ones again. To see my mother's hurt in her eyes and know that it's because of me. I know that this is all a part of life, and more specifically the life Jeff and I chose. But it doesn't make it any easier, nor does the fact that I'm experienced at goodbyes make this one any less devastating.

With tears flowing from my eyes, I look across the room and see my lovely mother holding my precious baby boy. I see him look at me, and then I see his eyes start to fill with heartbreak. He frowns and his lips turn down into the saddest expression I've ever witnessed. Those big baby blues overflow and the heartbreak spills onto his cheeks. He reaches for me. I pick up this angel disguised in osh kosh b'gosh overalls and a blue striped tee shirt and he continues to cry. And then, this little 17 pound person finds the strength to reach through his sorrow and give me the biggest, most loving, baby kiss... And I start to smile. He does it again, and I smile and look at his beautiful face. The third time he gets me right on the lips, and I laugh. He smiles at me. And we both have stopped crying.

What a miracle this little boy is for me! What a healing power he has! I need him just as much as he needs me. I care for him and he cares for me. I make him smile, and he brings that same smile to my face. I can't explain it, but his heart calms mine. He lets me know that everything is going to be okay, because I have him. Because we are a team. And together, we will get by, together we will get through it all.

  

Got myself some love!

Upon logging in for the first time since before I left for Texas last week, I spotted a happy thing! Kellee at You + Me = Wii gave me a blog award! I can't say enough about how flattered I am. I often wonder if anyone even reads my little blog. I'm far into the unknown of the blogging world, as there are many bloggers who are very talented. But at least I can say that Kellee is a fan and if not for anyone else, I will keep writing because she likes it and because I like to write.

Bear witness to my first award:

Thanks for the award Kellee!

I will post the pictures and blog about our vacation tomorrow! But for a quick inight, we had a great time. There were a lot of bumps and road blocks involved but nothing that ruined our vacation. Kaylee, I miss you and Parkerbug already. Can't wait until our next get together, whenever that may be!

Fun Facts

Because I've been away so long, I will be listing things about our life that have become noteworthy in the past few weeks. To write a blog that flowed properly among paragraphs would just be too difficult at this point.

1. We have recieved a Mail Stop Date for Jeff. DO NOT send any mail through the U.S. Postal Service after May 15, 2010. You may still send emails and communicate via Facebook, but just no post mail.

2. Easter Bunny was good to Jack, he got sunglasses, baby food, a stuffed ducky, bowls and spoons, a stuffed bunny and outfit from Grandpa Kevin, and a few outfits from Grandma Laura & Papaw John. Luna also got an Easter basket with chew bones, a new squeaky toy, and some gourmet meals.

3. April 7th-10th Jack and I made the trip to Fort Jackson, South Carolina to see our very much missed Ashley! She graduated on April 9th from Basic Combat Training and is now on to Fort Lee, Virginia for her AIT training. Congratulations Ashley!

4. Jack had a check up on April 14th, he weighed 16 pounds 4 ounces and was 27 inches long. He is in the 10th percentile for his weight, and 50th percintile for his heigth. The pediatrician was not worried at all about his weight and neither am I. I just have to stick to my guns when his medical care is turned over to Madigan Army Medical Center. I have heard they are picky about their babies' weights.

5. Next week, Jack and I will be leaving Tuesday for San Antonio, Texas!! We are meeting our friends Kaylee and Parker there for vacation. Parker is just about Jack's age so they will have a blast, and Kaylee and I are great friends and I can't wait to see her! Kaylee's mama is also coming along to help with the boys, so it will be a great trip. Look for updates next week!

6...

This is the news I have been anxiously avoiding revealing to my readers (who are mostly friends and family from Ohio). We have been approved for our apartment in Washington! The date is much earlier than expected, but we are happy to have the stress of finding our home out of the way...

Jack, Luna, and I will be driving to Washington. We will be leaving on the morning of May 13th.

To our Ohio families- We love you and will miss you all.
To our Washington families (Jeremy, Marcy & the boys... Emma, Shirley, Haley, Trevor, Katie and Erik & the rest of your family)- We can't wait to see you!
To Daddy- This is a step closer to you! :)

Hero of the week!

The commander for 8-1 Cav. sends out an update pretty reguarly (Bless him!). In each update he identifies heroes of the week. This week, Jeff was one of them! Here is what LTC Clark had to say about he and Spc Karr.

"Over the past two weeks, CPL Davis and SPC Karr have helped numerous Afghan children while on patrol, assisted the Squadron Aid Station in caring for wounded Afghan Border Policeman, and continued to support the battery. They continually checks on Soldiers and are in the process of renewing our CLS skills to prepare for the upcoming summer heat. These two Soldiers have done an outstanding job taking initiative, being prepared, and ensuring that leaders are prepared to care for our Soldiers. They are our heroes this week"

A Glimpse

I have quite the treat for you today! Some pictures of what our soldier and his buddies have been up to lately!

Lots of Stuff Today

I think we'll start today with some photos. Jack and I ventured to grandpa Kevin's house today, to do some laundry and visit with him. It had been way too long since they had seen each other and they played until they tuckered out! The funniest thing was that they were both snoring!

Last Thursday included a trip to Aunt Kelly and Unlce Tom's house to pick up some stuff. Ethan and Jack are almost always happy to see each other and finally have someone their own size to play with. But in this particular stretch of time, Ethan was very hungry and his mama was not moving fast enough. He started crying. Jack stared at him for a second, and then reached over and stuck his hand in Ethan's mouth. I guess he was tired of hearing that crying! haha

Now that we're all caught up on some cuteness, on with some news. A deployment update made it's way into my inbox today. The weather there is back up into the 90s on the FOB, and their only expecting it to get hotter. But being in theater for 8 months as opposed to just arriving has allowed them to prepare for the heat a little more efficently this summer. They have ice readily available and refridgerators stocked with water waiting for our boys, should they need it, and I'm sure they will. Like with every deployment, there have been rumors about redeployment circulating back at Fort Lewis, but the update concurs with the original orders 365 days. Please be aware, that this timeline is an estimate for homecoming, and does not reflect the exact date that Jeff will be returning stateside. CPT is recommending that no plans be made just yet and reassures us that he will let us know about any information he can, as soon as possible. I won't quote the rest of the email, because in my opinion it's written in quite a negative tone. It says we should focus on the last 25% of deployment, and not our soldiers' homecoming. I'm not usually ignore advice from an FRG update... but I'm for damn sure going to be focusing on Jeff's homecoming for the next couple months.

For those of you that ordered from my mom's Silpada jewelry party, she closed it today! So we should be recieving our goodies within a short time. I'm so excited to see my jewelry. I ordered some very cute two-toned earrings. I lost my favorite pair last month. I also ordered a two-toned ring with a cross on it and a 3 pack set of smaller more simple earrings. Hopefully they are as beautiful as they were in the catalog. I consider my order my early Happy Easter present from Jeff :) hehe. Thanks, dear. You're soooo thoughtful! ;)

Dinner was a gift from my dad today. Bob Evans, very yummy. Man, I'm going to miss that place when I go back to Washington. Speaking of moving, I will be calling the Fort Lewis housing office tomorrow morning and speaking with them about a move in date. So I should be able to give everyone an exact date Jack, Luna, and I will be departing Ohio after that phone call.

Closing the blog with some good grades sounds like a good idea, too bad I don't have any... Just kidding! I got a B on my Nutrition final today! I was not expecting a grade higher than a C, so I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My Sociology final is on the schedule for the coming week and then I will be done with Spring Session A! I'm still undecided in my attendence for next session. As soon as the decision is made, you all will be the first to know! Well second to know, after Jeff of course. Love to all and goodnight!

Just as good the second time

Picked up my copy of The Twilight Saga: New Moon today. I must say I was very impressed all over again. Bella is so frustrating. How anyone can stand there and look at Jacob and chose Edward over him is beyond me. I'd much rather have the Jacob's warmth (among other things) than Edward's coldness. Not only is he cold to the touch, but cold describes his personality too! To each their own but I'm definitely Team Jacob when it comes to The Twilight Saga. But, when it comes to my life, I'm team JEFF!

Has anyone else been loving this sunshine? It just starts my day off right, when I can wake up to the warmth and light coming through my windows. I went with mom and Avery to a place in Circleville called "The Weekend Outlet." For lack of a better way to explain, it's much like a cross between a Goodwill, Ollie's, and a big yard sale. I bought a few odds and ends, including summer shorts for Jack, a pair of shorts for me, and a car charger for my cell phone. We enjoyed lunch on the patio at Sonic after shopping and headed home so mom could make it in time to pick up Max from dress rehearsal. (His play is next weekend, be sure to see a showing!). Jack was snoozing in his carseat when we arrived, so I took advantage and cleaned out my car of trash and things that needed to go inside. I had planned on taking it to the carwash to be cleaned inside and out, but they were closed for the day when I passed by so that will have to wait until tomorrow. We went to the flood wall and met Erin and her mama to walk a while and chat, but our walk was cut short by Jack's hungry whining. A stop at Sams Club for apple juice and milk, and we headed home. A surprise visit by Troy, Ramalee, and Alex made our day! We have missed them and were very happy to hear their knock on the door. It was great to catch up on what's been going on in their lives, and update them on ours. They left about 8pm and Erin and I were too hungry to cook, so we had dinner at Frisch's. But, as usual, we highly overestimated our stomach capacity and barely finished half the food on our table.

We finished the night with A New Moon screening and I worked on some more vacation plans with Kaylee! It's looking like we will be taking a trip to San Antonio, Texas at the end of April sometime. We are very excited and can't wait to work out the details and finally hang out! We're also excited for our boys to meet. Kaylee's son, Parker, is not much younger than Jack. Kaylee, once again I want to say I'm SO excited! I hope you are too. I think this will be a good way to get our minds off deployment a little bit, as I've heard time slows way down towards the end.

Sorry for lack of creativity in today's blog. It's late and as you can see we've had a busy day, so I'm exhausted. Love to all!