My Life As a Military Wife (Part 8: Saying Goodbye....Again)

I absolutely hate telling my husband Goodbye. It is one of the worst feelings in the world for me. I never realized that saying goodbye would become such an important part of my life when my hubby joined the Army in 2006. I've had to tell Wes goodbye now 7 times for extended periods of time.

1. When I dropped him off at the Recruiters office to leave for Basic Training. (6 weeks)

2. When I dropped him off at Ft. Eustis for AIT. (12 Weeks)

3. When I dropped him off at the Atlanta Airport bound for Germany. I was too pregnant at this point to fly so unfortunately I had to stay behind.

4. When we dropped him off at the Atlanta Airport again bound for Germany. He was able to come home for Clark's birth. Clark was only 10 days old when we had to say goodbye. Clark and I had to stay behind until we could get Clark command sponsored and a passport.

5. When Wes left for a 52 days Field Excersise. This was the first time that Clarke and I had been alone in Germany without the hubs.

6. When we dropped him off at the Atlanta Airport once again bound for Germany. Wes brought Clark and I home to stay for the duration of the deployment. This would be the last time we would be in the presence of one another until atleast May of next year. This was the hardest goodbye yet.

7. When we said goodbye via web-cam before he departed for the desert.

This won't be the last time I have to tell my hubs goodbye. I'm more than positive that there will be plenty of others. By this point I think I should be a pro at goodbye, but I'm not. I'll never be good at it. As hard as I may try, it probably will not happen. I'm ok with that NOW. I think!!!! Let me just get this off my chest....I HATE GOODBYES not just with the hubs but with everyone. Give me some imput people. Am I in this alone? Does it ever get better/easier?

P.S. Wes did make it atleast half way there ok and he's doing well. Later this week he'll have some more traveling to do to reach his final destination. He say's its around 132 degrees outside. Other than that he sounded a lot better than he did when we talked on Thursday night before he got on the bus.

"My current lifesong"

Beautiful One

Jeremy Camp

Wonderful, so Wonderful is your unfailing love

Your Cross has spoken Mercy over me

No eye has seen No ear has heard

No heart can fully know

How glorious,How beautiful, You are!

Beautiful One I love

Beautiful One I Adore

Beautiful One My Soul Must Sing

Powerful, So Powerful

Your Glory Fills the Sky

Your mighty work displayed for all to see

The beauty of your majesty wakes my heart to sing

How marvelous, how wonderful you are

Beautiful One I love

Beautiful One I Adore

Beautiful One My Soul Must Sing

You open my eyes to the wonders anew

You captured my heart with this love

Because nothing on earth is as beautiful as you

Jesus

(repeat)

My Life As A Military Wife (Saying Goodbye, Again)

i just spent 45 minutes typing this post...you'll get it again tommorrow my computer just deleted it when I tried to post.

The Road Not Taken

We'll my surgery was successful, or so Dr. S. said. Despite the great amount of pain I have been in, I can tell you I have instant relief from what was bothering me prior to Thursday. The only complaint I have (aside from the pain) is that the right side of my face is sore and very swollen. Not sure what they did to me, or if I even want to know what they did, but it hurts now. I arrived at the surgery center around 4 p.m. on Thursday and I was home by 8 p.m. They first told me the surgery would take around 1-3 hours but luckily it only lasted around 1 hour. I MAY have to go back in later on to have more repairs done but as for now I am good to go. I've had great help here at home. My mom and dad have been a huge help and my aunt and uncle and cousin as well. Clark has been spoiled rotten, as always. I am so grateful that I have such great friends and family that have stepped in to help me with the little man during this time.

Just a little side note; I had decided for so long (almost 2 years) to just wait on this procedure because I was in Germany (the surgeon there scared the POOP out of me) and I wanted Dr. S. (who is a great family friend) to do the surgery. Friends, that was the biggest mistake I could have ever made. Next time I will know better. I will do what is BEST for my body. I hope to never have to go through this again. Only time will tell though!

The next few weeks are going to be very busy. Next week we'll be taking it slow, getting Clarke registered for school and just hanging around the house until Friday night. We will be attending a reception in honor of my cousin Charlie and his new bride Ashley. They married in Nassau,Bahamas a couple of weeks ago. The 1st thru 3rd of August I will be beach bound again with my bestest friends Mindy and Rexy. We'll have Clark and Charlie with us so you must not worry about us girls getting wild like the old days :-). On the evening of the 6th Mom, Clark and myself will drive out headed towards Maryland. We'll arrive sometime on the 7th and stay until the 11th. We'll be spending some time with my Aunt Jackie a.k.a Queenie and with my grandparents. I'm looking forward to seeing them all, but I am dreeding the 14-16 hour trip. On the 13th thru 15th Clarke and I will be beach bound again with my uncle and his family from the ATL. Registration for The Kelly School of Dance is August 4-6 from 1-5 so I'll be there for that and then I start actually teaching on the 18th. I've registered myself for classes at Enterprise Ozark Community College, which start on the 22nd of August. I am taking 5 classes (17 hours). I'm really looking forward to getting back into classes and FINALLY finishing my degree.

Loving you all from the couch!!!!

Update!

So friends, I have fallen behind yet again. I've been home from Gainesville for 2 weeks now and I have failed to update. Good excuse though, my parents have dial up and it takes to dang long to do anything on the internet. I get on, check the e-mails, get on Yahoo Messenger to see if the Hubs or the Besties are on and then its off to chasing the toddler all over again.

Clarke, my dad and I sent the hubs off from the Atlanta Airport on the 5th of July. I truly believe that it was one of the hardest days of my life. I felt like I was loosing something so precious to me as I watched himwalk away. He made it back to Germany where Crash and her hubs picked him up from the airport. Thanks Guys.

Since the hubs has been gone it's been non-stop for Clarke and I. We've visited with alot of friends, ran lots of errands and even visited the doctors office twice for me and once for him. I'm having some surgery (no details) on 7-17-08 so we've been doing alot to get prepared for being home-bound for atleast a week...or less I hope. I enrolled at Enterprise State Jr. College, registered for Fall classes and we are in the process of getting Clarke enrolled at the CDC on Ft. Rucker. We attended church on Sunday at Ridgecrest, but I think a change is in the near future for our family. I think being busy has made the seperation from the hubs some what easier.

Hubs hasn't left to go play war yet, but I feel like our day is coming all too soon. In order to protect the privacy of our family and his Batallion I will not mention locations, times or dates. OPSEC...have you ever heard of it? I will only give updates on how hubs is doing himself. Please pray for our family as we face this time of seperation. Clarke is already facing some seperation anxiety and confusion. He's asking for Daddy and the only answers he understands is that he's gone to work or gone bye bye. I've got photo's of Clarke and his Daddy all over the place. Each night before we go to sleep, Clarke gets his favorite one (both in Florida Gator gear) and we read the Lord's Prayer story,
I pray for Clarke and Daddy and then Clarke gives Daddy's picture lovies and then we put him to bed. It's such a sweet thing. I am going to try to video it so you guys can see.

I am sorry, but this must be a short update. It's midnight now and I've got a toddler who hit the sack at 7:30 p.m. He'll be up at daylight.I promise, I promise, I promise, just as soon as I get a little free time I am going to upload some photos.

Pray with me at 4 p.m. tommorrow PLEASE. I'm nervous as ever.


*P.S. Mrs. Tonja i'm back :-)*