Pre-Deployment

I have decided to start my blog backing it up to August of 07. That is where so much of our life changed and so much of this year has revolved around. Eric got news July of 06 that his name is on the list to deploy again. It was not as hard to hear as it was the first time(2003), but I think it was the waiting that made it hard to bear. Finally in April of 07 we got the official word of when(Aug, 07) and where(cannot say). We spent the next several months living life one minute at a time and cherishing every moment we had together, as a couple, as a family, and just Daddy and the boys. It broke my heart to know he was going to miss so much of their everyday lives. 310 days was way too long. I know families all over go through longer deployments and come out just fine! I just know my kids and their relationship with their Dad! I knew this was going to be a hard road to travel. At such an important time of growing, not only spiritually but socially, my almost 16 year old was going to have to be apart from his Best Friend. Who was he going to talk to if he was needing someone? Who was going to help him with his Math? AGH! And the little ones, how do you tell them he will be gone for 310 days when they don’t understand the concept of time? Will it seem like eternity to them? Will they forget him? How am I going to make this easy for them? How am I going to home school all of them and still keep my sanity? Well through the grace of God we did it!! Yes there were those many times I was ready to throw in the towel, and then there were the growing moments. Well he is home and it is like he never left! Well except Eric and I have a stronger bond then when he left!