Andy left today for 140 days (give or take a few). He will be stateside and he won't be in the line of fire. For that I'm extremely thankful. We've spent time apart before and we get through it just fine, but man it stinks!
This will be the first time the boys really remember it. I remember when Andy went to Korea for a year and Matt was just turning 2. I kept him on a good schedule and he was so little I could go and do pretty much anything I wanted. Heck, I think I shopped for his birthday with Matthew in the grocery cart. He was young and oblivious and for his sake, it made it easier.
They will both definitely miss him and it just won't be the same around here without him. Hopefully we will get to see him once or twice during this time. You certainly don't get to do that on a normal deployment but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth!
The boys and I will spend some time in Oklahoma visiting family and celebrating the 4th of July. We're guaranteed to have some fun and make this summer without Andy go a bit smoother. The sarcasm and game nights alone will make the drive worthwhile. I love my family! We'll get to see both sides of the family and we can't wait!
Counting down until November....
