It's raining, it's pouring...
It's raining today. I suppose Texas is trying to prepare me for the crappy weather I'm going to have in Michigan next week. But it's killing me because I love the weather here. I have always known that I hated the cold, but I seem to forget just how much I hate it until I'm in it again. We had some cold days here this past week and a half. One day my pipes froze because it got down to 20 degrees that night. They were working at 3am, and when I went to use the water at 9am I didn't have any. It was horrible. There wasn't anything I could do except to "open" the pipes by turning on all the faucets. I didn't end up having water again until 3:15pm. It sucked. I had to go to my neighbor's and wash Autumn's dishes over there. You just don't think of things like that when you live in a state that's usually so warm. And then dealing with the cold here made me really start to dread the cold I'm about to have to embrace when I head back to the home state. I don't even have any shoes. Just flip flops, and while I usually wear them in the winter irregardless, I don't feel that it is safe for me to do so since I'll be carrying a baby around when I'm outside and when the top of my flip flops get wet from the snow I almost always slip on them and lose my balance and nearly fall on my ass. I don't want to risk that with Autumn, so it's time I invest in some kind of stable shoes. At least some with good traction.
Rich left on the night of the 3rd. Earlier than we had been first told. I've been handling it ok I guess. I'm a little extra emotional, but I think a lot of it is that this time of year makes you want to be sharing it with the ones you love, and knowing that he's alone over there without his family and that he's missing out on all that I'll be experiencing makes me so sad. I also tear up whenever I see something on tv about soldiers in Iraq or our troops. And when I hear Christmas music. Damn holiday spirit. I miss him so much, and I'm already starting to appreciate the little things, like being able to kiss him whenever I want to and the way he always makes me laugh. The thing that makes it most sad is knowing how long it will be until I see him again- probably about 8½ months from now, assuming he can take his leave in August to come back for 15 days- that is when it really hits me that this isn't just him being gone for a month.
He's called me three times now since he's been gone. That's been hard as well. I'm used to talking to him every day. Even when he was in California he called me every night. And since the phones are down over there when he does get to call he only has 10 minutes to talk because they are letting the guys use some kind of phone that's not normally used for personal calls. Kind of like a business line. And of course there are a lot of people who want to use it so they have to keep the calls short. It's so hard to remember all the things I wanted to tell him in that short amount of time. I've been writing him every day as well, because that's the best way for me to assure that he'll know all the things I wanted to tell him but couldn't. It's already 17 pages long and since I won't have an address for him until probably January it may very well be 30 pages by the time he gets it. At least it will keep him busy in his spare time. He's doing well over there though. He said they are trying to keep the Christmas spirit and morale up for the soldiers. I guess they put red and green table cloths out for the guys. And apparently they had the 4th ID band deploy with them so they can play for the soldiers on Christmas. Nice thought, but I don't think the guys care that much. Rich said it doesn't make him feel any happier and that he just wants to be home with us. I hate how hard it is for him to be there.
Rich did give me some good news though, and I hope that it stands to be true. He told me that yesterday started the first of the 365 days they are supposed to be there. If for some reason the Army wants them there longer than that year, they have to explain to Congress just why they need to remain over there. Which is great, because they shouldn't have any spectacular reason. Another group will be going over for rotation, so there's not any need to keep our guys over there longer. Rich's unit is responsible for training the Iraqi Army, so it should be well on it's way by this time next year. I think that would be so fabulous if he could be home this time next year. What a fantastic Christmas present that would be for Autumn and me. He would be able to be here for her second Christmas and her second birthday. I'm praying that he can be and that they follow through with this.
Hopefully the next couple months will go by fast. It's already been flying by, which is a relief. He's already been gone 11 days and it doesn't even feel like a week has passed. I know my time in Michigan will go by quickly because it always does. It is kind of nice because so many people want to spend time with us that it fills my schedule up and doesn't allow much time for sitting around watching the clock. Then February will be here before I know it and I'll be back in Texas with Brandy and I know that having her here will help to make the time go by a little faster as well. Being alone can be well, lonely. Autumn is great company but she goes down for naps and goes to sleep and then I'm left to my own devices. And she doesn't really give me much feedback in a conversation. At least not much feedback that I can understand anyway.
Oh and in other news, Joni has moved back to her home state, and now Michelle has decided that this weekend she is going to move back home and have her baby there instead of waiting and doing it here. So now I am going to be officially alone lol. Having no friends sucks.
Miss you all.
Miss Rich.
Peace-Love-Monkeys
xoxo
Rich left on the night of the 3rd. Earlier than we had been first told. I've been handling it ok I guess. I'm a little extra emotional, but I think a lot of it is that this time of year makes you want to be sharing it with the ones you love, and knowing that he's alone over there without his family and that he's missing out on all that I'll be experiencing makes me so sad. I also tear up whenever I see something on tv about soldiers in Iraq or our troops. And when I hear Christmas music. Damn holiday spirit. I miss him so much, and I'm already starting to appreciate the little things, like being able to kiss him whenever I want to and the way he always makes me laugh. The thing that makes it most sad is knowing how long it will be until I see him again- probably about 8½ months from now, assuming he can take his leave in August to come back for 15 days- that is when it really hits me that this isn't just him being gone for a month.
He's called me three times now since he's been gone. That's been hard as well. I'm used to talking to him every day. Even when he was in California he called me every night. And since the phones are down over there when he does get to call he only has 10 minutes to talk because they are letting the guys use some kind of phone that's not normally used for personal calls. Kind of like a business line. And of course there are a lot of people who want to use it so they have to keep the calls short. It's so hard to remember all the things I wanted to tell him in that short amount of time. I've been writing him every day as well, because that's the best way for me to assure that he'll know all the things I wanted to tell him but couldn't. It's already 17 pages long and since I won't have an address for him until probably January it may very well be 30 pages by the time he gets it. At least it will keep him busy in his spare time. He's doing well over there though. He said they are trying to keep the Christmas spirit and morale up for the soldiers. I guess they put red and green table cloths out for the guys. And apparently they had the 4th ID band deploy with them so they can play for the soldiers on Christmas. Nice thought, but I don't think the guys care that much. Rich said it doesn't make him feel any happier and that he just wants to be home with us. I hate how hard it is for him to be there.
Rich did give me some good news though, and I hope that it stands to be true. He told me that yesterday started the first of the 365 days they are supposed to be there. If for some reason the Army wants them there longer than that year, they have to explain to Congress just why they need to remain over there. Which is great, because they shouldn't have any spectacular reason. Another group will be going over for rotation, so there's not any need to keep our guys over there longer. Rich's unit is responsible for training the Iraqi Army, so it should be well on it's way by this time next year. I think that would be so fabulous if he could be home this time next year. What a fantastic Christmas present that would be for Autumn and me. He would be able to be here for her second Christmas and her second birthday. I'm praying that he can be and that they follow through with this.
Hopefully the next couple months will go by fast. It's already been flying by, which is a relief. He's already been gone 11 days and it doesn't even feel like a week has passed. I know my time in Michigan will go by quickly because it always does. It is kind of nice because so many people want to spend time with us that it fills my schedule up and doesn't allow much time for sitting around watching the clock. Then February will be here before I know it and I'll be back in Texas with Brandy and I know that having her here will help to make the time go by a little faster as well. Being alone can be well, lonely. Autumn is great company but she goes down for naps and goes to sleep and then I'm left to my own devices. And she doesn't really give me much feedback in a conversation. At least not much feedback that I can understand anyway.
Oh and in other news, Joni has moved back to her home state, and now Michelle has decided that this weekend she is going to move back home and have her baby there instead of waiting and doing it here. So now I am going to be officially alone lol. Having no friends sucks.
Miss you all.
Miss Rich.
Peace-Love-Monkeys
xoxo