Deployment - Here We Go Again.....

Hi everyone!

It's been awhile since I've posted.  The past 2 months have just been crazy busy between My Marine's being gone at school and our travels to Portland and Pittsburgh.  We just got back this past Friday from an almost 2-week trip back to Pittsburgh.  It was so amazing and such a good trip.....I just didn't want to come home!  I'll be sharing more of those adventures over the next few days!

But....while we were in Pittsburgh, we got the news that My Marine will be deploying this summer for a year.  Starting in June, it will be a whirlwind of training before they actually leave for their MOB station.  (The place where they meet up with all the other soldiers to head overseas.)  It doesn't really leave us much time together as a family - really, only about 3.5 weeks. 

But even though this isn't my first rodeo, I still have mixed feelings about this deployment.

We knew it was coming....but it was a long time coming.  There were times where we would get so frustrated because we just weren't getting any information at all but were still told to move on as if.  That's kind of hard when you have kids that you need to prepare as well. 

This deployment won't be as long as his first one when he was gone 18 months.  Nani was only 8 months old when My Marine left.  He came home to a 2-yr. old.  At the most, we're looking at only 9-10 months overseas + 1-2 months training here in the U.S.  Not too bad.

The hardest part is going to be dealing with Nani.  She's much older now and more understanding that daddy needs to go away for awhile.  While she's ok now, I know there will be days when she won't be ok.  I'm planning on getting her a puppy when My Marine leaves.  He had no say in this.  I figured that with the puppy, it may help take her mind off missing daddy at times.  She'll have something to look forward to talking with daddy about.  I'm not sure how Zoja - our other Shepherd - will feel about it....but she'll suck it up like the rest of us.

So, in the meantime, I'm pulling on my big-girl deployment panties, making my checklists, and getting my ducks in a row.

Here we go again......