***Just to warn you, upon re-reading this, it is kinda...depressing. I guess it is mostly for journaling purposes, for me. There, now you've been warned.
Dave left for his training in Indiana the day Makenna turned a month old. We had a special breakfast for him and he made sure he had everything packed that he needed. I should have taken a picture! He had a TON of stuff laid out in the living room and somehow fit it all into 2 huge overstuffed gunny sacks.
We said "goodbye" to Dave 3 different times. We saw him off to his training in Indiana, but we were so lucky, to have Dave back for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas. We weighed the "costs", having to pay for the last minute tickets once we found out, and emotional "costs"(?). Would it be that much harder on us all to have to say goodbye again and again ? It didn't take long to decide we didn't care, of course! If Dave could come home we would do whatever it took to have him here!
Each time at the airport was pretty hard. It was a little tough. I felt like Kayla and I were on an emotional roller coaster. He left for Indiana, and we were pretty sad. But then excited that he would be able to come home for Thanksgiving. And then sad that we had to say goodbye again and be without him, but then excited he was going to come home for Christmas. I cried all the way home from the airport each time. I think Dave got homesick too. At Christmas, that goodbye was pretty rough. I just have pics from when he left from Indiana, the other times it was really early in the morning. He had to be back by a certain time. It was probably good that it was so early in the morning because we were all a little numb. This last time of course was hard. Dave drove the car down to the airport, as Makenna and Kayla slept. He pulled up to the curb, and I felt butterflies knowing this was it, and a lump in my throat from trying to hold back the tears. Trying to be "strong", or at least trying to hold it somewhat together so I would be able to drive home. We got out of the car to switch places, and to say goodbye. Dave didn't wear his uniform, he just took civilian clothes on this trip. So the people on all sides of us probably had no idea that we wouldn't be seeing each other for almost a year, and maybe wondering why I was balling and hugging him so tight and for so long. The moment was too short. He had to go, and then went to kiss Kayla and Makenna, and waved at the sliding doors. We drove home in the dark and it physically felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me.
And like Dave, when I got home, he called me on my cell phone to see if I was okay and to comfort me. He is so sweet.
When he finally was in Afghanistan I didn't know how I would be, but the same thing. It was hard, knowing he was so very far away. With him gone my sky has been a little darker and its been hard to breath sometimes, because Dave has been like sunshine to me and like oxygen, and I'm blessed that its like that. That probably sounds dramatic, but that's how I would describe honestly how it has felt to me.
But then I have gotten to talk with Dave on the phone, and he does have a work e-mail, so I feel so blessed for those things and refreshed. We aren't able to do Skype though, because the Internet in his room is way worse than even dial-up. How did those who've gone before handle not hearing from their loved ones for weeks, months at a time??? I'd go crazy. Dave and I also made quite a few "love mixes". When I get sad, I just put one on and it is like a dose of Davey medicine, a soothing and comforting balm. It makes me smile every time! Its amazing how they help me feel so much better.
Well, if you made it through that, here are the pics from when we said goodbye the first time.
We all made sure to give lots of hugs and kisses, when we saw daddy off to Indiana.
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