Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 44

This week has been absolutely fantastic. I have the best friends and family in the entire world, hands down, but more on that later.

Yesterday marked ten months of deployment gone boy. SCORE!

Today, our unit welcomed home our very first soldiers from Afghanistan! These are the times I wish more than anything that I was living down at Fort Knox, I can't even imagine the joy on those families' faces when their soldiers returned home to them. It was just a small group, but the wave has started, and will continue over the next two and a half to three months.

Our FRG (Family Readiness Group- the wives of the soldiers in the unit) is sending out more emails than ever lately, all with new messages about homecoming and block leave and returning to "normal life" once the brigade returns home. It's oddly comforting to know that there really is a light at the end of this seemingly never-ending tunnel, it's not just me imagining it's there. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in a moment in time, and I forgot that this deployment will eventually end. It's almost our turn!

Now, onto the most amazing weekend EVER!

On Saturday morning, Mom Dolan and I set off for a Scrapbooking day at Dottie's (her best friend who lives a few towns away) house. I had my huge scrapbooking box with me (decoupaged with newspaper clippings from the Sox 04 World Series Run- one of my favorite home-made projects ever!) and as we walked in the door I was slapped in the face with the sound of "SURPRISE!!!!!" by what seemed like a million women.

I'll admit, the three seconds before I realized what was going on felt like they lasted for-ev-er. I walked into the room, and put my box down, just as I realized "oh, is this all happening for me?" and as I put my sunglasses on my head, I saw them. My girls. My roommates from college, and my best friend since the first grade. Not to mention the countless family (Em, that includes you!)

It's one of the strangest feelings in the world, and I'll never quite be able to describe it, but seeing people I cared so deeply about, here in an environment that I had never seen them before (nor did I ever think I would see them before our wedding) absolutely blew me away. Thank you thank you thank you girls for coming down and making me feel so loved. I am so very very blessed to have you all in my life.

The last time we (my seven roommates and I) were all together was our graduation from Stonehill in May 2009. I was a wreck. We all were. We had just spent the 4 best years of our lives with some of our greatest friends (and senior year with a couple of legitimately crazy boys living down the hall who loved to put fireplaces in our stairwell) and none of us could accept the fact that that chapter in our lives had come to a close. We huddled. There was nothing else to do, we didn't want to let go of that moment.

So what do you think we did the moment we were all 8 together again for the first time in nearly two and a half years (after I got over my initial shock, of course)? Yup! We huddled!

My Bridal Shower was nothing short of phenomenal! I can't describe the joy I felt that day! I really wish I could post a video of my reaction, but I'm having technology issues at the moment, hopefully I'll figure it out someday.

Thank you so very much to everybody who made this day happen! I feel so blessed to be loved by my family, my friends and to be coming into a family who is so loving as well. Saturday was probably one of my favorite deployment days, and I can't help but smile when I think of myself walking into that room and being completely bombarded with love!

Here I am with my Lexa Lou and my rehearsal bouquet! She did an awesome job!

Ode to a Tape Gun

The day (night) has finally come, I just finished packing my very last care package for our first deployment! I can't wait til it is officially out of my hands and on its way to the sand box tomorrow morning.

For now, I'm just thankful for my purchase of my tape gun ten months ago. It got me through some tough times trying to get lots of goodies into teeny tiny boxes!

So thank you, tape gun for your undying loyalty and help through countless care packages and probably thousands of dollars of snacks, goodies, games and reading material sent over to Afghanistan over the past year. I have to say though, I'm really not gonna miss you all that much!

Thank You

To the fine men and women of our Armed Forces,

Thank You.

For what you have sacrificed

and what you are willing to unselfishly give for our country...

To those who have served, are serving and will serve,

we owe you every debt of gratitude.

I consider myself lucky to be loved by the bravest and most unselfish man I have ever met,

and a true American Hero.

Happy Veterans' Day

What did you do to thank a Veteran today?

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 43

It just occurred to me that I could be down to single digits with DPTs I have left! WOW! If that's not a positive, I don't know what is.

For the time being though, I'm going to stick with my promise to let all of you out there in bloggie-ville get to re-live our amazing two week R&R through posts and pictures.

On the first Sunday that Andrew was home, I was finally confirmed as a member of the Catholic Church and took my first communion. As with everything else in my life, I had waited a long time for that special moment, but man, was it worth the wait. I can't even let myself imagine what it would have been like to take such a huge step in our joint faith without Andrew. It felt great to have him physically behind me as I was welcomed into our church.

It was so nice to have both of our families be a part of such a huge day for us! Other than the actual day Andrew returned home, it was definitely the most emotional day for me. Everything happened exactly as I had envisioned it, including the song "Come Back to Me", which I've had my heart set on being played at both my first communion and our wedding since the first time I heard it way back in March... remember?

I really want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has been there for me during this process. The entire parish has been more than welcoming and accommodating to both Andrew and myself.

The Longer the Waiting, the Sweeter the Kiss

There is a Josh Turner Song (see above) that has always spoken to me and has often helped me through long separations. When Andrew came home last month and I ran into his arms, sobbed on his shoulder for minutes on end, while we held each other as tightly as I possibly could, and then finally got that first kiss I have been dreaming of for so long, it really rang true for me. We had briefly talked about making this our wedding song, but since it's about the Navy, we decided it was not quite "ours". That's not to say though that every single lyric to this song doesn't bring a tear to my eye, because it most definitely does; and depending on the day I'm having or the mood I'm in, most of the time I can't even make it through the song in it's entirety without skipping to the next song on my iPod (especially when I'm driving).

Last week I posted the first picture taken of Andrew and I in the past 9 months, but I didn't explain the story.

Andrew's tentative date to be home was Monday, October 17th. As I told many people during that time, if I were a betting woman, that is the one day in the entire month I could tell you 100% for certain that Andrew's leave would NOT start. Ding ding ding! Win for me. KO 1, Army 0. Not getting your hopes up is absolutely vital for any military family. 

I had very little communication with Andrew while he was in transit (all in all, about 20 hours of flight time took him over 5 full days) so on Monday night when Andrew texted me and said he was in Germany, it wasn't shocked (at that point it had been about 2 days since I had heard word from him). Since the Army will pay for their soldiers going on R&R to fly anywhere in the world, Andrew's plan was to fly directly to Harrisburg. When he landed in Atlanta on Tuesday morning, he realized that flying into Baltimore would save him a layover in Chicago and add several more hours of leave. Thankfully, he was able to use the internet at the USO (great charity, if anyone is looking where to send their extra cash!) in Atlanta to get a hold of me and tell me his new plans.

So Tuesday at 4, Mom and Dad Dolan and I drove down to BWI to pick up our soldier! Honestly the whole day felt like a day dream. I couldn't eat, the night before I don't think I got a wink of sleep, and I was basically a complete basket case waiting in anticipation of seeing my sweetheart.

We got to the airport just as Andrew's flight was landing and waited for what seemed like another 9 months outside of the security checkpoint for Delta flights.

I was beginning to get worried that Andrew was already at baggage claim or that we were at the wrong place, when Dad leaned over to me and said "who is that, coming around that corner?" 

My heart actually stopped. I almost choked on my own breath before he even caught a glimpse of me. Within a split second, I made the decision that I couldn't wait for him to walk another 20 feet to get to me, I said "I don't care, I'm goin' in!", ran past the huge "DO NOT ENTER" security checkpoint sign, and RAN as fast as I could. He had just enough time to throw his bag down before I reached him and we threw our arms around each other. 

I couldn't even get words out. I made total girly-girl stupid sobbing noises I had never heard myself make before as I buried my face into his shoulder and all I remember was him saying "Wow, you're even prettier than I remember". It was the single most amazing feeling I have ever experienced in my life, and our first kiss was definitely the sweetest (and saltiest- because of my tears) of my life. 

Pure Joy

Brotherly Love

Shannon and Andrew

It took a little while for the kids to warm up to their uncle, but within ten minutes they couldn't get enough of him!

A few months ago I asked Lillia what she was going to do when she saw Uncle AJ again. Her response: "Scream, of course! And then hug him forever"

Where is Afghanistan, Uncle AJ?

The kids (minus Jared) with their gifts from Afghanistan. Children don't have toys to play with, so the only thing Andrew could bring home for them were clothing items in the form of hats and scarves. (I love Austin's "tough-guy" face in this one!"

The first hours of R&R were perfect, just the way I envisioned them. We spent time with the family at the house and then extended family after the Aunt's finished bowling (without me-- Sorry, Aunt Lori!) and everything was right with the world- no worrying, no text messages, unlimited hugs and kisses, no quick addition to figure out what time it is in a place far away, and no holding my breath whenever the doorbell unexpectedly rang.