By The Time You Read This...

To get us through this most recent deployment, I vowed to blog.

My intentions were to give an honest, candid account of the struggles, challenges and triumphs we spouses that are left behind experience when our loved-one goes into the desert, but instead...

I moved house. I went from BIG to not-quite-as-big and left behind furniture. You know, sofas, bookshelves, built-in cupboards to, well, empty. It's incredibly hard to put things away when there's not a place to put them.

The children started school...
and needed an incredible amount of clothing, shoes, hair appointments and supplies.

Those same children all began their new football season which requires and hour and a half each on a football pitch for training and then the weekend is filled with tournaments and league matches.

Our professional team began a new football season in the Premiere League which means more TV coverage. YAY.

I became severely addicted to TV. All of my best friends either live in my computer or in the TV now.

The oldest son graduated AF Tech School and he and his new wife moved to their first duty station.

We had a death in the family. A really bad, really ugly death that will probably plague us for months to come.

I haven't lost weight, firmed up, grown my hair (unless you count leg hair which has done quite well actually) or surgically corrected anything.

So, there have been very few posts about this deployment...
but if you think this is bad, you should see the journal they gave us at our pre-deployment briefing.

COMPLETELY BLANK.

Anyway, if you are doubting the news stations reporting that the U.S. is pulling out of Iraq, don't.

We have living proof.

HE'S HOME!!!! TWO months early!!

Christmas came early to The Gutter this year...

and Halloween was complete.

So by the time you read this,
he'll be neck deep in his "honey do" lists and I'll be looking through a garage full of unmarked boxes for the Christmas decorations. Don't pity him, he's got the easier job...