Two Days

Two more days until Washington. Two more days until Washington. TWO MORE DAYS!! At this point I'm just so BORED that I want to get on with the trip already. I have my last "final" tomorrow which consists of submitting advice to the next class about my English class I just took. I know...pretty intense. Then I'm going to a recital and then that's all. I don't really have anything for the rest of the day besides maybe working out and finishing packing. I have everything packed already except for the things I'll need to use the morning of. So NOW what??
It hasn't really hit me that it's just a few days away from Christmas. Part of me felt like it was Christmas on Thanksgiving...so I'm all sorta of mixed up. Just thinking that I might get to spend my FIRST Christmas with my husband next year has me excited...even if it's way off in the distance. It's strange that our first married Christmas together will be right before our 3 year anniversary. How strange life is in the military sometimes. But it hasn't been bad. Someone told me last year that after the first deployment, they just get harder. I am inclined to agree and disagree. I partially agree because when you say goodbye the second time it's almost worst than the first because you KNOW what a deployment feels like now and you KNOW how much you're going to miss them. I don't think saying goodbye ever gets easier. HOWEVER...I definitely think this deployment as a whole has been easier for a few reasons: Once they leave and the goodbye is over, you just have to get on with life. I've already been through one so I knew what to expect. Knowing what was in store made me less fearful...and I also feel like I've grown a lot as a person in this area. I can handle so much more than I thought. School has helped a LOT too. Just having people to interact with and having a consistent (and sometimes very inconsistent) schedule helps SO much.
One thing that definitely makes this deployment different from the last is the departure and return. Last deployment, John flew out with the jets and returned with the jets. This one I dropped him off at the airport and will most likely also pick him up from the airport. It will be weird not having the return be a big deal with all the wives in the same situation, watching families reunite. John could come back earlier or later than everyone else. It'll just be us...unless someone is kind enough to come along and take pictures.
This Christmas will just be me and the family. And it'll be nice...especially seeing friends and cousins that I've been missing. But I do look forward a year that we can be together for Christmas. Hopefully soon...

Photo: Unknown found via Seattle PI