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heading out

The only thing to say about the beginning of a deployment if you've never been through one is that it flat out stinks.  The anticipation leading up to it wasn't as bad for us this time because we were so busy and traveled a lot.  The first few weeks into it though are tough because a year seems so daunting, you have yet to reach any milestones and for me, my kids are completely unsettled.  Anytime there are changes in our schedule or people come to visit, Addison gets on the wild and crazier side of life.  I am praying that things settled down in her world this week!  

It is amazing how little he takes to be gone a year!

We (ok ME) wanted to get a couple pictures the day Chad left.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day!





Since Chad had to be at the hanger in the middle of the night, I took him by myself.  We put the girls to bed like normal and Chad's mom stayed with them while I took Chad.  We have found things to be much easier if we stay in a routine, so that's what we did that night too.  For Chad, making things emotional or more dramatic just makes it harder.  As my friend Lorie said about her picture with her husband....I'm not sure why we look so happy!!  

Walking away from my husband knowing I won't see him for months is the most painful, unnatural feeling I've ever felt.  It doesn't get easier the more I do it.   Don't take for granted the freedoms you have, they come at such a high price.  One thing I hate is when people, good intentioned I'm sure, compare Chad's deployments to business trips or ask me if he has ever seen any "action."  They are not business trips - it is war.  He doesn't sit around wasting tax dollars and time.  He faces real danger every single day.  He carries real guns with real bullets and fights along side the bravest men and women in the world.  He will miss his daughter's first steps, her first words and her first birthday. I don't say that in an angry way, just in a realistic way.  If you live in America and enjoy its freedoms, you should understand what goes into keeping you free. 
I am proud to be an Army wife and stand with so many other strong spouses.  We aren't stronger than anyone else by nature, we are strong because it is what our country, our husbands and our children need us to be.
So, as an American, just remember when you lay your head on your pillow each night that your freedom isn't free and pray for the soldiers around the world who willingly and proudly fight for you.  

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