Giving Thanks....

Today is Wednesday. An ordinary Wednesday for most, but not for me or my family. Why you may ask? My husband has been gone for about 5 weeks after being home for 6 days 3 of which I spent in the hospital, and the other 3 I spent extremely ill and recovering from surgery. Before those 6 days home he had been gone for 6 weeks. All of this in preparation for his deployment to the Middle East.

Tomorrow is Thursday. Also an ordinary Thursday for most, except maybe for those freaky Harry Potter fans that are going to the midnight showing of the movie.(me included haha) There is one more thing that makes it an extraordinary day for me though. What makes it such is that I am picking my husband up from the airport! I am so excited to see him, yet the visit will be bittersweet.

Sorry for being cliche, but the term bittersweet just fits here. You see, this is the LAST time my husband will be home, before he leaves for the Middle East. I want the weekend to be perfect. Kendra is staying out of school tomorrow to make an 8 hour round trip to pick up his children. I will pick him up from the airport, so he can be here when Zac gets off the school bus. We want to make every second count. He is exhausted from all of the training, so while he is sleeping, I'm taking a group of teens tomorrow night to the Midnight showing of Harry Potter. Friday morning, he is taking his oldest son to get his driver's license. They are BOTH excited about that!

We are NOT having a "Going Away" party. Those tend to be too somber. What we ARE having is a double birthday party for Kendra and his oldest son. Kendra's actual birthday is Sunday she will be 17. His oldest son's birthday is Dec. 5th, and he will be 18. SOOO, we are having a bonfire, chili, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire. I have ordered a cake, but not a grown-up cake. I have ordered a cake that mirrors their 1st Birthday cakes. Kendra's was Elmo and Vyren's was Hotwheels, so we are having an Elmo and Hotwheels cake! I think it will be loads of fun, and it will be festive.


Sunday will be one of the hardest days of my life. I will be driving my husband back to the airport. I won't see him for a very long time. His orders say "up to 400 days," but we know at least a year, but hopefully he will be able to come home for 2 weeks on leave during that time. I am thankful for the time I have, and I will be counting the days.


So, Thanksgiving may actually be NEXT week, but everything I have to be thankful for will be happening for me THIS week. Zac and I will be spending ACTUAL Thanksgiving alone. I will probably put a roast in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots. He LOVES that. No worries though. Kendra will be at her dad's, but we all have LOADS to be thankful for...........