Bittersweet Reunions

There is no more joyous place than in a military hangar during a homecoming celebration.  The energy is electrifying, the cheers are deafening and the relief is palpable. Emmy and I have had the great privilege of attending five in the last three weeks.  We have run around sharing welcome home hugs with our soldiers and offering congratulations to our families; all of whom have overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges to see this moment.

I wish I could say that every reunion evokes the same feelings of elation, but that just hasn't been the case.  Given the fact that our company has seen more tragedy than any other aviation unit in the entire army this past year, we are bracing ourselves for the grief that is to come.

One of our soldiers arrived home to no one.  While the other soldiers embraced their loved ones, this soldier went outside to smoke.  Moments before, he had marched through the hangar doors to first lay eyes on Tiffany Wagstaff.  The last time he saw her was with his own wife at his side the day he deployed with her husband.  Since that day, his wife left him and Tiffany's husband was killed in a tragic helicopter accident.  The emotions were enough to bring a strong man to cry woefully in a stranger's arms.

That particular soldier isn't the only one stricken by grief upon returning to the states.  I received a hysterical call from a fiance yesterday who was terribly worried about her own soldier.  44 hours after arriving home, the switch flipped and he wanted nothing more than to get away from she and his family.  He is only now mourning the loss of Dave Senft, his only friend in the company.  While he is consumed by feelings about Dave's death, he refuses to talk to anyone for fear that any show of weakness would jeopardize his military career.  Thank the Lord that she reached out to get him the support he needs.

Our soldiers have not grieved the loss of their fallen comrades yet.  In the name of war, they were expected to carry on with the mission a mere day after tragedy struck.  I have been told that it is imperative that it be that way, so that the soldiers don't have an opportunity to fall to a dark place in the midst of deployment.  Inevitably, the feelings will come.  We just need to be ready for when they do.

Five down, ONE TO GO!!!

The "Transfer of Authority Ceremony" was completed two days ago, making it official that our Lancers' work is finished in Afghanistan!!!  Emmy and I have had the great honor of welcoming home the past five flights of Lancers over the last few weeks!  We have just one flight left on the schedule, and it will be the very best one, because it will bring my Nick home to us!!!  Barring any delays, it appears that Thursday is the day!!!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last five homecomings...

 This moment gives me goosebumps every time I see it...

 Rease & Dave: Our very first reunion!  He later surprised their kiddos at home!

Christian missed her Daddy almost as much as Mommy did. 

 Trina peaks around to see her cheering section!

 That's one happy little Sam!

 Amy & Scott: First deployment...CHECK!!

 Trina is our only mommy in the company...Leaving your babies for war takes a different kind of strong.

I am actively peer pressuring Jason to propose to Alicia.  She's a keeper.

 Drew first lays eyes on Connor, 4.

 The little kids reunions are my favorite!!

 Connor's had a busy year taking care of Mommy and his twin little sisters, Molly and Kate, 2.

 There's a whole lot of love to go around!

A big Brackman embrace.

My very favorite picture, our First Sargent and his 15 year old son.  This picture says everything.

President's Weekend

Last weekend, Emmy, Molly, Darla and I were the lucky recipients of some good old fashioned lovin' from Mom and Dad!  We picked them up from the Nashville airport on Saturday afternoon and went directly to Five Guys for some grub.  Only the best for my parents!  Turns out, Five Guys is Emmy's FAVORITE restaurant!  I'm not sure if it was her hot dog, the Michael Jackson music playing over head, or having Mimi and Papa's undivided attention, perhaps it was a combination, but Emmy was so excited she just couldn't hide it.  My girl danced for the duration of dinner.

On Sunday, we went to church, then filled up on a giant brunch before loading up the car and driving to Indy.  Dad took the wheel, Mom entertained Emmy in the backseat, Emmy entertained Mom in the backseat, the dogs snuggled up to one of the many warm bodies in the car, and I took a load off for 5 hours!  It only got better with my chocolate milkshake from our pit stop.  If only I could have Mom and Dad join me on every road trip, I'd be the ultimate Zen traveler.

Once we arrived in Indy, it was game on.  Mom and Dad got down on the floor and played with all of their grandbabies for two solid days.  Certainly not for the faint of heart.  Our time went by in a flash, as it always does.  I despise the fact that we live thousands of miles away from one another; I think I need to step up the pressure when I encourage them to move near us!

Human alarm clocks, Emmy and Clairey.

Papa carries the weight of that world on his shoulders.

Emmy and Clairey take tow-mater for a spin!

Reading books, all of the kids' very favorite past time.

Emmy roped Mom into reading to her, too.

Dance Party!!!

My girl stops for no one.

Movie time!  This was about one minute before Emmy overstayed her welcome on the couch.

Cars...Andy's FAVORITE!

"Happy Birthday You," Papa!

Mimi, Papa and all of their grandbabies!

Not bad considering this was taken with the timer!  Just missing Jamie, Nick and JP...

Gone in 60 seconds

In the time it took me to walk to the kitchen to check on some goodies baking in the oven, Emmy got to work unloading the guest bathroom cabinet.  As I walked back toward the bathroom, I heard her gabbing away, but she was no where to be found.  That is until her cute little head popped out of the, now empty, cabinet...

14 months old, 11 months down, 2 weeks to go!

It's such a sweet feeling to know that it will only be a couple of weeks until we are reunited as a family.   If only my 11th wind would kick in to tide me over.   I keep reminding myself that we must keep our blinders on to remain focused on the finish line, no matter how tired we may be.  It is a constant pep talk that happens multiple times each day.

Emmy's sense of humor is developing way beyond her months, we seem to share so many unspoken jokes that leave us both in stitches.  I can't wait to let Nick in on them.  I bet he has a few new ones to share with us.  While she now lets me know when she's "all done" (aaall-do) over the baby monitor when she wakes up in the morning and after each meal, she still sticks with "uhoh" for the most part.  A couple of weeks ago, she perfectly timed the usage of her favorite phrase while I had an impromptu meeting with the Brigade Commander's wife and other important members of the chain of command.  (A meeting that would usually cause me to take special notice of my posture.)  As we discussed some major snafus in the redeployment process, Emmy blurted out a big, dramatic "uhoh."  Everyone paused to chuckle and agreed that it was, indeed, a BIG "uhoh."  Emmy loves opening drawers and pushing our dining room chairs around the house.  It takes roughly T-minus 2 seconds for her to ransack the downstairs.  I'm afraid I will be horribly outnumbered once Nick returns and joins her effort.

Nick has been working long hours completing the hand-off with the company that is replacing them.  Unfortunately, the incoming company has had a slew of maintenance issues with their aircraft that has prolonged their ability to relieve Nick and his soldiers.  Worse yet, 1/3 of Nick's company is either home or enroute, which has made for some excessively long days for those who remain (surely they are wishing that they hadn't drawn the short straw right about now).  Nick was sick for most of the month, but is fortunately now on the up and up.  Nothing like long work days and inhaling the staggering stench of human waste around the clock for 11 months to wreak havoc on the immune system.  Today was the first day that Nick allowed himself to dream up plans for when he arrives home.  He admitted that he finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel.  He said he's excited to hang out, drink beers and chat (my addition) by our fire bowl after we put Emmy down for the night. :)  At this rate, we will have perfect spring weather to support our late night fire bowl conversations.  Now to get him home first...

This past month has been a toughy.  Between planning the party with so many obstacles (oh how I wish I had a direct line to Afghanistan), and serving as the whipping boy for our one angry widow, I had been feeling pretty defeated.  It was one of those times where I wanted nothing more than to submit my resignation and cite that the additional stress and political pressure is just not worth it anymore.  Then God revealed Himself and picked me up, yet again.  This time, it was in the form of my surprise thank you party.  For every one oblivious person who expects the sun and the moon and the stars from me without concern of my own situation, there are ten others who just appreciate a simple cheerful e-mail encouraging them to stay focused.  I have been amazed by the number of people who reached out to lift me up.  My incredible family, my dear friends and near strangers have offered me encouragement; and without it, I just don't know how I would have overcome the struggles that I have faced this deployment.  

Valentine's Day brought fresh reminders of the love that surrounds us.  Emmy and I felt so special through the thoughtful Valentines from Mom and Dad (aka Mimi and Papa,) Andy and Claire, sweet Will, Miss Annie and the incredible Miss Ellen.  Emmy's holiday became even more lucrative at her Valentine's party at school!  Judging by her mood for the rest of the day after dismissal, it could easily pass as Emmy's favorite holiday!  Perhaps she is a hopeless romantic just like her mother, only time will tell if she shares my affinity for a man in uniform.

E-Army Messaging

I went to lunch today with a couple of friends whose husbands are also in the chain of command.  In the middle of our gossip sesh, all three of our phones rang at the same time.  Upon answering, this is the message we heard:

"Hello. This is CPT Matt Hodges, your 6-101 Rear Detachment Commander.

The intent of this message is to inform you on the procedures for tracking the arrival of your family member as they redeploy to Fort Campbell. Your Soldier is scheduled to depart Afghanistan within the next couple of weeks.

Please be advised that the exact time for your Soldier's arrival into Fort Campbell, Kentucky is not currently known. Once your Soldier begins their final flight movement to the United States, you will receive another message detailing the information and Welcome Home Mission Ceremony Number that you will need in order to track their arrival...."

When we hung up, we cheered for everyone in the restaurant to hear; and we didn't care, because we finally got the call we've been waiting a whole year for.

Praise, Jesus!  We're almost done!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Nick,

To us, you are larger than life.  God has blessed us to richly when He made you the man of our house!  We love you more than words can say.  Happy Valentine's Day!

FROM ALL YOUR GIRLS (and Emmy's dolly, Baby.)

Timer Out-takes:

We made a special heart-shaped pizza for dinner tonight!

"helping"

So far no belly aches from all the raw dough she consumed.

Party of the Year!

I have been so fortunate to have attended many swanky soirees in my day.  I routinely find myself in roles that require planning showers, weddings, sorority functions, church functions, reunions and, of course all of my high school dances and balls! Even if I wasn't coordinating it, I still made myself available to go to every prom in Danville and greater east bay area since my freshman year of high school.  I pretty much have an eye for this sort of thing.  If I do say so myself. :-P

Recently, I had an e-mail in my mailbox from a spouse that I don't hear from very regularly.  She was asking for my help to secure a babysitter and a romantic restaurant for she and her soldier's third wedding anniversary.  She told me how excited she was that he is taking her out for a night on the town, and that she's never been on a date that required dressing up.  With the help of my trusty babysitter, a few great restaurant recommendations, and her husband's pocket book, she had a night that she will never forget.  She told me so.

With that in mind, I knew that it was imperative that the rest of our ladies are reciprocated the same boost that they've been providing to our soldiers throughout this deployment.  They need to ditch the kids and their "Lancer" t-shirts and sweat pants to spend an evening being made to feel as special as they are.  With our soldiers being wiped out from, oh, being deployed for a year; I knew that I had a big party to plan.

Six weeks, three dates, five venue changes, and three last minute fundraisers later, we have a party plan in motion!

I will say this has been my most complicated party planning experience yet, since my only accomplice, my Nick, is not an easy one to pin down! :-P (Nor does party planning top his list of priorities right now as it does on my own! Go figure. ;))

The Lancers are going to blow off some steam at the Hilton Downtown Nashville just half a block from the main music strip!  We will start off with a cocktail reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres and a bar in the lobby.  Then we'll move the party to a secondary location within the hotel for dessert and dancing (and another bar and "prom" pictures with a funky twist!)  Something about the word "cocktail" makes a party sound so much more...posh!  As if that weren't already great enough, the Hilton is offering us an extreme discount on rooms for the night!  Like, 1/3 of the price these rooms usually cost...Unbelievable!

Nothing says "charity case" like a girl coming into your establishment, with signs of early frostbite, with her ragamuffin child strapped to her chest, asking for help to plan a welcome home party on a meager budget.  Kind of a "Pretty Woman" moment, but with an entirely different response!  The Hilton has absolutely risen to the occasion, I have been amazed by their generosity!

The word is out and people are RSVP-ing!  I can hardly wait!!!!

This is where the cocktail reception will take place, obviously it will look different when it's set up for the party & with the night time lighting (there are enormous windows in the hotel and in the atrium lobby.)  We lucked out and get to take advantage of the jazz musician that will already be entertaining in the lobby during cocktails!  

 This is a wacky picture (I blame Emmy being on my chest in the ergo).  But, this is the Ryman Tea Room and hallway.  We will have the DJ set up at the end.  There are small "break out" meeting rooms coming off the hallway.  In one of them, we will have the photographer set up with her back drop and plenty of ridiculous costumes and props for hilarious prom photos.  This space will be set-up with soft seating to resemble a "lounge" feel, with a bar and dessert display in the center area.

 There are windows along the side of the whole hallway that look out to the Bridgestone arena and onto the music strip.  There are huge glass doors that open out to an outdoor terrace that will be available for our use as well!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is warmer so that we can enjoy this awesome perk!

Just Three Words...

GOT DUMPED ON

So what do we do when we are cooped up in the house?

Hang out in the fridge.