One step closer

This has been one looooong week.

My end-of-deployment insomnia is starting. I don't really know what that's all about- but it happens every deployment.  I think its just sheer excitement keeping me awake at night.

I've also been stressed out a lot lately.  Just a lot on my mind, and the impatience of having to wait until Randy gets home to make plans and decisions is starting to wear on me. 

Anyway, we hit another deployment/homecoming milestone yesterday. 

A pretty big one.  I got a box from Randy! 

I've been looking for this box for the last month.  I don't know what the deal is, but mail from Afghanistan takes forevvvver.  Seriously.  Anything that I've mailed Randy hasn't taken any longer than 2 weeks tops.  But even letter mail that he has sent me has taken up to 6 weeks.  This package was sent out in mid-July.  It took almost 5 weeks to get to me. 

But again, his timing couldn't have been better.  After a long, sucky, stressful week (where once again I swear I've reached my breaking point!)  I pulled into my driveway and noticed a whole heap of boxes on my porch.  (hello, online shopping!)

When I realized that one of the boxes was THE box- I started crying.

Lame, I know.  But that's all I could do was cry.  To know that we are finally at the point in this deployment where he can send stuff home is just HUGE.  

THE box.  And all of the stamps.

 

It's a huge sense of relief-there are things in this box that he just doesn't need anymore- because he will be home soon.  It's really one of my favorite parts of the deployment process.  

The box also had letters and cards in it that I had sent.  (It makes me laugh when I get a box full of mail that I have sent him- I almost wonder what the point is- then I remember how important it is to him!) There were also 2 discs of pictures, and a disc with a video on it he made for me.  Nothing major with the video- just him sitting there talking to me.  But that was the first time I had seen my husband's face in 6 months.  So again- a pretty big deal for this girl!

I sorted through the letters pretty quickly- but one thing stuck out almost immediately.  How many different people had taken the time to send mail to Randy. It made me cry... again.  (Fair warning- the tears will only get worse from here.  The night before Randy comes home I will be a hot mess- there's no doubt about it.  At that point, its mostly the huge sense of relief I feel, and the emotions that have been building for the last 7 months.)

In the last few deployments, people always said they would send Randy stuff, and write him... but for one reason or another, never got around to it.  But this time- I am confident in saying that every single person who told me they would write to Randy, or asked me for his address actually followed through and sent something.  It was completely overwhelming to me to see how many people had taken time out of their day and their hectic crazy lives to put something in the mail for Randy.  It might not seem like a big deal- but to these guys, mail is what keeps them going.  And really, keeps me going too.  It just completely blew me away- and I am so appreciative to each and every person who took time to send a card or a note or a package to Randy... and his guys.  

The support we have had through this deployment has been nothing short of amazing, and we are both so incredibly blessed to have such wonderful friends who stepped up and supported us through this entire process.   

We would not have been as successful as we have been through this deployment if it weren't for you!

Now.... onward to homecoming!!!