It feels amazing to be home. I can't really describe how awesome it is to be back from a deployment. The little things in America are some of the things that I appreciate the most. For instance, the sweet clean air here. The air quality around Baghdad is very poor - dust, gasoline fumes, burning trash, and who knows what else. I went for a run down on Ruston Way along Puget Sound within a day or two of being home, and although I ran slowly I felt like a million dollars. The mundane act of buying coffee at a Starbucks and not having to go through a language barrier is another example of something great about being home. I could go on and on... It's hard to understate what's great about being home. The most important thing about being home, is home.
This weekend I'll be going to the gorge and enjoying some live music, some good beer, and and some quality time with Shayna.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Deep Breath--he's home!
As you all know, Justin came home a couple weeks ago. It's been absolutely great to have him here. I had this worry in the back of my mind that maybe things wouldn't go back to normal, maybe it would take some time to adjust, etc. All of which were unnecessary fears, because it's been nothing but perfect. It's like we never skipped a beat, and things are back to normal; as if we didn't just spend almost a year apart.
I did learn one thing about the Army and the redeployment process: it takes a long time to get our boys home. From the delayed planes in Iraq, to arriving in Maine and not having any pilots to fly the guys from Maine to here, and then finally, waiting 3 hours in the gym while Justin was just a few miles away. But it all was worth it...
Since Justin has been home, we've just been getting back into our routine. This weekend we'll take our first weekend trip over to the Gorge to see Dave Matthews Band. (If you haven't been to the Gorge--it's AMAZING!)
The Gorge
We have a couple weekends planned to go see Justin's parents in Oakland, CA, and then of course the wedding in October. It's coming quickly! If you haven't checked out our website, it's www.JustinandShayna.com. It has information about the wedding--although Justin's groomsmen keep changing with all the deployments going on!
We also have our honeymoon tickets purchased. We are going to a small island called Roatan. It's near Honduras and is just gorgeous. We'll be gone for a week, which I think is the perfect amount of time. Anything longer than that and I get a little homesick.
Volleyball season also started (for those who don't know, I'm a high school varsity volleyball coach) and that's taking up a lot of time. I absolutely love the girls, and while the fact that almost all my of my varsity squad graduated last year scares me, I think we'll have a great year. Justin's been a good sport and has been tagging along at practices to hang out and work out in the weight room.
Other than that, I just couldn't be happier to have him home. I have more motivation, am happier, and more in love than ever. I'm really happy we'll never have to do another deployment--I never want to have to say goodbye to him for that long again!
I did learn one thing about the Army and the redeployment process: it takes a long time to get our boys home. From the delayed planes in Iraq, to arriving in Maine and not having any pilots to fly the guys from Maine to here, and then finally, waiting 3 hours in the gym while Justin was just a few miles away. But it all was worth it...
Since Justin has been home, we've just been getting back into our routine. This weekend we'll take our first weekend trip over to the Gorge to see Dave Matthews Band. (If you haven't been to the Gorge--it's AMAZING!)
The Gorge
We have a couple weekends planned to go see Justin's parents in Oakland, CA, and then of course the wedding in October. It's coming quickly! If you haven't checked out our website, it's www.JustinandShayna.com. It has information about the wedding--although Justin's groomsmen keep changing with all the deployments going on!
We also have our honeymoon tickets purchased. We are going to a small island called Roatan. It's near Honduras and is just gorgeous. We'll be gone for a week, which I think is the perfect amount of time. Anything longer than that and I get a little homesick.
Volleyball season also started (for those who don't know, I'm a high school varsity volleyball coach) and that's taking up a lot of time. I absolutely love the girls, and while the fact that almost all my of my varsity squad graduated last year scares me, I think we'll have a great year. Justin's been a good sport and has been tagging along at practices to hang out and work out in the weight room.
Other than that, I just couldn't be happier to have him home. I have more motivation, am happier, and more in love than ever. I'm really happy we'll never have to do another deployment--I never want to have to say goodbye to him for that long again!
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