February 18th

Picture-A-Day:

Sportin' the side pony

Ok, so it's 2 pictures. I couldn't eliminate the side pony pic, it's just too cute.

After 6 long weeks of single-parenthood, Derrick finally made it safely home from Georgia. He started work for Norfolk Southern (railroad) as an electrician in November. Then in January he had to go to their training school for 7 weeks, which thankfully turned into "only" 6 weeks.  He came home to visit on two weekends. He would arrive late Friday night (11-ish), spend the day with us Saturday, then leave again early Sunday morning. One day is not very much time to share with 6 people who REALLY missed him. His visits were wonderful reprieves, but it was bittersweet on Sunday morning when he'd have to leave again. Well now he's home for good, and we're all very happy for life to go back to "normal."

I've always respected the life of a single parent, or military parent who is left home for long periods of time with a spouse gone. But I feel I have a new-found understanding of how excruciating it can really be. I was lucky enough to be able to see my husband, even for just a day, and even shared with the kids, every 2 weeks. Because of the wonders of technology, we were able to talk on our cell phones several times a day, and using Skype, we pretended he was there at the dinner table with us several evenings a week. However, even with all those things, it is SO not the same as having him here, living with us, all the time. The kids kept me very busy, and distracted from really "missing" him too much (though, don't get me wrong, I definitely missed him!), but the endless demands, from morning to night, with no help from daddy, was exhausting. Often during the day I'd be thinking about things I wanted to do after the kids went to bed (watch a show on TV, read a book, take a bath, hang pictures in my newly painted living room), but by the time evening came, the kids in bed, the kitchen cleaned up, I was usually WAY too tired to do anything but fall into bed, just to get up and do it all over again in the morning. Sometimes I had to go grocery shopping after the kids were in bed (with Alyssa home to babysit, of course). That's no fun. But it was either that or wait til morning and take a herd of small children with me. Both equally tiring, but going alone at night is probably less stressful. The stores are less busy then too.

Tonight we have some exciting things planned, just the two of us, since it's been a while since we've had some good quality time together. So in the next couple days I will have some pics to share! Thanks to everyone who supported me during the last 6 weeks by taking my kids for an afternoon, inviting us over for dinner, taking us out to lunch, coming to visit, and just being a shoulder to lean on (or cry on).

That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. Because because the harder something is, the easier everything else seems.