It was Thanksgiving Day and we have been dreading this day very much. Today we say goodbye. We left our little beach island and started our way back to Camp Shelby. Half way there we partook in a very memorable Thanksgiving dinner, casino buffet style. After lunch Buddy Bee slept the rest of the way and Andrew and I did not talk much. We were content to just hold hands.
Deployment goodbyes are never easy and right now I can’t talk about it without crying so the details will be left for Andrew, Buddy Bee, and I to cherish. The hardest thing was driving away from that loving husband of mine, but Buddy Bee and I had a 2.5 hour trip to New Orleans ahead of us.
I have never gotten that movie style goodbye...The one where soldiers are lined up in uniform and march out to a waiting plane. This goodbye just involved us 3.
Our journey home started early, around 6:00 am. It was not as exciting as it was going to see Andrew. From our hotel in New Orleans I returned the rental car, rode the rental car shuttle to the airport, checked our overweight luggage, made it through security, and with 2 hours before our scheduled flight…..apparently my judgment for how long things would take was a bit off. From New Orleans we traveled to Atlanta. It was the worst flight ever with the boy which, was all over not being allowed to let the Bee sit on my lap. There were tears for all. Our flight from Atlanta to Philadelphia went much better, thankfully. We arrived around 3:00 pm to familiar faces. After collecting our luggage we started on the 3 hour trip home. I am so thankful for my tablet and the capabilities to watch movies to keep the boy occupied. We were finally home around 7:30 pm….over 12 hours of travel with a two year old. After some toy discovery we both slept great!
Our beautiful shells made it home safe!
Six days after our goodbye, it was just an average morning at the Park house. Buddy Bee went to school and I was able to accomplish housework and enjoyed a quiet tea break. It was an average day until I realized Andrew’s phone was turned off that evening. His phone being turned off only meant one thing……Andrew had left the country.
I had been anxiously waiting for a phone call and 2 days later I received it. Andrew called us from Kuwait. He had just arrived and was settling in on base. As long as Andrew was still in the states I felt connected to him. He is a world away and I couldn't feel any further away from him and alone as I do now. This deployment was real now. My husband is deployed again.
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