Together

I think the past 30 days has been one Hell of a ride. There so many places I could start that it's ridiculous.

Patty has been in the hospital in a coma for almost a month.  They are expecting to try to wake her next week. She is off all coma inducing medications, but is still sedated.  She is moving all her limbs.  We are happy to know that is happening.  Her aneurysm has caused much stress, sorrow, confusion, uncertainties, disappointments and has brought relief and happiness at the same time.

I got in the car last month and drove straight to Denver with no expectation that I would make it to DIA in time to meet him from his flight from Germany. I got lucky and made it 15 minutes before the original scheduled landing.  His flight ended up being an hour late. Since the moment our arms were around each other all the emotions from this haven't stopped.  It has been a difficult and yet easy transition back to as normal a life as we can manage.  There has been no post deployment ceremony to mark the end of this year and honestly we both have had a hard time accepting that it is actually over without that marker.  There was no crazy anticipation.  No group of crying family or people embracing each other.  It has been hard.  We are still so ready for it to end and have what happiness we can find tore out from under us.

I have taken the month off from grooming. I cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am that I have not had to work. I do not think I could have handled all this and a full time job.  I have been able to be home with Skip and give him all the support he has needed to deal with the situation at hand.  I feel like because of that, the stress levels have been dramatically lower compared to how they would have been were I still employed.


We have been able to sit together and make some goals and plans that will benefit us and our tiny family.  We have been able to start the Iraq de-programming process.  He is still using a lot of water simply because it's clean.  I fully expect a huge water bill! Getting regular sleep and rest is still not happening.  I don't expect to see much improvement in that department for another 90 days, minimum.  I am cooking healthy meals and have started pushing some vitamins to help cope with the lack of sleep.  I know his body is only going to take so much,


The entire unit has started it's move back across the world.  We are expecting multiple groups to continue being received for the next week and a half.  I am happy this is over for not just us, but for all the families that have been effected by this deployment.  My heart goes out to the ones that are returning home to broken families, divorces, infidelity and so much more.  I am thankful we made it through this one in one piece and stronger than we were before he left.

And for some strange reason I am most thankful that I get to be the significant other of one of our military personal.  I have a lot of pride in knowing that I have done the right thing by him and that he can come home knowing it's all going to be ok, even if it takes some time.