Here We Go!

I guess I should not be surprised that it is raining on our last day in Indiana.  While I was on leave my brother David tried to convince me that the weather issues were not Indiana's fault because the entire nation had been experiencing crazy weather all spring...I'm not buying it.  Today's weather is a well placed exclamation on the three months we have spent in this state never to be visited again.

Leave was great.  In some ways one week seemed very quick and way too short a period.  In other ways it seemed like it was much longer than a week, perhaps because it was so busy and we packed so much into the week that it felt more like two weeks.  It was hard to relax with the thousand and one thoughts going around in my noggin'.  With our advance team traveling across the globe toward Kunar, Bob graduating and heading off to LA, Sean getting ready for his Senior year in high school and Sara and Midori planning a wedding my already jumbled brain was overloaded.  Especially when you add in all the things that I didn't get done around the house and the thoughts of whether or not we have fully prepared for this mission.  Despite this, the time I spent with the family was glorious.  Being able to watch Bob graduate from Oregon State was a great moment.  Seeing mom along with brothers and sisters, neices, friends and former co-workers was the perfect way to spend the short time at home....I am truly blessed.

So today's biggest triumph was to finally get everything packed up and ready to load.  This whole packing thing has been a painful experience.  Especially for someone like me who is, perhaps, the worst packer in history.  I can screw up an overnight stay at my Mom's house, much less a nine months stay in Afghanistan.  While I was on leave I actually took some stuff home and left it for Midori to mail in flat rate boxes.  When I arrived back in Indiana I stared down the junk in my locker and it just would not disappear no matter how long I looked.  We are allowed to take two sea bags, a rucksack and a carry-on backpack.  Of course, included in the packing is our body armor, helmet, gas mask, and a few other required items that take up much of the space.  I was planning to make a trip to the post office to try and mail some more stuff when our Physician's Assistant, Doc Pillitiere, came by and said "Hey, I have a little space in the medical foot locker if you have any extra stuff you want to throw in there."  In a moment of weakness and unbridled joy, I hugged the man.  Now, that is out of character for me when it comes to work...there's no hugging in the Navy!  But he was my savior for the moment and, well, I forgot myself.  Of course even after using up every inch of space he offered, I was still strapped.  That is, until Petty Officer Croston made me the same offer for her admin trunk.  I was able to contain myself this time, so there was no hugging...but I took her up on her offer.  This afternoon we will load all the bags up in a truck and then wait until just after midnight to board buses to the airport as we make our way to the mission we have been training so hard for.

So, let's get this show on the road.  I have been training for this since last September...nine months of training for a nine month mission.  This is going to be a great ride!