Let's stay busy!

For the next month, I plan on staying busy, well as busy as I can.

Tim leaves the end of this week for NTC, which for you non-military folk, stands for National Training Center. It is at Fort Irwin in California and without going into detail..it is basically where the Army sends their soldiers to train and prepare before deployment. Tim will be gone at NTC for a month and hopefully will be home sometime before Thanksgiving.

The Army sure likes to prepare wives for the long separations that come with deployments, NTC is another prep course for me. Less than a year ago Tim left for BCT and AIT, and 8+ months later he came home. We have spent the last 4 months, well less actually, enjoying over night fire guards, field trainings and long days with the Army. They really care about me, really want me to be trained for this. ;)

Tim is getting ready to leave for the next month and then will be home for about two months before he deploys. Yesterday was spent folding, organizing and packing Tim's gear. Tonight we are going to sit down and explain to the girls that he is having to leave again for a little bit, I pray Mackenzie doesn't cry.

Speaking of Mackenzie and this deployment, she is in a deployment support group at her school. They meet every Tuesday morning. This is why I am so thankful for us being able to live on-post and her to be able to attend an elementary on post, the support is amazing. In this group they are able to talk about their feelings, and they do projects that they send to their deployed parent. I'm sure once he is actually overseas, that this will be a big help for Mackenzie, to help her transition.

I'm not sure what the point of this entry is, besides talking about deployment..I guess just a way to keep my mind occupied. I'm not sad, not yet at least. I know this is his job and what he signed up for, it's what I signed up for too. I'm not sad yet, but be prepared for the entry the day he leaves in January. I'm sure it will be full of raw emotion.

Anyway, back to NTC, he leaves later this week. So far the week isn't rushing ahead of us and I'm thankful. I know when he comes back..the next time he leaves he'll be leaving for overseas. I hope the next month goes slowly, that it takes its time.