2008 was a tough year....I won't even go there

2009 I will probably only see my husband for 2 weeks... I won't even go there

I certainly pray that 2009 brings moments and memories that I will carry with me the rest of my life and look back and laugh and say oh that happened in 2009 when Terry was deployed to Afghanistan.

I pray that my family, and friends stay healthy and make wise choices...I pray for world peace, that's a new one.

I pray that I take better care of myself in 2009, more exercise, better food choices, less margaritas (okay maybe I am not praying so hard for that one).

I pray that Terry and the rest of 3 BCT come home safely at the end of the year and they exceed all expectations.

I pray 2009 brings laughter, love and all good things to each of you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The day after Terry left I decided to take down the Christmas stuff and rearrange the stuff in the basement...just in case of a flood. Not 24 hours after doing that the basement did flood. With all the rain and warm weather the ground was just saturated so it comes in the basement....I wasn't feeling well at all Sunday (the day of the great flood) but between the little kids vacuuming up water and Dylan and I hauling it outside we got lots out of the basement. I was overwhelmed, not feeling good and tired as could be and it was only day 2 of the deployment. I checked the basement before going to bed to discovered the water was back at the level where we had started..oh well it has to freeze again right?

Monday I wake up to Tyler yelling at me around 6:00am throwing up...he was sick as a dog all day. The water did go down and there is only a little that we will have to vacuumed up tomorrow. I also decide that our outdoor furnace is low on water and before Terry had left we discussed how we might put more in, he said there is a cap on top where he had to add some solution back in the fall, he thought I could add water there. So with Dylan in tow I climb on a ladder and add 2 quarts of water, no change, then a gallon and 2 quarts, no change. Finally I get on the phone with the guy that installed it and he tells me turn on the pressure valve down by the boiler and that will fill it....He might as well have been speaking French because when I get down in the basement there are about a million valves. So I call another number he gave me to someone here in Carthage who sounds about 18 and he starts trying to help me over the phone. Again he is speaking French and I am speaking Russian, but he is able to direct me to the right valve and I get it turned on and it fills the tank...
We had incredible high winds here on Sunday, about 30 minutes North of here on the bridge going to Canada they recorded 75 miles per hour gusts.. Here at the house at some point the wind got under the trampoline and blew it down the field.... I will have Dylan hike to it to take a photo. FYI the trampoline belongs to the owner of the house not us.


So with Day 3 under our belts I am again positive and sure that we can do this...be sure to check back for more deployment adventures.

Did I mention it is snowing again?

We dropped Terry off tonight about 4:30pm...I think they were going to fly out of Drum a little after midnight and it will take several days to get to their final destination. Please keep him and the other soldiers in your daily prayers.

We had a wonderful Christmas day....the power went out on Christmas eve around 11:00PM or so due to incredible high winds. The wind gusts were so bad that the house shook and I was waiting for the roof to just fly off. In the morning we found a few things moved, but damaged the most was a pretty new basketball goal that the owners had put in to cement, yesterday it was bent over backward...amazing!!!

Terry and I took advantage of the good weather on Christmas to move part of the 4 cords of wood that were dumped on the driveway and had been snowed on and rained on a few times.

The boys were thrilled with all their stuff. Santa brought the family Rock Band for Wii and a Nerf game for Wii. I haven't played the Nerf game yet, but the boys love it and Rock Band is too much fun!!!

After a nice dinner we talked to family and played a bit and then Terry started packing. We talked about Terry leaving right after Christmas so I think yesterday during dinner I mentioned that we would have to take Daddy to work today so that he could go to Afghanistan. Once or twice Tyler has said he will miss Daddy, Jason hasn't ever really said anything. Last night as I was taking them to bed...Jason asks Terry "Are you going to be here in the morning?". So...today we start the clock...he should be home no later than January 15 2010.

This was on Sunday during our big blizzard...we probably got over 20 inches between Saturday night and Monday morning!

When in Northern New York you have to appreciate the snow...we have had a lot since October proabally between 80 - 100 inches.... Kids know how to enjoy it.

Jason sliding off the barn roof!

Tyler Sliding off the barn roof!

Dylan sliding off the roof!

Dylan sleding off the barn roof!!

Tyler sleding off the barn roof!!!

All of you know how right before your husband deploys how crazy and emotional it can get...

Terry recently learned that a couple we have known for over 12 years, who seemed to have it all, are no longer together. When he told me we both felt this sadness that just wouldn't go away.

Today I received a Christmas card from some friends and found out that one of them has just gone thru a very scary and dangerous health situation.

So...it might be best just to not talk to me for the next week or so, cuz my emotions are CRAZY!!!

I can't believe this is the only Christmas picture I can find of Kirk...this is from 1996 I think. Wonder what he is thinking?

My whole family will be gathered for Christmas at my mom's house this year..all but Kirk and us. How very sad that makes me!!!

After a very crazy drive across half the country in a very bad winter storm we arrived in Watertown/Fort Drum a year ago today. With 3 kids, 2 cats and 1 dog, driving two cars, one pulling a travel trailer we made it after driving for 5 days thru weather you might not go to the grocery store in (well people that don't live in Northern New York). A year later we are still waiting for a house on post (think Spring) survived a short deployment and have prepared for another one, survived on no heat and water problems. In our year here we have made many wonderful friends all who at the drop of a hat would come running to help, changed units, I have been a part of 3 coffee groups. On a side note, we still miss our friends that we spent 2 1/2 years with in Monterey and Leavenworth and all our dear friends from Leavenworth that went several different directions.

I don't know where the last week went, but it is gone and I didn't post a thing. Monday started off the week bad when the temperature that morning was -15, yes that is a minus in front of the 15. Our living room heat decided to take that day off so it was a chilly day in the Clark house. Terry left for Washington DC to meet with some secret people about operations in Afghanistan and wouldn't you know that no sooner was he gone that a full blow cold hit me. For the next couple of days I was pretty miserable.
Friday brought our Deployment ceremony, my second one in a year. If you have never been to one, it is military tradition at it's finest. 3 BCT has 5 Battalions (I think) under it so each Battalion is represented by a few folks and they are in formation. Each Battalion has a different Flag (their Colors). During the ceremony Col Haight (3BCT commander) calls to the Battalions to case their colors. So one by one they take their colors (the flag) and roll it up and put a cover on it. They will stay cased till they arrive and get start their job in Afghanistan and will have another ceremony there to uncase the colors. After the Battalions are done then Col Haight and his Command Sergent Major cased the 3 BCT colors. Col Haight gave an incredible speech and then the 10 th Mountain Division Rear Detachment Commanding General said a few words.
On Saturday my friend Angie hosted a gingerbread making party so Tyler and Jason and I went and had a ton of fun making our house.

This is Saturday after the foot of fluffy snow that we received on Friday. We got another 5 or so inches today. Very cold tonight I am sure we will wake up to negative Temps in the am.

Yesterday was our deployment brief..during the brief they explain the mission, show us where they are going and then several post agencies get up and talk about how they can help during the deployment or help prepare for the deployment. The Rear Detachment Commander spoke in length about the Causality Notification process. Just hearing the information makes your mind wonder to "what if it is us", just enough to make tears come to my eyes.

Today Spouse Buzz had a post about a blog of a wife whose husband was injured in Afghanistan in late October and died yesterday. Not for the faint of heart to read.

I often get caught up in worrying about how I am going to survive for the next year, do I have enough wood to get me thru the winter, can I make it out here on the farm by myself thru the toughest 3 months of the year? Can I be a good single parent? Will anyone come visit me and keep me company for even a weekend? During all this worrying about me I often forget that he is headed to a dangerous place to do a dangerous job. They will be at around 8000 ft, living in tents, eating MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) and eventually their showers will have hot water. (Eventually, are you kidding me?) They will miss birthdays, anniversary's, football games, award ceremony's, school musicals.

To keep my mind occupied during the next 12 months I have a goal. I found this project on a blog and I would like to make one of these quilts every month that Terry is gone. Salute to Stars, Stripes & Soldiers I have a group of women here that I know are going to get together to make some of these, but if you would like to help I can think of several ways that you can. 1. Donate the fabric to make one quilt, send it to me and I will make it. 2. If you can sew, make one and donate it. 3. If you can't sew and would still like to participate you can buy the fabric, and I can help you cut it out (that doesn't require too many skills) and I will sew it.