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.