Day 6-Farewell Again and Again

I spent the day volunteering at 2 farewell ceremonies.  I was there to help, but I couldn't help choking up as I watched my friends say good-bye to their husbands. For many of them this is their first deployment.   Waves of memories filled my brain.  I know they will come out better and stronger at the end, but in the mean time, it just sucks.

What surprised me the most about today was how drained I was at the end, which is why when a friend suggested a party, I was ALL OVER THAT.  I asked if she had invited a few other mutual friends and she didn't have their contact info, I offered to invite them for her.

Around 6pm,  I showed up at her house with bean dip in hand and 3 kids in tow.  I was so excited to hang out with friends.  The hostess opened the door and looked slightly confused.  "The party is tomorrow."  Somehow in my excitement I had missed the part of the text that said "tomorrow."  Yeah, I felt pretty silly.  Adam, my almost 10 year old pointed that out, "I bet you feel pretty embarrassed, don't you, mom?"  (We had a quick etiquette lesson about not making people feel bad when they already do.)

But the evening wasn't lost.  Said hostess was on her way out the door to go to Smash Burger on post for dinner.  Thursday is free kids meal day.  She invited all of us.  Since I had invited and mis-informed 2 other friends, too, it was the perfect number of adults to get a free kids meal for each of my kids.

After dinner I let the kids play in the dancing fountains across the street.  They loved it.  I think we all needed a break.

So, deployment survival tip #2  Good friends are the key to sanity during the deployment.  Oh, that and ice cream, but that is another post.


Thanks to my friends that hung out with me this evening--even though I am a complete air-head.