I love the end of the year! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve! It seems happiness is in the air the whole time. Tomorrow brings in 2014 and I am ready. The most common things I hear is, "I can't wait for this year to be over." of "I am not ready for a new year yet." I too have said that I was so happy for a year to be done and over with. Like when the husband had his last deployment, but then I reflect and realize that yes he might have been deployed but.... look at all the good that also came out of it. And that year there were plenty of things that came out of it even though he was missing for most of it! One thing I remember the most was in 2011 I looked at my friend and said, "I can say the actual words that HE IS COMING HOME THIS YEAR!" That always made deployments easier because I know longer had to say next year. So for any family member who's loved one comes home in 2014, yes you can finally say that they will be home in so many months but most of all you can say this year! :)
So many things took place in 2013 for me. So many challenges, heartache, headaches, and so much laughter. We brought in the New Year with dear friends Mike and Meechi! They were building their home through the same builders we were and were less than a month behind. This was the first New Years in both our homes and they hosted. Audrey was not even 2 months old yet, we met new people and celebrated with good friends! A few weeks later my family came to visit us for the second time in Colorado. The first time was when I found out I was pregnant and now this time to see the little granddaughter/niece. On their last full day we took them out to dinner and they surprised me with telling me that my mother would be back out a few weeks later to help me settle after Collin left for Korea. Little did I know how much I was going to need that visit.
Collin was set to leave just a few days before Valentines day. He was originally going to Kuwait, then a very small possibility to Afghanistan, then back to Kuwait then we got the word on Korea. Audrey was a preemie and we didn't think it was a good time for us to follow. So the day came for him to leave and I lost my water proof mascara and so I had to run to the store less than 2 miles away! Wouldn't you know it was the one snow that we got in about a month that caused the roads to be slightly slick and I my car picked that day of all days to meet the sidewalk just down from our house. (which delayed him leaving a day) My mom was supposed to come in that night and called to say she couldn't make it due to not feeling well but would get a flight the next day. So after hours of headache with the car and high stress between Collin leaving, being a new mom, and my mom being sick we finally got to bed. The next morning came and we had to be at the airport at 0430. It was a heartbreaking day but my mom made it in that evening safe and sound. Still feeling a bit yucky but we was getting better. The last week and a half Audrey became sick and the last week we ended up quarantined in a hospital room due to RSV. My biggest fear of anything serious happening to Audrey while Collin was gone came just a few weeks after he left. But my mommy was there and was the biggest help ever! She got me through it and we got released the afternoon before my mom had to fly back to Ohio. After she left I cried almost the whole way home.... if this was a sign of how my year was going to be, I wanted to close my eyes and make it stop, I wanted to wish away 2013.
Thank God as humans we can't do that. Collin settled into a cozy 3 bedroom apartment and we made plans to join him. In June I quit my job and my brother came to visit. When I flew back East with Audrey and my brother I was flying away from Colorado. I had spent all of April and May sorting through our new 4 story (including the finished basement) home, working half my day, and being a mom the other half. In late May I found a Property Manager for the house and started working on any details that needed fixed before new renters came in. Yes I will toot my own horn and say that I somehow became SUPER SUPER mom! Michael left the house in early June to join the military and Audrey was growing and keeping me on my toes. Mid June I was in my parents house and soon at my family reunion. I soon got word that early to mid July I was to fly home for the movers to start coming. Audrey and I spent a week between Colorado and Arizona. We got back with 12 hours to spare before the first set of packers came. The first group was for our HHG to get packed and shipped to Korea. They left on Wednesday and Thursday I was on a plane to AZ. I got back Tuesday night and Wednesday the group came by to pack up the rest of our house and take it off to storage. Friday I finished odds and ends and Saturday I was back on a plane.
I got to visit a lot more of family and was able to watch my little Princess grow. Every couple of days it seemed that something would come up about us moving to Korea and the stress would wear on me for a couple days each time. Ft. Carson couldn't send the passports until I had my Command Sponsorship and then once I forwarded that on something was wrong with the paperwork so Collin and I went back and forth trying to get everything straightened out until I just forwarded the letter from Carson to him and told him to fix it. It all took at least 2 days it seemed to get things straightened out due to the time difference. Collin wouldn't find out what was going on until after work and then we would have to wait until the next day to get the paperwork fixed and that was if he could get it done on side the next day. This is when I learned I needed to have a little bit of patients. Which is something God did not bless me with lol! However all this activity was teaching me how to find it. We finally got everything straightened out and my new renters had moved in and I was set to meet Collin mid September. But first I got to attend my brothers wedding at the beginning the month and visit with Nana and Bill before take off. While at Nana's we were sitting around after dinner on a Sunday and I was talking about packing up the next morning so we would be ready to leave in the middle of the night Tuesday to catch our very early flight! Then the phone rang, it was Collin. He had called asking me if I could leave a day sooner due to increased traffic because of the Korean Holiday. With high stress already I said if you can change it this late in the game then go for it.... I knew in my mind it was not going to happen, he wanted me on a flight in less than 24 hours! Well 15 minutes later I had a new itinerary. It was now time to get on the phone and change my rental car location and for some reason it took a total of 4 phone calls between Dallas and Killeen because no one seemed to know the correct procedures on how to change my drop off location and how much to finally charge me. It was such a mess. I started packing late that evening and finally got to bed around midnight only to be up with baby and out the door by 4am. Ever since I got her it has been sweet! And an opportunity of a life time! Learning new foods and ways of living and seeing some beautiful places it has been a great adventure.
Even though my year was busy and pretty stressful I got to have a lot of fun traveling around with Audrey, seeing family and had a great summer over all. God had everything under control the whole time and he knew that I would learn many lessons, many important lessons. Like a little bit of patients! And I am so happy it changed to Korea. I thought we would miss Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, but I was wrong here we are and through everything I loved what it took to get here. I just can't wait to find our new adventures in 2014.
Speaking of I guess it's time to turn on TV, sign off and watch Korea bring in the New Year! This was supposed to be a blog highlighting my year but as always I went on and on!
Happy New Year!
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