playing catch up

This is the first time I have written in a very long time. The end of Brandon's deployment was a stressful insane time of me trying to get our car sent over here to Germany, trying to resume a normal schedule when we got back, recovering from an emergency surgery, and a race to get everything in perfect order for him to finally come home. I haven't been able to write about his homecoming yet for two reasons; one, because I would much rather be spending time with my family that blogging, and two, because those moments are mine forever to cherish, and I don't think that trying to put into words what I was feeling would ever do it justice. Its crazy to sit here now and know that a year ago I was at the beginning of our journey, and that I was thinking that there was no way that I could survive a deployment. I'm not gonna lie either, for the most part, thats what I did. I survived it. I relied on other people to keep me and the kids busy so that I could pass the days, I used people emotionally for support and for the companionship that I missed having with Brandon. I made some friends that I can't imagine having never met and I learned that I am far stronger than I could have ever given myself credit for. We're on the tail end of our tour here in Europe and I have to say, I am super excited to travel the next few months. With trips planed to Italy, France and London, I am going to check a ton of places of my "to kiss Brandon at " list. Even if we weren't traveling, just being able to wake up next to him, plan out meals on pinterest for him, wash his smelly pt clothes, and play call of duty for hours with him is enough for me. Having the opportunity to share the girls' milestones with him without a damn computer screen between us again makes me so happy I could cry. Especially knowing that there are so many men that will never be able to do that. We are on the fence about Brandon resigning. Its one of those things where there are so many goods and bads on both sides that you may as well just flip a coin because trying to rationalize won't get you anywhere. We have it very good. We don't have to worry about healthcare, a paycheck, I can stay home with the kids, they take any lessons they want, brandon is amazing at his job, we don't have to worry about bills. On the flip side, we have to worry about drawbacks on the troops and the fact that even though your average american is completely oblivious to it, troops are still actively deploying and we may have to deal with the pain and anxiety of another deployment and whatever that could entail. I honestly love the adventure that the army brings. I have never really been one to be stuck in one place, so the moving every few years is something I look forward too. I love being able to make new friends and explore new countries and cities. I know that in the end, God is in charge though, and whatever he has planned for us will be what is best for us, so we as a family continue to grow and look to him for guidance and love. Our babies are 4 and 19 months. Dru amazes me. she is gorgeous and so smart. We just started her in baby gymnastics so that she isn't feeling left out, I know that she gets frustrated watching Gaby's practices. If we are here in the fall she will be in the same preschool class Gaby was in and I am very excited for that because those women are excellent teachers and Dru will really benefit from that. She has a crazy little attitude and her own little language. I can tell her speaking is going to really take off soon. Gaby is doing well in school and knows pretty much any color or animal out there. She can write her first and most of her last name, tell you what country and city her families live in, and everything about herself pretty much. Her favorite color is purple and she is going to be a hippo doctor (her fave animal) or a ballerina when she grows up and she's going to marry her bff Zion. She is in love with ballet, and I think we are going to let her pursue that as her "sport" because she has shown the most interest in that of all that she has gone out for.  Brandon is acting as a supply sgt as a spc. I am so proud of him and I know that if he decides to stay in the army he will be NCO in no time at all. I am in the process of applying for schools around the areas that Brandon put in for so that I can finish that elusive degree and get to working too. All in all after a really tough year God is putting in work in the blessings department for us, and I think its because we really put our pride aside and gave everything to him, we finally humbled ourselves and realized that its him, not us, that work in our lives. he has given us real friends, that truly care about us and our well being, and for that I am extremely grateful. Keeping up with frenemies is too hard of work and I'm not willing to put in the time. I found a peace that I have never known before in my life and I am happy to see where life leads us. 2012 has been great to us so far and I can't wait to play out the rest of it.