Monday, November 01, 2010

Leavin' On A Jet Plane


Well, her boots are gone from the kitchen again. Soldier Girl was home on final leave before her deployment to Afghanistan. A week ago Sunday she drove up from North Carolina and got home a little after midnight. We were hoping that she could stay the full two weeks but there is so much for her to do that she had to leave this morning. She registered her car in NY (she bought it while stationed in Monterrey) and will leave it with us for her sister, College Girl to use. College girl, the youngest, was also off on fall break so she was home on Thursday for the weekend. She'll drive the car back to school.

When all the girls get together it is constant pandemonium. Laughing and goofing and poking fun at each other. And yes there is wrasslin'. We mocked College Girl's boyfriend and his new "faux mohawk" haircut. I said he looked like Gumby. That was at Saturday's T-giving meal. When he came over Sunday the do was G.O.N.E.

The week went by so fast. During the mid-week Soldier Girl helped Mummsy bake the pies and all the trimmings as we celebrated an early Thanksgiving on Saturday. Mummsy is healing from surgery on her rotator cuff two weeks ago and she is still very sore. Friday night I took charge of the turkey cooking. The next day around noon I had to leave the house for a few hours. Upon my return every window and door in the house was open, my wife and daughters were running around like madmen and I could smell smoke. Apparently the bird had been over basted and the basting juices slopped over when College Girl tried to move the roasting pan. The oven was overdue for a good cleaning anyway but the floor had to be mopped four times before all the grease was off. We were almost two hours over schedule but the bird and everything else was perfect. It was truly one of the most delicious meals we ever had. As I write this, there is about seven quarts of homemade turkey soup now simmering on the stove.

Sunday (yesterday) we visited some relatives after church and had an afternoon deployment party for her at the house. Then after the party, we turned off all the upstairs lights (Halloween - bah!- buy your own candy) ; we all went downstairs to the TV room and just sat together and watched some spooky movies and ate pie.

Then at 1145 this morning Soldier Girl flew back to Ft. Bragg. Mummsy, College Girl and I got boarding passes and stayed until her plane took off. We prayed with her in the gate waiting area. I hate teary goodbyes. She leaves in ten days for Kandahar where the 525 Battlefield Surveillance Brigade is quartered but she doesn't know where her station is. Ultimately she is in God's hands and that's always a good place to be.

It's so quiet now.

5 comments:

Kid said...

Sounds like a great couple days Sig.

Nothing but good thoughts from here to Afghanistan as often as I remember which will be more than a few times.

Subvet said...

I'll keep her and you in my prayers.

sig94 said...

Thanks guys. This is new for us. We knew the day was coming, but now that it is almost here - well - it's a different matter.

Anonymous said...

My morning and evening prayers will be that her angels protect her.

sig94 said...

Thanks Nickie, we appreciate your prayers. She is such a go-getter and we cautioned her not to take chances. Her nickname in HS was "Diesel."