o.k...i need a shoulder to cry on! i just found out my husband will be leaving for afghanistan for 60 days. my daughter just left last week for college, and i'm still dealing with that!! is there no end to my pain!!!

I'm sorry to hear that. I know thats a lot all at one time. My 1st husband left to Saudi Arabia during the first war when my daughter was 2 weeks old. I can't tell you how many deployemnts my brother has had to BOTH Iraq wars, several for this one, Afghanistan, & Bosnia. My daughter also left to college this week. We will get through this together...and they will be coming home.

So sorry to hear that your husband is going to war. God Bless him for serving his country...

So sorry to hear your husband is heading over there.

My cousins (husband and wife!) are both over there right now for the SECOND 18 month tour. Dawn's ex-husband died right before they went over to Iraq (when they were already out of state) and they got to come back and support her daughter for just a couple of days. Then just about immediately they were off to Iraq. Just a week later our grandpa died and they wouldn't let them come back at all.

I can't wait for them to come home!!!!!

Oh Diane.......sending you a big cake HUG.

Huge heartfelt thanks to your husband for his service to our country and to you and your family too!

I pray that God will keep him safe and that the months he is away will go by quickly for you and your family.

You have your cake buddies to keep you company...........I know it's not the same but hey, we won't leave our dirty socks hanging around either!

I can't even think of what to say except that that stinks!!! Just know that he'll be in my (and lots of other people's) prayers on a daily basis. Hang tough, Diane!

while no longer physically present --

you can still "reach out" and annoy them or be nice to them if you so choose.

certainly you, your daughter, and husband have cell phones -- well, you're only a text message away! and those they can't ignore! -- Clean your room! Brush your teeth! Are you being good? NOW BEHAVE! --- are you sure you need that doughnut? -- And just why are getting home so late!?!?!?

You can even send text messages with pictures in them --- your face with finger wagging! -- just so they remember to BEHAVE!

and then there is Facebook or MySpace -- bet the daughter is there -- well that wall sure has space for all kinds of "mom-isms!" -- Go ahead, publicly embarrass her, him too, -- it's your "divine" right as a mom (see mom contract, section III paragraph 2b)

and don't forget --- nothin' shows lovin' like somethin' from the oven. Send cookie care packages to both. They will be so appreciated and will remind that home is where MOM is.

----
finally -- AT LAST -- total selfish ME TIME! is finally available --
get that pedicure, manicure, make-over, spa treatment or what ever you've always wanted.

paint the town pink/red/indigo --- and stay out way past your bedtime and sleep in till ???

claim the daughter's bedroom for all your cake stuff (she now being of the visiting relative class)

have some "girl" fun.

see if you can join a Red Hat Society
http://www.redhatsociety.com/
the poem that was the inspiration: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/warning/

----

this too shall pass and all will be well.
my thoughts are with you.

-----

this too shall pass

(((BIG HUG))) It's never fun seeing a loved one sent to a hot spot. We are all here for you.

thanks for all the support! everyone here is so great!

i should be use to this by now, after all, my husband has been gone longer than he's been home all these 20+ years of military service. but, for some reason, this feels different. my home is getting smaller and smaller. rooms are getting empty.

my husband has been everywhere...from korea and africa, to honduras and canada, but afghanistan is dangerous. the last time he went, he never told me how it was going, just the usual. when he came back home is when he told me that some nights he worried if he would ever wake up.

i hate that we are still in that country...we need to let other nations pull their share of the load.

haven't we (america) done enough?!!!

My prayers are with you. My eldest on will be going to Afghanistan in October or November. I worry a lot more about them in Afghanistan than Iraq. Your daughter will return to be your "visiting" daughter and you will have some great time together. Military spouses are the tough ones (we are military parents - 4 sons in service). Hang in there. . . we here at CC are with you all the way!!
Leslie

You know Diane I totlally agree with you about other nations pulling their wieght. But this was the crazy thing I discovered living over seas. Americans are not very popular, except with British. And inspit us not being well liked, the rest of the world expects us to do everything! How some Europeaner put, "You guys should do everything with out expecting help. Your the super power". I was one pi@@ed off American!

Don't get me started on the benefits Germans get...and our oen civilian workers that work in the exact same place don't get them. Our taxes pay for unlimited leave, so this one lady actually works one day, takes 6 months off, comes back to work on day, off another 6 months. Yup, you heard me right, she works 2 days a year. All at our tax payers expense...and Germans don't like Americans, not even the ones that work on our miliitary instillations.

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation. I just want to thank your husband ~ and you and your family (as well as all other service men and women) ~ for sacrificing EVERYTHING so selflessly. It does not go unnoticed. I am beyond grateful.