the day has come

so, i know i've been slacking in my posting this past week, but for good reason... i've been uber busy getting things in order for the big move back to ft. polk! between lining up the directv people and making sure housing knows we will be there monday, with bells on, and collecting the last of the things i want to take back with us and of course saying those awful, 'see you later,' not good-bye, my fingers and my thoughts have been exhausted.

but, as i glance around my parents' house, which seems so empty now, i can't help but feel an overwhelming amount of emotion, both happy and sad, excited but disappointed, bittersweet and blessed. when aaron left nearly a year ago, we decided it would be best for us, cayman and i and aaron's peace of mind, if we moved home with one of our parents. as much as i love aaron's parents, my parents in florida have a more similar lifestyle to ours.

so, last december my mum drove over and my little brother flew in (from alabama where he lives with my dad and stepmom) and they packed up our entire household, putting the majority into our 10x10 storage unit, but bringing back 2 jam-packed carloads. fast forward to now. as aaron and his soldiers have heard word that 15 months will be cut short, we figure we'd take our chances and move back now rather then later.

so, we packed up everything and it's all in a 10x6 trailer. my florida parents, our uncle ron and aunt bev, and cayman and i are heading out in the morning to make the drive back up florida and across the coast of the gulf of mexico and then northwest to ft. polk. it'll take us two days, but it'll be worth the trek! but, it's bittersweet too.

it's been amazing sharing this year and all it's held with my parents. from the joy they've had in their faces from watching cayman grow and discover this year to having someone to talk as an adult to our friends we've made in our playgroups and they tips we've shared with each other. but, if leaving them all here and heading back to ft. polk and its walmart and middle-nowhereness means that aaron's coming home, we'll do it. and there's nothing i would've changed about our decision to move here last year. it was definitely the right choice, for us. not anyone else, but for us.

God has blessed us this year and continues to do so. from the being close to our family, especially in those trying moments, to the friends we've made, to the amazing church home we found here, it's been a blessing. and the fact that we, especially aaron, have been so blessed with peace of mind this year is something you just can't pass up. so, prayers as we make the trek back across the coast and for a speedy next few weeks so that aaron and his soldiers can make a safe return home.