Georgia Adventure

Wow.  It feels like forever since I last posted.  It kinda has been since I was posting something new every day!

Well, since last time I blogged, I've been on an adventure.

Thursday last week, I flew my mother from upstate NY to FL to spend the weekend with my children because their father ditched them.  Again.

Friday last week, I rented a car, got in it and drove to Georgia.  It took me about 7 hours and 10 minutes.  That is including 3 stops.  The trip was amazingly easy.  I was a little nervous because this whole trip was a bunch of "firsts" for me.  This was my very first trip all alone that was further than an hour away.  This was my very first time renting a car.  This was my very first time spending nights in a hotel all alone.  This was my very first time on an Army post.  This was the very first time I saw my soldier since he left for Basic Training.  This was my very first time meeting some of the best girls I've ever met from all over the US.  And I'm sure there are several other "firsts" that I'm forgetting.

I made it safe and sound to my hotel and quickly texted a girl I had been communicating with on Facebook before I even checked in.  She was nearby and she stopped by so I could follow her to Post to get our official passes for the weekend so we could enter and leave the post whenever we wanted.  After we drove around in circles for a little while, we went to the PX (for those of you not used to military terms, this is a shopping center on post).  While in the PX, I saw soldiers walking around in their uniforms and I almost started to cry.  I missed my man so badly and knew he was so close, but I wasn't allowed to see him until the next morning.

We met up with some other girls and went out to dinner that night.  It was really nice to meet people in person whom we had been talking to online for 2 months.  After dinner, we all wound up in my hotel room just chatting away.  It was great!

I hardly slept at all that night.  I was waaaaaaay too excited because I was going to see my soldier the next morning!!

5:00 AM came very quickly and I was ready to go.  We had a family briefing at 7AM, well, supposedly.  They Army guys wouldn't let us in until around 7:30ish.  Then we were "briefed" and then left to wait.  Oh yeah, that is what the Army is all about. . . a lot of hurry up and wait.  Suddenly we heard the soldiers yell outside.  I thought for sure I was going to throw up from excitement!!

I went outside to meet my soldier when his platoon number was called.  I was all alone at that point because the girls I was with had soldiers in different platoons.  I walked outside and looked and looked.  Then I started to panic.  I couldn't find him!  I started to feel horrible because maybe I just wasn't recognizing him.  Then I got really scared that he had gotten in trouble for something and that they had taken his pass away from him.  Then a drill sergeant came up to me.  Oh God.

"Who are you looking for?"  I tell him my soldier's name.  "Ahhh, Jill?"  Um, yes.  "He has been moved to 4th platoon."  Seriously?  Yes!!  I'm not a bad girlfriend, it wasn't that I wasn't recognizing him and he wasn't in trouble!  Next thing I know, we are hugging.  It was so good to be in his arms again.

The weekend went by in a blur.  It was wonderful.  I didn't even mind if we did nothing at all.  I was just so happy to be able to look at him with my own eyes and to be in the same room as him.  I'm so in love.

I managed to keep it together and not cry the last night when I had to drop him off and leave.  I also managed to keep it together when I was around the other girls who were crying and when I went back to my friend's room.  I even managed to keep it together the whole drive home the next day.

I made it home.  Got inside and started telling my mom all about my trip.  And then I started to cry.

And then my mom started to cry.

I asked her why she was crying and she told me it was because I was just so cute.  She is happy that I'm so happy.

My mom hit the road today and is driving back up north with a friend of the family.  And now I'm here.  Alone.  Well, not really.  My children are here with me, but when they are in school during the day, I have to try to cope with the separation all by myself.  It sucks.

I know I can do it.  I'm a trooper.  I'm a strong woman who has been through a lot and this is just one more blip in my life.

I am very thankful for the wonderful man I have in my life and also for the new friends I made while in GA!!  Girls, you rock!!

Now, I'm doing another countdown.  You can see it to the right of this blog.  I get to go back to GA in June!!