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Another 3 months have passed since my husband left for deployment! And it’s summertime….our favorite!
These 3 months have been some of our best and some of our hardest yet. We did mark some things off of our Deployment Bucket List though.
So, here’s our final deployment update. By the end of this post, Heff will be HOME!
Month 7: June
June was a much-needed break from the business past couple of months! (You can see what kept us busy in March, April, and May here!) And we were all relieved by a slower pace.
The kids were officially out of school and we had a long, fun summer to look forward to.
Lainey had her first dance recital here in Texas and my mom was able to come out to watch her! She stayed with us for a week and then we all rode home to Florida together.
Here’s what we marked off of our deployment bucket list:
- read 5 books (32/30)
- did a craft at the Apache Arts and Crafts Center
- did some spring cleaning
- sent 2 more care packages (6/9)
- watched Lainey’s dance recital
- made a new wreath
Month 8: July
We spent nearly the entire month of July in Florida with family. The summer was spent swimming, watching movies, catching frogs and lizards, and playing with cousins!
We also went on a family trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Where we spent 2 days having a blast at Dollywood and Splash Country!
But the biggest thing that happened in July was that we adopted a puppy!! Our very own deployment dog! The animal shelter on Fort Cavazos posted about a litter of puppies that were dumped on the range and after one look at their sweet faces, we knew we had to have one.
Heff and the girls have been begging for a dog, for years, but I always said no because of how much we travel and move around. Clearly, this deployment has gone on for wayyy too long and I lost my mind and gave in!
Don’t let the happy pictures and bucket list activities fool you though. During the last week of July, Murphy’s Law threw the worst thing at me yet…I herniated a disc in my back and ended up in the emergency room. I could barely walk and bending over was impossible.
These are the things we marked off our Deployment Bucket List in July:
- planted some flowers
- went to the beach
- watched fireworks on the 4th of July
- went swimming at the springs
- saw a new waterfall
- visited the world’s largest fire hydrant
Month 9: August
The beginning of August was rough. (Possibly the toughest month of this deployment.) With my back in bad shape, my mom, Granny, and Papa came out to Texas to stay with us and help me take care of the kids (and Marv).
After I was able to go up and down the stairs, they went back home and I was able to get back to semi-normal life again.
We spent a lot of time at home during August, but we still marked a few things off of our bucket list.
- spent time with Granny and Papa
- dropped Lainey off at her first day of middle school
- got a tan
- made welcome home signs
- celebrated Lyvi’s 10th birthday
And best of all…..our soldier FINALLY CAME HOME!!!
He arrived at the end of August and we could not be happier to see him!
If you’re facing a deployment, I highly recommend making a Deployment Bucket List, it gave us something to work towards and kept us busy.
We marked a total of 52 items off of our bucket list and made countless memories along the way.
This was a long deployment, filled with highs and lows. While we managed to survive it and dare I say even thrived, during parts of it, we are in no hurry to do another one.
We are overjoyed to be together again!
