Our Trip, a review of where we ate...

Most of ya'll know that we had a list of restaurants we wanted to eat at while on the mainland, and we got to almost all of them. I wish I had taken pictures at every single one, but I didn't, I did get some, but those will wait, they're on my phone, and I don't know where my cord is....

So here is a run down on where we ate -
Atlanta - Chick-Fil-A (twice), Vortex, The Varsity, Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory (yes, we have one in Hawaii though), Kilwin's (Ice Cream and Chocolate shop), Ben & Jerry's
Dahlonega - Chick-Fil-A (twice), Piazza's (Italian), Red Robin, Robyn's Nest, Dipper Dan, The LT's Grandmother's (twice), Papa N's homemade pizza, Captian D's. Taco Bell
Chattanooga - Formosa (Chinese), Logan's, Big River Grill, Panera, Zaxby's, Cracker Barrel, Famous Daves (for dessert), Amigo's (Mexican), Sarku Japan (in the mall), Applebee's,
Dallas/Fort Worth - TGI Fridays
Los Angeles - Chili's

I'm sure there are places I forgot, but that is about what we ate....

Deployment Leave, yuck

So we leave tonight for the mainland, we're going to visit family for 2 weeks. It brings me great sadness because it means that the LT will be leaving soon. We know the time frame, but for the safety of him and the others, we're not allowed to tell. Just know that it's not as far away as it once was. And I also have decided that I'm not going to say when he's gone until I know he's safely there. It's just better that way. I've posted the OPSEC rules and guidelines before, so it should be something people are aware of. I can't tell you where exactly he'll be, and I can't tell you what he's doing exactly (not just for safety, but because I honestly have NO idea, ha) and I can't tell you when he'll be home, you will know when he's home when I say, hey, he's home. There will be no countdown, because it wouldn't be safe, and at this moment in time we have no idea when that will be. I don't know when he'll be home on R&R and I don't know when he'll be coming home for good. But as soon as I have eyes on, you will know. It is going to be a long 12 months, but we've prepared for this, the LT has trained hard, and knows what he's suppose to do. I have every faith that he will come home safely. I think it's best to have that mindset, or else you'll drive yourself crazy. I'm ready for this, I've trained in my own way, the last stretch of training when the LT was gone there was a 2 week period where we had no contact, and that helped me a lot. I realized I could do a lot of things on my own, and that not hearing from him wouldn't be the end of the world. In the military you have the saying "no news is good news" and I just kept that in mind the whole time. By the end of the 2 weeks I was a pro! And I think that will suit me well when he's gone, because there is no way to know if  I'll get to talk to him every day, and for some people that might be a little too much, but for me, going through the 2 weeks with no contact helped me prepare for the unknowns in contact.

I get a little annoyed at people who complain about deployments and training where they're separated. This lifestyle isn't for everyone, and I know that. And I try to remind myself that when I get annoyed. But my whole thing about that is, you signed up for it, and you knew it was bound to happen, so put your big girl panties on and deal with it. Yeah, being away from your loved one SUCKS, but you have to be strong for them. They need to know that you are going to be okay, so they can keep their mind on the mission at hand, and that in turn keeps them safe. So remember that when you start to feel sorry for yourself when your loved one is deployed, or at training, or just away. You might just surprise yourself ;)

Our Trip Home

We fly out tonight for the mainland, and will be there from March 6th to March 19th, staying in Atlanta for 2 nights, then we will be in Dahlonega March 8th to March 13th, then Chattanooga March 13th to March 17th and then back to Atlanta until we leave on March 19. If you want to see us, please let us know which date works best for you when we are in your town, we will do the very best we can to see everyone! Obviously family comes before friends, but we are going to try and visit everyone we can!