Bah-Humbug

Well, here it is, two days before Christmas, and guess what?  Jar's not home, even though our president stood in front of America and said "ALL" of our troops in Iraq would be home in time for Christmas.  As much as I try not to, I am a little embittered about this.  Apparently, the benefit of the president saying that statement in a speech means that you couldn't see the little asterisk at the end of the word ALL*. 

*Except for certain Aviation Support Battilions and other units which we deem it necessary to keep in Kuwait "just in case."

Don't get me wrong, I really didn't think they would be sent home in time for Christmas.  After all, they have only been deployed since August, and had only partially been in Iraq for a month or so.  But I did let myself get my hopes up that since the mission in Iraq was closing, they would get to come home early.  And apparently that's not the case either, their mission will at least last through the summer.

I apologize for this rant, it just seems that once again I am at the bottom of one of the deployment roller coaster hills.  The fact that it's Christmas plus the numerous happy reunion videos being shown all over by various media outlets plus the fact he has crappy internet and nothing to do right now in Kuwait just multiplies my grumpiness.  And this bottom is different from all the past ones, because this is the first time all I feel is just an achy sadness, no anger or worry or anything else.  It is just depressing, I just feel like wallowing in my own grey puddle of blahness or throwing a temper tantrum crying "it's not fair."

The good thing is, I now know that this too shall pass.  I am really genuinely happy for my friends whose husbands have come home (even if their reunions make me a little jealous), I mean they have all been gone much longer than Jar.  Once the homecomings aren't such big news, and the Christmas trees come down, and Jar's unit begins doing whatever they will be doing in Kuwait, life will go back to normal AGAIN.

And before too long, Jar will get his mid-tour leave and I will get to SEE him and HUG him, and I absolutely cannot wait.  I can't remember if I have mentioned this or not, but he is keeping his leave date secret from me and is going to surprise me when he comes home.  I have no idea when he is coming (though I've guessed about 15 different times) or what he has planned.  Other than being really excited, my only worry is that I won't want to let him go when the time comes, though I know I really don't have a choice!     

Now see, in the time it took me to write this down, I already feel better.  This blog has been so helpful when I need to vent, even though I think the blog title should have been something about "Listening to Me B&M for the Entire Duration of Jar's Deployment!" :) But if that's the case, you only have 280 or less days to listen to my rants!