I could quite possibly have a heatstroke any second now..

Hola mis amigos y familia!

Kyle & I are at this moment temporary residents of El Paso, Texas, a city which is in the midst of a heatwave of sorts. As I type, the temperature outside is a balmy 103 degrees. Yikes!

It's way too hot to be doing anything outside, so we, along with John (el padre), Val (la madre), and Katie (la hermana) are staying inside the nice, air conditioned domicile. Kyle and I have been here since last Thursday, when we flew in from Dallas.

We made the trip here for two reasons: 1) to visit with his family before we move, and 2) to greet his father as John returned from a 15 month deployment to Iraq.

We gathered on post on Saturday, and boy, the return festivities were great! I felt like I was drinking happy juice because of all the excitement and happiness floating off of and around those families at Fort Bliss. Balloons and small American flags waved in the air, and as soon as the plane was spotted screams and cheers filled the air as well. The Soldiers filed off of the plane, and made their way towards the family and friends pressed against the barricades, waiting to see their loved one.

The returned men and women were not allowed to make their way to the family right away (having to turn in their weapons and gather together again beforehand), so at first we only got to see John walk by, all smiles and waves. It was so sweet to watch the little kids wave frantically at their daddys, and even see a few rebels break the barricade and wrap themselves around their parent's knees. There were happy tears in abundance, and lots and lots of "woooos!" & screaming. :)

And as I stood there (baking) in the sun, I watched those Army wives around me. We are all military wives, but I think it takes an extra, extra, extra special lady to marry an Army Soldier. That's an extra breed of toughness, having to miss their loved one for 15 months. I think we all have it tough, but 15 months, or even a 12 month deployment would be a hard thing to bear.

Anyhoo... so, the Soldiers have returned, there's an hour long gap, and then there they are! They come marching in, there's a small speech, and then they are dismissed. Chaos ensues! Families are reunited, many tears are shed, and the separation is over. (And not one single casualty!) Whew!

Kyle's dad, Colonel John Modell, was the Chief Nursing Officer at Camp Cropper in Baghdad, and he did his family very proud over there. :) Here's a picture of everyone:

Jill, Kyle, John, Valerie, Katie, & Gabe

The visit here in El Paso has been really nice, and very relaxing so far. Just hanging out & enjoying every one's company. Tomorrow will be our last full day, and I think we're venturing into New Mexico. Thursday we fly back to Dallas and then return to Mt. Pleasant.

Before we came into EP, we spent about a week in the MPizzle. That was also a fun time! I won't bore you with details, but both Kyle and I are very glad that we've been able to spend these days with our families. Goodbye will be awful, but we have good memories to head to Delaware with!

Speaking of! Friday we get on the road. We'll spend two days in Ohio with our friends Ben & Renee, and then we will arrive in Dover on Tuesday!!!! Kyle called the housing office today, and surprisingly we actually get to move INTO our new home in ONE WEEK! I am so very happy about that. It seems unreal... we will finally be there, in our own home. Maybe "stuff-less", but that'll get there when it gets there.

I don't expect I'll do any updating until we are in Dover, but you just never know. I'll get back to you guys as soon as something fun happens! Until that point, y'all take care care and be safe!

-Jill

Peace out & some crying

Well, as of 1:00pm on Thursday, June 5th, Kyle and I are no longer residents of Del Rio, Texas. We are now two homeless individuals, wandering across the great state of Texas. Right now we are hanging out in College Station with Kerri (my sister) and her husband. Leg One of our trip is complete.

We have had an adventurous week I must say. I just experienced my first military move... and I only felt like I needed a Valium like once. It was old hat for Kyle, as it is his 1,564,398th move. No, I kid, but he really has been through quite a few moves being a military brat and all.

The packers came on Monday to box us all up... and I was shocked at the amount of stuff we have. I don't really know where it all came from, but we have so much junk! It took the packers a full 8 hour day to get it all together, but it was an easy day, meaning no mishaps, nothing broken, nice packers, etc. etc.

That night we camped on an air mattress in our living room. :) We woke up bright an early Tuesday for the movers. That was a good and a bad day for me. The movers were nice people as well, and really efficient, but the truck they brought didn't hold all of our belongings! (The household goods of two other families were also taking up space in this behemoth of a moving truck.) So, ultimately, several boxes of our things were "left behind" and have been put in storage and will make it to Dover in 4-6 weeks. But those boxes included most of my kitchen, so that's when I freaked out. I needed a little bit of alone time to calm down, but its all in perspective now. I don't need those boxes as much as I thought I did, and we can eat off of paper plates for a few weeks. There were also some times when I seriously contemplated leaving the premises because I couldn't watch them carry the important boxes (framed diplomas, crystal, other breakables, etc.) which at times were awfully wobbly on their shoulders.

But by early afternoon it was all over, and in retrospect it wasn't a bad experience at all. Now let's just hope things make it to Delaware in one piece! Here is a picture of some of our things about to be put into the truck.



Yesterday (Wednesday) we spent a lot of time cleaning. I also had to repaint the living room back to its boring white which was not a lot of fun. It made me consider just how much do I really want to paint our new house?

Last night Kyle & I went out separate ways for a last hurrah in Del Rio. He played xBox with the guys, and I went over to a friends for my last girls' night. We had a recipe exchange, ate some pizza, and then sat around chatting & being goofy, as is the norm for us. All the while I was absolutely dreading the end of the night, knowing I would have to say "goodbye" to all of them and to two of my very best friends. (A temporary goodbye of course, I fully intend to insert myself into their lives for the rest of mine. haha)

And pardon my language, but saying goodbye totally SUCKED! Ahh, I cried and cried and cried. I have been blessed by some amazing friends in this role of a military wife, people I know that I will always hold very close to my heart. It is my first taste of this thing I signed up for... the moving and the leaving and the distance. And being Kyle's wife is worth all of it, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less. Let's just say that I am very much dreading saying goodbye to my family in a few weeks. I am still beyond excited for this move, but right now it is tempered by a sadness and a feeling of loss.

Here are my ladies - Deanne, Lori, Lana, Laura, & Shannon (Lori & Shannon completely missed that blue memo, geez girls.) :)


And then today Kyle & I said goodbye to the Rio. Wow, this is really happening!!

I must say, I won't miss the house or the base or the town. But I will miss the people and the camaraderie of girls going through the same experience and supporting each other as they support their husbands. Friends who can offer advice or insight into this military thing, and people who you can do the same for... its a nice thing, this bond all of us wives have.

Tonight we're setting up residence in College Station and then will make our way to Mt. Pleasant tomorrow. It will be the last time my family is in one spot for several months (November 22nd/Thanksgiving being the next time), and I'm looking forward to our visit together. Next Thursday we are flying to El Paso to spend time with Kyle's family.

So, I will update again in a few days or whenever something exciting happens. Until then, take care of yourselves, and thanks for reading about our life!

-Jill