On March 29, 2011 (the day before my birthday) I put my husband, my best friend, my right hand, on a plane to Afghanistan for a year. Yes. I said a year. My husband is a nuclear ironworker and normally travels quite a bit to different nuke stations all over the US. He can be gone from 6 to 10 weeks usually, then comes home. Nuke outages aren't running on schedule and the time between them was growing. Because we obviously have to have a roof and we have to eat, and in the current state of economy, my husband signed a contract with an international company to work in Afghanistan with the Army. First let me say, he isn't a soldier. He doesn't carry a gun. He doesn't dress in fatigues. However, to me, he is a hero. He's working for the US Army in Afghanistan.. a WAR ZONE (ugh).. to help build forward operating bases. If he didn't do what he does, the Army couldn't do what they do. He's doing well. We miss him terribly and vice versa. It's going to be a major adjustment for all of us. I hear from him now an average of once daily. Either in email or 5 minutes (literally..it's timed) on the phone. He's used to being taken care of, sleeping in a HUGE king size bed that's probably more comfortable than any cloud you could lay on, eating good homecooked meals, taking hot showers.. ALONE, and feeling his wife and kids arms wrapped around him. I know this is tough. But I also know he is tough. He will manange. In the meantime, I'm playing single mom and trying to keep those home fires burning. Last nights phone call was all about having to "hit the deck" during an attack. BUT, he said, they get a warning before a bomb is launched in. There's a small blimp of sorts that goes up in the air right before it hits so that they have time to get down. He got down twice night before last. I'm scared. I worry. I don't sleep. I'm not a soldiers wife.. but I do know how she feels..
Ben's Tent
Ben's Room
Ben's Neighborhood
"A gorgeous view of the mountains on my left.. flat, sand, desert as far as the eyes can see on my right"
And because this is one of my husbands FAVORITE things in the world.. he took me a picture of the Red Bull cans, which have the different language printed as well.
Hoping this year passes quickly. It's tough to navigate my world with my right hand missing..
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