~* On The Road Again *~

I GOT MY LICENSE BACK!!!! A-freakin'-men! I am finally legally allowed to operate a vehicle again! It has been a long year and a half, let me tell ya. Folks, don't be stupid like I was. Soooo not worth it.

I just want to throw a quick "thank you soooooo much" to a few people who have been there for me the whole way, even though nobody reads this. Thanks to Dr. Panner and Mr. Riley, for always helping me get where I needed to be, and to my mama for taking me grocery shopping more times than she really had to. Thanks to mama's man for somehow squeezing a free car out of his sister (I'm still stumped on that one...). Thanks to my cuz, without whom I would have had to walk down here to North Carolina, carrying all of my earthly possessions on my back. Thanks to Mr. M, for never making me feel like the inconvenience I know I've been. Thanks to the FAST buses, for always being on time and having convenient stops. And- kinda outta left field for me- I want to thank God (or whoever is out there watching out for me), for giving me the strength to prove to myself that I could do it. I had my doubts, more than once, but I did it. I. DID. IT.

~* Comings and Goings *~

Watching the news is one of my addictions. I turn it on first thing in the morning (yes, it is on at 4am) and again in the evening, if I'm home. I don't have time to sit through all of it, but I enjoy sitting on the sofa, sipping my coffee, waking up with my newscasters.

Lately, though, the experience has been a little less enjoyable.

A lot of the news lately has been about the homecoming of the last American troops in Iraq. It's been all over the national news, and especially the local news since we are at Fort Bragg. The POTUS is coming to Bragg this week to thank the troops for the last decade of their service in Iraq. And yes, I am thankful for the return of those troops. But at the same time, it's been hard for me to watch. Knowing that here are all of these men and women coming home, but mine is going....

It's hard because I haven't really given myself a chance to get emotional about Mr. M's leaving yet. Mostly because he's still here, so why bother? Partly because I am just really terrible at emotions. But it has definitely affected my ability to enjoy the news, and I'm not thrilled about that.

We went to the FRG Christmas party on Friday night. It was nice to get to meet the people in his new unit, to meet the FRG leader, to meet the people I'm handing my husband's life over to. It was heart-wrenching, too- the majority of them are boys, just babies, not even old enough to drink. Dear God, I hope they all make it home quickly and in one piece (and they haven't even left yet).

I feel guilty for feeling so torn- wanting to be happy for the returning troops, yet selfishly wishing that no more had to leave. And I want to be able to watch the news again without wanting to cry.