Korea

Being separated for a year was going to be hard. We just didn't know hard it would be. I hoped that being back in my hometown with lots of friends and family would help, and it did some what. We had been separated in the past but it had been only for a few weeks. Doing it for 52 weeks was totally overwhelming.

The grandparents were thrilled. Since we had lived so far away they hadn't been able to see Rob as much as they wanted. Now they had to decide how to share him. To keep Rob busy I enrolled him in a pre-school program 3 days a week. It was a great way for Rob to socialize with other children and it gave me a welcomed break. When John and I had talked about having a family we always thought it would be a 2 parent involved job. The Korea tour gave me huge respect for single parents.

We knew going into it that John would miss some things but it really hit hard that fall. It was the first Halloween that Rob understood and enjoyed trick or treating. Next was Rob's 2nd birthday. He was growing up so fast! Thanksgiving was spent dividing our time between the grandparents but we all felt John missing. Christmas was the hardest. Rob loved everything that had to do with Christmas-the tree, the lights, Santa Claus and of course presents!

We somehow muddled through everything. In fact, we started getting excited. John had 30 days of leave for mid-tour and we were meeting in Hawaii for 30 days!