It's been about 48 hours since I landed back in the land we cannot mention. Jet-lag is kicking my ass, but I am forcing myself to get back on schedule...gym, eat, sleep....etc.
What an incredible R &R trip. Thanks to my wife and some really good planning, we were able to have a ton of fun and relax at the same time. We started off in Austin where we took a few days to get back in the swing of things. Hit the mall, ate some good food, and generally just loved the time with my beautiful girls. Any soldier can tell you, there is a huge change when you go from just worrying about yourself for so long, to now having to pack diaper bags, get kiddos dressed, warm up the car, etc. We linked up with Candi, our favorite photographer and great friend, for a fun family photo session in the hill country.
After a few days in Austin, Michelle and I packed up the kiddos and headed to Florida for 3 days at Disney World. Our great friends Sara and Jason hooked us up with a house and free entry into the park, which made the whole trip possible without going into immense credit card debt. Huge thanks to them! We had a beautiful house for the 5 days we were there. The great news was that between a baby, a toddler, and my bull-in-a-china-shop demeanor, we managed not to break anything at the house.
Having never been to Disney World, I was expecting huge lines and the never ending tune of "It's a small world" as we waged tourist combat against the throngs of heavily laden strollers and foreign people. Well, I stand corrected. In "the off season" of November, WDW is good to go. We literally didn't wait more than 15 minutes for any one attraction, even the more popular ones. In the three days we spent there we were able to see the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Disney Hollywood Studios. It really is a fun place for all ages, and we would love to go back.
The highlight of the trip was our very first encounter on the very first day. The day before we left I was able to secure a reservation for "Breakfast in Cinderella's Castle." This was pure luck because according to the internet search returns, people typically make these 180 days out, if they are lucky. It seems someone cancelled and we scooped up the reservation. The food....okay. The Service.....okay. What you pay the absurd amount of money for is the face time with each of the main princesses. C could not have been more excited. Even daddy got a little overwhelmed seeing her so ecstatic to meet the princesses. Must have been allergies. Nothing says "sorry for leaving you for a year" like getting Cinderella and her friends to the breakfast table. Who's got two thumbs and feels like daddy of the year? This guy.
Shortly after returning to Austin, we washed clothes (and by "we" I mean Michelle), repacked, and it was off to SA to see Mom and Dad. He celebrated is 60th birthday the Saturday we were in Florida, but we missed it for good reason. My sister Kelly and her husband Brett flew in the weekend we were driving down for a surprise visit. We coordinated and met up prior to driving up to the house and surprised the hell out of Dad. Must have been some allergies there too.
The visit went great. Got to see Aunt M and Aunt Janice, Cousin Matt and his wife Rachel. We spent the morning Saturday down at the range putting some steel on target. It's a funny thing when you, while deployed, can't wait to go home so you can fire a weapon. Mostly thanks to Dad's patient teaching methods and cultivation of our abilities over the years, Kelly and I shoot like ninjas. Ninjas with guns. Even Brett, who is relatively new to the pistol shooting game, picked it up and we were shooting clay pigeons at 50 meters in no time. If you don't believe me, there is video. Dinner that night was a delicious meal at our favorite SA restaurant. Sunday was a tough goodbye, but we needed to get back to Austin.
The last few days together were mostly spent relaxing, packing, and trying to forget I had to leave again. Thanks to some clutch babysitting by Nana, I was able to take my lovely wife out on a date the night before I left. We ate at a nice restaurant called "Buenos Aires" near Bee Caves and 71, and saw a movie together. We had been together for nearly two weeks, but this was the first time we were able to sneak away from the kiddos and spend some quality, romantic time together on an honest to god "date." She looked amazing and I couldn't have felt more lucky to have her on my arm walking around the Galleria in the beautiful Austin fall weather. She really is incredible, and I am so happy she is mine.
The next day, I got back on a plane and flew back to awesome-town. Yes, it was hard. No, it was not easier because I have done it 3 times before. I take solace in the hope that neither Cadence or Kennedy will remember what this feels like. Michelle just gave me a high-five and rolled out, which was weird. Just kidding.
What's next? Well, I am slated to take the mighty Alpha Battery sometime in the near future. The will necessitate moving to the other country and abandoning my primarily tactical mindset for a more administrative and managerial one. Now that I have worked myself out of a job here, I can spend my time preparing for the coming challenges. Getting my Bio together, command philosophy, vision, and preparing counselings for my leaders once I arrive. The more I do now, the less hassle I will have once the inventories and change-over start in earnest. It is going to be an incredible journey, and I am humbled by the opportunity to command. Any retired officer will tell you that their most rewarding, and certainly most trying times where the 12-14 months spent in command of Soldiers. I am excited, and look forward to the challenge.
More to come, for sure. In the mean time, please refrain from sending packages as I am not sure where I will be in the coming weeks. Once a date is solid, I will be sure to spread the word. Thanks!
Warmest Regards,
D
