I'm so glad to have other child to photograph! Not that I don't enjoy photographing Aidan, but a change is nice once in a while. :) Plus, they're 2 of the sweetest boys around AND they aren't so sick of the camera being pointed in their faces.
I think Aidan and I are really loving the cooler Missouri weather, although not the rain so much. We're both sick with colds still, so this'll be a short one. Still great to be back. Now time to begin job searching - yeah, I know. It's about time, right?
Our trip wasn't too bad. I ended up splitting it up into 2 days because I knew Aidan wouldn't sit in his seat long enough to get here. We drove to Oklahoma City the first night and stayed in a hotel, and then drove the rest of the trip on Saturday. We arrived about 5 p.m. I'm still exhausted and trying to recover from everything that has been going on.
We had to drive by crazy flooding in St. Louis County. Especially in Fenton, where the water was so high the only part you could see of a stoplight was the light itself. I would have stopped to take some pictures, but Aidan and I were soooo sick of being in the car. The little guy is such a trooper. He hardly complained. It was almost as if he realized he had no choice but to sit there and play with toys and watch Barney/Elmo.
It's so great to be back, although Aidan is sick again and is on breathing treatments. I'm going to have to find a pediatrician quickly. Poor little guy is coughing constantly.
(I finally found my phone charger, in case anyone was wondering why I fell off the face of the earth!)
Oh, and though it doesn't even feel like it : Happy Easter!
Tomorrow is my last day. It's so hard to believe the day has finally come. It seems I've been dreaming of this moment from the day I signed those papers and raised my right hand. Well, ok, maybe not THAT early, but nearly. Ironically, during the packing of our home, I found an old journal. It was a journal from late 2002 to early 2003. In it, I wrote of my decision to join the Army, one that was suprising to many, probably most, in all honesty. "You have a degree," they'd say. "Why would you throw all that away?" They asked. Well, I didn't see it that way at all when I was considering my decision.
Looking back, I wanted to make a difference, do something "more" with my life, do something important. It was strange to go back and look at those words I had written seemingly a lifetime ago. I wanted to travel and see exotic places, little did I know what the Army had in store for me. I only wanted to sign up for 3 years, but they said it had to be 5, since I wanted to be an Army journalist - a "prestigious" job for servicemembers. Fine, I said. I just wanted to get on that plane to basic training as soon as I could.
My time in the Army was not what I expected it to be - not at all, actually. Once I got through basic training, I rode on a bus with about 30 other young soldiers, many of whom went with me to AIT (job training) to Fort Meade, Md. Little did I know, that bus ride would determine the future of my entire life. I met the man of dreams, my future husband, best friend, the most amazing man I know, on that bus. And slowly, despite the Army training we were going through, we fell in love.
We shined boots together, walked to the Post Exchange together (back in the days when we couldn't wear civilian clothes EVER), we went to the weekly movie on post together, and then one day, I received my orders sending me to Fort Hood, Texas, for my first duty station. I was sad, because I was sure it would mean saying goodbye to Dan. But he had other plans. We got engaged before I left AIT, and we were married about 6 months later, and he joined me at Fort Hood. Shortly thereafter, I received orders once again taking me away from Dan. This time thousands of miles away to the deserts of Iraq.
I did my job over there in Baghdad. I wrote my stories and took my photographs. Nothing I did was particularly astounding, nothing earth shattering, but it was the most proud I had ever been to wear the uniform. I got to meet the Iraqi Olympic team, I interviewed the Multi-National Corps -- Iraq commanding general many times, sitting alongside reporters from the Washington Times, NY Times, LA Times, etc, I wrote of a woman's shelter started by an Iraqi man, I befriended our Iraqi translator who worked with us in Public Affairs and learned so much about their culture. (I also ate a goat eyeball once, did I ever mention that? Ugh. Oh, and NO, I didn't know what I was eating.) Sometimes I was just taking group photos for different work groups who were in our palace, too. Was it exciting? No, not really. But hopefully somebody can look back and be happy they have those photos.
I went through many difficult times during my deployment, but one thing always remained constant - I had incredible family/friend support. I was constantly receiving emails, hand-written letters and care packages, and they really kept me going.
Once it was time to go home, it was hard for me and Dan, but eventually, we endured that storm and became closer than ever. I continued to work on our installation's weekly newspaper. Sometimes the assignments were exciting and new, and sometimes they were dreadfully boring, stories I could write in my sleep because I'd covered them a million times.
A year and a half after I returned from Iraq, we found out I was pregnant. We were ecstatic, waiting for our baby to arrive. I was so sad baby Welch would have to be born at a military hospital in Texas, but in the end, we were just thrilled to welcome the most amazing child into our lives. But the event was clouded by a package sent from FedEx, ironically, originating from St. Louis. The Army had thrown yet another curveball to us. Dan received orders of his own. He was going to have his own adventure. He left when Aidan was just 6 weeks old. That was the hardest day of my life, saying goodbye to him. At that point, we didn't even know where he was going. It could have been Tampa, Qatar, Iraq, or Cuba. My prayers were answered when we found out he was going to Cuba.
Now all that is coming to a close. The good and the bad. But overall, it was a good experience, and despite the many days I hated the Army and everything it stood for, I learned a lot about myself and other people. I learned I am stronger than I ever knew I could be. I feel like I've been tested so many times, even in these last weeks, my commander decided to cancel my dental surgery and reschedule it at her convenience, knowing I was going to be preparing to move, my husband was gone, and I was trying to clear the installation. So many times, I thought nothing else could go wrong, and then I found out it could and would, it seemed.
Sometimes during the midst of everything, I'd think, "Why did you waste your life? Why did you sign those papers so many years ago?" But then I have to stop myself and realize it wasn't a mistake. I wanted an adventure, and I got it - just not in the form I thought I would. Best of all, the Army esentially gave me my family, a wonderful husband and an amazing son. Now, I always tell Dan that we would have met anyway because we are soulmates, but the Army made it happen quickly.
But you know what? It's over; my time is done. Now I can just look back and *hopefully* say that I've made it through the roughest of times and came out a better person. I've always been quite independent, but I think now I've come to a point where I know I can do anything I want. So while it became more of a personal journey than a professional one, as I sit in my empty home, with my sleeping baby, knowing my husband is almost home, I don't regret it. It certainly wasn't a mistake. It wasn't a waste.
Oh, and did I mention my student loans are paid off? :)
Sorry this was so long. Hopefully somebody made it through the whole thing. In honor of my last day, here's an old photo of me before my first ride in a Black Hawk.
We're doing a challenge on a photoboard I frequent. The goal is to take a photo of yourself with your children every week. Here's my first entry. (Like the swollen cheek!?)
Aidan and I are down to our last few days in central Texas, and I'm suprised to find it actually bittersweet - mostly because of the friends to whom we had to say goodbye. On Saturday, we had our last playdate in Austin. It was nearly impossible to get Katherine and Aidan in a photo together, so this is all I have. It's crazy to think how much they've grown since this post and this post. 
Just wanted to say I'm back from my surgery and actually feeling pretty well. I'm going to go take a nap before my drugs wear off. :)
The weather was dreary, and Aidan and I were sleepy today. I was so thankful the little guy slept in today, and he also took a good nap. We had lots of photoshoots today when it wasn't raining/sprinkling. Here's one. Doesn't he look so much older? I'll post more tomorrow.
Yesterday, Aidan and I went to Austin to see Katherine and Belinda. We're so sad to be leaving them soon. It's been such a treat to have such wonderful friends during this difficult year. Unfortunately, the last two pictures really suck (a setting on my camera got bumped, and I didn't double check it before I was shooting. Grrrr.) I had to post them anyway. I love Katherine's big beautiful eyes. Aren't they gorgeous? During the first few months, Aidan and Katherine payed no attention to one another. Then, Katherine began to notice Aidan, though he didn't want much to do with her. She would try to give him a love bite, he would try to run or pull her hair. Lately, though, it's so cute to see them play together. They do fight over toys and books, but Katherine likes to give him cuddles now. And he'll usually let her, for a second - sometimes, they even hold hands. 
It's a miracle! Thanks to Belinda for helping me get a photo of Aidan with a hat on - and SMILING! More from our play date to come tomorrow.
Have I ever told you how much Aidan likes to be outdoors? Any mention of "outside," and he makes a mad dash to the door, trying to reach for the handle. Many times at school, he's tried to "sneak" outside, even long before he was walking. He would casually sit near the door, make sure no teachers were watching him, and when other kids, older kids, were going outside, he would crawl as fast as he could to get out there.
He loves everything about nature. If the wind blows in his face, he doesn't get angry or upset. He gives a tiny gasp, and he lets out a big giggle. When it's warm outside, we drive home with the windows down, so he can enjoy the fresh air. Sometimes, even when it's a bit cool outside, I still roll them down and blast the heat as high as it will go. This also gives him the chance to hear the birds. The grackles of Texas have been in abundance lately, and Aidan is highly amused by their chirping. He looks to the right, looks to the left and points, points, points. "Bir" he says. "Yes, Aidan, those are birds," I say, and he just laughs.
There's nothing like viewing the world through the eyes of your child. Nothing. Everything becomes beautiful and new. Even those grackles. Those annoying little birds I used to yell at because they would poo on my car and wake me up in the middle of the night with their squawking (and once actually pooed on Dan's head at our old apartment) now have become the highlight of our day. Ironic, isn't it?
(BTW, Hopefully everyone voted, if applicable. I did! It was a record turnout in our county. Great news.)
Here's Aidan trying to get mama to take him outside.
Aidan hates things on his head. Baseball hats, winter hats, and in this case, bunny ears. I took 3 shots, and this was the best one. He's way too fast. As soon as he sees my hands heading toward his head, he's reaching in protest. So this is all you get - for now. I may give it another shot this weekend.
Aidan and I enjoyed an afternoon at the lake today. He loves the ducks, and loved chasing them even more. He even wanted to get in the lake to get them. Don't worry, I didn't let that happen.
I'm so glad we're about to get out of here. I can't stand the Texas heat. It was nearly 80 today. And then it's supposed to drop again to 40 on Monday. No wonder so many people are sick. The only good thing about the warm weather is Aidan gets to play outside. 
