Day 16 - Goodbye Jared and Mauritius

Today was a rough day. My wake-up call was for 4:20 a.m. so I could be ready and picked up by the shuttle bus to take me back to the airport at 5 a.m. I quickly got ready, cuddled and cried next to Jared for a few minutes, and then had Jared walk me to the shuttle bus for a final good-bye hug and kiss (geez just writing about this a month later still brings me to tears).

I will spare you the tears and share a happy kiss with you instead!

I got in the van and waved out the window until he was out of sight. From then on, it was a very long day. I had a 12 hour direct flight to the Munich airport ending with several train stops to Vilseck. On the final stretch, I had literally 3 minutes to run (with a backpack, and two suitcases) from platform 20 down the stairs, through the corridor, and back up different stairs to platform 2. Just as I walked onto the train, they closed the doors and left. Whew!! That was too close for comfort. But I got home safe and sound.
Jared
Today was one the worst days ever. Vacation in Mauritius was spectacular and I will never forget it. Today I had to send Tammy off to the Airport and deployment leave is soon coming to an end. I will very shortly be on route back to Afghanistan. This was tougher than leaving for deployment in the beginning.

After reading this posting from Jared on Facebook, I just cried because I left so bad for leaving him heartbroken. He is usually the strong one in the family. At the same time, I noticed a connection. For me, it was harder letting Jared initially leave for deployment in June. For him, it was harder during R&R. It has made me wonder if the one being left behind always struggles more. In June, I dropped him off and came home empty handed. This time, Jared dropped me off and went back to the hotel room empty handed. Interesting???