Drumroll, Please...

John has been given his new assignment! We will be moving to...





Ohio!

Wright-Patterson AFB, specifically, in Dayton, O-hi-yo. Now, for you non-military folk, being told an assignment is not the same as getting orders for the assignment. It's a bit akin to ordering a meal at a restaurant and then waiting to see what actually shows up on the table: The waiter might not bring you exactly what was on the menu because the duck was too lean that day, or maybe the mushrooms were out of season, but the chef substituted it with something just as good. Really. See if you don't like it. And oh, by the way, that's all we have and we already cashed your check.

Wright-Patt wasn't exactly on our radar as a strong possibility, to say the least. But it was out there, along with all the other possibilities. And while it did make it on John's list of preferences, it was down there a ways and not seriously considered. Kind of like the Presidential Election when you're presented with all the candidates you have to pick among, and you're not real keen about any of them, so you sort of go with the one the least undesirable and hope it jives with what everyone else is choosing, too, so you're not wasting your vote. But, lo and behold, once the majority voted it left you with the candidate that, while maybe not the least desirable, was the least considered, if for no other reason because you didn't think he stood a chance.

That being said, I'm finding I'm quite happy with what's been handed us. Returning to the Midwest is quite appealing: nice people; decent schools; all four seasons; respectable cost-of-living...

In the meantime, I'm taking on a whole new appreciation for the beautiful scenery around us now, and I'm reminded that Ohio will be our first home in six years with no mountains as a backdrop, though we're told that part of the country is beautiful in its own right. Neither John nor I have actually even been to Ohio, we have realized. (Unless you count driving through in a bus, at night, on choir tour my senior year of college.) (I don't.)

Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Dad?

Actually, it was nothing like that. John got back from Afghanistan (via DC) a week ago and the kids welcomed him home, Haji beard and all, with no reservations.
It was getting dark by the time we got home from the airport; I was scrambling with John's camera to ready it for some pictures when it became clear that Conner, at least, wasn't going to wait for us to get inside. (Hence, the finger shadow.)

Olivia didn't hesitate, either, and even Sean-Peter was readily giving high-fives.

Earlier that morning I had reminded Olivia that daddy was coming home and asked her what she was going to do when she saw him. She immediately answered, "Sing him a song!" True to her word, she serenaded him with her rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (microphone and all), showing her first little sign of shyness.
There have been some adjustments since John got home, of course. One notable moment with Sean-Peter was on the couch when Sean-Peter pointedly insisted that John sit on the opposite end. But that was hours ago, and now John is happily allowed to sit right by his side. But a week later, the novelty of dad being home still isn't lost on him: whenever John walks in the door -- from taking out the trash, say -- Sean-Peter gets so excited and jabbers on excitedly in that unique language of his, like he's telling everyone around who will listen, "Daddy's home! You see that? He's back again!" Wow! And it's like he just left!

Luckily he won't have to do that again for awhile. But we'll keep you posted.

Flight Date

John's coming home tomorrow! He's scheduled on a flight out of DC tonight (DC time) and will arrive in Venice Friday at 5:00 p.m. I am arranging childcare so I can pick him up myself -- and have just a little time to ourselves in the hour-long drive before he's bombarded by the bambinos...

And I'm shopping for a camera -- any recommendations??

Bushman

Of course, immediately after starting this blog my camera goes on the brink...

But John is in DC now! He left Afghanistan late last week; he just has some processing to do before he comes home. Hopefully he will get a flight date in the next couple of days. In the meantime, here is a photo of what he looked like before he left...

And here's one during the deployment...

What will we find after?