Lane called today, and they are already looking at dates for summer leave, which is wonderful news. I haven’t told the boys for sure yet, b/c it’s still much too far away. The little ones barely register one week at a time (“Is it stay-home day today?” “Is it church day tomorrow?” “How many days till stay-up-late night?”).

His call came at a perfect time, though, b/c I was combing the calendar this afternoon and looking at schedules for summer camps & whatnot. If plans work out, then the boys will have a variety of fun activities to keep them busy this summer.

We’ve made it just two months and counting, yet I’m already thinking about Lane being stateside for a couple of weeks this summer. It feels like a lot more than two months, but the training in Nov & Dec didn’t count toward the 400 days of the official Orders. I try not to think about the fact that it’s really been 4+ months, b/c it just gets me down. If there is an area in the brain that processes grief, I think mine must be pretty screwed up. I’m still dealing with the loss of my brother, which, thankfully, doesn’t “hit” me as often as it used to, but it’s still heavy on my heart. Add Lane’s – albeit temporary – absence to the mix, and I’m sure my griefometer is out of whack.

Instead, I shall think about the summer and the fun we will have. Lane wants to go on a big family vacation, so I posed a question to the boys that if/when Dad gets to come home this summer, where would they like to go on vacation? They immediately threw out suggestions for day trip locations (amusement/water parks); one said the beach; one said Alaska! That prompted another to say Hawaii. lol! I clarified and said it had to be in the 48 contiguous United States. I was 99.9% certain that someone would say Disney World, but no one did!  😉