Bring on the distractions

I've been meaning to update the layout with a new picture and colors to express my Christmas cheer and finally got around to doing it today. Hope you enjoy the temporary change for the holidays! I mainly sat down to do this to take my mind off of events from today...

As many of you know I'm a military wife, my husband is an FA-18 pilot out here in San Diego. We're getting used to everything the military life can throw at us... but every couple of years (or annually as it's been over the past 3 years) there are events which throw everything I know into turmoil. This day has not been that exception.

Our day started like any other. We all slept in to a reasonable hour (745am), which may sound good but we were a tad late for pre-school!). After dropping the punkette off the dude and I met up with friends at the mall to finish up some holiday shopping. Fairly good time (minus the break down at train riding area... can you really blame the dudes for trying, c'mon even I want to ride the train) and jumped on the interstate heading home. We have a ritual when we see a Hornet (that's what Daddy drives) so we blew kisses and waved and screamed "I love you, Daddy"! I didn't even think how odd it was at the time that was lower than usual but did think it was funny that it was in this "no-fly" area of town but carried on. About a half hour later I got a message from Big J saying "not flying, I luv you". Everything came together in a split second...

I drove immediately to pick up the punkette and head home. We're all together, safe.

I can't help but tear up at the emotions that flow during these times. I'm soooo grateful! So relieved! So everything good in this world... then I start worrying... we know so many other pilots! Do I call my girlfriends? Do I call in the middle of a potential crisis? How can I not call? I call, I always do, and find out everyone we know is fine this time - Thank the LORD! We are blessed! But then my heart aches for those involved, for those families forever changed in this event. It's enough to bring me to my knees and I'm not even directly involved!

So, having gotten the "I'm safe" message earlier, knowing that all of my friends and their spouses are safe, I'm sitting watching the horrific scene unfold on the TV while the punks are down for a nap. It's literally a train wreck that you know you shouldn't watch but you hang on every syllable of the newscasters. It's awful! I see a shadow at the door, my heart stops, the figure is dressed in brown. Military uniforms are brown. I got the message, no one should be at my door! No one should be ringing my doorbell! My whole world is in the slowest motion you can image from the slowest motion scene on the slowest movie ever... it's S-L-O-W. The bell rings once, twice, thrice... oh my God. I burst into immediately into tears and sat there holding my breath... then I watch the figure step away and walk off. What the heck just happened? I get up and scramble for the door and see the UPS truck pulling away from my house!! My package arrive, and I am going to be writing to UPS and demand strongly that they change the color of their uniforms!

You can follow the developing story at this or the end of the story at MSNBC.

Please, hug your people tight tonight, give them an extra kiss and let them know how much you love them! Please, say an extra prayer or take a moment to do what ever you do at moments like this, for anyone involved. Be safe.