Matt left for his 3-month deployment at the end of June 2006. It was sad to see him go but it's part of what I signed up for when I married into the Air Force. To quell my boredom and loneliness, I decided to go to Mallorca with a group of girls 
for a quick 4-day July 4th trip to get some sun and lay on the beach. We all had a great time and soaked up a few too many rays (notice that you can't really see me in the photos at night...I'm like a ghost!). Since the world 
cup was going on at the time, we had lots of fun sitting at local dives like the one pictured on the left watching the football matches on huge projection screen TVs. All I can say is that the Europeans LOVE their football. The pictures on the right were taken at sunset one night. The first one is of me and Sarah, one of my good friends here (she moved back to the States last fall), and the second one is of the whole group.After Mallorca, my mom flew over and we spent a week in PARIS. It was such a great trip and I truly enjoyed every minute of Paris with her. I think it's every daughter's (and mother's) dream of walking the streets of Paris together. We sipped espresso on the Champs Elysee, shopped in all the haute couture boutiques, and walked many many miles. While here, we also went to some antique flea markets in Belgium and a great furniture store in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Oh, and not only did mom get to see me, she also got to see (and visit) my hairdresser. I asked her if she was up for it and she said, 'yes,' so I drug her to see Carmen. Mom went in as a curly blonde and left as a straight brunette. Carmen did a FANTASTIC job and I loved her hair. I figured that coming to Europe warranted a new hair-do, so I'm so glad she was open-minded and let Carmen re-do her hair. I was so glad she was able to come see me...there's nothing like seeing your mom when you're lonely. But, having to say bye to her was really hard...when she's here, I never want her to leave.
In addition to the Mallorca and Paris trips, I also got the chance to come home to the States to visit friends and family both in Texas and Tennessee. I had a great time while home playing with our nephew, Micah and our niece, Maura. It was my first time to meet Maura, as she was born in March, so I loved every minute that I got to spend with her. Here's a picture of her on the left. Micah was a blast and he 
was able to say my name, 'Mimi,' so I had so much fun chasing him around the house. It's amazing how quickly they grow up. As usual, I stuffed myself with as many Sonic drinks as I possibly could and drank way too many Nonfat-Sugar Free-one pump-no foam-vanilla lattes from Starbucks. (Sad thing is, you can even see the Sonic drink at the bottom of the picture of me with Micah--and that picture was taken early in the morning--I'm still in my pajamas!)When I returned from the States, my best friend here, Janna, and I rented a Volkswagen Sheron and headed east to Poland. We left Spangdahlem at midnight and arrived into Boleslawic at about 7:30am, driving non-stop the whole way. Over the course of the next 2 days, we did nothing but shop for Polish pottery. On the way home, the Sheron was packed to its limit! We both had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the time were were able to spend together. She is one of the best friends I've ever had and I am blessed to have her in my life.
A few weeks after the Poland trip, it was time for the guys to come home. After 3 long months, they were finally coming home. Luckily, we had an idea of when they were to return, which was nice so that we could make sure that our houses were clean and our legs were shaved!
Matt and I were able to see each other at about midnight the night of their return. He was about 3 shades darker than when he left in June and looked absolutely great. Here is a picture of Matt and Paul (Wyatt) and also one of the two of us that was taken inside the hangar the night they got home. Matt and Wyatt look so happy to be home and I was beyond happy to have Matt back in my arms. After Matt's return, he had to spend a few days going through a re-integration thing on base (they tell you not to beat your spouse and all that other retarded stuff that they legally have to tell you) and we both had to re-learn the rules of the bed (where the covers go, how neither of us can sleep in the dead center of the bed, no kicking or arm flinging, etc). But, it was all worth it...I wouldn't have cared what I had to do as long as he was home.
It was so great to have Matt home and I was really thankful that he was safe.
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