Day 410: Mission Complete

My journey has finally come to a much anticipated end. And with 10 fingers, 10 toes, 4 limbs, and my life intact I have nothing more important to say than, "Thank you Lord!" Not only for my life that He has so mercifully preserved, but also for the life lessons and the opportunity to use this deployment as a way to encourage and inspire those who may be going through their own version of a "deployment". Knowing that there were family and friends following closely along with me as I journeyed "through the sand" assured me that I was sent there with a purpose much greater than what the Army had in mind for me.


I cannot end this journey without saying "Thank you" to those people whose prayers, support, and love have allowed to me to maintain my sanity these last 13 months.

To Gemma, Max, and Maya - to my most precious gifts that God has given me. Thank you for your strength, support, love, and the amazing ability to adapt to a life without me physically in it. Every second of every webcam minute and every crumb of every carefully packaged cookie that was ever sent to me reminded me of how blessed I really am, and how much God was truly watching over me.

To Mom and Dad - thank you for your unwavering support, as even in your quiet, humble ways your love speaks volumes to me. To Mom and Dad Miranda, a special thanks for your watch and care over Gemma and the children. I will never forget your generosity and thoughtful prayers this past year.


To my Family - I wish I could personally thank all of you, but that would take a while and frankly I'm exhausted. But really, every thoughtful word that was spoken, written on a card, typed on a Facebook message or blog comment, or expressed to me via a care package was an uplifting moment that would energize me for days. Thank you.


To my Friends - It was a joy to stay in touch with and reconnect with so many of you. By the way, you are all directly responsible for my Facebook addiction. Your timely words of encouragement through e-mail or even the occasional "Like It" in response to my status changes on FB made for a more pleasant day. Thanks:)


As I sign off and maneuver my way back into the "real world" I pray that this small life snippet of what I have been through has allowed us to grow closer as family & friends. You have followed me through times of great fear, frustration, pride, happiness, sadness, loneliness, impatience, courage, and accomplishment. In sharing a time in my life when I was most vulnerable, I was reminded that through dependence on others, there is great strength. Thank you all for being a source of that strength. Thank you for seeing me "through the sand".

"Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
I Corinthians 12:9,10 NASB

Day 59: Training Complete

Today marks the last day of our capstone training missions, and the urgency to go home is readily apparent. The sailors (myself included) have used the remainder of the day to prepare for our well-deserved 13 days of freedom away from early morning wake up calls, HUMVEE maintenance, weapons cleaning, Army food, and a lack of privacy! At the same time our prep time was also dedicated to packing for our dreaded 1 year trip away from our families:( I am staring at all the gear that was issued to me from the very beginning, and I am really not sure where to begin. In the spirit of keeping things positive...my plane leaves for California in a little less than 48 hours, and I will get to enjoy almost 2 weeks with my dear Gemma, Max, and Maya!!

A brief photo-op with Chiefs Jenkins and Ciapponi before the start of our final mission. Can't you guys ever smile...lighten up!

Fun with paint & stencil!

The Blessing of Webcam. See you soon!!