Hello blogging, so nice to meet you part II

        Alright just a little more background and then I can finally start my 'present day' blogging.  We finally got word that our household goods were set to arrive on Tuesday January 11, 2011 and I could not have been more excited.  A bed, coffee maker, couches to sit on, tools, pots, pans, spices. Oh so many things that you don't realize how much you have missed it until you are forced to live without them for 5 weeks! The Friday before our belongings were scheduled to be delivered Pete asked his boss if he could have the day off to help me so that I didn't have a nervous breakdown ( it is usually assumed that you get the day off because it is quite an involved process.  Checking the inventory list and making sure that every box is accounted for, put in the room you want, and also that none of the men moving your belongings decide to take any of it home...).  Pete was told that they would get back to him about getting the day off, however his boss (we will call her 'evil unnamed woman' from here on out) pulled Pete and two of his co-workers into an office to inform them that there was a 16 month tasking and that one of the three of them will be assigned to it and that a final decision would be made on Monday.  What?!  So, 'Evil unnamed woman', decides to tell these three people this and essentially causes all three families to stress and worry all weekend because nobody has any idea who it will be or how they are picking who is going.  And all Pete wanted was a day off so that he could help with the moving process.  Next move, remind me that I can do it alone. 
      Pete left for work on Monday and all I could think was that it couldn't be him-we are finally getting all of our household goods tomorrow and they have already jerked him around enough with telling him that he is getting deployed, then canceling deployments.  Hasn't the Army done enough to play with our emotions?  I had a very productive Monday, finishing all of the touching up with paint and making sure what little we had was out of the way so the movers would have plenty of space to move boxes and move our life into our new house!  I called Pete about every two hours wanting to know if he had heard anything, and of course he had not.  Finally at 5:30pm Pete calls me to say that he is coming home, and that he heard from 'Evil unnamed woman' and that he is assigned for this deployment. #*$!, %@!*&, !*#%.  Awesome.  Okay, I can't freak out because that is the last thing Pete needs so I tell him that I will see him when he gets home and I finished making my delicious lemon pepper chicken.  I broke down for approximately 2 minutes, then continued my duties as a temporary housewife and putting dinner on the table when he comes home.  It was a sad moment when he walked in the door and we both had defeated looks on our faces and we just hugged each other.  I had just fed Gatsby and he let us know that he wanted his post dinner poop walk so we separated and Pete left for the walk, and I finished putting dinner on the table.  This couldn't really be happening-I had just moved up here and we were getting our things tomorrow!  We have a freaking Alaska bucket list for goodness sake and we had already started making plans for all the things we would check off once this beautiful state decided to thaw out!  When Pete returned from his walk he checked his phone and snickered and said he just now got a text message saying that he could have Tomorrow off to help with moving.  Thank you 'Evil unnamed woman', thank you so much.  Now that you have sufficiently ruined our day, you decided to cave and let him off, something that has not been an issue with any other employee.  Needless to say that Monday was probably my most frustrating day with the Army, and in my short time as an Army wife, I've had quite a few.
     That next day the movers came and brought all of our household goods and it was better than I had even anticipated.  Just getting glimpses of our furniture and our things warmed my heart so much that it almost made me forget about the horrible news I heard the night before.  Almost.  In case anyone didn't feel truly appreciated with their thank you note from us for our wedding gifts, opening boxes filled with things we were waiting to use was better than Christmas!  We are so lucky and oh so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who gave us so much. 
    On Wednesday Pete went back to work like any other day and by 10am I got a phone call letting me know that he already had the official paperwork and knew his exact dates that he would be leaving (mid April) and when he would be returning (mid May 2012).  I was secretly hoping that this was going to be like his last 'tasking' and that they would tell him it wasn't really happening.  Apparently that plan did not work.
     So that brings this blog up to date with where I am at presently: new to Alaska, looking for a job, unpacking a million boxes, and trying to wrap my head around the fact that my sweet and loving husband is leaving in three weeks for pre-deployment training in California for the month of February and leaving for over a year starting at the beginning of April. 
I have been repeating the phrase ''the needs of the Army come first" however it has  not made this change in plans any easier.  So for now I will keep unpacking boxes and enjoy my ongoing Christmas as I find a home for all of my worldly possessions.