Landed

Andrew called and they got in to Wisconsin just fine. It's hot and humid and otherwise Wisconsin-like. They flew Alaska Airlines, which is the airline Andrew works for, and apparently there weren't enough employees to unload the planes. Well, Andrew to the rescue! He went in and started helping the rampers unload and got the soldiers involved as well and they were able to unload all the planes. They've given the guys some down time after all their travel between bus rides to LA and flights to Wisconsin. There is a small glitch with paperwork between state agencies and federal agencies but its expected to all work out fine and then it'll be off to work!

Goodbyes

We saw Andrew last night for the last time. We enjoyed celebrating him and his birthday a bit early with Mom and Dad, Andrew and Nataly and our family. He heads to Dublin tomorrow and then him and his unit head to Wisconsin for some training and then deploy to Baghdad. Goodbyes are always hard but this one was especially hard. We've been waiting and waiting and waiting for this moment and when it was finally here you just want it to be anywhere else. Its going to be a long year and there are a lot of anxious feelings. We're proud of you, Andrew. And we're going to miss you. We love you and pray safety for you and your unit.