Day 1

Leaving Kansas was knowingly going to be the toughest day in a long time. My family had surprised me at Outback Steakhouse the night before so I was well fed, well loved, and ready to go this morning. Sitting bedside with Tin Man and Scarecrow last night was tough. We had been counting down the days as we prayed together each evening and as we sat bedside, hand in hand with the both of them, I paused...for probably an eternal minute or so, trying not to cry. "This is it. After this, we'll talk and Skype/FaceTime." We did shed some tears and Tin Man squeezed my arm so tight. We prayed probably the longest prayer ever together. We prayed for Dorothy, them, me, and all the other servicemen and women away from their families. A kiss, a hug...goodnight.

This morning came quickly and I brewed my last pot of Italian espresso until my return. That, a bowl of Kashi cereal, and I even unloaded the dishwasher, took the trash out, and washed a small batch of dirty dishes. The clock ticked by quickly and before I knew it, I released the house felines and they woke up the kids. Mental re-check of the packed bag and we headed to the airport, set to leave Kansas for Oz.

Arriving at the airport, my whole family was there again, just like at Outback along with Dorothy's parents and a few close friends. Even a few "monkeys" (think "Oz") made a few colored signs for my travel to Oz. As time drew close, we all gathered in a circle and my brother prayed for me and my family and I made my way around, hugging everyone. I must say, I was doing pretty good but that was strategic. I knew when my manly armor would be broken. Tin Man and Scarecrow possessed that ability so I saved them for last. As I knelt down in front of Scarecrow, her eyes were welling with tears and they streamed down her face. "Daddy..." I grabbed her and that was it, we were sharing tears. "I need you to do two things for me. Can you do that?" I asked her. "One: can you pray for me? Second, can you be a big helper to your mom?" A confirmed "yes" to both requests and some reassuring words that we'll talk often and even see each other over the internet. I don't know how long I knelt there but after one last hug, I let her go....and turned around and grabbed the Tin Man and picked her up. She had talked about how tough she was going to be on the way to the airport. Her leather-bound toughness that her dad "had" had crumbled, too, and she cried on my shoulder. We had the same conversation as I had with Scarecrow but with a third request: "Be a leader for Scarecrow. You're the older one, you're the leader and she looks up to you. Can you do that?" "Yes, Dad." "And remember...we're a team. We'll all be OK." More hugs, more tears, and I let her go... Dorothy, she was next and last. I have to say, she was staying strong. I saw her eyes getting red but she was fighting the good fight. A few goodbye kisses, some hugs, and we said goodbye. "We'll be fine," she said. Through security and to the gate with one last wave across the security access point's head and that was it. It would take another 15 minutes or so for those tears to dry up.

I won't bore you with flight info for this day on the Yellow Brick Road, except to say that I sat next to very nice lady on the first flight. Her name was Jennifer and she works at a church near my home. She asked where I was going and after telling her "Oz," we talked about that and a whole bunch of things for the rest of the flight. Oz culture, customs and our mission over there and a lot of really good talk about prejudices that exist in this world, our country, and how it all compares to Oz culture and the radical side of it. (yes, that was a bit of a run-on sentence but I couldn't figure out how to make it right! I wasn't an English major, ya know!) After a 5 hour layover at my first stop, I ended up at the first stop on journey to Oz where I'll remain for about a week.

Here at this stop on the Yellow Brick Road, I will be checked to make sure my medical record is squared away and get the beloved small pox vaccine. They will basically prick me 15 times with a prong-like needle. From what I hear, it's the most non-enjoyable shot of them all and hurts bad. I will also sit through a bunch of briefs that cover pay/entitlements, family matters, and other misc. items. I will also be fit for and issued the uniform that I'll wear in Oz. Since there are no Navy bases in Oz, this sailor nor any sailor wears a sailor's uniform over there. We wear the uniform of the service who operates the base. So that's what I'll be issued. After all the boxes are checked and my uniforms are issued, I'll continue along the Road.

So as this days winds down and alone time sets in, I can verify with you that Day 1 is one of, if not the very hardest days of the deployment. I can easily crawl inside my head and get very upset or distract myself by finding something to watch on TV. The base where I'm at even offers a theater with current movies...for free. Perhaps later this week I will do that...Black Swan, Kings Speech...we'll see. I did get to FaceTime with my family tonight and I saw smiles in place of tears which was nice. I ran across this quote today: "Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect; it means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections and enjoy every day." What a great quote for a day where we could all hang our head in doom-n-gloom. Instead, we can decide to be happy.