~Emotions~

As this week draws to a close, I'm surrounded by and over-filled with a swirling mass of emotions, many of them conflicting, yet all intricately linked so they cannot be pulled apart.

On the one hand, our family's adopted platoon (yes, the platoon of "Outlaw" fame!) will be home VERY VERY VERY SOON, "if the Good Lord is willing & the creek don't rise"!!!! Needless to say, I'm excited beyond belief and hyper to the extreme - and time is dragging....slowly...slowly...slowly....! Argh!(Note: don't forget to send a welcome home email - will re-post the info below after this post).

On the other hand, we have the 108th Cavalry, Sgt. Mike Stokely's unit, which, thank God, returned last week. This coming weekend is their official "Welcome Home" ceremony about an hour and a half from where we live. Our family is definitely attending... would not miss it for the world! There's sort of a long string of "coincidences" that came about making it possible for us to go - work, church obligations just sorta lined up or fell by the wayside.. I really think our special Guardian Angel was pulling some strings for us again.. I'll post more about that later. So, here we have a Welcome Home event. I've ALWAYS wanted to go to a homecoming ceremony... this is the fulfilment of a long-time dream for me. I'm beside myself with excitement! BUT.. on the other, other hand - it will be joy mixed with sorrow at the same time. I will be crying a LOT. Both happy and sad tears. (My kids are gonna think I'm nuts - they just don't "get it" yet. *sigh* I wouldn't miss it for the world, though. And it will be good for them to be there and see this... surely they will never forget it, even if they don't completely understand yet.)

Add to the mix the fact that tomorrow is my last day at work (YAY!!!!!) and my new job with a HUGE law firm in Midtown starts on Monday. More excitement, combined with a good ole fashioned case of NERVES! haha!

Add on top of that, the two prayer requests I posted below earlier today, two soldiers who desparately need our prayers as they each fight their own separate battles for their lives. Plus other folks I know who are in need of serious prayer that I haven't mentioned on this blog....

So, my heart is very heavy - and yet excited and happy all at the same time!

Pray for our troops, y'all.... keep on a'prayin....

And don't forget Operation: Welcome Home Hero! See below:

OK, y'all - I need your help! :) I can't believe I didn't think of this SOONER!!!!!:As y'all know, our family has an adopted Georgia National Guard soldier coming home EXTREMELY SOON (can't post exact dates, because of OPSEC - operational security - rules). As you may know, our National Guard soldiers saw A LOT of HEAVY combat while they were there...it's been a long, hard year for them. ANYWAY - I was planning on mailing out a welcome home card to his "real" address once I knew they were home, but someone I know gave me a great idea! And I don't know WHY I didn't think of it sooner!What I would like to do is collect a WHOLE BUNCH of "Welcome Home" emails, to send along with our family's welcome home card. *mumbles to self: "why didn't I think of this sooner?!"* The idea is, when he gets home, instead of having "only" a stack of bills waiting for him (and how depressing would that be, haha!), to have a nice big fat envelope FULL of Welcome Home, Thank You, We're Proud of You type messages. How cool would that be?! And why didn't I think of that sooner?! argh!

Can ya help a Kat out here??? :) I would be ETERNALLY in y'all's debt forever and greatly appreciate it!!!!!Please email all Welcome Home messages to me at JEFFSKAT@GMAIL.COM. Just put "Welcome Home" or something similar in the subject line.

VERY IMPORTANT: I MUST HAVE ALL MESSAGES RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2006!!! I plan on mailing them out on Saturday, May 6.thanks, y'all!!!! Please help me get the word out as best you can... I would greatly appreciate it! Let's overwhelm our soldier with Welcome Home messages!