Off he goes...

I will post info from the last two weeks as promised later today or tomorrow, but I know that if you are checking the blog today, you're probably wondering how things went with sending Nick off this morning. Short answer - just fine.
I was really worried about losing it at the airport, but that was not to be. As we pulled into the airport Nick realized that he had forgotten his hat at home. Instead of having an hour to hang out at the airport with him before he had to clear security, Finlay and I ended up flying to our apartment and back with the hat! Fortunately, at 5:30 am there was not much traffic to contend with. I might have been sad about not having much time with him, but as it turned out, the travel agency that booked Nick's trip neglected to actually pay for his ticket. He spent the whole time I was running back and forth to home sorting out his ticket situation. If I had been there, we wouldn't have even been able to hang out! We just had time for a sweet kiss good-bye before Nick needed to go on into the airport.
I think it all worked out perfectly and prevented the morning from getting overly-emotional. I've promised to give you all specific ways you can pray for Nick while he is gone, and here's your first list. First, pray for his adjustment to training. It's supposed to be the worst part of the deployment, yes that includes the nine months living in the Afghan wilderness. Pray for him to remain motivated and energetic throughout the training process. Finally, during these two weeks when Nick and his fellow senior staff members are preparing to receive their airmen, pray that they come together as an effective leadership team.
I promise that the next post will have lots of fun info and lots of pictures. Check back soon!