I got a phone call today!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I heard from Jeff today! He called me while I was at work and it was so wonderful to hear his voice! Other than being tired, he said that he was doing well. Their first stop was in Germany, and now they are at an Air Force base "somewhere in old Russia" as Jeff said. Barb (a woman I work with and has 2 grandsons in the Marines, God bless her) said that he was probably in Khasakistan...I know I totally messed up that spelling, but you guys get the picture! Jeff said that they should be leaving tomorrow for Afghanistan and should be at their FOB within the week. Jeff did tell me the highlight of being in Germany and at the base now...they are all allowed to have 2 beers within 24 hours! So this morning, Jeff had his first taste of Russian beer, which he said wasn't too bad! As I hear more, I will update everyone...Jeff sends his love, and so do I!

Love you...see ya later

I knew that Thursday would be a hard day...how could I say good bye to my husband, partner and best friend? Then I was reminded by my sister of something that our grandparents used to say...it's not good bye, it's see ya later. For a couple that was married over 50 years, I have to say that it must work! So Jeff and I have decided that is our phrase now...no good byes, only see ya laters.
Aunt Lisa took Jeff and I to the airport Thursday. Here are a couple pics from then.

Aunt Lisa, Jeff & I

Aunt Lisa and her favorite nephew

Jeff & I

Once Jeff got back to Camp Atterbury, his unit was there til Saturday. All the guys were loaded up on buses and taken to the airport where they boarded a 1am flight to somewhere in Germany. I have yet to hear from Jeff, and when I do, I will be sure to post it on here. The whole trip into Zabul can take a couple of weeks. During that time, Jeff will contact me with any new information and I will spread it via the blog, to make it easier. As we both said last night in our phone call, we are both just ready to get this done and over with...so Jeff can come home and we can get settled and working on our life together again. Love to all.

Our Little Piece of Heaven, Anna Maria Island

Jeff and I have always loved going to the beach, so I wanted him to have a little getaway while he was home. One of the ladies I work with told me about Anna Maria Island and this little place called Sea Side Inn...she said it was like paradise. And it was!!!! All the rooms faced the Gulf of Mexico, and the first floor patios all opened to the beach. How wonderful was it????? Here are some pics to show you! Jeff and I have already decided that we will be going back there again and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a little piece of heaven!

Jeff, enjoying his first beer on the beach

Are we really together???? YES WE ARE!!!!

Nothing like a margarita on a hot day!

This is a statue that is on the water in Sarasota...yes, it is the iconic Time picture from D-Day. This is honestly one of my favorite pics of all times...I cannot wait til Jeff gets to kiss me like that when he is home for good!

The sunset our last night at Anna Maria

View from our room...how can you not want to be there????

This could be a postcard pic...and we were living it for a few days!

Waiting for dinner our first night

Jeff and I on our porch

The Porcaros

Jeff's Leave

Sorry that it has taken so long to post some pics and let everyone know how Jeff's leave was. As you all know from the blog, I was able to pick Jeff up Thursday evening, which was an added bonus for both of us. His plane was supposed to get in at 6:10 pm, but due to wonderful Florida weather (our daily evening storms), Jeff's plane wound up circling for another hour! Needless to say, it was the longest hour in both of our lives! I cannot even begin to explain the excitement and anticipation I had while watching all the other passangers walk into the terminal. I finally saw his ACU print and his smiling face and after fighting my way thru, I was able to run into his arms. That was the best hug I have had in a very long time! I couldn't believe that he was actually here, with me, after 4 long months. Once we finally pulled away from each other and started walking towards the baggage area, there was a woman standing there, with tears streaming down her face. She had apparently seen our reunion and as we walked by, she just grabbed both of our arms...no words needed to be said.
Other than our beach getaway, Jeff and I really didn't have many plans. Jeff's dad and stepmom, David and Sandy, got into town Friday evening and we went to our local watering hole, Danny's. It was nice for Jeff to get to relax and catch up with people, all while having some good food and some ice cold beers. The next few days consisted of a lot of pooling! Other than a few afternoon showers, the weather was great. On Father's Day, Jeff's brother, sister in law and niece got into town. Dave, MeLynda and Emily had driven from Michigan for a little family vacation, and were glad to get to spend some time with Jeff and the rest of the family. Emily was just excited to be in Florida and to go swimming in the pool! Here are some pics of our time together!

Jeff and I at Danny's

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Dad and Jeff

Dave and Jeff

Emily swiming in the pool

Jeff's Address and mailing list

Hey there everyone...I know that many of you are eager to know Jeff's address to start mailing packages. I talked to Jeff this afternoon and it sounds like his unit is on a 1am flight Saturday (into Sunday) to deploy. He couldn't remember exactly where they said they would be stopping, but I will let everyone know once I do hear from him.

Here is Jeff's address while in Afghanistan...
Porcaro Jeffrey
PRT Zabul, FOB Lagman
APO AE 09355

Since I have not sent a package to an APO address before, I am not sure of the paperwork that needs to be done at the post office. I'm sure that if you ask, the workers at the counters will help you with them. Also, there are APO flat rate boxes available...I am not sure how much it is to send, but I will let you know next week once I send one. I saw 2 different sizes at my post office. Jeff also left me a list of items that he will be able to use...please make sure to space some of this out...he won't need 5 of everything right away, but here is what he has asked for.

Jeff's List
Copenhagen Straight Long Cut Tobacco (they have logs of 5 or 10 packs)
Baby Wipes (refill packages would be best...he doesn't need the box)
Small packages of powder laundry detergent (Tide preferably)
Snuggle Dryer sheets (small packages)
Tooth brushes (SOFT please)
Toothpaste (mint, not cinnamon)
Q-Tips
AA & AAA batteries
Bug Spray 99% Deet (we found small ones at CVS, no big cans please)
Cherry Chapstick
Sensor Excell Razor cartridges (we buy them at Sam's)
Gum, hard candy or suckers (he really likes Worthers)

This is what he gave me so far. As he goes through his deployment, he will be sure to let me know what else he may need or what he doesn't need for awhile. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call about it. I know that Jeff will greatly appreciate any mail or boxes that he receives, as well as comments left here for him to read when he can. I will post more on Jeff's time home later with some pics as well. Just wanted to get the address out there for you guys. Pray for a safe trip over and for a safe deployment...we can use all the thoughts we can get!

I can't believe it's finally here...

Jeff and I have waited patiently and our time together is finally here! I found out today that Jeff will actually be flying into Fort Myers late on Thursday night...so we will have one more night together!!!!! I cannot believe that tomorrow night I will actually be with Jeff again! After 10 years of being together, I am still nervous & excited about seeing him! I actually have butterflies as I sit and think about watching him walk towards me tomorrow. I would like to think that Jeff and I are one of those couples that just get stronger with every year and hardship that we have been dealt. We know that the road and months ahead will be trying on both of us as individuals and as a couple, but we are strong and our love for each other will get us through this. We are both looking forward to spending some time together and will get a few days to ourselves, as I have a planned a getaway to the beach. Please know that we wish we could have made a trip up North to see everyone, but with only a week, it wouldn't have given Jeff any time to truly relax and prepare for his deployment. We love you all and I will be sure to post some new pics from Jeff's time home to include the get together at Danny's, relaxing by the pool and some of our beach escape! Love to you all!

9 more days!!!!!!

Hey ya'll...not a whole lot to update. Jeff did get his new phone and it is working, so if you need to get ahold of him, it will be a lot easier! I have to say that he has met some nice guys...a few of them let Jeff use their phones to call me...I of course told Jeff to tell them thank them and to let him know their favorite cookies...care packages will be sent to Afghanistan soon and if I can make them smile with that, then I have reached my goal! Jeff and I only have 9 more days til we are together again...I am anxiously counting down the days! I know that Jeff is really looking forward to his time home and I hope that he will get to have a stressfree week and get to relax as much as possible! Again, if there is anything that you want him to get before he deploys, you can send it to the house at 149 Uruguay Drive Punta Gorda, FL 33983. Love to all!

Reaching Jeff...

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up...if you are trying to reach Jeff and can't get him, it is beacause he put his phone thru the washer and dryer today! This is just a week after I managed to drop mine in the toilet! Good thing we both have insurance on our phones! Jeff will look into getting a replacement phone for the next 3 weeks tomorrow, so I will keep you guys updated. Didn't want anyone to worry if you couldn't get ahold of him...he can get text messages but every time he tries to place a call, it drops on him and will not go thru.

Mail Call

Just wanted to remind everyone to make sure to get any mail out to Jeff by Friday. That should allow plenty of time for it to get to him before he comes home before deploying. If there is anything that you would like Jeff to receive the week he is home, please feel free to send it to the house at 149 Uruguay Drive Punta Gorda, FL 33983. Thanks guys! Counting down the days til Jeff & I are together...only 18 more to go!!!!