476 Days

It is done.
After fifteen and a half months as an Internally Displaced Person, I finally have no where to be, no where to go, but Home with a capital Effing Haytch. For the first Sunday since June 18th, I will be sleeping here. For the first time since May 17th, 2005, I have but one address. It's a beautiful thing.
Though it's taken some convincing for the dogs. "No, no...I'm unpacking the car. Unpacking. Get that sad look off your face."
I would have been here a day sooner if the folks at JFSC had any sense -- despite some suggestions during the week that sticking around for a graduation exercise was a bit silly with a hurricane bearing down on the Commonwealth, we were still forced to wade through shin-length water in our "Class A" digs into the building only to learn that the Commandant decided to go ahead and cancel the ceremony at 0825. So we waded back into our cars, drove through lakes that had formed in the housing area just to get off base, and headed for our respective chezes. I was worried that I-64 was going to be flooded in spots, but aside from some debris and backed-up traffic, the going was clear. The windshield wipers never came down from "high", the speedometer never got above 50, and a 2hr-40 minute drive took a little over 4 hours, but I finally got home.
And to a loverly welcome -- a smiling boy, wagging dogs, whatever cats do to show they're happy -- with notes left all over the house (my medicine cabinet, the computer screen, my sock drawer, my favorite toilet) and some big balloons, which are now Ryan's favorite toy...