Last night there was a party…in my honor! The ladies of ARC (Arse Reduction Club) wanted to thank me for getting them off their arses and bringing everyone together.

I was honored. I love them. We had the best time ever.

There was lots of wine drinking, except for our friend Brooke. She’s LDS so she did not partake in the wine…she stuck with the hard stuff…

too much Vitamin D can give you a wicked hangover.

There were tales told out of school. Sara told Autumn, “My husband has been in your pants!” Ummm…wait, that’s not right. She meant her husband had WORN Autumn’s husband’s pants. (That’s what happens when you forget to pack your civvies.)

We got this fabulous picture of Sara…

I assured her it would absolutely not go on the blog!

There was dancing….

on the ceiling.

Jazz hands….

because that’s how we roll.

Lots of laughs…

because that’s what friends do.

It even got a little furry…

the fox and I were both thirsty.

But the best part of all was spending an evening with these women…

This is the best group of women I have ever known. See those smiling faces? Between us we have (I think) 23 children, 2 grandchildren, cats, dogs, houses, and jobs. Not one of us had a husband at home last night. Not last week and not next week either. But it’s ok, because we have each other. I couldn’t say it last night because I would have cried and all those hussies would have made fun of me. So I’m saying it here.

I’m so proud to call these women my friends. While they thanked me for motivating them and bringing them together all I could think about was how I should be the one saying thank you. Any Army wife can tell you that groups like this don’t happen at every duty station, but when they do it is a very special thing. The women in this picture (and a few who couldn’t make it) really care for each other. We really like each other. Together we can get through anything this upcoming deployment hands us.

I know the next 15 months are going to be difficult. I know I’m going to miss my husband. I know my children are going to miss their Dad. There will be tears. I’ll spend plenty of nights comforting pre-schoolers who can’t sleep because they miss Daddy. There will be weeks spent dealing with mood swings and frustrations of teenagers who miss Dad and are scared too. I will be angry that I have to mow the lawn, shovel the snow, and sleep alone. I will be scared when I hear about dangerous situations, serious incidents, and the inevitable casualties. I know it will be hard.

I also know I won’t ever be alone. And neither will any of you. That’s friendship. Thank you for being true friends.