Grad-N-Go

David just called. His graduation snuck up on me; I thought it was tomorrow, but apparently it's all over and done with already. He was sitting on a plane, on his way to Point B.

For those who would like to know, he is in possession of his cell phone, but he'll probably be rather busy in the next few days as he's processed and wades through copious paperwork. I have no idea when the best time to call him would be, but if I find out I will pass that info along.

On Schedule

Yay! We heard from David today, and apparently he's currently on schedule to graduate next week as planned. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers; they were appreciated on both sides.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it up for the ceremony, but his parents probably will. The idea is to return his phone to him as soon as possible, probably shipping it to him as soon as he's settled. Then he can call almost whoever and whenever he wants.

Messages!

Another letter came yesterday. David still seems all right, all things considered. At least, he did a week ago when he wrote it. This kind of arrangement makes one appreciate just how precious each shred of communication can be.

So far there aren't any major adjustments being made to our long-term plans, but as we all know, that could change at a moment's notice. The best things in life certainly don't come easily.

Halfway Through

It's been nearly four weeks, and apparently David is still alive and doing well. He finally got all his mail, and sent some of his own. He also earned several ten-minute phone calls, so his family and I have been enjoying those immensely. The connection wasn't so great, and it sounded like talking to someone two rooms away through a ventilation duct, but it was certainly better than nothing.

I spent a great deal of my day gathering addresses and stuffing invitations. They aren't quite finished yet, but I hope no one objects to receiving them a bit early. I'd rather err on the side of caution, considering how much advance warning one needs to travel, and also the unfortunate proximity of the event to the busy holiday season.

Gone Again

David left for boot camp today. We should have been excited, and we tried our best, but it's hard not to be a little bit miserable. We just had our last phone call for the next two months. As soon as I know where to send it, I intend to inundate him with mail.

We're trying to look on the bright side, considering that we'll be married before we even intended to be engaged by the original plan. Tomorrow I'll have all kinds of useful things to do to keep me from noticing how lonely it is all of a sudden. In the meantime, I continue to wander aimlessly around his house with no idea what to do with myself.

The Current Plan

The idea of having a current plan is actually quite laughable. Any plans we've made never seem to have time to set, like Jell-o that hasn't been in the fridge long enough before someone takes a big scoop out of it. I don't mind being adaptable myself, but I hate to keep changing our itinerary when it affects dozens of other people.

If the current plan doesn't change, please God, I'll be leaving home in a week to visit with David's family until mid-July. During that time we'll do what planning we can for a prospective wedding in January 2010. He'll suffer boot camp from July to September, hopefully make it to Monterey without any significant delays, and then be back home in mid-December so we can pull it all together before he leaves again. That's "the plan." But as usual, we're all at the mercy of the unpredictable realities of the situation.

The one variable in this equation remains the unconfirmed date upon which he would be shipped out.  The original one we've all been working around was set when he was supposed to be going to Pensacola.  Ideally it won't change, but the recruiter has not been able to say one way or the other because he's been inconveniently out of town.
Again, many thanks to Sarah for sharing the necessary insider information to make all this possible on such short notice.