It's a family

Last night I got two text from two totally different wives whose husbands deployed with Robby. I'm not sure if it's just common to wait a few days after departure and then make the rounds checking up on people or if they were talking about who they had and had not talked to or what but I appreciate their reaching out. I continued to text with them for awhile - even though I have only met each of them a couple times, it's nice to have back up on the island just in case. And it's nice to know there are people to talk to if I need it.

My mom doesn't quite understand (maybe she does now, not sure) why I didn't move back to Texas for the deployment and be close to family. I don't think I could ever explain it completely to her. Beyond the logistics of moving us and the dogs back to Texas for a year just to have to move back to Hawaii when Robby got back, I wanted - maybe even needed - to be in a military setting around people who have been there, done that or are doing it with me. No they aren't blood relations, but they are a family of sorts and they know what it's like and are experiencing it at the same time I am. As one of the other wives said last night; we have to stick together.