I left for Texas today. Finally. It's been a bit odd, this whole mobilization process, if for no other reason than it has seemed to take so long and, by extension, hasn't really seemed real. As long as I was coming home every night and sleeping in my own bed, it didn't really feel like I was heading off to war. Now, it's starting to feel like things are moving. I'm glad for that, as the constant feeling of waiting for the deployment to start was beginning to bother me.

Getting on the plane at the airport wasn't too bad. I managed to run over my laptop in the parking lot though *lol* I had this super heavy bag and I didn't want to carry it clear across the parking lot, so I dropped my bags at the entry of the parking area with Kelley, and proceeded to go park. However, in my rush to get to a good spot that had just opened up, I ended up driving over my laptop bag. There really wasn't any damage, but the bag is a little tore up. That, and the case for my glasses was pretty squished. But after a little pressing and shaping, it's as good as new.

Kelley and my dad were at the airport to see me off. It wasn't too emotional saying goodbye, even though Kelley cried a lot. Which is nice, in a selfish sort of way. I guess I would be concerned if she wasn't upset. It bothered me more to see her so sad than it did to be getting on the plane myself. Like she said though, it was nice that she got to see me off at the airport, as there was some debate whether I would be flying out of Rochester or NJ. I did ok myself until I got to the security area where your family members and such can't follow. Then I teared up just a little because Kelley was crying [stupid girls ;-) ]

The flight was smooth! Window seats on both legs *woohoo!!* Chicago O'Hare was a really nice airport. Got a little lunch there, hooked up with the other soldiers from 8th BN, and waited for the plane to get there. I got some really nice pictures on the plane too! You should see some of them. I got a couple just as the plane came out of the clouds and into the clear sky. Beautiful! I can't wait to post them up on the site when I get a chance.

After we arrived in El Paso, we hopped on a bus and headed off to FT Bliss, which was just about 10 minutes away. Once there, we stood in line to get signed in, went to a briefing, then had the night to ourselves. So far, everything seems fairly streamlined and organized which, to be honest, is a bit surprising to me. I expected a lot more confusion, but the folks here at the CRC seem to have the program down well.

So, that's where I'm at now. I'll be posting more as I get the chance. Supposedly I'm going to be in Texas for about a week (also, very good news) then head off to Kuwait for a week, then convoy up into Iraq. That's all tentative, but that seems to be the story I'm getting.