Daddy Dolls and Poster Board Daddy

Katy, Sera and I attended a luncheon on Tuesday for deploying members with the District Commander.  I forgot to take photos.  A representative of Operation Military Kids was there and gave out the dolls in the above photo.  One o f the members of our district who just returned from Kabul, Afghanistan also spoke to the group.  He said we should be able to talk to our families multiple times a day and have good access to e-mail.  He also talked about the bazaars on Friday afternoons.  Katy and Sera's eyes lit up and are now expecting jewelry and whatever good stuff I can find.  I could have done without that part of the presentation.  We also spent the afternoon checking out some of the things available to Katy and the kids on base while I'm deployed.

Finally found out today that I am leaving on Sunday for sure.  My passports have been found and are in holding for me when I get to Virginia.  Now we can continue getting things ready for me to leave on Sunday.  We've got some lunches and dinners planned for the week.  Saturday Sera's got a football game to cheer at, then we are going to the Hotoberfest at the Fort Jackson Fire Department and finally Gator Fest in the late afternoon.

This afternoon Sera and I made the Poster Board Daddies in the picture above.  Tomorrow we're going to laminate them so Katy can write things that I would say on them while I'm gone.  One is me kissing them good night, another is of me giving them a high-five and the last one is just a regular me.  It's the one Katy said she is going to fuss at the kids if they are acting bad.

Just a couple of other thoughts that popped into my head during the last couple of days.  1:  I've been reading a book on the Black Hills that contains stories on the gold rush days, Indian lore and interesting people.  I realized that gone are the days when the madame of a brothel can be celebrated as a pillar of the community and a philanthropist.  2:  If Katy and Sera's shopping wish list is fulfilled I could be the only person to lose money while deployed.