"My Convoy is the Best" --tvz

Those are Tyler's words describing his convoy (long string of vehicles moving to/from somewhere; otherwise known as a carpool) for these two weeks in the field. He has some massive vehicles (made by International, Pop Pop!) that are tan and uparmored, and he has the privilege of using this week on a live fire range. I say this because some days I step back and think, "What world do I live in?" I live in a world where my husband puts on a uniform, a rank and his boots each morning promptly after PT and his shower. I live in a world where my husband's response to a text message asking if I should wait for him was, "No. Still firing." Yes, firing refers to rifles and that is his job. I live in a world where families spend months apart at a time, where it matters when you miss a phone call because you can't call back. It matters that you can shoot a gun accurately time and time again, that you wear your rank and know your place.

I was terrified of this world that I know call "mine" before I entered, but now, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Although I sometimes wonder how I got here and why I'm here, I love that I know people from all over the world, that I get to celebrate other family's birthdays, graduations, talent show performances, first baseball games and lost teeth in a way that I would never understand if I lived in a random neighborhood, in a random city of the United States.

When asked what Tyler does at work, I cannot begin to imagine all of the things that are incorporated into his job, but I know he works hard, makes a difference to everyone he encounters and he loves what he does. I would love to understand every aspect, to take a ride in his uparmored Humvee, to see what their tent cities (I could have just made that up) look like in the field, but that is a part of him that I will never experience or fully understand. I'm unsure why I have written what I have tonight, but I hope that maybe it provides a bit of insight to those with questions or maybe a sigh of relief and "I know I can do this" for someone who feels the way I felt about being a part of this crazy world called ... US Army.

And just because I could ... here are some pictures form our world to yours ...

An MRAP ... some big vehicle used in the field and in his convoy.

All geared up .. he wears this stuff whenever he's in his humvee.