The Taylors in Europe

When I was a kid, I liked to try and hold my breath any time we drove over bridges or through tunnels. I remember how it felt to be within sight of the end, feeling as though my lungs might just explode and psychically willing my parents to please-please-please drive faster. In fact, when I became the grownup and passed along this little game to my own kids, I found that I had to abstain or risk speeding up to 100 miles per hour before passing out from lack of oxygen--not a good thing to do while driving!

As we come up to the end of this deployment, I have the same feeling. We're coming out of the tunnel, and the light is so bright it's blinding. Tomorrow afternoon Fred will pack up his Bronze Star (go, Fred!) and get on a plane for Kuwait, where he will wait for his ride home on July 6th. The counter at the top of my blog says there are 7 days to go, but there is really only 1 until he is out of Iraq for good, and I can breathe again.