Okay, here we go...

Chris left on the 11am flight today. He actually had a pretty big crowd there to send him off, which was nice. He'll make his way to an army base for more training in country. It should be about four more weeks of training in the U.S. It'll be a nice transition period; he'll be gone, but easier to be in touch with than while "in theater."
We've spent the past couple of days seeing various friends for good-byes, including an incredibly large party at Phil and Thor's while spending time together as a family (Chris' sister, Missy, her boyfriend, Mike, and Chris' dad, Jesse have all been here). Mostly we just relaxed and ate.
Missy and Mike left yesterday so after Chris left it was just Jesse, David and me. Jesse left on the 4:30pm flight so now it's just me and the kiddo.
I have a lot of emotions. I'm relieved to finally be starting on this rather than just preparing for it. I'm lonely and I'm sad that my husband is gone. I'm tired, I've stayed up late every night to spend more time with Chris and woken up early every morning with David. I'm angry about the decisions others made that have led us to this course of action. I'm proud of my brave husband. I'm thankful for all the support. I'm afraid. I also have this feeling that I can't name, the only comparison I have to any other time is the emotion that I feel the day before any large party. The best way I can explain it is I'm rolling up my sleeves. I'm preparing and organizing everything for the big day - the day Chris comes home. Only the preparation isn't one day; it's going to be a marathon instead of a sprint. It's (probably) 226 days until I see my husband again.