Grrrrr....

Scratch Saturday....make it Sunday.
My patience is really being tested.

What was that I said about waiting???

I wrote in my very first blog posting about learning to be patient and all the waiting military spouses have to do. Well, I was informed yesterday that my soldier WON'T be home Friday but "hopefully" Saturday. (Deep breath). Something about a problem getting the flights arranged. Well, you would think that the powers that be would have had that all figured out, wouldn't you? Especially since they've had a month (at the very least) to prepare to bring the guys home from Louisiana. So I rearranged my work schedule, for a second time, and I will continue to wait. And hope for a Saturday return.
Another military life lesson....don't believe it until you SEE it.

Friday!

He is coming home Friday. Yay!

FRG Picnic

Pic taken this morning.....

Well, I survived the FRG picnic yesterday. These Army meetings/gatherings are really depressing to me. I guess when we all get together like that its obvious something is missing...our soldiers. And then the things we are talking about....Power of Attorney, block leave, deployment meetings, etc are not the most cheerful of topics.
I heard a rumor yesterday from one of the wives that the guys might not get back until next Monday. I haven't heard that, nor has the commander's wife. I talked to Dave last Thursday and he didn't say anything about being home later than planned.
For now I'm going to try to stay positive and expect him home by the end of the week.
Lets hope it is just a rumor. I don't want to go through another weekend....

Camera Critter Saturday...Sunday Edition

Wonder how long my mini-blind cords will last??
This is just Marley being Marley. TROUBLE.

Springtime in Colorado

I thought I'd be waking up to rain this morning.....SURPRISE!!!

Last weekend before Dave gets home! It should be busy and hopefully the time will go by quickly. We were suppose to have a FRG picnic tomorrow morning but its been postponed to Sunday afternoon now due to the weather. Thats fine with me, gives me more time to prepare.

I still don't know what day to expect hubby to return. Hopefully Thursday, maybe Friday. I can't wait to hear all the details of the training. The more I hear, the better I'll feel about the deployment. Army stuff usually bores me but after having nobody to talk to for a month I'll be happy to talk to him about anything!!

Family Care Teams

I've been doing alot of thinking the past few days, about alot of things, but also about joining our Battalion's Family Care Team. What is a Family Care Team? Well, they are members of the company (spouses) who, after some training, are the ones who help out families in need during the deployment. It may just involve cooking a meal or offering babysitting services but after last night's Battalion Steering Meeting I found out it could be so much more. In the event of an injured or, God forbid, lost soldier....the Care Team is called and meets up and goes in for the family after the official Army notification as taken place. The job of the Care Team is then to stay with the family until their extended family can arrive.
Personally I don't know if I have it in me to do that. I want to have it but I don't think its there. I had to fight back the tears during the meeting when it was just being talked about. Then I started thinking about gravity of the situation we're all about to enter into.
This is scary.

We also found last night that one of the wives lost her life this week. She wasn't in our battalion but her husband is away with the brigade in Louisiana training to deploy this summer. They had just arrived here at Carson from their last duty station and he was sent immediately off to train. They knew nobody here and instead of being alone she went home to her family. She was only there a short time and was found by her family. Her death is under investigation. Its an example of how important all this FRG stuff is, as much as I hate to participate. They were so new here and he was sent off so quickly her FRG didn't even know about her and couldn't reach out to her. I wonder if it would have made a difference?

I can't wait for my soldier to get home next week. We still don't know what day, I guess we'll get one day's notice. Nice.
I'll just be glad to get him home. :)

Camera Critter Saturday

Orlando, our interestingly insane 6 yr old.

Quiet on the homefront

I haven't written much because not much has been happening. I'm going to work, coming home, cooking dinner, watching a little TV or reading and going to bed.
I got a call from my soldier Wednesday morning at work and he's just been busy taking classes and training. Everyone in his company is passing around some bug so he sounded stuffed up with a scratchy throat. Poor dude. I didn't get to talk to him long so I didn't get lots of details on what they're actually doing. They do have a big field exercise coming up next week that is the highlight of their month of training. Next time he calls I'll try to get more info on that.
Fortunately my neighbor has plans for me to help them demolish their kitchen this weekend. That might feel good to do some pounding and ripping....I think it could be therapeutic. And of course I think cocktails might be involved. :)

Words to live by.....

Chopper

No matter how hard I try he is always in the same pose.

Saturday Morning

I was so looking forward to sleeping in today but was woken up by Chopper's restlessness. I laid still hoping he'd go back to sleep and I could hear the windchimes in our backyard. Then I started thinking about how I usually have to strain to hear them over Dave's snoring. Then I started thinking about Dave, then I was wide awake and Chopper made it clear he was ready to go outside.
So here I am, 5:30am on the computer and of course Chopper has fallen back to sleep. And he is now snoring. I usually treasure this early morning "me" time but now that I have an abundance of "me" time --its not so great.
I got 2 calls yesterday from my soldier. I think 3rd world countries have better cell phone reception than Louisiana. Since cellphone coverage is spotty at best, I got a call while Dave was away from where they are staying and stopped on a bus. The first call from the moving bus was unsuccessful. They're in classes this week, thats all I could get through the fuzzy connection. He called a couple hours later while I was in the pedicure chair and I could hear lots of other talking soldiers in the background. Apparently they were in a good cellphone reception area and everyone was calling their loved ones too.
Both calls were short but it was good to hear from him and be able to give him some updates from home.

The Military Wife
Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving......
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move........all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert,
The Arctic,
Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands;
his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
ABU
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

Got a Call!

Got woken up last night by another call. (Refer back to first post about not getting a full night's sleep). :) Dave's cell phone doesn't work in Louisiana so he had to borrow his Commander's phone. We didn't get to talk long but I found out he will have internet access down there so we'll be able to communicate that way. Also found out Dave's not sleeping well because his personal items haven't arrived yet, which include a poncho liner to cover up with, so he's been covering up with PT t-shirts at night. Poor guy. Thankfully its not cold down there. But after one night of that I'd be uber-bitch-from-hell. For sure.

One of my friends captioned a pic of our little Frenchie Chopper which sums up his feelings pretty accurately.

Dinner for One

Eating alone sucks.

Hello.

It was suggested to me to create a blog to chronicle my life as my husband's upcoming deployment draws near and to share my feelings while he's gone for a year to Afghanistan.
Perhaps he'll even get a chance to post on here too.
Being a military spouse is not an easy job. There are so many long hours, mandatory meetings/parties/fundraisers, etc....all of which I hate. But I am very proud of Dave and would do anything I could to make his job easier for him... supporting him 100% in his job and duty to our country... by putting up with the unpleasant part of military spousehood and holding the fort down at home while he's away. (oh and signing up to be the FRG treasurer....fun times...)

The rainbow at the end of this is he'll be retiring once he gets home and we are both SO looking forward to that.

That being said Dave just left April 5th for a month of training in Louisiana. Gone 2 days and the silence in the house is horrible. Our little French Bulldog, Chopper, keeps looking at the door waiting for his "dad" to walk in at any minute. I got a phone call from him yesterday saying he made it to his destination but haven't heard from him since-- which is fine. Fine until I absolutely HAVE to talk to him about something. But thats something you learn as a military spouse. It can wait....you will wait. Waiting is the name of the game. Waiting for them to return home, to call, to deploy, etc. I have become a very patient person in the past 12 yrs.
You also have to have a "go with the flow" attitude. You can't count on anything...from them being home in time for dinner, to getting a full night's sleep without the phone ringing, to being around for birthdays and holidays. My attitude is mostly..."whatever....just keep me posted" :)

This was taken last summer here in Colorado Springs. It was awesome for them to have been shown the love and support all our military deserve.