Sad songs say so much

Ok… so I know it can be extremely tormenting to listen to certain sad songs during a deployment, even most love songs strike a chord. I try to avoid this torture, but sometimes it’s just one of those things I can't really evade. A fellow volunteer- friend of mine posted this song today and it literally just sounds like I have been feeling. I hadn’t heard it before, so thank you for sharing Jessica :) If I had a soundtrack in my head that matched my feelings it would sound something like this.




Hmm…I think I need to work on making my posts a little more upbeat.  It's just where I’ve been lately in my thoughts, but I promise I will make an effort to blog about the good things too!

My DH's Brillant Idea

No really, I do think it's brillant...no sarcasm here.

Knowing we would have email and letter correspondence during this deployment, we got one of those question books for couples.  They have hundreds of questions about a variety of topics; a lot of which are very obscure that we probably wouldn't have ever thought about before.  Our plan is to work through the book answering the questions in emails and letters to eachother.  That way, we are learning more about eachother, growing and having interesting conversation even while we are apart.
It's been really interesting ...I'm always excited to see how my husband will answer.

Just a idea that might work for you!

Taking it one day at a time

A realization I had recently-

I can deal with the deployment much better when thinking about it on a day to day basis. The minute I start looking forward at the long stretch ahead of us I start freaking out. OMG I have 7 more months of this?! Or as the "donut of misery" tells me "A long, long way to go"
When I think strictly what I am doing today or what is going on right now the daunting timeframe ahead of us goes away. Basically, everyone that told me repeatedly "just take it one day at a time" is absolutely right!
Thinking about the present really seems to help me momentarily forget about the deployment and live in the moment, without trying to sound too cliché.

Note: If you're interested in countdowns, google "donut of misery." It is an excel file that breaks down, in detail, how much time left in the deployment...

Need to Smile?

With a little over a week down, this is my list so far of smile generators for the deployment slumps!


1. This Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHAshi4vdbg
2.  Aussie 3 minute miracle deep-conditioning treatment.  Makes you feel luxurious :)
3. Crossing things off my “To Do” List
4. Starting, reading & finishing a really good book
6. Emails from my DH
(This you can't control, but it seems like email access has been pretty good.  Some places even have WIFI.  If your husband or family member is deploying soon try to find out if they have WIFI access where they are going.  We made the mistake of not packing the laptop for this deployment)

I'm sure I'll be adding more to the list!

Putting on my Sneakers

I’ve been having trouble the mornings I don't have something to do.  I tend to mope around for a while and procrastinate the day. So I've found a new strategy that really seems to work. I put on my sneakers! Something about having them on gets me going, it’s like they tell my body “Get it together!” My sneakers don’t mess around; they get things done.

This is it

This first blog post comes a few days after my Marine left for his first deployment to Afghanistan. Therefore, this is also my first journey through a deployment. I had wanted to start this blog prior to the departure but the weeks leading up to D-day just seemed too precious to spend on the computer.
As much as I tried to be prepared and "ready" for this experience, now that it’s here, I don't think anything could have prepared me for the rollercoaster, kick- in- the- stomach feelings I've been experiencing.

In the words of a fellow spouse “It sucks.” Yea, it does.
But I hope this will help & inspire me to find ways to get me through it.

So as part of a series of introductory posts…

Why I started this blog: Like many military wives do, I wanted to have an outlet/journal to chronicle my first deployment. This life of a military wife is a very unique experience that is shared only by others in the same position. As much as it may hurt, we do get through it. And we are lucky enough to have heroes for husbands!
What I really hope to get from writing: Comments, support & suggestions; maybe thoughts/advice/encouragement from other spouses going through or seasoned in the art of deployment.
Things are pretty hard now, but if it wasn’t hard everyone would do it, right?