We Interrupt This Broadcast...

Remember when THAT message used to interrupt your favorite programs and make you roll your eyes?  I feel like I had one of those moments this weekend at my husband's deployment briefing.  I purposely had not "tuned in" to the fact that today marks the start of his last full week at home for at least a year.  Before Saturday, I was blissfully ignoring how entirely tiny the month of February actually is and how March was ready to roar in like a lion.

Then, the briefing and suddenly, it was like I was jolted from my happy land of denial over and over.

I will say that this deployment briefing was MUCH better than the last one I remember.  More resources, more take away information in easy-to-use formats and even some very nice goodie bags for the kids.  We also had a wonderful breakfast and lunch provided to us by The Thank You Foundation.  Lots of friendly faces in that group, including a familiar one (AF Sister, a fellow blogger), and that meant a lot.

Some things, though, remain the same and that, my friends, is why I wanted to just pretend these folks were talking to someone else about that someone else's husband rather than admit it was MY family needing to know anything and everything.

I won't bore you with the details of the amazing amount of things our state is not doing in a timely fashion (IDs, orders, etc) because I know most of you live that reality right along with me.  I will say, though, that until everyone's ducks are in a row and I can go through the motions without really putting myself in the deployment driver's seat, I wish we could just continue to pretend that this is not truly happening.

I know it's awful to think and probably even more awful to say, especially when there are so many people dealing with so much and who have done this dance much more often than me and mine, but I'm saying it anyway--I'm kinda over it.  I think this thought is especially not-so-good given that we don't even start until next week. 

My youngest is having an awful time with the idea of her Daddy being gone and it breaks my heart.  We're also in the middle of the paperchase for our adoption and realizing that I may need to do some fancy begging and crying in the next few days to make sure a few things are taken care of while he's still in the zip code.  I think because I have been running around these past five months (since we learned he was going) trying to take care of things from now until 18 months from now...I'm tired.

And, like the petulant kid I am, I refuse to just accept it and move on.  Nope.  Not this girl.  Because anymore, my brain operates like a DVR...I won't even know you've interrupted my broadcast of "normal" until I'm done watching all the shows I've been saving in my list of recordings.  Golly, it could be three months in before I even have to admit we're doing this deployment thing again...

Am I the only one who does this?  Or, are there those of you who, like me, wait to confront the new normal until you simply cannot avoid doing so?  Any advice for getting myself back into the deployment groove?  I'm all eyes!

Comments

[Homefront Six]

Denial is a place I know well. And they know me too.

I don't know that I'm able to get into the "deployment groove" until a few days or so after he leaves. It's the same for TDYs. Each separation is different so it takes me and the kids a bit to get our feet under us.

Good luck to you on this one and I hope your state gets it's poop in one sock with regard to the IDs and orders and such.

[LAW]

it's still not completely real.. and he's been gone 30+ days already! Getting the IDs and orders and all that - usually a giant Cluster mess of epic proportions. Since with this one, we're not NG anymore, it was wierd to not have to do all that running around. The last time, after the extension, it took a lot of phone calls to people with eagles and stars on their shoulders, to get the whole thing moving! I cannot imagine trying to get all the adoption crep together too! Yikes!

LAW

[Kits]

I'm not a spouse of any blench of the Military personnel. I just need some help or any information if I can get from you all. I just don't know where should I turn to for help.
My question is: Is it such a thing that I have to pay for a permit to have an Army personnel who is over Afghanistan to come back home to the USA? Or is it just a scam? That person said "his base commander has an agent that does all processing for him in the state, the fees wil be paid into the agent bank account and all process will commence". Is it truth? Can anyone help before I fork up the money to get this guy back home? Please tell me if I'm going to be scam for the money or not? Any help is greatly appreciate.

From someone who do not know anything about how Military work. Thanks

[Marine Wife]

Kits,
I've never heard of anything like this. Sounds like a scam to me.

[Kits]

Kits here again, Thanks Marine wife. Is there anyway I can find out the truth identify of this person who said he is a colonel in Afghanistan? He provide me all the information for how to do the direct deposit... If it is a scam, I would like to stop him to do this to someone else. Please tell me what to do or how to report to the Military police. You can email me at: jasmc911 at hotmail dot com. Thanks again.

[DB]

Kits: Don't pay anyone! It's not done that way AT ALL in the military. The JAG (Judge Advocate General) office at your post will be interested to know about this and would be a way to get the scammer shut down. Contact the JAG right away!