Mail Takes Too Long

I'm having mail anxiety.  It just takes too darn long for the mail to travel overseas.  And I'm nervous about jinxing myself.

It's happened before...

Counseling Assistance & Behavioral Health Come 'Home'

You will soon be able to access care from your computer.

More after the jump.

Scholarship deadline extended

Go here for more information.

Cooking pressure off

I am always worried about cooking for DH.  After watching this, pressure is off. 

Did You Know?

TRICARE Changes Cause Some Anxiety
Submit Your Photos for "Home Again" Music Video
Yellow Ribbon Program Opens Classroom Doors
Tips for Space-A Travel
Blood Center Is Lifeline for Servicemembers
Sesame Workshop Helps Children
New PTSD Program Available

More Updates  

Discipline: Military mom style

A good friend of mine, another Marine spouse, recently called me and told me about an incident involving her 2 sons.  They’d been in the car for several hours and were about 30 minutes from home when the kids’ bickering reached a fever pitch and my friend reached her limit.  She pulled over on the side of the road, under a tree. 

Then she kicked the boys out of the car.  She sat in the air-conditioned vehicle and told them to stay out in the heat and humidity until they’d solved their problem.  Each time they tried to reenter the vehicle, she’d ask, “Are you done?” and wouldn’t let them back into the car until they’d resolved their disagreement and were completely done with the bickering.

I heard from her again just last night.  Earlier in the day, her oldest son was mouthing off to her while they were in the car.  This time they were on the Marine base where they live.  She pulled over to the side of the road and told him to get out of the car.  Then she told him to do 10 push-ups.  After 2, he thought he’d done enough.  She informed him he had 8 more to go.  Around this time, my friend noticed a Marine running by doing his lunch-time PT.  He looked like he was trying to not laugh.

And lest you think my friend is alone in her discipline technique, I know another Marine spouse who often made her 4 kids do push-ups as punishment.  I’d try this myself, except my girls would probably just think it was fun.  They get that from their dad.

Stop! You Can't Do That!

We're down to the wire now, and the last few things I've neglected getting ready for deployment need to be done NOW or they will not get done at all. 

Among these is something that is not technically necessary, but gives me great peace of mind -

Silent Understanding

Before the Soldier deployed for his third tour earlier in the year, we decided that it would be best if Little Man and I came back home to stay with my family in civilian world. 

There are many days I miss military land and the people in it because there is a silent understanding of the lifestyle we have. If you meet someone new in military land and find out the spouse is deployed, you can share advice, stories and simply just talk. It doesn’t quite work that way in civilian land. Lately once civilians have found out the Soldier is deployed, the question du jour has been, “Oh. So, then what do you do all day?”

I admit it has caught me off guard simply because there was something about the question that bugged me. I wanted to tell them about the 60 deployment list I have, the different teams I’m a part of on Soldier’s Angels, the small business I’ve been working on for over a year, raising a 2 year old while trying to teach him two languages, trying to figure out potty training for him, and overall being a wife and mom.  If anything, I have found that living back home has increased my responsibilities and if you’re a spouse who finds yourself back at home then you might agree with me.

Only until recently did I finally understand why the question bugged me. If it had been a military spouse I was meeting for the first time then it probably would not have been asked.  Plain and simple, there is no need to. We understand certain things about our lifestyle that others couldn’t.  It is almost as if we belong to a secret society.

One of the things I loved about the first Spousebuzz conference I attended two years ago, as a brand new Army wife, was that for the first time I met others who understood. They understood my worries and concerns about militay life, deployment, shared funny stories, and gave advice when it came to conquering the gremlins. Overall, I finally felt like I found a place that made me feel welcomed. 

 I am very honored to be a part of the team and look forward to sharing my life and the experiences along the way with you, thank you!

Military Basebook

Do you Facebook?  Well, now you can also 'Basebook' - if you wish!

'Basebook' helps troops link up

Crushed

I'm not a big fan of coats, even when they're necessary and when we're living in cool climates which require them. For some reason, I've just never been able to find a coat I've totally loved. That's why I've opted to use cozy wraps. I have thick wool ones to shield me from the extreme cold, and wraps that are lightweight for less-extreme temps. 

When my husband was in Afghanistan, he sent several beautiful and colorful pashminas to me. I love them all, but I became attached to one in particular. My favorite pashmina was brown with punches of color here and there, but they were subtle so the wrap went with just about anything I chose to wear. 

I take that pashmina with me everywhere. It's really great to have when traveling or dining out because airplanes and restaurants tend to be cold. I was out of town this weekend and, as usual, had my favorite wrap with me. On the last leg of my connecting flight, I began to get cold so I got my bag out of the overhead bin to get my pashmina out. Only it wasn't there. I frantically began searching through the bag two more times, then around my seat and even in my purse. It was gone. It is gone. Somewhere, in one of the three airports I visited this weekend, I lost my favorite pashmina. I am crushed.

It's not just any old pashmina, it's the pashmina that my husband picked out for me when he was deployed, so it's more than just something to keep me warm. It's special. Whoever found it couldn't possibly know the what it means to me. I just hope they turn it in because for the last two years, when I've worn my pashmina, I've also worn memories that are important to me.

Ugh!!!!!!!!!  

True Friends' Celebration

Without getting into a pity party, suffice it to say I've had a monumentally lousy week.  Having said that, I'm painfully aware there are others who've had worse!  So, when I Facebooked about my lousy week one night last week, who was it that picked up the phone to make sure I was okay? 

Some local friend? No. 

A family member? No.

It was a SpouseBUZZ sister - of course! 

A friend from across the country (Nebraska to be exact! And you know who you are!!!) who offered me comfort and companionship, a shoulder to lean on and words of wisdom!  What a great group we have here!  What a solid wall of support to lean on and rely on!  What a magnificent group of milspouses!  Thank you, Andi, for conceiving this idea and giving all a tremendous bond with some of the most incredible people! 

It reminded me of just how intense the bond of Military Spouses is, across time and space.  Reminded me of the time Maint Toad stayed with me through Migs' ER visit and resultant surgery.  Reminded me of all the support Andi gave me when we were getting Sew Much Comfort up and running!  Reminded me of the pain we all felt when Trying to Grok endured so many miscarriages - we all felt the loss and heartache.  So, if you have MilSpouse stories of support, please feel free to share them and celebrate your MilSpouse friendships!

Military Girls Conference Set

National Guard Daughters Plan 'Sisterhood' Conference

More on marking time

When faced with deployments, many times we find ourselves marking time in different ways.

I never really liked the idea of counting down.  Which was convenient for us as Seadaddy is on his second deployment and we have yet to have a redeployment date before he left.  I am not sure how it works normally, but there was *no* ballpark/range for the first one and this one was given as 'mid to late August'.  And we have discussed recently how mid is not always mid.

All to say, while it might have been born out of necessity, I liked counting up.  For the first deployment it was putting up a picture a day for Seadaddy.  Whether or not he could check it once a day or once every three weeks or even though all too often the connection was so bad the pictures wouldn't load, I would put up a picture a day.  Some old favorites of ours that made the cut and were hanging around the house, some old ones that were forgotten in the archives of our external hard drive and also some new ones to show him what we had been doing.  What number the picture(day) was faded to the background as time went by and it became more about bringing a smile to Seadaddy's day.

Which may be why I like the idea Andrea has over at Sgt & Mrs Hubs.  Since her husband's deployment is going to be around 26 weeks long, she is devoting each week to celebrating and exploring a letter of the alphabet.  This seems like such a great idea for those with younger kids. And her eye when it comes to taking pictures is seriously awesome.

There is no right or wrong way to get yourself and your family through a deployment. But I love reading about what works for people to make the most of their snowflake.  So, whether it is just you, you and the dog(s) or you and a kid or four, how about some ideas on what worked for you?  Most of us can 'rest assured' another deployment in around the corner somewhere in the future and filing away an idea to help make the time go by with smiles along the way is always a good idea.

And really, it doesn't just have to be what worked for you. What doesn't work for you and you vow never to do again might prove helpful. 

Movers Beware

We are currently in the midst of another PCS move and we thought things were going really well.  We were pretty satisfied with our packers and the driver seemed to be a nice guy, too.

Then we arrived at our new duty station and received a call from the Transportation Office.  The caller (a female named Fred!) wanted to know if we had a partial DITY in addition to the moving truck.  JD told her we that we did and she informed him that we were already just 220 lbs. under our weight limit.  That didn't sound right seeing as how we'd just moved last year and our weight was about 3,000 lbs. less than that.  We were a little worried considering we'd just hauled about 2500 lbs. ourselves, but figured it had to be a mistake.

Anything but Boring

While everyday life can often be mundane, the military lifestyle offers quite a bit of adventure, too.  Early in my marriage, I met another spouse who had lived in Africa and spent time with gorillas.   I never thought I'd have stories to live up to that.  But now, I can say that I've had my fair share of adventures.   

Less than a year into our marriage, we packed up and moved all the way across the country.  A few months after settling in to our new home in the Mojave Desert, a 7.1 earthquake woke us up in the middle of the night.  Once, we opened our front door to find a juvenile rattlesnake coiled near the door at the same duty station.  In Korea, I thought monsoon season would never end and started to empathize with Noah a little too much.  Then there was the time my oldest child almost fell into the bear pit when our friends took us to the Singapore Zoo. 

Just last week, from a dock I watched a huge alligator in the wild that was only a couple of yards away from me.  Then this past weekend, I came within a foot of a stingray while at the beach with my family and my oldest almost came face to face with a barracuda while snorkeling.  My husband, who was right behind her, said she suddenly did a one-eighty in the water and started stroking for shore without ever lifting her head out of the water (or telling her dad he might want to go to shore, too).

Come to think of it, I could use a little less adventure in my life. 

And the Geardo Saga Continues

Air Force Guy missed 5.11 Day.  It was a big blow, but luckily the guy at the store selling 5.11 gear put everything he needed (ahem, it should be "needed", if you know what I mean) on back-order. 

This, of course, meant that we spent the last four days going into the 5.11 store every day for AFG to run in excitedly and ask, "Is it here yet?  Is it here yet?"  Today his things finally came in.  And we're at the point where the amount of gear in this house has surpassed critical mass. 

On a trip to the commissary...

Even though we live on post, I rarely venture into the commissary.  And I was going to say that I didn't know why, but today pretty much summed it up.  I do not carry cash.  Pretty much ever.  The baggers deserve/expect/require tips.  Our debit cards will only function as credit cards at our commissary, which means no cash back option.  I feel like a total milspouse failure as I try to figure out how to best (and least embarassingly) get the bagger to move on to the next aisle for someone who isn't breaking the rules.  But today this deer in headlights moment in my life was tempered by something pretty awesome I think I would have been unlikely to find in a civilian grocery store. 

At the end of an aisle I saw some bags and boxes of Red, White & You USO Sweethearts.  I just love that they are offering these.  I am not sure how they are going to hold up on a journey to Iraq, but I intend to find out.  The Necco site is selling the little boxes by the case so if you have more than a few months left on a deployment or send stuff for teams, etc that seems like a great idea. 

I included an image after the jump of the ad I found that is super cute and also printable and ready to mail out to deployed servicemembers. 

Coping mechanism, "not looking at the calendar" fail...

When DH was deployed the last time, I vowed to stay away from the calendar.  Some folks count down to the return of the soldier, and I had tried that with deployments prior.  I found it to be similar to looking for a needle in a haystack. 

Did You Know?

VA Uses YouTube to Promote New GI Bill
New GI Joe at Andrews AFB
Ease the Stress of Moving
Army Offers Family Respite Care
Prepare for Hurricane Season
Rules for Saluting the Flag Clarified
Operation Smile Partners With Military
Scholarship for Submariner's Children
Travel System to Modify Process

More Updates  

The Greater Good, or the Greater Good?

You know, military spouses tend to be a "jump in and get it done" group.  Or maybe a "go and get'em" group.  (And I know that I'm making a huge generalization here, but play along with me.)  And when we have the opportunity to do something that will benefit lots of people (your spouse's unit, your kid's school, your neighborhood), it seems obvious that we should do it.  It can be hard to remember that we've got people at home who need us, too, and our impact on them is a lot bigger than our impact on the rest of the world.

Last week, I was asked to do something that could, potentially, have helped military families as a whole.  I was very excited and it sounded like fun.  I immediately started scheming to stash my kids with friends and neighbors, reschedule swimming lessons, and generally juggle stuff so that I could participate.  Then I realized - it was the last day of camp for two children, and they were having a little presentation.  I quickly decided that it couldn't possibly be that important to them, and they'd be fine without me.

Just when I thought our experiences were unique....

Almost 20 years ago, when I became a new military bride, my mother gave me a clipping out of an old Wives Club newsletter from way back when she was a new military bride.  Recently, while trying to sift through all the clutter that has gathered in the house in the few years we've been here, I found the poem.  I was shocked at how similar it all was to what we all endure today!  So, I thought I'd share my blast from the past....

'Magazines' Has Two Definitions

Before my husband deployed, he decided that one thing he'd like to spend his own money on was PMAGs, polymer magazines for his rifle.  He was excited about buying these, and it was fun to see him enjoying his new toy.

My mother called that day and I was telling her about the errands we'd run, and how happy my husband was that he bought new PMAGs.  Then I realized she wouldn't know what that meant, so I tried to clarify by saying he'd gotten P-Magazines.  My mom doesn't know guns, but I thought that by now, after being an enthusiastic military mother-in-law for seven years, she would recognize the word 'magazine' to mean 'ammo cartridge.'

A few days later, my mother gingerly brought up the fact that I had been so nonchalant about my husband buying porn magazines.

Oh good heavens.

Never in a million years did I imagine that PMAGs could've been interpreted as pornography.

And thank goodness my mother was brave enough to ask for clarification!

AWTM cracked up when I told her the story; she said she could just imagine what my mother had been thinking in the interim, while she thought I had dutifully gone with my husband to pick out porn for him to take with him on deployment.  My mom laughed and said, "Well, I sure thought you were an awful understanding and supportive wife!"

When militarese goes bad, it goes very bad indeed...

Health Related Updates

See details after the jump!

You're a milspouse? So am I!

Have you ever noticed that when you meet another milspouse, particularly if you've gone without the company of other milspouses for awhile, that you trade much more data about each other in a speeded up "getting to know each other" phase so that you can move on to the "friendship" phase than is probably normal for most people?  You get the 411 on their military life quickly:  where they've lived, do they have kids, how many, how long have they lived here, when will they be moving.  It's a bit like speed dating, only looking for friends.  Okay, maybe it's just me. 

So, here I am.  And you probably want to know a little about me. 

I've been married to my Marine for 11 years now.  Ours is a mixed marriage:  I grew up as an Army brat.  My husband had already been in for 6 years when I married him, so I've always felt a little like I was playing catch-up on the learning curve compared to spouses who had been with their service member from the start of their careers.

In our 11 years of marriage, we've had 9 addresses, PCS'ed 6 times, gone through 3 deployments (2 to a war zone), had 2 children and 1 miscarriage.  We've lived on the East Coast, the West Coast and in the Far East.  We've lived on Marine bases, Army posts, a Host country military base, and now we are living in Civilian World with no base of any kind anywhere nearby.

In the past, I have volunteered with Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, L.I.N.K.S., the CREDO office, the Base Legal Assistance office, and as a Key Volunteer.

My husband's deployments have always been impeccably timed.  The first time he deployed to the Middle East, it was only for a month to take part in a planned training exercise, but it was less than a month after 9/11.  And he missed our oldest child's first birthday.  The second time he deployed to the Middle East was in early 2003.  We did that deployment old-school:  snail mail was our form of communication and letters took about a month to arrive.  We were able to talk on the phone only once.  The third deployment was much better in terms of communication:  we had email, phone calls, even video teleconferences.  But it was a year long!  And he deployed only a month after we moved into our new home after moving from overseas. 

Despite some of the rough times, this life is an adventure.  One I wouldn't have missed for anything.  After all, how many people can boast that their children once had their own gas masks? 

I'm looking forward to sharing some of my experiences and observations with all of you.  I'm incredibly honored to join the wonderful authors and commenters here on SpouseBuzz.  Thanks for having me!

I Love My Deployment Watch

When my husband was in Iraq, I kept getting confused about what the time difference was, especially after daylight savings time ended.  At one point we had a laughing argument about what time it was!  Once I found out that Afghanistan is is +4:30, with a weird half hour difference, I knew I was never gonna keep it straight.  So I bought one of these:

So far, I love it.  And it was really cheap, because I bought it on eBay from Hong Kong.  I had no problems with the transaction, and it even came with extra batteries.

I like feeling connected to him every time I look at my watch...

Navy Wife Beth Wilson "Makes History"

Interested in seeing the other side of a mission? Navy Wife Beth Wilson did. Read all about it.

Tonight on LIVEWIRE: The Sandbox

Join us tonight at 8:00 pm EST as we chat with David Stanford, the editor of Doonesbury's, The Sandbox. The Sandbox is a cool milblog that features dispatches from troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as entries from military spouses and troop supporters. In addition to the blog, there's also a book.

Click here to listen live at 8:00 tonight.

Feeling Bad Instead of Sad

Last night my husband deployed.  This morning I had an ultrasound to see if our baby was alive.

I found out I was pregnant three weeks before my husband deployed.  It is a welcomed turn of events for us, and we are hopeful that after so much sadness and dismay, we have another chance at creating a family (one that doesn't yet require spending thousands of dollars).  So with shifting deployment days and our bad track record at gestation, I didn't complain when they gave me an appointment after he was supposed to have left.  I have no energy left to worry about such trivialities.  The baby would either be alive or dead, and his presence would do nothing to change that.  Unfortunately, that's my normal. 

Nearly four years ago, Deltasierra commented about the miscarriage she had while her husband was gone.  I replied:

DS, I am so sorry about your miscarriage. That's not something I've ever even thought of having to deal with alone...and I'm so sad that you had to.

Never did I think I would go through that too.  Plus twice more while my husband was at home.  It is so my normal now that it's just another doctor's visit.  Only with more jitters.

Thankfully, as of this morning, the baby looks OK.  It will be a while before we can be certain, but it's a good start.

But what I really wanted to write about was how morning sickness can even further complicate pre-deployment emotions.

Not Enough Minutes To Go

This is what deployment day feels like. (Well, except for the dying in the end, heh.)
But you keep checking your watch, noting aloud how much time you have left.
My husband kept changing the words to this song all day and making me laugh.

"Well, we're cursing at Quiznos and I'm mowing the yard, with three more hours to go..."

It's hard to really enjoy yourself on that last day, because all you can do is look at the clock and count those minutes.

Breaths of Fresh Air

SpouseBUZZ is pleased to announce that we're adding four new authors to the current line-up. We're very excited about getting some fresh perspectives on military life here at SpouseBUZZ. As of now, we're ready to announce two of the new authors.

Marine Wife is, well, a Marine Wife. She's also been blogging for a long time at her own site. Many of us had the privilege of meeting her at SpouseBUZZ LIVE Ft. Bragg. 

Penny is an Army Wife and came to our first SpouseBUZZ LIVE event, which was held in Killeen, Texas almost three years ago. She must have had a good time, because she and her husband attended SpouseBUZZ LIVE San Antonio! Penny also has her own blog. 

Marine Wife and Penny, welcome aboard. We're really looking forward to reading your stories.

On an unrelated note, yes we took a hiatus from the SpouseBUZZ Challenge due to travel and SpouseBUZZ event, but get ready - it's about to start up again....

Bubba's Belly Run

An Army Wife Honors Her Fallen Husband.

Brian "Bubba" Bunting and his wife Nicki started their race towards a big family on their honeymoon, and wanted to keep on steadily gaining ground. Bubba’s deployment put a halt on their plans.

Bubba’s race to grow his family continues after he was tragically killed while serving in Afghanistan-just 4 days after returning from spending 2 weeks at home with his family for R&R. Neither he nor Nicki knew at the time he was killed that they had succeeded in attempts to expand their family over his short break from deployment. Nicki found out she was pregnant just days after the news came of Bubba’s death. Their son, Connor, would have a sibling after all.

Bubba’s Run is a 5K run in honor and memory of Captain Brian "Bubba" Bunting’s race to grow his family and for the benefit of his children’s education.

The race will be held the weekend of Nicki and Bubba’s wedding anniversary, when his original race began. 

Bubba's Run will take place in Maryland on September 27. Click here for more information about the run, and to see how you can help.

Looks like a great event:

All proceeds generated from this race will be used to support Bubba’s children’s education, The Fisher House™, American Widow Project, and Flat Daddies.

5K Run/Maternity Walk & Fun Run
Bullis School – Potomac, Maryland

Join Us As We Celebrate Our 1st Annual 5k Run/Maternity Walk & Fun Run.

Did You Know?

Transfer of GI Bill
TRICARE Expands Chiropractic Care
Expanded Homeowners Assistance Program
Water Safety Online Tool
Navy's New Travel System

More Updates  

Military Kids Blog

A new web forum for military kids is available!

Courage

Married to a Geardo

Yes, it's already been established that Air Force Guy is a Geardo.  I think he might be the King of the Geardos, in fact.  Or at least the heir apparent.  In any case, the man has never met a piece of gear or equipment he didn't feel that he absolutely MUST HAVE NOW.

So I'm sure you can imagine the near accidents that ensued when, at a stop light near a local shopping center, AFG noticed two banners near the road that blared "5.11 TACTICAL GEAR NOW HERE".

With judicious use of the horn, some pantomimed begging and gesturing, and the luck of fifteen leprechauns, AFG managed to skate across three lanes of rush hour traffic and into the shopping center in question.

Lost In Translation

If you are a regular reader of SpouseBuzz you may or may not know a few things about me.  Lest I lose YOU in translation too, let me tell you two things.  First, my husband is deployed.  Second, we are in the middle of an international adoption.

That, apparently, is a combination ripe with frustrating possibilities.

Please Define "Mid-"

Last year when my husband deployed, he was supposed to leave in mid-May.  He left May 6th.  That's not "mid" in my book.  This year he's supposed to leave mid-July.  I said I'd believe it when I see it...

You Might Be a Military Family If...

Everyone in the family has their own personal Camelbak...

Did You Know?

Post 9/11 GI Bill Options
Veterans Benefits Guide Available
Tool Aids Vets GI Bill Decision
Relief for Military Homeowners
Army Offers Crisis Resources
CertifiChecks Update
Wounded Warrior Resource Directory

More Updates

Fit Club: It's Working!

Thank you, my Fit Club friends.  I don't know which is the magic key, reporting to you, or the food journal, or dropping the beer for white wine spritzers, but something is working!  I'm rapidly pushing towards the half-way point of my fitness goal for DH's deployment, and I've only been really serious about it for about three months.  I'm so excited!

On the downside, I haven't been exercising much.  I think I'm just inherently lazy, plus we are so busy, and I've been sick.  (Ugh!)  But I have been walking a good bit and swimming a few times a week, so I haven't been sitting inside and watching TV every day.

How is the summer affecting your fitness plans? 

The Beginning of Not The Same

I realized as I was sitting in a completely empty house on July 4th with no working knowledge of our gas grill that, perhaps, I should just admit to myself that this is our first of "just not the same" days that we will meet head on this year.

My next thought?  I knew a place I could go where I would not be the only one doing this today.

Just Spaghetti?

Last night we had the d'Arc family over for dinner while they were in town, which was a lot of fun.  I made homemade spaghetti and meatballs for our dinner.  In bed at the end of the evening, I asked my husband if he'd enjoyed his dinner.  "Yeah, sure, it was fine," he noncommittally said.  Only fine?  That didn't seem like the praise I was fishing for.  "Well," he continued in a bored and sleepy voice, "I mean it was just spaghetti and meatballs."

To which I huffily and half-jokingly replied...

I rolled three kinds of raw meat mixture and made homemade tomato sauce for hours yesterday.  Not to mention the salad and the from-scratch cookies.  How about this: how about you spend the next nine months eating DFAC food and MREs, and then we'll see how you feel about my "just spaghetti and meatballs."

I hope he gets all Beef Franks MREs all deployment long...

The Hostility in this Household Must Stop!

I love having my husband home and not deployed. I really, really do. But, I've found things around the house are always a little different when he's home. Specifically, there are several items in the house which seem to prefer that my husband be far, far away from home. They like me. They do not like him. When he returns, they suddenly disappear. I'm not sure what he's done to them, exactly, which causes them to perform their vanishing act. 

But they do. And it's getting to be problematic.

Pre-Deployment and the State of my Rear End

A few weeks ago Butterfly Wife posted on her blog a question - should she change her blog name to Does This Army Make My Butt Look Big?

What a timely question (and I nearly died laughing reading the newly proposed title!).  Just the last few weeks I've been wondering something close to that myself - Does this pre-deployment make my butt look big?  I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

For the record, I'm not blaming anyone, any entity, or anything outside of my own self for the state of my rear (and arms, and legs, etc ad infinitum).  I know darn well that I made the choice to eat that, not do that exercise, and so on.  However, I also figured out last go-round that pre-deployment certainly makes it a lot easier to throw caution to the winds!

In a nutshell, knowing that the love of your life is going to be gone for a year (or more) and with the beginnings of anticipatory grief making themselves heard, who can say no to just one more trip to Baskin Robbins when the husband says he'd like to go just one more time?  Of course, it won't be the last time, but I pretend not to realize that...

Fleece? This Is New...

My husband's been to Iraq twice, so this will be his first trip to Afghanistan.  I realized something when he was packing over the weekend, something that hadn't yet crossed my mind: Afghanistan has seasons.

It was strange to see my husband packing a duffel of cold-weather gear to be shipped ahead of time.  Cold-weather gear for deployment?  This is new!  But this is a place where, apparently, summer temperatures can reach 115°, while winter temperatures in high altitudes can fall to -15°.  And we still don't know exactly where he's going, so he better be prepared for anything.

Sadly, packing cold-weather gear essentially more than doubles the amount of stuff you have to hump...