He's Back! Now What?

Air Force Guy has been back from deployment for about a week and a half now.  So, on one hand - YAY!  It's been great to have him back - that worry you scrunch down to the bottom of your stomach?  I feel strangely light now that it's gone.  That insomnia that was keeping me up until three or four in the morning?  I'm usually asleep by 11 at the latest now.  And - as all deployment veteran wives know, the *ahem* frustration level has dropped to nothing (although we still have months to make up for, and I do plan on making them up). 

Life is good.

On the other hand...

The Final Sprint

Air Force Guy's current deployment is rapidly coming to a close - although it seems like the days are moving more slowly than my kids when I call bedtime, the time altogether seems to be hurtling  like a freight train towards homecoming day.

What this means to me, of course, is that the last two weeks have been filled with stress and upset about all the things that I didn't get done, the things I should have started, the fact that my house isn't clean enough, and my rear end isn't small enough.  In fact, I have christened the mad sprint I am going through right now (which centers around 9 boxing/kickboxing workouts a week and the most boring - albeit healthy - eating plan ever devised by a professional dietitian) "Operation Make My A** Smaller". 

This is far from our first deployment or homecoming.  I should know better by now, but it seems I never truly learn.  And it probably doesn't help that I have a competitive streak the size of a politician's ego - I made a goal for myself and I'm going to reach it, so help me, if it's the last thing I do.  The floor will be scrubbed, the beds will be made, my hair will be perfect, and I will fit into that next size down jeans or I will kick and punch and bob and weave until I fall over dead in the ring.  Then I won't need the jeans, so it all works out in my mind.

Virtual Road Trip--Who Wants Shotgun?!

Some of my fondest memories from childhood were the road trips.  I especially remember my mom's habit of stopping at the brochure walls at restaurants or highway rest areas, collecting the ones that were "on our way" either to or from our final destination, and stopping at some really incredible places.  Sometimes, they were historical and other times hysterical, but memorable nonetheless.

Last summer, we were in the official beginnings of my husband's deployment to Iraq.  Fast forward to this summer and we've added a kindergartener to the fold and my husband isn't traveling anywhere.  Because of our until-further-notice sentence of being housebound, I've become even more nostalgic about summers past and have already begun fantasizing about future summers where we can actually have fun.

I realized I'm likely not the only one whose summer is passing by at warp speed with nothing good to show for it.  I thought maybe someone in the crowd would want to join me on a virtual road trip and maybe we could have some fun without spending money or packing bags.  And, for those in our group who can go places or have already been traveling, pull out those travel tips and be ready to share!  Military families are some of the most well-traveled folks in any given room, so I KNOW you know how to have a good road trip.

Whose coming along for the ride?

 

Perspective From the Flipside

When my husband deployed to Iraq, it seemed like most people thought my fears and worries would be focused on a worst case scenario that involved my husband not coming home.  To me, it seemed like that fear was almost inherent to deployment to a war zone.  And, because I treat worrying like a competitive sport, I couldn't just stop there.

Nope.

I concentrated on the smaller things.  Things that wouldn't end his life, but would impact his civilian career.  A wrenched back, a twisted knee or something else that would prevent him from putting on the Brown and doing it for you.

What would happen to us if that happened?

Baffled...But Maybe It's Just the Heat?

The only light in this room right now is my Mac.  Lighting is too hot!  Our AC decided that it needed a break tonight.  Never mind that it has been steamy (literally) here today after several thunderstorms that only added to the humidity rather than dispel it.

My husband has been trying to connect with a buddy for two months.  He's wanted to have that "Hey!  I'm home from Iraq with all my pieces and parts" beer with him and tonight is the night! 

Then, the AC went out and my husband, in all seriousness and sincerity, said, "I'm going to call Jon and tell him I can't make it.  I can't have you home alone waiting for some repair guy to come!  It's almost eleven!"

::Blink, Blink::

Hello?  Have we met?

A Hobby Is Not the Answer

I haven't written anything lately because life has been hectic.  My husband returned from Afghanistan ten days before our first child was born.  For those of you who have reintegrated from a deployment and had a baby, I imagine you can understand that doing those two things simultaneously has not been easy.

Borrowing Trouble

It's an old expression, but one my family swears I invented.  I'm always "borrowing trouble" or worrying ahead.  I find, though, that preparing for the worst is the best way for me to be prepared for it.  And, even if the situation turns godawful, my imagination proved approximately 45% worse.  So, worrying ahead made it seem not as bad as it could have been.

Did I mention I also rationalize things in a circular manner?

As if I didn't have enough to worry about on a daily basis, we mixed it up in March.

My husband arrived home on a Monday from his year-long deployment to Iraq. At his homecoming ceremony, our adoption agency called to tell us we needed to be in Ethiopia that following Tuesday for our Embassy appointment.  That meant we needed to leave that Friday to be in country in time.

And so begins the trouble borrowing...

"Talk, Listen, Connect” 2010 Tour

USO Announces Sesame Workshop Tour Dates

The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families, a free traveling USO show based on Sesame Workshop’s award winning “Talk, Listen, Connect” initiative and produced in partnership with Vee, is back in the United States after an around-the-world tour.

The show, which is exclusively for military families, kicks off its second swing through the United States on April 17 at Fort Knox, Ky.

Audiences will experience a 25-minute character performance and receive promotional items and outreach materials, officials said.

The Sesame Street Workshop/USO partnership put on its first show at Twentynine Palms, Calif., in July 2008. Since then, The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families has traveled more than 45,000 miles to 76 bases in nine countries. More than 120,000 servicemembers and families have been entertained during 176 shows.

“The momentum that this show has gathered since it first performed for military kids and families is unbelievable,” said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop president and CEO. “To see how families come together and then use the messages from the show to talk to their kids is the greatest reward that we could ask for. We at Sesame Workshop are thrilled to continue this work with our partners and friends at the USO and reinforce our commitment to military families.”

Sloan Gibson, USO president, noted the positive impact the tour is having on the military community.

“The fact that more than 100,000 troops and family members have attended these shows so far speaks volumes about the tour’s relevance to today’s military,” Gibson said. “We listen to our troops and understand the challenges they face at home, and are proud to call Sesame Workshop our partner in helping to ease the daily stresses on military families.”

Homecomings and Root Canals: A Very Bad Combination

My husband finally made it home. I had only a few hours notice so, of course, the panic ensued. So did a raging toothache. There is nothing worse than a toothache. You can't eat solid food, you can't smile, you can't sleep through the pain. The constant throbbing and intense pain just doesn't subside until whatever is wrong is made right again by a dentist. 

I went to the dentist only to receive a referral to a specialist for a root canal. Yay! But nothing is ever easy, is it? I couldn't get the root canal until Monday, so the weekend was a complete disaster. Nothing like spending a homecoming alternating between extreme pain or deep slumber induced by pain meds and antibiotics.

What a romantic, wonderful way to celebrate a homecoming! 

The important thing is that he's home safe and sound, but boy would I like a do-over....

Up In The Air

Although it is grammatically incorrect and it may make a nice title for a movie, the title of this post is not my favorite way for things in my life to be.  The end of deployment is upon us.  I'm not trying to be sly when I say I'm not sure when my husband will be home, but that I just know it's soon.

Not that I have to tell YOU that because you get it.

It's everyone ELSE who seems to think I'm keeping secrets.

No! Don't Come!

(This is actually old, but I couldn't quite finish it when it was current.  I'm sure you'll understand.)

Today's the day!  My husband is coming home!  Of course, I hopped out of bed as soon as the alarm went off.  I made the day's to do list, and started packing, and doing chores, and trying to get ready.

At first, I tried to ignore the nagging feeling that I wasn't ready.  But as the morning progressed, and the time to leave came closer, it got harder to ignore.  This house is a mess!  I'm a mess!  His half of the closet is still full of my stuff!

Then came the bad thought:  "Maybe their flight will be delayed."  A bad thought, because that isn't supposed to make you feel good.  But for a moment, it did.  Imagine what I could do with another 24 hours.  (Just ignore the fact that I've had 12 months.)

Of course, I don't want him to be delayed - I want him to be home.  But I can't imagine that I'm the only person who has ever had that thought.  As the day went on, the dream got bigger.  "Maybe I'll get two days."

Let's face it.  Another day, or two, isn't going to make me ready for him to come home.  I need to just let it go, get to terminal, and enjoy having my husband home.

The Definition of Insanity

The same scenario happens every deployment.  My husband leaves town in a rush, leaving his gear strewn all about the house and car.  I clean said gear up and put it in a box or garbage bag.  I proceed to trip over it and shuffle it around for months until I finally break down and put it away for good.  For "safe keeping."  Then my husband returns from deployment and we want to spend time hugging and snuggling.  And the night before he has to return to work in garrison, we end up cranky with each other because neither of us can remember where his boots, beret, uniforms, reflective belts, etc are.  Seven months later, I've forgotten what I stowed away in that bag and where I finally put it "for safe keeping."  He can't even remember what kitchen cabinet our glasses are in, much less where his beret would be.  And so it's 11 PM and he's digging through boxes in the garage looking for the uniform he needs for the next morning.

They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  Maybe next time we need a better system for gear storage.  But somehow I think we'll probably just replay this scenario again..

The Odds Are Going to Improve (For Me, at Least)

Things in the parenting department have been a little slack around here lately.  Over the course of the last year, I've tried to keep up with some regular order and general sense of discipline.  Sometimes it has worked, sometimes it hasn't.  Let's face it - I am seriously outnumbered.  There are four of them, and only one of me, and the one of me has been stretched a little thin.  There have been many days when I've thought, "I don't care what you do as long as it is quiet!"  Best not to say that out loud, though.

Fortunately, we're adding another adult here pretty soon.  We are all super-excited to have Daddy come home, but I am a little concerned about how my kids will react to this shift in power.  We've all heard the stereotype of a military dad coming home and imposing his military order on the household.  I'm guessing that isn't exactly what's happening  at least not all of the time.  It seems more likely that it is a simple math calculation:  twice as many parents means twice as much parenting.  I've got a house full of kids who have grown a lot, taken on new responsibilities, gained some privileges, and gotten away with some stuff that they shouldn't have managed.  They have had more control than they ever had before this deployment.  Adding Dad back into the equation means twice as many chances to get caught doing something wrong, twice as many opportunities to be reminded to do your chores, and twice as many times that someone is going to be checking on you when you are reading under the covers.  The odds are shifting in favor of the grown-ups, and that can't be fun for the kids.

I've talked to my kids about this idea and they act as if they understand.  I have my doubts that they've really internalized what I was saying, or that they'll care when they realize how Dad's return is going to change their world.  Hopefully, there won't be any dramatic explosions or meltdowns (though I'm not particularly optimistic about that) and we can easily transition back into a family where the parents are pretty clearly in charge of stuff.

Yeah, I'll let you know how that plan works out.

Hearts Aren't For Sleeves

I can tell the end of this deployment is in sight.

Aside from the long to-do lists, the bags beneath my eyes, the new white hairs popping up all over my head (note to self:  root touch-up tomorrow night...STAT!), and my constant desire for but inability to sleep, I'm also not explaining myself anymore.

I've kind of decided it isn't anyone's business what's going on with me and, especially if you don't know me, if you have an issue with how my show is running at this point?  Well, too bad.

Greener Grass and All That Jazz

Why is it that even when you are sure of your decisions and that you chose wisely, that the grass STILL looks greener in someone else's yard?

The latest example of this for us?  Our decision that my husband not come home for R & R.

"Worlds Apart"

When service members come home from combat sometimes they feel "Worlds Apart."

No matter your service affiliation or duty status, the below will hit home (and hopefully be of help) for many.

My Children Have Lost Their Minds

We are remarkably close to my husband's return home for R&R, or mid-tour leave, or whatever it is called nowadays.  We're all obviously a little excited, but I am overwhelmed by the level of wackiness coming out of my children.  Really, I don't know how we'll get through two weeks of Dad without some sort of colossal collision of kid craziness X4 and one Dad who hasn't been around kids in a long time.  Of course, it is possible that the conflict will actually be between the kids and me, since I have visions of a pleasant two week visit that is free of any friction and foolishness.

One part of me wants to believe that this is normal and expected, and the other part of me thinks that they should STOP RIGHT THIS MINUTE.  Even though we're all different, and I can see that my kids are each responding in their own ways, I'd still love to hear your experiences, thoughts and tips.  Anything to help me remember that it's all going to turn out OK - please share!

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.

"That Lovely Army Jerk-You-Around Stage"

Entirely coincidentally, many of us SpouseBUZZ authors all seem to be right at the beginning of deployments at the moment.  To my knowledge, no one is at the end of a deployment right now.  But Sis B is, and she's been liveblogging her feelings on pre-reintegration.  Today's hilarious quote:

We're at that lovely Army jerk-you-around stage when they will either be home tomorrow or maybe in three weeks or possibly by your birthday but not before Independence Day but it could always be by Father's Day but don't make any plans until after Labor Day but wait until Christmas if you want to be really safe. No, really, they're serious this time, ya'll!

Heh.  Go follow Sis B and the kids as they wait for Daddy to come home this month.  Or next month.  Or by Christmas.  You know, whatever.

What I meant to say about reintegration...

At last weekend's Live event in Norfolk, our panel addressed reintegration.  Actually I think it was addressed by everyone but myself.  And yet this is something I've dealt with before.  As per my usual, it took me a couple minutes to come up with what I wanted to say.  I just never got a chance to say it because we were off to other topics and lots of great input from everyone that came.

So I figured I would share here. 

A Little Disoriented

My husband, who is deployed right now, had to come to Washington, DC, for a meeting.  And since we live near DC, this meant that he was coming home unexpectedly.  As you can imagine, I was delighted.  Okay, delighted with reservations.  He's only been gone two months, so I have made close to zero progress on my whole "get skinny-clean and decorate the house-save a bjillion dollars-transform the children into model citizens" plan.  But those aren't really the important things, so I was truly delighted when he climbed into the car at the airport.

The first night, (when I'm sleeping on my own side of the bed instead of his side, where I sleep while he's gone,) I wake up in the middle of the night and realize that there is someone in my bed and it isn't a child.  I clearly wasn't entirely awake because I'm perplexed.  I'm pretty sure that I know who this person is, like his name and his personality, but I'm not exactly sure how he's related to me or why he is in my bed.  In my delirium, I figured I'd better go sleep on the sofa.  As I'm fumbling around for my glasses, it occurs to me: maybe I'm married to him.  Since this sounds vague familiar, and I'm really tired, and the sofa is at least twenty five feet away, I just put my head back down on the pillow.

Fortunately, my confusion was gone when I woke up properly the next morning.  However, it made clear to me how hard it must be for my husband's brain to keep track of the upheaval of his life.  And it was funny, in retrospect.  Plus, I remembered who he was for the whole rest of the visit. Yeah!

New Family Retreats from NMFA

You may have heard about the National Military Family Association (NMFA) Operation Purple Camps.  This year, they are trying a new program:  Operation Purple Family Retreats.  From the website: 

It is difficult on the entire family when a loved one is deployed, but the time after that father, mother, husband, or wife returns  home is often the most challenging of all. Recognizing this, the National Military Family Association is piloting two Operation Purple® Family Retreats. These free, four-day retreats are set in a National Park using nature’s classroom, where families will have opportunities to strengthen and renew relationships, explore their natural surroundings, and participate in fun family-focused activities.

The camps are designed for families who have had a service member return from deployment within the last twelve months.  The camps are being held in March in two locations, California and Washington state, and they are free!  If you live near either of the locations, and you have a recently returned family member, you might want to check it out.  It sounds like a great way to have some affordable family time.

Reintegrating

My husband returned from Iraq a week ago.  The first few days were not so easy.  I wrote:

When your spouse is gone, it is easy to romanticize everything. We're the greatest couple that ever existed and we never fight and life is always flowers and sausages. And then he comes home, and you realize you had forgotten the little things that have bugged you for seven years of marriage.

I was referring to my husband's bad habit of falling asleep in the middle of our conversations.  And yes, I was frustrated at his seeming lack of interest in talking to me, but it was more than that.  As soon as he walked in the door from deployment, we had a big decision right on our shoulders: what to do with his block leave.

The Milspouse Lens

As the end of 2008 draws ever closer, I realized that being a military spouse has created yet another noticeable difference in the way I operate.  I bet it has for you too.

Cashing In My Chips

AWTM has the distinction around here, like it or not, of being our resident go-to person on reintegration.  And I personally always felt fine letting her have that title, because I didn't really grok her experience.  I always assumed that her discomfort with reintegration came from the fact that she had babies while her husband was gone, so they went from being just a couple to being a family.  Or I thought it was because her husband came back changed.  Or that they were having a hard time getting back in sync as a family when he got home.  Since I had not experienced any of those things, I never fully understood AWTM's trepidation about reintegration.

But I wrote here before that deployments are like snowflakes.  I was talking about my soldier in that case, but I am starting to see that deployments can feel very different from the homefront too.

They come home, and sometimes it feels different.

When I ask my fellow wives "how are things going?", when their loved one returns from battle.  I am not trying to uncover any gossip or dirt. 

I seriously  want to know. 

When my DH came home, he seemed quieter, more contemplative, didn't seem to require much sleep, and well it took a while for us to learn our new dance. 

I Know You Know

So that's why I'm asking.

If you have a fool-proof method of turning cluttered chaos into uncluttered utopia, I'm all ears.  If you're looking for help, let's hope others share!

When Goodbye Feels More Like Good Riddance

During our weekend in Virginia, Andi posted some of our "greatest hits" and one of my old posts prompted a new comment that posed a good question.

Armybrat AF Wife asks if any SB readers' spouses have "crazy coping mechanisms" to make it through a goodbye.  Now, she has me curious too.

More Help For Military Brats

Battlemind Website Features Children's Videos

Battlemind has added children’s resources to its homepage. “Mr. Poe and Friends: Discuss Family Reunion After Deployment” and “Military Youth Coping with Separation: When Family Members Deploy” have been added to the “video resources” section of the website.

The website can be accessed here.

When things don't go according to plan

I know it isn't smart to imagine(plan on) smooth sailing and perfection when anticipating reintegration.  But even when things seemed on the right track, what happens when things go downward rather quickly?

Where there was once good nature and even temper, what do you do when faced with threats and ultimatums?  Absolutely not threats of physical violence, let that be clearly stated.   But how do you respond when the patience and understanding you remember has been replaced by a much shorter and volatile fuse you don't know how to respond to?

In advance of the upcoming appointments, I was hoping for some comments about anyone else who might find themselves having faced similar issues.  Or might just have something to make the whole thing gain a helpful perspective.

Perspective

My husband has been home for just over a month from an IA deployment.  As a relatively new navy wife, we pcs-ed to shore duty before I experienced an underway deployment.  So an IA deployment to Iraq was going to be my initiation.  Ack!  And while his original orders were to sit on a FOB behind a computer screen, somewhere along the way that turned into conducting raids and rounding up bad guys in some of the worst sections of Baghdad.  Just a tad different from anything I had pictured in my mind's eye when I thought of what marrying a sailor would entail. 

But last night we finally got around to watching two items on our list of things to watch, both Iraq related. 

Gunner Palace & Bad Voodoo's War

I figured the day after would be a perfect time to sit down and write my first post (and thankfully our sleeping son must agree).

The Post I Ignored for Sixteen Months

This is one of those posts that I've put off writing for many, many months. It's a post which will garner a lot of discussion through comments and email, or very little. It's also one of those posts which may cause me to get into trouble with my husband. But hey, I'll take one for the team here.

It's a post about....

Honey, I'm Home.... Honey, I'm Leaving....

This morning, I read an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about reintegration.

It's an emotional and psychological adjustment for the family when a Marine or sailor deploys, and another emotional and psychological adjustment when he or she returns. Sometimes, in the up-tempo deployment schedule, it seems there's barely time to get adjusted to one phase when another one begins.

And while it may seem counterintuitive to civilians, many military spouses say the homecoming phase can be the most difficult of all. With that in mind, the military provides "return and reunion" briefings to both the stay-behind and deployed spouses.

Reintegration is a subject we've discussed at length here at SpouseBUZZ. It's one of the most inquired about topics among our readers and SpouseBUZZ LIVE attendees.

Thursday Night SpouseBuzz Radio!

Tonight, Dr. Roca from the Veterans Administration will join Guard Wife and I for a discussion re: reintegration for SpouseBuzz Talk Radio. 

I am guessing most of us have been there and done that, now that 9-11 happened 6 years ago. 

However, the best thing about being surrounded by your peers, is finding out YOU ARE NOT ALONE.    The last time, I had scheduled Dr. Roca, I made a time error, so sadly he could not join us.  The good news, it gave Guard Wife and I some time to talk about our familes own growing pains during deployment.  And all of the feelings that come up right before a reunion.  You can listen to that show in the SpouseBuzz Talk Radio archives HERE. 

My routine has been compromised...

...by my husband!!!

My husband was gone for the summer and I took on all of the responsibilities around the house - including yard work.  My husband gave me "permission" to hire someone else to do the yard, but now that I have a "new appreciation" for yard work, I was determined to do it myself.  So I did.  HA!  Then he came home and messed up my routine... the NERVE!

Quiet Panic

We have discussed various realms of deployment and reintegration in the past.  I have an experience to share with you that seemingly came out of nowhere and dates back to a previous deployment.

Unfinished business as usual...

My DH is on his way home after being away at a 6 month training. 

And oddly enough, I am not running around like a chicken with its head cut of.  Because the old me, well she would have been doing just that. 

Ironing duvets, scrubbing out junk drawers, and other odd displays of regaining a sense of control I suppose. 

Nope no this time. 

Countdown...

My question for this post is, "How do you count down the time while your spouse/significant other is away?"

My life has been a series of semesters for the past 4 years.  I have been in grad school since August of 2003.  I have found that my "time gauge" for DH's return from wherever is based on semesters (or mid-terms, finals, etc.).

Homecoming

Homecoming = Your service member will soon be coming home from a deployment.  Reunion time is a wonderfully exciting time for military families.  And possibly a bit stressful.

This posting will include various resources available to help spouses, children, girlfriends, boyfriends and parents of service members.  Some of the same available resources can be used in preparing for R&R time as well.  I hope that you will find the information helpful during your journey.

Shaving and other sure signs the spouse is coming soon!

I like to ease into my homecoming preparations.....today I shaved.  It's a sure sign my husband is coming home soon.

You Might Be a Military Spouse When...

Even your three year old can use the acronym "PTSD" in a sentence correctly.

Incoming ... and on target

Having just wrestled sure success from failure on a topic near and dear to most men, (well, maybe not sure success, but ...) I thought I'd share one of my "guy" flubs with those of you who, well, know better (from birth).  So as I logged on to SpouseBUZZ as one of the authors, I did what we all do as we log on.  We quickly review recent posts, laugh out loud and at times become quite proud of one of our fellow authors who has seized on a thought and made it make sense.  And sometimes, it sidetracks you from the topic you were going to address, to something radically different -- as is the case now.

For those of you out there in the Blogosphere, a quick reminder that most of the 12-13 of the authors on SB have met only briefly either in person or in a sidebar on the net.  In that time, a fellowship and camaraderie was established about "who we are" on the outside as well as "what we are about" on the inside.  We're a disparate group for sure, but we all came to the meeting table w/ the walls down and the "doors open" as we had to get inside each others head to make this thing work. 

Below this post, is Molly's "Incoming" work of art.

Incoming

I've spent four months not writing this post.

Thinking about writing this post, planning to write this post, feeling guilty for not writing this post, but not actually writing it.

Four months ago, my husband came home and I just didn't know what to tell all of you, yet.  All of my prayers had been answered, so why wasn't I happier?

Memory Keeping In Minutes

It's no secret to anyone here that during a deployment, your list of "have to" jobs each day far exceeds what you can do such that the "should do" and "want to" items could carry over until your spouse actually returns home. 

Even though deployment can feel like it's dragging its feet, I sometimes felt overwhelmed by all the moments passing me by and how I could capture those for my deployed spouse.  What could I do to make preserving those moments easier on me?

Perhaps keeping memories isn't as time-consuming as you think and it may open the doors to communication we so desperately desire...

For the Want of a Sock

When hubby came home from Basic Training he followed the advice of one of the people in his training barracks, "Tie a sock around your duffel's handle so that you know which one is yours at the airport."

Hubby thought that was brilliant advice, and used one of his sport socks.  Upon pick-up at the airport, he gleefully reported his new "trick" and waited impatiently to demonstrate how much easier such an action made finding your luggage at the carousel...  until he saw that each and every duffel coming down the belt was sporting a regulation white sport sock on the handle.

When Life Imitates The Price is Right

This time I didn't fall down.  I didn't have toilet paper trailing my shoe (or my underwear).  I didn't have my skirt stuck in the back of my pantyhose, there was no stealth booger hanging out of my nose, and I didn't even forget to brush my teeth.

And the best news of all...  Now my hubby is HOME!

From the Keyboard of a Soldier

A few days ago, I published a post that dealt with reintegration. You can read that post by clicking here. Today, I'm posting an email written from the perspective of a soldier who hopes that his words will shed some light on what reintegration is like for the returning service member.

On Being a Midget

Yep, that's right.  I'm now officially a single-digit-midget.    And you know what?

It's not all it's made out to be.

Reintegration: It Ain't Easy....

Usually when I receive email about military life, it comes from a milspouse. That changed a couple of days ago when I received an email from a deployed soldier who explained why he reads SpouseBUZZ.

Even though I am the deployed soldier and not the spouse, I like to check in to get a glimpse of life back at home.  Just about any one of the articles could have been written by my wife, there is a lot to relate to.

It's an interesting twist, and nice to see that this soldier is curious about "the other side." You never know who may be reading....

This soldier wanted to discuss reintegration.

A Homecoming Plan Gone Awry

Is there such a thing as a "bad" homecoming? Probably not, but sometimes they just don't go according to plan.

My husband returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan this summer. He didn't deploy with a Brigade, he deployed as the sole representative from his office. This meant that on homecoming day, there would be no watching him dismount from a bus along with hundreds of other soldiers, there would be no gymnasium pomp and circumstance, there would be no mass of red/white/blue and there would be no waiting with other military spouses who were giddy with excitement and anticipation. This homecoming would be a bit less traditional than others. But, it would be a homecoming, and in the end, that's what really matters.

I don't think I slept more than an hour the night before. I was ready hours before I was scheduled to make the hour and a half drive to the airport. I changed clothes at least five times. Sexy or subtle, casual or more formal, tousled or fixed? I'm generally pretty low-maintenance with respect to wardrobe, but trying to figure out what would best make my husband go, "aahhhh" when he first looked at me had me doubting my choices -- my multiple choices -- that day.