RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP ATHENA
PO BOX 5058 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6
UNIT/SECTION
OP ATHENA
PO BOX 5058 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The days go by...
Well the days keep going by, its almost like I'm in a dream. I wake-up go about my day, come home, cross off my day on the calendar, and crawl into bed. I walk around and people all around me have no idea that my husband is at war...I see a soldier in uniform and smile... The ones who know he's overseas call and chat and try to help. Im so thankful to the people who are helping me through this. I am getting all my T's crossed and I's dotted since I will be moving home soon to be around family. Skype has become my best friend allowing me to see the people I care about. Slowly the days go by, I stay in my daze...Hope he calls soon but I probably won't hear for quite a few more days.
I'll be starting my first care-package soon and everyone is writing letters for me to send off in the mail.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Phone Call At Last
So I wanted to let you all know that I got a phone call from the hubby tonight! He is adjusting to the heat, misses home a lot and agreed that we will make it up in the next 80 years, is keeping busy, won't be in contact for a few days, reminded me of the time change, told me to get some sleep, he hasn't been eating much cause of the heat, and also LOVES ME and misses me. He also has already started a list of stuff he needs in his first care-package! Which I will get start on as soon as I get the list emailed to me.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Things I've Learned as an Army wife
So I was thinking about all the things that make an Army wife unique and strong, and thought I would write down some things that I have learned over my short time as being an Army Wife and I thought I would say maybe it will help you future wives.
Its OKAY to cry, have really terrible days where all you wanna do is sleep.
A Deployment will never be a good time, it will suck ALOT, you will never not be lonely, and you will always miss and think about your husband, all you can do is find a way to make the days bearable and the time pass.
Rely on friends, but the people who are always there for you are your family...and you will really find out who your friends are during a deployment.
It's okay to call the base and ask every and all stupid questions, thats what they are there for.
A phone-call is PERFECT, and email WONDERFUL, and a text message EXCITING, but having your husband home will always be PRICELESS.
The things that drive you crazy about your husband when they are home, dirty laundry on the floor, annoying habits, etc. are the things you will miss!
Any date, time, appointment that the army sets up, will change not once but thousands of times.
Anything you try to plan more than 24 hours in advance has a 75% chance of getting rescheduled by the army
Write everything in pencil. But cross days off your calendar in permanent marker you will never have to relive that day again.
You will need to be supremely independent when he is gone, but let him be the man of the house and your partner and help out when he is home.
Its perfectly alright to cry, if you need to just take 10 minutes go into your car, bathroom, office and just cry. Don't bottle it all in it won't help let it out break down, then move on.
Write in a journal every night when they are gone, the good the bad and the ugly of your day. Let them read it when they get home they appreciate it.
Just because the person you fall in love with is in the army doesn't mean you know what you signed up for, or knew how hard it would be.
No news, is good news.
And the most important thing I have learned during this deployment is: I will never ever take one single moment one single second with my husband home for granted. And he really is the love of my life!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
You Know Your a Military Spouse when.....
1. You don't mind a phone call/ text message waking you up at 4 a.m.
2. You tell people that ask that he's 'only' been gone a month.
3. The smallest contact (short email or 2 minute phone call) from your man makes your entire week!
4. You cry over an email that says nothing more than hey- I love you and I miss you.
5. Those recruitment commercials on TV make you cry because you are so proud!
6. You sleep in PT attire, cuddled up in a ranger blanket, because it's the closest you can come to being with your military man. (hah)
7. You're sitting at home and you realize that you haven't talked to your boyfriend/hubby (on the phone) in over a month.
8. You become heartbroken just knowing that your boyfriend/hubby tried to call but wasn't able to get through.
9. You know your a military girlfriend/wife when your favorite 'man' to see everyday is the MAILMAN (what a love/hate relationship that is).
10. You stop shaving above the knees. (or shaving at all.. lol)
11. A 30 second phone call after no calls from him for 3 months leaves you full of joy and happiness.
12. "No news is good news" becomes your motto.
13. You could wait forever for your loved one to return home into your arms.
14. You feel yourself growning more and more in love with your military man even while he's so far away.
15. Planning letters/care packages and putting them in the mail is more exciting then going out for a night on the town with the girls.
16. You hold off on seeing certain movies so you can see them with your military man when he comes home.
17. YOU WANT TO ROLL YOUR EYES WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE SAY, "I haven't seen my boyfriend/girlfriend or hubby/wife in a week!". (AMEN!!!)
18. You can go from being happy, to sad, to lonely, to angry, to proud, and back to happy in a matter of less than an hour.
19. You sleep with the phone right next to you, just in case.
20. If he's deployed you don't care how your hair looks nor care about wearing make-up, and the people at your work ask about your boyfriend/hubby every day to see if you've heard from him.
21. The sight of any other man in a uniform makes you miss your boyfriend/hubby MORE than it makes you drool.
22. You feel lucky for each second granted to the two of you.
23. You are 3000 miles apart and you dont notice the time difference and talk until 5 am his time 2 am your time on a school night.
24. Phone kisses are just as good as the real ones if not better.
25. You realize you can forgive your boyfriend/hubby for not calling you for a few weeks due to the fact he really had to work.
26. Your cell phone shows 87 screens full of the number 2 for "repeat message" after you hear he left you a voice mail because you missed his first and only call so far!
27. Going 3-6 months without seeing your man seems like a drop in the bucket compared to what you have been through before.
28. You haven't heard from them in awhile and you find yourself reading the old letters you have received. It's just something comforting to feel close to him in a way.
29. You don't bat an eyelash when he say's "Uh, Honey they changed when I'm supposed to return home, yet again (for the 18th millionth time)".
30. Everytime you see him it feel's like it's for the first time all over again...EVERYTIME
31. You have enough cadpat in your house to wallpaper every square inch..
32. You write EVERYTHING in pencil because it will change
33. You need a translator to talk to civilian friends because they dont know what LAV, PT, HLTA, etc..mean
34. You refer to people you know as civilians
35. You sort your husband/boyfriends laundry into civilian and combats piles.
36. You save an especially stinky shirt to get you through a deployment.
37. You only know the last name of the people your husband works with and if by chance he mentions them by their first name you have no idea who he is talking about..
38. You quit trying to plan things more than a week out.
39. When asked to spell your last name over the phone, you can do it in perfect phonetic alphabet.
40. You wouldn't dream going anywhere without your cellphone, and all your other numbers forward to it.
41. Your husband spends more time getting ready for a formal function than you do, and on an average day spends way too much time ironing, polishing shoes, and shaping his beret, polishing collar dogs, etc.
42.If you know what "leave" is and have looked forward to being able to use it.
43. You can unpack a house and have everything in place in 48 hours.
44. Your husbands work and dress clothes cost more than yours do
45. You've changed more oil, and mowed more lawns than your spouse cause they are never home to do it.
46. You know that it's normal to light shoe polish on fire and that the best way to spit-shine boots is with cotton balls.
47. You know that "back home" doesn't mean at the house you live in now.
48. You don't have to think about what time 21:30 is.
49. You pick apart uniforms on TV and in the movies, at the mall when you see someone in camo, even though you used to yell at your husband for doing the same thing.
50.You start ripping open rations and looking for the chocolate when you run out of Halloween candy.
51. You have rations in your cupboard.
52. You help your neighbor move some stuff in your car and as you’re taking stuff out you ask, “Wait, is this your pistol holster or ours?”
53. You walk into a post office and they ask "what are we sending him today?" Also when you say that you will see them in a few weeks and the post office people laugh and say "yeah right, see you in a few days".
54. When driving in the car, your spouse start pointing out things like, "broken down car, left", "Dog, right"...when you ask him why...he says sorry i was pointing out THREATS...
55. You know that TV is to be avoided for the first days he returns home, case gunfire is heard..and that turning on the shower, does in fact sound like artillery....You have accidentally forgot this, and have had him tackle you down at 5 am to protect you from ENEMY FIRE! lmao
56. His last three, and his last name is written on EVERTHING, including his civvy clothes.
57. You live on your own and by yourself more after you're married than before you were married.
58. You are in a disagreement with a bill collector and say, "Let me speak with your commander!"
59. You ask someone to hold on a second by saying, "Stand by."
60. If you have a power of attorney, USE it, and freak out when it expires
61. If you've ever felt a twinge of jealousy seeing a couple enjoy each other's company in public somewhere while your spouse was gone. *And yelled at them*
2. You tell people that ask that he's 'only' been gone a month.
3. The smallest contact (short email or 2 minute phone call) from your man makes your entire week!
4. You cry over an email that says nothing more than hey- I love you and I miss you.
5. Those recruitment commercials on TV make you cry because you are so proud!
6. You sleep in PT attire, cuddled up in a ranger blanket, because it's the closest you can come to being with your military man. (hah)
7. You're sitting at home and you realize that you haven't talked to your boyfriend/hubby (on the phone) in over a month.
8. You become heartbroken just knowing that your boyfriend/hubby tried to call but wasn't able to get through.
9. You know your a military girlfriend/wife when your favorite 'man' to see everyday is the MAILMAN (what a love/hate relationship that is).
10. You stop shaving above the knees. (or shaving at all.. lol)
11. A 30 second phone call after no calls from him for 3 months leaves you full of joy and happiness.
12. "No news is good news" becomes your motto.
13. You could wait forever for your loved one to return home into your arms.
14. You feel yourself growning more and more in love with your military man even while he's so far away.
15. Planning letters/care packages and putting them in the mail is more exciting then going out for a night on the town with the girls.
16. You hold off on seeing certain movies so you can see them with your military man when he comes home.
17. YOU WANT TO ROLL YOUR EYES WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE SAY, "I haven't seen my boyfriend/girlfriend or hubby/wife in a week!". (AMEN!!!)
18. You can go from being happy, to sad, to lonely, to angry, to proud, and back to happy in a matter of less than an hour.
19. You sleep with the phone right next to you, just in case.
20. If he's deployed you don't care how your hair looks nor care about wearing make-up, and the people at your work ask about your boyfriend/hubby every day to see if you've heard from him.
21. The sight of any other man in a uniform makes you miss your boyfriend/hubby MORE than it makes you drool.
22. You feel lucky for each second granted to the two of you.
23. You are 3000 miles apart and you dont notice the time difference and talk until 5 am his time 2 am your time on a school night.
24. Phone kisses are just as good as the real ones if not better.
25. You realize you can forgive your boyfriend/hubby for not calling you for a few weeks due to the fact he really had to work.
26. Your cell phone shows 87 screens full of the number 2 for "repeat message" after you hear he left you a voice mail because you missed his first and only call so far!
27. Going 3-6 months without seeing your man seems like a drop in the bucket compared to what you have been through before.
28. You haven't heard from them in awhile and you find yourself reading the old letters you have received. It's just something comforting to feel close to him in a way.
29. You don't bat an eyelash when he say's "Uh, Honey they changed when I'm supposed to return home, yet again (for the 18th millionth time)".
30. Everytime you see him it feel's like it's for the first time all over again...EVERYTIME
31. You have enough cadpat in your house to wallpaper every square inch..
32. You write EVERYTHING in pencil because it will change
33. You need a translator to talk to civilian friends because they dont know what LAV, PT, HLTA, etc..mean
34. You refer to people you know as civilians
35. You sort your husband/boyfriends laundry into civilian and combats piles.
36. You save an especially stinky shirt to get you through a deployment.
37. You only know the last name of the people your husband works with and if by chance he mentions them by their first name you have no idea who he is talking about..
38. You quit trying to plan things more than a week out.
39. When asked to spell your last name over the phone, you can do it in perfect phonetic alphabet.
40. You wouldn't dream going anywhere without your cellphone, and all your other numbers forward to it.
41. Your husband spends more time getting ready for a formal function than you do, and on an average day spends way too much time ironing, polishing shoes, and shaping his beret, polishing collar dogs, etc.
42.If you know what "leave" is and have looked forward to being able to use it.
43. You can unpack a house and have everything in place in 48 hours.
44. Your husbands work and dress clothes cost more than yours do
45. You've changed more oil, and mowed more lawns than your spouse cause they are never home to do it.
46. You know that it's normal to light shoe polish on fire and that the best way to spit-shine boots is with cotton balls.
47. You know that "back home" doesn't mean at the house you live in now.
48. You don't have to think about what time 21:30 is.
49. You pick apart uniforms on TV and in the movies, at the mall when you see someone in camo, even though you used to yell at your husband for doing the same thing.
50.You start ripping open rations and looking for the chocolate when you run out of Halloween candy.
51. You have rations in your cupboard.
52. You help your neighbor move some stuff in your car and as you’re taking stuff out you ask, “Wait, is this your pistol holster or ours?”
53. You walk into a post office and they ask "what are we sending him today?" Also when you say that you will see them in a few weeks and the post office people laugh and say "yeah right, see you in a few days".
54. When driving in the car, your spouse start pointing out things like, "broken down car, left", "Dog, right"...when you ask him why...he says sorry i was pointing out THREATS...
55. You know that TV is to be avoided for the first days he returns home, case gunfire is heard..and that turning on the shower, does in fact sound like artillery....You have accidentally forgot this, and have had him tackle you down at 5 am to protect you from ENEMY FIRE! lmao
56. His last three, and his last name is written on EVERTHING, including his civvy clothes.
57. You live on your own and by yourself more after you're married than before you were married.
58. You are in a disagreement with a bill collector and say, "Let me speak with your commander!"
59. You ask someone to hold on a second by saying, "Stand by."
60. If you have a power of attorney, USE it, and freak out when it expires
61. If you've ever felt a twinge of jealousy seeing a couple enjoy each other's company in public somewhere while your spouse was gone. *And yelled at them*
Last few days!
So these are the last few days before my husband will be deploying; he finished all his packing tonight, today he got his task-force coin. Slowly everything is becoming about the deployment. I feel like I am so alone, and that this will be SO hard one minute and then the next minute I'm thinking how I made it through all the work-up training and this will be over before I know it.
There are many things I am not looking forward to: dinners alone, not having my best friend around who I can tell anything too, stress, and spending our first holidays in our place alone.
But also trying to stay positive there are some things I am looking forward to: starting my apprenticeship for cooking, halloween with some good friends, planning our wedding ceremony and reception, wedding dress shopping, making care-packages, and that after the deployment we will have made it through one of the hardest things a married couple can go through. After all they say distance makes the heart grow fonder right?!
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