This is the third of a series of posts that I began drafting at the beginning of this year. Each post--and the mini posts within each--contains my thoughts on the deployment process as or soon after various events occurred. For OPSEC purposes, I will not include specific dates, locations, etc. Alan has read each one and his thoughts are included in certain posts. I hope that these posts will shed some light on our experiences; thank you for reading and God bless!

Read previous pre-deployment thoughts:
pre-deployment thoughts [part i] 
the d-word: deployment thoughts [part 2]

Spring II 2013

We attended a town hall meeting a couple of weeks ago. There was a PowerPoint presentation, of course.

This is where your spouses will live. This is where they will eat. This is where their general location is on a map.

Don't forget to take care of your wills. And your powers of attorney. Spouses, make sure the FRG has your contact information in case of an emergency. And let us know if you leave the area.

///

We returned from our honeymooniversary on Saturday (you can read about our cruise here and here). It was lovely (minus me being sick for almost half of it) and sad all at once. Our last hurrah before he leaves.

At one of the airports, we stopped at a USO. And even though I barely interacted with anyone there, it was just comforting to know that the people around me were in some way connected to the military community. They understood--unlike the people on the cruise ship, who stared or smiled or shook hands or said nothing.

miscellany monday

+ 3.21 > 3.1. I recently jogged 3.21 miles, a distance slightly greater than a 5k. It was a relief to know that my body is capable of completing a 5k because I will be running the Mogadishu Mile 5k in October. However, my knees were ridiculously sore/stiff the following day, so I need to learn how to combat that.

+ the d-word. Have you been keeping up with our deployment experience? The series first started as a personal way to quickly record my thoughts (I have a habit of forgetting where I put my journal) prior to the deployment. After I let Alan read the drafts, however, he asked if I would continue writing after he leaves, so the series may become a regular occurrence in the future. I also asked him to add his own thoughts to the posts, if he wanted to. You can read our perspectives in part 1 and part 2. Part 3 will be posted tomorrow!

+ train whistle jamboree. As far as we could tell, the Nolanville Train Whistle Jamboree had nothing to do with a train whistle. In total, it was about half the size of my hometown's fireman's carnival. And that's saying something. There was also a hayride, which didn't seem right in 90+ degree heat with various shades of green all around.

+ apple cider. I want it.

+ miss america. I didn't watch the pageant, but I recently read BuzzFeed's article on the ignorant remarks about Miss America.

+ giving. According to Gawker, the company behind this ad doesn't exactly back the philosophy it's touting, but it's still a pretty inspiring video.

the d-word: deployment thoughts [part 2]

This is the second of a series of posts that I began drafting at the beginning of this year. Each post--and the mini posts within each--contains my thoughts on the deployment process as or soon after various events occurred. For OPSEC purposes, I will not include specific dates, locations, etc. Alan has read each one and his thoughts are included alongside mine in certain posts. I hope that these posts will shed some light on our experiences; thank you for reading and God bless!

Read previous pre-deployment thoughts:
pre-deployment thoughts [part i]

Spring I 2013 

From Elizabeth He has orders. He is officially going somewhere at some point. And I am oddly calm about the entire situation--for now. I am a little jealous; I told Alan that if it weren't for the dogs and the house and grad school and home life group and life group and the Baking Brigade, I would want to travel or find a job overseas. I am a little sad; I don't want to spend any part of our life apart. But I understand that it's his job and this could happen and God has already blessed us with more than other newlywed couples in the military. And I believe that He works everything for good--although I think of how we turned off a military marriage DVD less than 10 minutes into the session because it was about deployment, and we (I?) didn't have to worry about that. The little things prepare me and remind me of what we'll miss. Our friend sitting beside me in the pew alone because her husband was helping count the offering--and knowing that that will be me, and that it has been and will continue to be many other women, for a long time coming. Chipmunk barking angrily at the front door because I didn't let her in the house when she wanted and decided to find a way out of the backyard--and realizing that at some point, I'm going to have to find a way to fix holes by myself call one of our friends to fix the holes. A sink and counter full of dirty dishes from home life group--the dawning that Alan won't be around to do the dishes for me (it's probably my least favorite homekeeping contribution). A rare moment to cuddle together on the couch, and wondering when we'll again be able to spend an afternoon just sitting together without interruption.

From Alan After discussing these and many more, reality set in and I wanted to make Elizabeth's home alone time less drastic. I frantically started researching the post where I would be going and setting into action possible methods for phone and Internet service. I want it to be as if it could almost be believed that I am still secretly around (minus the dishes, of course, since they can't magically do themselves). So I automatic drafted all bills and updates that had to happen. I wanted to have all those things taken care of and she still would not have to change her daily routine as much. I completed all services due and that would be due while I was gone for her vehicle. Then I realized after completing all of this, it still was not going to make it seem as if I was here--because it's not about those things being done, but rather me being here to do them.

pre-deployment thoughts [part i]

This is the first of a series of posts that I began drafting at the beginning of this year. Each post--and the mini posts within each--contains my thoughts on the deployment process as or soon after various events occurred. For OPSEC purposes, I will not include specific dates, locations, etc. Alan has read each one and his thoughts are included at the bottom of certain posts. I hope that these posts will shed some light on our experiences; thank you for reading and God bless!

Winter 2013

You would never guess that Alan was injured in a parachuting accident, especially since he even deployed after he recovered.  He's considered non-deployable for combat deployments.

Support missions, not so much.

When he left PA for Ft. Hood, his unit had deployed; there was a possibility that he could be sent there, too; and I was worried that we would have to postpone our wedding until this past November (what an inconvenience).  However, he stayed behind, and I figured that he would probably never deploy again, since the war was officially winding down, he was preparing to retire, and everything always happens to everybody else.

Still, a little part of me kept the "what if" train of thought running.

Last night, after I returned home from my first night of class this semester, he said that there was a possibility that they might deploy.  To somewhere.  At some time.

It took a minute or two of talking about it for me to realize that he was actually including himself in the "we," "us," "our" statements--every other time he talked like that, I assumed that he was not included, because he would not be deploying.  Immediately, I started shivering a little, because I tend to do that when I'm stressed.  Though, whether the stress was from realizing that deployment is a possibility or whether it was from the fact that I was slightly jealous, I have no idea.

I do know that I feel guilty about the whole thing, because I approached the situation rather rationally and dismissively.  Like, "Oh, you might deploy?  Well, let me know when you have some more solid information, and I'll start considering it, because I'm sure I'll be more emotional then."

On the one hand, I think it would be rotten to have to leave a wife who is emotionally and mentally falling apart and absolutely miserable about the whole thing.  On the other hand, I think it would be equally rotten to have to leave a wife who's maybe sort of jealous that you're leaving and she isn't. 

Self-help Anxiety Management

SAM: Self-help Anxiety Management

SAM is currently available to Android users only, but the app was designed by the University of the West of England in order to help people with anxiety better manage their anxiety.

Note: Since I don't have an Android phone, I don't have personal experience using the app. I first discovered it via a blog post on Tumblr. According to the website, though, the app has over 10,000 downloads and an average rating of 4.6/5.