SoCal Adventure

I say adventure like it was some awesome beach-backpacking trip where we scuba dived and hiked the cliffs of SoCal. Alas, it is nothing of the sort. Two posts in one day, though? That counts for something. Well, Mr and I went to SoCal..oh, I don't know..5 months ago? So now is obviously the most appropriate time to blog about it. There's also a trip from January I'll be posting about at some point or another..I just like to keep y'all in suspense for months on end before sharing our adventures. It's really the only way to keep you coming back. 

Most of our trips down to SoCal, in the last two years, have been Army related, and this one was no exception. But we did score an extra day for free which we spent at Disneyland so it wasn't all that bad. Because we're a National Guard family, we have to attend these pointless informative Yellow Ribbon Ceremonies where they basically file everyone into a small hotel ballroom and hand you pamphlets on PTSD and TRICARE Prime. This post-deployment ceremony was a little different in that Mr received all of his deployment awards and a cool see-through backpack [that he can bring to drill?...right]. Anyway, it was mostly pointless and added extra luggage for us to haul back home, but our day-trip to Disneyland was all the fun you could imagine.

Best part of the trip? The hotel. The Army pays for our hotels whenever we go to SoCal and they're usually quite luxurious rooms. This was BY FAR the most luxurious of all the hotels we've stayed in on the Army's dime. However, the only rooms left had two twin sized beds instead of the king sized bed we had reserved. So, to compensate for our "inconvenience" they upgraded our stay to the newly renovated, top floor, harbor view and gave us a complementary breakfast buffet ticket. Then suddenly I wasn't too concerned about sleeping across the room from Mr because it became a battle of who would sleep closest to the window with the view, we're really mature.

[obvs Bridge came with me on the plane]

A time to celebrate: a soldier's homecoming

All right, so I've got some time to myself because Mr decided to hang with the boys tonight. Oh and it's also the final day of 2011 so I figured I'd better post this before a new year rolls in. The long awaited deployment homecoming post. I'm glad to be finished with my deployment woes posts..as those can be wearing sometimes.  I don't know that I won't ever post on this past year again because it was a year in my life that impacted me..to say the least.  But, I can promise to share new adventures now that one have become two again.

It's hard to find the right place to start with this post because so much can be said. Do I reminisce over the things I've learned and grown through..everything building up to this point? Do I cut straight to the pictures and short change the stories behind them? I'm not sure, so I'll just go with the flow and see where my typing fingers take me.

Sometimes it's weird sharing these personal parts of my life..knowing tens and possibly hundreds of people glance over these words. I often wonder if I share too much or not enough? I'm not sure I'll ever come to a complete answer on that so for now I'll continue to share.

There's few things that happen in life that are cause for a celebration. Engagements..weddings..pregnancy..buying a house..learning to ride a bike, just to name a few. But one I'd never given much consideration to until the last two years was the return of a soldier. If there's one thing I've learned through out living this military lifestyle, it's that we live among brave men and women. We don't always notice, but they're always there..or sometimes technically not there, but fighting for our right to live in this awesome place. They don't ask for recognition or even a fair amount of pay. Sometimes it's men or women who aren't sure what to do with their life so they sign a paper, willing to leave all that's familiar to them and breath red white and blue. Other times it's a son or daughter whose father, grandfather and great grandfather served years before them..and it's only right that they follow suit. Whoever they are and for whatever reason they signed that paper, I am grateful. I'm grateful to families who have sacrificed time away from their loved ones. Mothers and fathers who raised their children alone for months and years at a time. I'm completely floored when I think about those families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Could you even imagine? Thankful..grateful..forever in debt..to all of those willing to fight for me.

I always expected the celebration of a wedding or a someday pregnancy, but never in my youth did I imagine the joy I'd experience welcoming home a soldier, my soldier. The night before he came home, I remember sitting in bed thinking..this is it..tomorrow starts the rest of my forever. I meant that quite literally too..not in the cliche fairytale like way. Tomorrow starts the rest of my forever..it was a feeling similar to the night before my wedding.

Okay so let's break up these black and white letters with some spurts of color...yes? I slept beautifully the night before Mr came home. Weird, right? Not really because it was the first night I could truly sleep in peace, knowing he was coming home to me for good. It's like God just sent this calm over me and I knew all would be right in the morning.

We drove there and arrived about an hour and 15 minutes early because we didn't want to miss ANYTHING. Oh and I sure saw it all, I took in every aspect of that scene before me.

I should also mention our amazing photographer Lauren, she did all of these pictures for us..drove to the airport and captured memories that I am forever grateful to her for. These images are all copyrighted, so please be kind and don't take'm!! :)

Families so anxious to welcome home their loved ones. Little kids with signs and families gathering around for pictures. Grandma, mom and best friend were by my side throughout the whole day and it was perfection.

freedom riders lined the runway on either side to greet our boys as they stepped off the plane..absolutely amazing

my niece and nephew...okay my sis in law ;) made a sign for their uncle to see...and were holding it so proudly

We all chatted and waited for the planes to land and before we knew it the first plane landed and turned the corner...making it's way to the lined rows of freedom riders and anxiously waiting families.

Talk about a powerful entrance. The unit flew home commercial for the last stretch so it completely warmed my heart to see the pilots pop a flag out the window as they straightened out in front of the crowds. Such a simple gesture to show their support of our loved ones on board, who they safely carried home.

As the door opened we watched as buzzed head after buzzed head walked out of the door...each one looking like Mr. I couldn't help but smile as every butterfly in my stomach fully stretched their wings and fluttered like mad.

Hey there's my man!

We were told to "stay behind the line" and when I saw another lady break the rule..fully leaping on her lover in the middle of their runway I looked at the man in charge and ran right past him.

Perfect moment with my perfect mister. After this moment we were bombarded with camera crews asking for interviews and newspaper journalists hurling questions at us. But in that moment, little tears made their way out and I felt at peace for the first time in a year.

I didn't really want to let him go, and I didn't for a while. I had to touch him, just remembering what he felt like. Finding the freckle on his ring finger that isn't quite covered by his ring. Tucking my thumb under his while we hold hands, because that's where it fits perfectly. Giving the gentle kisses that mean I love you.

So there you have it, the homecoming of my Mr. The year didn't go by fast while it happened, but looking back, I'm so proud of myself and Mr for all the things we overcame. We grew...a lot. You're kind of forced to under the circumstances. But, Jesus..my wonderful Savior never left me. He never forgot about me and only helped me grow. My hope was in Jesus, that He would bring all that I knew to be right in the world, back to me. He would never leave me, or forsake me. He would carry me through all of the sad and lonely nights. It was my Father in Heaven that brought my love safely home to me.

A year later

A year ago today, was the eve of Mr's deployment. The end was so far out of reach, 12 months was all I saw. I didn't know how anyone could last 12 months with out their husband, it didn't seem fair to me that our first year of marriage would be spent apart. I remember savoring every moment with him on our last night. Desperately fighting sleep, forcing my eyes to stay open so I could watch him lay next to me one last time before the morning took him away from me. It's funny the things we do to make moments last.

 

Imprinting memories to get us through those nights that seem to haunt us with a lonesome ache. Those memories, holding hands in church..him letting me pick the drink even though he knows I won't pick his favorite..feeling so loved and wanted when he grabs my face to kiss my forehead..watching him sleep so peacefully..catching an early matinee so we still have time to play dominoes before bed :)..bedtime prayers and morning cuddles. Those memories reminded me to hold on to what will be...once he's home again. Of course a sappy chick flick and a trip to Panera for pastries never hurt either ;)

I've learned a lot of things this year, as expected. I learned that I can be on my own, completely self sufficient. This however, gave me an appreciation for spending time with the ones I love. Being alone isn't all that bad..just quiet. It means you can eat what you want, watch what you want and clean as often...or not as often ;) as you want. So sometimes alone time can be good time. But with all my spare time this past year, I was forced to find ways to keep busy which led me to discovering my passion for crafting and redoing furniture! The hardest times were when I had nothing to do, and nowhere to go. Keeping busy is key..at least it was for me.

I also filled up a lot of my time with photo shoots and learning more about my camera.

The most important thing I've learned this past year, is that we serve a truly faithful and amazing God. In all honesty there were times when I tried to do it by myself. I might have been a little angry with God that he took Mr away from me for a year, frustrated that I had to be alone. But God put things into perspective and I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I had to trust that God's plan was bigger than mine. I won't lie to you though and say I was perfect at putting aside my self pity. There were plenty of times where it crept it's way into my daily life. Overall, I tried to maintain a positive outlook though because Mr's absence was only temporary. Please don't hear this in a cliche tone because it's so real. I can't even list the number of times where God has come through and shown me the importance of faith in Him. This year taught me that my God is with me wherever I go, and He desires the best for me. I think knowing this, and understanding this to be truth are two different things. I've always known God was with me..but I didn't truly understand the capacity of love He has for me until He was all I had.

Mr isn't home just yet, but I'm closer than ever to feeling his embrace. Reflecting back on November 13, 2010 is bittersweet. It hurts to remember the pain and uncertainty I felt going into deployment. But I feel so empowered that we've made it through to the end, and we're stronger than ever. My best friend leaned over to me in worship at church today and said "You did it" I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I asked her what exactly I had done, and she told me "You made it through deployment"

He's coming back to me, safe and sound just as I'd hoped and prayed..we made it through a year apart from each other. Deployment isn't fun, but it's doable.. especially when you allow God to take over and be the true desire of your heart.

God is so good :)

(all images © consider the lilies)

Crazy Girl

   
Mr can attest that I'm a crazy girl right now. Between juggling school, deployment, work, talk time with him, and loads of other happenings..I've become a little out of whack. Even though I tend to have minor freak outs from time to time, he's always there reassuring me and building my confidence back up. Like I've said before, deployment brain is to blame for my craziness..I don't doubt it for a second. But the crazy will die down and my life will fall back into place once Mr is home, safe and sound. For now I'll continue to be the crazy girl while counting the blessings Jesus brings my way..blessings like this stud..

 

Linking up with one of my favorite ladies, Goodnight Moon!

Hello August

I've been waiting impatiently for you since November.

It seems as though I've neglected this little corner of my world lately. I suppose I'm mentally checking out of many things with preparations to see my lover. Yes, he will be here shortly. OPSEC ruins countdowns and that sort of thing so I'll keep the deets on the down low. But my absence has been a mixture of R&R prep..finding a job..and less internet time. You can call me Barista, thanks Jesus for the short job hunt! Enjoying the real world truly is a lovely thing. But to contradict my new found love for reality, I got a Pinterest account..my internet intake may be drastically increasing again..I guess it'll just get me through the last leg of deployment :) Can't be too harmless, right?

R&R check list:
finish summer school
get hair highlighted
find new bathing suit
finish editing all shoots
do all laundry
clean house
get Mr's favorite groceries
pedicure

*almost there and feeling accomplished!

I'm not the person

that you should be complaining to. How is that hard to understand? I don't have sympathy for you. Your boyfriend stayed out all night and you miss him..I'm sorry, I honestly don't care and I'm not the person you should be talking to right now. Your girlfriend went back to college today and you're miserable..I'm sorry but I don't care about that either, because guess what? I haven't seen my husband in 8 months and the end isn't in sight. I can't talk to him whenever I want, our skype calls drop almost daily. We're in opposite time zones, on opposite sides of the world, he isn't safe. I don't care that you cried all day and turned on Netflix until you couldn't stand it anymore. Do you understand that's been my daily routine for 8 months and you haven't cared to check in even once? So my question for you is why? Why do you come to me? There are plenty of people who care that you haven't talked to your boyfriend all night or that your girlfriend lives across the country for a few months. But I'm sure as heck not one of them right now. I've tried to be understanding and supportive as much as I can. But I'm almost certain I've reached the end of my sympathy. The only place I really complain about deployment is here, I don't bring it into other people's lives and ask for prayer daily. Even though I need it, I don't do it because my problems are not other people's problems and in reality people don't want to hear it. If you cared to ask how I was doing every once in a while maybe you'd have my sympathy but the funny part of this is neither of you do. Not one time this whole deployment have either of you come to me and asked about my husband or me. Not one freaking time. So you think it's okay to come to me and complain about your relationship problems? Please reconsider. It literally makes me laugh. I'm tired of getting walked on and tired of being there for you.

come home safe boys

Last summer Mr was going through AIT out in Virginia

and I moved there for the summer to be with him

since he would be deploying shortly there after. 

Well it just so happened that Mr's battle from basic had AIT

at the same place and he also had a girlfriend.

She lived in NC and wanted to move out to VA for the summer just like me.

It all worked out perfectly and 

we were able to be each others first roomies.
We had agreed to live together, having never met until their
Basic Graduation Day.
She quickly became one of my closest friends.
I'm so thankful to have met her and have found myself a friend for life.

I moved there exactly a year ago, this week.

We have some amazing memories from last summer but it was

definitely a hard one, I'll go more into that another time.

But, my focus is recognizing two of our

friends from last summer that are deploying to Afghanistan 

today
Mr met one of them in AIT and the other was his battle.

These boys, along with a few others, became amazing friends to Mr and I
we have some great memories because of them.

The hard part about this Army life is you make great friends
but then get separated due to orders and deployments.
But along the way we've met some fantastic, wonderful, lifelong friends.
So I wouldn't trade it for anything.

To the boys: You are both very special friends to Mr. You made our

stay in VA a memorable and fun one.
I miss you both and hope we can all see each other again someday.
Thank you for serving and come home safe!

[mr on the left, friend on the right]

this that and the other thing

I hope you all enjoy a nice memorial day and remember

the real reason for this relaxing day off.

To those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, 

we show the utmost gratitude and respect to you.
We also continue to remember those
currently serving our country overseas.

To my Mr in Iraq,
I'm so proud of you for serving our country and
protecting my freedoms.
Whether you see it or not, you deserve
thanks and recognition.
I love you noodle!

...

I spent my weekend enjoying time with great friends from high school!

here's a few pictures from our night together..

hope you have a safe and fun weekend!

...

I'm guest posting HERE today,

so be sure to check it out and read about my road trip

across the country.

deployment sucks

**disclaimer**

don't read if you aren't in the mood for deployment woes.

Most days I try to keep positive, especially since this here blog is so public, and who really wants to read some negative nelly blog entry every time you pop on over?  But then I remind myself why I blog and though I love my readers..I blog for me.  And today me hates deployment.

I realized the other day that I'm just over halfway done with this stuff.

Part of me is leaping out of my chair, excited to say I'm over halfway done..but there's still a large part of me that fights against that rational side.  As much as I try not to, I still get down and have my pity parties..I guess I should say that sometimes I even enjoy throwing them for myself because I feel deserving. Is that bad? The closer his R&R gets..the further away it feels. How cliche, brain of mine. Yes, I consider myself lucky we get R&R but I still think how it's such a short time together compared to the 6 or so more months we'll be spending apart.

6 more months of trying desperately to make plans everyday so I don't sit at home by myself
6 more months of staring at a computer screen of dropped calls and a pixelated husband.
6 more months of friends trying to say "they understand" because their boyfriend/husband is away at college, gone camping for a WHOLE weekend or went on a month long trip for job training.  Sorry friends, you don't understand and I really don't want you to try and reassure me that you do. I admit that I prefer hanging out with girls in long-distance relationships over happily nesting newlyweds, but it still gets to me sometimes. Should I feel bad about that? Maybe so. But we're speaking honestly here.
6 more months of being asked the same annoying questions "how's married life?...how often do you get to talk?...is he safe?...when does he come home?" and my absolute favorite comment "oh, a year long deployment? that's not so bad!" (yea just a measly year..12 short months...let's send your husband away for a year if it's no biggie to you)
6 more months of worrying about his safety.
6 more months of wishing I didn't have to see another happy couple.
6 more months of living vicariously through Army Wives.
6 more months of stupid stupid deployment.

I wish I could say that everyday was fairy tales and romance being married to a soldier. But it's not.    Some days are better than others, but some days I'd rather just barricade myself indoors and watch hours of Netflix.

Something funny that I've noticed lately is the casual use of the phrase "Hi how are you?"  We throw it around like it's a greeting instead of sincerely asking how that person is. I've started answering honestly when people ask how I am, whether they meant for me to answer truthfully or not. It bothers me that most people could really care less how people are doing. Are we really that self-absorbed? The minute I answer honestly and say that I've been better because of such and such..they freeze up as if they didn't really care to know.  The only purpose of "Hi how are you?" was to greet me and move on. 

This is not to say every person isn't sincere about this common greeting, but the level of awkward I've seen reached because I answer truthfully is almost comical. I first noticed this when we had a German Exchange Student 6 or so years back. She was amazed at how casually people threw around the phrase "Hi how are you." She told me that she'd start to answer and get cut off because the American's just used it as a greeting, instead of genuinely asking as the raw form of the sentence suggests.  Ever since then I've made an effort to ask and answer honestly.  It's funny though, when you're going through tough times and that honest answer comes out, so few people know how to respond. 

Sometimes I go off on tangents...apologies.

Some say it's downhill from here, apparently the second half is the quickest...and I sure hope they're right.
It's time for us to know what being husband and wife is really like. I'm sure that sounds bad to some of you, but think about it..all we know is countdowns and separations during our marriage.  How do we really know what it's like to live as an every day married couple? Our normal is pixelated Skype dates and sending love through care packages. I'm so ready to have an answer for someone when they ask me what married life is like.

Mr.. if you're listening [and I know you are] I love you noodles and I miss you oodles. 

 

"I find the map and draw a straight line

Over rivers, farms, and state lines
The distance from 'A' to where you'd be
It's only finger-lengths that I see
I touch the place where I'd find your face
My fingers in creases of distant dark places"

Surviving Deployment: The Whole FamDamily

Hey friends.

This week's Deployment Survivor is Ms. Hillary from The Whole FamDamily.

I'm not sure if y'all are familiar with the term

web celeb but Hillary is one of them.

She's like a celebrity to me, and she's on the web..get it?

Anyway, she and I are bff's..like we're friends on facebook and stuff

just so you know..

I'm real excited to have her over to share how she's surviving this deployment

It also just so happens to be her birthday today,

so go wish her a very happy day okay?

Especially since the Hubby is not here to share in the specialness of her day!

Tell us a little about yourself:

Hi! I'm Hillary, born and bred Cali girl through and through.  I'm in my early 30's..ok I'm almost 33yrs.  BUT I don't feel as though I'm much older than 23yrs when I got married.  hahaha!  I love love love to LAUGH and have a good time and be social.  I'm a goofball and very sarcastic and I try not to take myself too seriously, since life is serious enough on it's own.  I love photography and dancing and art and music.  Strangely enough, out of 5 kids in my family I'm the only one with blonde hair, the rest have brown hair/brown eyes.  aaaaand I'm the only middle child, so I guess they needed an "angel" smack dab in the middle. ;p I didn't go into marriage knowing my husband would choose to join the military a year later, but I've always supported him 110% and am so proud of him.  Just within this last year I have found the world of milspouses i the blogging world and what a joy and support it has been for me!

What is your relationship status?

I am married to my hotness BFF, "Bewtcut" as I call him to keep him anonymous.  We will be celebrating 10yrs on June 9th!  Well...we'll celebrate as soon as he gets back from Afghanistan. ;) We've had ups and downs but our marriage has truly gotten better with time!!

Do you have kiddos? If so, how has the transition to "single parenting" affected you?

YES, I have 500!

I have 4 girls ages 9yrs, 6yrs, 3yrs and 18mo. and yes, we're done having chitlins.  You know, Bewtcut has been gone off and on since I had my first baby, so I guess I've adjusted to the way of life cuz that's how our whole marriage has been.  It's been difficult as we add more children into the mix, but I do have all my in-law family here and close and try to take trips to California to see mine, and friends and even bloggy friends help during deployment times for sure!

What branch of service is your spouse/significant other?

He is in the Air National Guard, but his job is full-time so he's considered Active Duty Air Force because of his full time orders.  He's a Cryptologist/Flying Linguist working in the Intelligence Squadron.  I know, if I told you anymore I'd have to kill you. *wink* He just passed his test to become Master Sergeant, so whoot whoot to him!!

What is your duty station?

He works at the Utah Air National Guard base in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We will never have to move because his particular job/squadron is only out of SLC so we will always live here, we don't have to move around. 

How long is this current deployment?

My husband's deployments are a bit different than most.  He usually leaves for 30-45 day rotation deployments, and he does this 4x a year.  SO it's a lot of back and forth, hello/goodbyes instead of getting it done in one long deployment.  We do count our blessings because it is for short amounts of time (if and when they don't extend him to 60-70 days which happens a lot ;)) and coming and going isn't always easy, but we do the best we can and make it work.  I finally got Daddy Dolls for my girls and that is a big help for them to be able to "hug" and "kiss" daddy when they want to.

How often are you guys able to communicate?

On his regular deployments he is usually in South American countires and often in a hotel so we are able to iChat, email, daily!! So we're spoiled that way.  BUT this deployment he is on right now to Afghanistan our communication is very limited and sparse, so it makes me grateful for the ability to "see" and hear from him on a more consistent basis during his normal deployments. 

What kind of support have you found during this deployment?

I find other milspouses through the blogging community are a GREAT help.  and even if I don't speak to them personally, just reading their stories and knowing there are others out there who understand and go through the same things and feel the same way is comforting and puts things in perspective for me.  We've never lived on base, so I don't have a plethora of other women going through the same thing and knowing how I feel, ya know?  I'm kind of alone in my neighborhood and community with my hubby being in the military.  My friends and siblings and family do try to keep in touch and check in on me as much as possible through email, phone calls, facebook, chatting.  And as I mentioned before all of my in-law family s here so they support the best they can as well. 

Does your family support your spouse/significant others' choice to serve?

My family totally does 100%.  His own family supports him, but does give him a hard time about finding a "regular" job and stop leaving his family, which I don't appreciate cuz he tried the regular job and he was meant to be in the field he is in, inside the military.  He even wrote to me once apologizing he couldn't have more of a "normal" job so he could be home all the time, but that he was meant for this job and there was a reason he was damn good at it.  How can you argue or make someone feel bad when they know their purpose on this earth? :) That's why I've always supported him 110% because even though I know it pains him to be away, he truly does love his work. 

What have you found helps you cope best with the stress of deployments?

Blogging totally helps! Even if no one reads it, at least I'm getting my thoughts and feelings OUT instead of bottled up.  Sometimes I think I sound like a schizophrenic because I talk about happiness and joy one day, and then I have a hard day and talk about missing him, and being "blue." But that is the reality of deployments, we have our good days and our bad days.  I find taking time to go out with friends and just take a break is ALWAYS helpful, so you can regroup and recharge because it is a lot to deal with on your own everyday.  Also, making sure you don't become a recluse, even if you don't get out with friends, make sure you talk or interact with friends and family members somehow, thru chatting, phone, texting, facebooking, whatever cuz sometimes all you need is a good conversation and it can buoy your spirits up to make it through the next day.  Of course praying and relying on God to give you strength when you don't think you have enough, and trying to remain positive even when you have your dark days, to come back to where it's light and remember the time WILL end.  I feel I've learned so much about myself being a milspouse and that I really am a strong, capable woman.  I may not feel that way sometimes, but we truly ARE!! And of course, Chocolate!! Copious amounts of Chocolate ALWAYS helps!! ;D

 ...

Raise your hands if you LOVE Hillary?

She's stinkin amazing,

no I didn't say she stinks. I said she's stinkin amazing!

I love you and your blog girlfraan, I think you gave some awesome tips

in that coping section.  It's SO easy to lock yourself up and

get depressed about everything happening but

we need to remember to get up, go out and most importantly

eat copious amounts of chocolate.

Happy Birthday Hillary!

...

If you want to be featured here just shoot me an email, also..

I'm thinking it might be fun to see some new questions answered, 

if you have a question to add, let me know!

considerthelilies.blog@gmail.com

</p><p><a border="0" href="http://coliewallace.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-you-currently-surviving-deployment.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd501/nikkideewall/Button3.jpg"/></a></p><p>

cake in a jar

Ever heard of cake in a jar?

You bake a cake, then smoosh it into a jar.

not really.

tricked you!

It's rather complicated actually.

Bake according to instructions on the box, except

bake at 400 instead of 350..375..whatev.
How did I ever find time to do this?

Wife of the year I tell ya!

Let's pretend this birthday care package wasn't 

one month late.

[I really creeped myself out with that last picture but I digress....does that even make sense? I always thought I digress was a collegiate phrase and I'm pretty sure it works there....I digress]

It's really normal to have a photo shoot with cake

just so we're clear.

Festive, right?

I'll leave you with pictures from the party.

I assure you mr wears clothes from time to time
but in his defense..he does work out.

Surviving Deployment: Neidy's Infinite Playlist

If you're new to this here blog, catch up on the details for my weekly feature here.


Neidy from Neidy's Infinite Playlist is this week's Surviving Deployment Feature!

 















Tell us a little about yourself:
I'm Mrs. Neidy H, I've been married for only two weeks now, I've been going to school for Media Arts with an emphasis in cinematographer (I want to be a camerawoman for movies), I LOVE music with a passion, anything vintage, I love crafting, I love making artwork, and adore photography beyond anything. And I almost ALWAYS wear a flower in my hair.

What is your relationship status?
Newlywed! :)

Do you have kiddos? If so, how has the transition to "single parenting" affected you?
Not yet!

What branch of service is your spouse/significant other?
U.S. Marine Corps!

What is your duty station?
Camp Pendleton

How long is this current deployment?
Well, he just got back from his in November and will be leaving again in October/November for 7 months.

How often are you guys able to communicate?
In our last one it was an average of 2 weeks. It was either 30 minutes on facebook chat or 30 minutes on the phone. There were a bunch of emails though! I got one at least every 4-5 days.

What kind of support (group) have you found during this deployment?
(other milspouses/blogging/family)
Blogging was a BIGGIE. I started blogging about 3-4 months into deployment.

Does your family support your spouse/significant others' choice to serve? 

They never really think about it. My family is completely hispanic so they don't really understand it. They're proud of him though.

What have you found that helps you cope best with the stress of deployment?
(blogging/religion/journaling)
It's combination of many things. Blogging, being a Christian, emailing, and tons of ice cream. Emailing him every single day just tell him the little things definitely took the stress off. Also, Mr. H's family is EXTREMELY awesome. Talking to them was also very soothing since there's ALOT of them (he's from a family of 10 kids). :) We survived!

Good luck on your upcoming deployment Neidy, and congratulations on being a newlywed! What an exciting time for the two of you to share before he leaves again! Don't forget to check out Neidy over at her cute little blog Neidy's Infinite Playlist :)

p.s. Sorry I haven't been as consistent with this, I'm on overload at school right now and got a little behind on getting features up, so if you have emailed me your filled out survey and haven't seen your post go up yet, don't worry, I promise I'm getting to it! Life just got in the way of blogging the past couple weeks. But thanks for hanging in there with me and wanting to be part of this! I truly love this feature and look forward to getting them up for everyone else to see! We can all feel less alone when we meet these lovely gals each week. Don't ya think? :)

what i'm loving sunday

to start off this might sound a

bit strange but i'm sure most of you can relate

to feelings like this.

i've never really felt like i had much to 

contribute with my life story.

nothing life changing has ever happened to me

in terms of sickness, death or missions in life.

but i have been dealing with this deployment over

the last few months and amidst prayer and searching

deep in my heart i've wondered if and hoped that this

 is my big moment. the big life changing event.

i'm really hoping it is because Lord willing

i prefer not to touch on the latter.

does that all make sense?

i sure hope so b/c it

sounds a little wonky re-reading it,

can anyone else relate?

well,

 today in church i was reminded of the importance to

embrace my story. 

although much of what i'm going through isn't

in sync to what i had imagined and hoped for in life,

it doesn't really matter because 

God is writing my story, not me.

(thank goodness, right?)

how many times do we refer to ourselves

without ever intending to sound self absorbed?

i can count eight references in that first stanza.

it's inevitable. we live to make ourselves

happier, reassured, better-looking or richer.

it's easy to get caught up in the i me mine world.

as of late, it's been really hard to see the importance

of helping others when i feel so low myself. 

but i was reminded today that my situation can help others. 

and maybe that's why God wrote this chapter in my life story.

it's not always about me, shocker

i know!

when i fall into that low pit of despair from time to time

i'm reminded of other military spouse friends

who are going through a similar situation to my own

and then i feel less alone because 

(though it may be selfish)

someone else has an ache in their 

heart that won't go away

just like i do. 

if it weren't for those precious friends, 

that pit of despair might last longer.

i can be that for someone.

for a girl i may not even know.

my story can help someone. 

i can be the girl you think of when it hurts

because you have to spend another day alone

or because you despise looking at all the happy couples 

around, wishing it could be you.

you can think of me

and feel less alone because 

i've been there

and i'm currently there.

in my ideal world, my husband would be home

and wake up next to me every morning

but the beauty of it all is that

in those desperate hours where the ache is so bad

and i long so much for the embrace of my husband

i can remember that my Creator made me

for something bigger. He allowed this chapter in my life.

my story, while not how i planned it, is absolutely perfect for me

because i'm not writing it.  

and i'm not actually supposed to.

the Creator of this world is the author

and He has uniquely designed it for me and for you.

i don't need to try and understand why

i'm spending my first year of marriage

away from the one i love.

it's all been mapped out in advance.

it really doesn't matter what i want, it matters how i use

the story God has written

to better my relationship with Him

and also help those who need to feel comfort

and be encouraged, by saying

you can do this.

nobody has your story.

so embrace what your Creator has written

uniquely for you

maybe it will bless someone else

and in turn you will find

joy in that.

his boots

this isn't Mr. but,
seeing those boots is so comforting to me
at one point or another he's been far from home and missed by loved ones
maybe those boots have tread the same ground Mr. walks on right now
the soldier wearing them knows what it's like to endure separation
he's survived on letters from home
Mr. was in those boots for our last embrace and will be in our next
in the book "you know when the men are gone" by siobhan fallon one
of the characters talks about an ache inside her when she sees someone in uniform
but also the longing she has to jump in their arms as if it were her own husband
i get that

...

thank you also to everyone who opened up about their church wounds
from my last post. i appreciated each and every one of your stories, and i'm so
happy to know my post touched some of you.

Surviving Deployment: The Liberato Lifestyle

 Megan from The Liberato Lifestyle is the Surviving Deployment feature this week!

tell us a little about yourself:

I'm Megan. I'm a 23 year old Army Wife/student just living life and waiting for husband to get home from deployment. Right now, we are stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and I absolutely love it. Without this deployment hanging around, my life would be paradise.

what is your relationship status? 

Husband and I have been married for about a year and a half. The majority of that time was spent apart but I wouldn't change anything about our lives together. I love being married to my best friend, even if he drives me insane a good portion of the time!

do you have kiddos?

We don't have kids yet. Husband wanted to try to get pregnant before he left for this deployment but I nipped that idea in the bud pretty quickly! No way would I volunteer to go through a pregnancy without him! After Husband comes home and I finish with the little bit of school I have left, I'll be ready to take on parenting. 

what branch of service is your spouse/significant other?

husband has been in the Army for about 4 years now

what is your duty station?

Paradise, aka Schofield Barracks, HI. Having lived in Arizona my whole life, I'm just really glad it's not somewhere cold! 

how long is this current deployment?

It's a year long deployment. It's more than half way over though! I so wish I could tell everyone how soon Husband will be here but I know how important OPSEC is so I'll keep it to myself.

how often are you guys able to communicate?

It really depends. Sometimes I will talk to him three days in a row and then I won't hear from him again for a week or so. Sadly, his internet connection is terrible and we haven't been able to Skype once. I'll gladly take whatever I can get though.   

what kind of support have you found during this deployment? 

My Mom has been amazing! We've always been very close and having her during this deployment has been such a blessing. My best friend is an Air Force fiance so she can relate to my deployment mood swings and my Milspouse bloggy buddies are the best!  

does your family support your spouse/significant others' choice to serve?

My family loves my husband. We have a joke that my Mom loves him more than she loves me! I think she brags about him as much as I do!

what have you found that helps you cope best with the stress of deployment?

Shoe shopping! Ok, that's only happened a few times. I kept a deployment journal for the first part of the deployment and I found that helped a lot. Establishing a routine was essential for keeping my sanity though. It has helped time pass so much more quickly! 

I can't wait until your husband comes home to you, Megan! Thanks so much for being part of Surviving Deployment. Isn't it nice to know we aren't alone? Keep your head up and continue buying more shoes :)

If you want to be featured here as a deployment survivor please email me : DeploymentSurvivor@gmail.com

and don't forget to grab the button so everyone else knows you're Surviving Deployment!

<br><a border="0" href="http://coliewallace.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd501/nikkideewall/survivingdeploymentbutton4-1.jpg"/></a><br>

happy day

Okay so I went into today with a positive outlook

and even though my day has ended with a very anticipated,

but dropped Skype call

I will continue to dwell on the positive from my day.

You can't ruin my good day deployment

keep your stupid happy hoarding to yourself

I'm really not interested in

letting you steal more of my happiness.

Anywho...

where was I?

Oh yes,

my happy day.

It was finally Spring time today

the forecast is 70's for this entire week.

I really needed some sun,

rain puts me in this

"its cold so I need to cuddle" mood

that I shouldn't necessarily be in right now.

Needless to say

I'm stoked for blue skies and sun!

Nextly..

I turned in the paper that made me stare at this 

for the last 4 days

I also received a 92% on my English midterm

score for the Mrs!

However,

don't be fooled into thinking I'm

always this collegiate..

 I arrived home from school around 3:15 with

just enough time to relax on the couch and watch

Rachael Ray before work at 4:15.

After I finished my lunch

I went over to my backpack

to pull out my laptop

 only to find out my computer was not in my backpack

where it should have been

[insert: absolute state of panic]

I raced out to my car hoping my laptop

had somehow jumped out of my backpack

and landed on the seat right next to me

safe and sound where it belongs. 

Not so my friends. 

A quick run down of my thought process for you:

I work in one hour 

If I leave now, at 3:40 I will be to school by 4:10 

and I have to inconvenience work.

If I wait and go once work is over 

my computer is stolen for sure.

What if it's already stolen?

What if the thief already hacked into my accounts?

What if he signs into my bank account

and steals all my money?

Okay I'm getting side tracked,

I choose...

inconvenience work.

Back to real time,

I call the school lost and found to see if any computers had been turned in.
The receptionist informed me they hadn't seen a single computer all day.
But she was nice enough to tell me I could go online and
fill out a lost and found form.

With the computer that I don't have...right? 

Brilliant idea lady.
I suppose I'm not the only one lacking in collegiate skills today.
Following an unsuccessful phone call,

I jumped in my car after of course calling work and informing

them of my dyer need to save my computer from

all the potential computer thieves on campus.
They sympathized and wished me luck.
Jesus opened up the freeway
for me this evening, because there was not
one single traffic jam in the 4 o'clock hour,
and that's nearly unheard of here.
So I got to school, parked and started running
oh yes
I ran, but the embarassment of running
on campus would not be complete
without seeing someone
you know in passing,
while completely out of breath
awesome.
So yada yada...
I managed to make it to the classroom where I left my computer
approximately 1 hr and 30 mins
after I had initially left the classroom
to find my computer
propped up next to my desk
right where I had left it.
Truly one of the happiest things I have ever experienced.
I thought we were going to be out $1000 for a new computer,
our accounts would be hacked,
I wouldn't be able to write that paper that's due tomorrow.
Oh the scenarios were endless.
But all is well and good in the world again.

In my defense,
I have deployment brain
and can't be held responsible for
it's lack of function.

Never the less

it was truly a happy day

:)

 

i miss him