We May Not Have It All Together, But Together We Have It All.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Old isnt New

I just love these old reunion pictures!
Today I smiled……I smiled because I can now see how close our time with Major is.  The time frame is finally acceptably close enough to allow myself to get excited about it.  I find myself smiling as if it is a romantic love story.  I’m a little giddy, a little jittery, but a whole lot-a excited to just hug him.

Yes, it is true; sometimes we military wives get pretty excited about our spouse coming home.  “Allegedly” I have a hair appointment and am starting my tanning regime. 

I try to reframe from romanticizing our meeting too much because the truth is....nothing is ever as we romanticize it to be.  Maybe it will be better, maybe it will be less exciting…But what I really want this time is to get caught up in the moment.  I want time to stand still for just a little bit.  Only five more days!

The kids are a little bit more reserved about their excitement.  I’m not sure if it is because they are busy just being kids and find playing with their friends much more important right now, or if it’s a defense for them.  Either way, I know they are excited and it will be so much fun to have Major home for a couple weeks. 

When I asked the kids what they are looking most forward to doing with Daddy when he is back, Brock’s response was for daddy’s big breakfast and Sydney is excited to play ball with daddy.  Me on the other hand, I am looking forward to the simplest of things.  Like the smell of his soap lingering in the bedroom for hours after his shower.  Funny how these little things are missed so much more when they are taken away from you.


I tried to think back to our last deployment leave time but quickly decided not to compare, because the truth is.....nothing new ever is the same as we remember the old.  This is simply because we are always going to be at different stages in our lives, doing different things, having different goals…..we simply evolve as people.  Therefore, one thing (even if it is the same thing) can never be the same.  Adjusting to the normal evolvement of each other, when you haven’t evolved day to day together can be challenging.  However, I choose to embrace it and continue to remember that our challenges will always make us stronger and better. 

Have a wonderful Memorial Day and remember to pause for a moment and think how lucky all of us really are.....


Friday, May 13, 2011

One of "those" weeks.....

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude in life.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitudes we embrace for that day.  We cannot change the past.  We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have.  And that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."
-Charles Swindoll


"daddy-doll"  Has a picture of Ry's face.

Caught Brock playing video games with "daddy"













I have finally had one of "those" weeks.  I was beginning to think I would get through this deployment without on of "those."  I guess I should feel pretty lucky that I have gone six months and am only now having one of "those" weeks.  However, as many of you can relate, it has been a......"I'm stretched as far as I can, pulled in different responsibility directions, need to wear 15 hats but only have one head, dealing with people in life who don't understand, and miss Ry weeks."

Actually, it is more like a "I just miss Ry" week.  Now to a military spouse, that explanation is enough and I'm sure understood.  Generally, to non-military the response to this would be "well why didn't you ask for help?"  That response is of course from their hearts and appreciated but definitely not a solution to "these" kinds of weeks.

This week hasn't been any more demanding than others and I haven't had any horrible thing happen.....I just miss him.  I just "feel" how much I miss him a bit more this week.  And when that missing sneaks in it can make normal weeks seem like much harder weeks.

**Then I ran across the above quote and it brought me right back to where I need to be**

We all have these days and we all react in somewhat similar ways.  It is so easy to react negatively through being sad or down.  But what makes a person rise above and remain afloat is how they choose to react to situations in life.  My reaction will be to laugh and accept.  Accept that it is OK to do only what I can and who cares about the rest.  And to laugh about how crazy our wonderful life can get.  We will all have these days or weeks.  Life will always throw us situations that challenge us.  Sometimes more than others and sometimes not necessarily fair.  But remember, our reaction will determine us and mold us. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Who are our teachers????

I have been so busy that I have neglected my blog postings. It feels good to sit and write again.   This week officially ended my two and half years of grad school classes.  I am SO happy and excited about being done. Of course, it was bittersweet because I didn’t have Major to celebrate with but, nonetheless, our life celebrations continue on.

The kids are so glad that mommy now has one more night a week that I get to be home with them……and I am too.  They have been such troopers through all of this and I can honestly say that they are my glue that holds my heart together. 

I started to think about how much my children understand about our life.  They really understand and have an appreciation for who we are as a family.  I think sometimes people feel so much pity for families of the military that they forget that we love our life.  This isn’t to say that it is so sad to see a loved one or daddy go away and miss the simplest things like hugs and smiles, but really the pride is always present. 

I decided to do a little video and see how my kids would respond to some questions I had for them and was, yet again, speechless at their ability to love.  I am proud to share this with you and hope it helps you smile.   After all, kiddos like these teach us more than we will ever know…..

 “Do you think the porter and the cook have no anecdotes, no experiences, no wonders for you?  The walls of their minds are scrawled all over with thoughts.  They shall one day bring a lantern and read the inscriptions.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson