Deployment Positive Monday- Weeks 12 and 13

Life. Is. Busy.

And absolutely awesome, to be quite honest with you! I don't even know where to start with this post because so much has been going on in the last two weeks. I guess the first thing I should touch on is the fact that I just got back from four magical days in Disney World! A friend and I decided to drive down and had a great time at all the parks, and we even saw SeaWorld and Universal Studios for my first time as well!

I met Mickey Mouse and lots of other characters at The Magic Kingdom, went on a safari at Animal Kingdom, had drinks from around the world at Epcot, spent some time petting and playing with real-life penguins at SeaWorld, and-oh yeah- went to Hogwarts!!!

It has been a crazy week since I've been home from Florida as well. It's hard to believe that we are approaching the 90-day-13-week-3-month-mark, but boy does it feel good to have such a substantial portion of this deployment behind us. 

We are also approaching my absolute favorite time of year. Growing up in a small New England town, having a love for the fall is almost a given. Autumn in Kentucky can't really hold a candle to the crisp feelings of Septembers in New Hampshire, but it's not as much about the weather as it is about baseball AND football season finally converging and being played at the same time! Words cannot describe how excited I was to watch the Red Sox [stomp on the Tigers] in high definition on ESPN, while I drafted my fantasy football team. Plus, it doesn't hurt that my birthday is less than a week away... I'm just kinda a happy girl these days. 

... And whenever that handsome soldier of mine decides it is time to come home and join in on all the fall time fun, I'm more than ready to welcome him with open arms (and probably a patriots tshirt). 

Deployment Positive Monday- Week 10

Wow... Double digits for weeks already. As hard as it is to believe that we have reached this little benchmark, sometimes I look back at X-day and think "really?! Has it only been two months?!" Deployments totally mess with me that way, I guess. It's been so nice to have been keeping busy, but sheesh, this seems like the longest summer ever, er... Um I guess since the last time Andrew was deployed, and if we're really being picky, the summer before that wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. 

Lately our days (or nights, depending on which one of us you are talking to) have been spent planning for the glorious month we get to spend together between Andrews homecoming and SFAS. And let me tell you- if you thought I packed a lot of fun into this summer, wait til you see what we have got planned for that little snippet of time. We're still relatively unsure about when that will be (plus I can't tell you anyways because of OPSEC... Do we all remember OPSEC?) but it's just been exciting to look forward to it! 

This past week I was lucky enough to have an extended period of time off of work, so I went up to visit family in Pennsylvania! It was a great trip! As many people know, I'll take any excuse possible to visit loved ones! This trip was brought to you by the Dirty Girl Mud Run that I did on Saturday with Andrews sister and cousins! It was a blast! We ran 5k though all sorts of muddy obstacles and I couldn't stop smiling throughout the entire course. My army husband would have been so proud of me (loudly) encouraging ladies on other teams to get their bottoms down during the low crawl exercises... Mainly because that just meant they would get muddier, and wasn't that the whole point! 

At the end of the day, this was a fun thing to do for a great cause. They raise money to support breast cancer research and we even finished right behind a team with a breast cancer survivor who ran the race! Definitely a feel-good moment to watch her as she crossed the finish line with her 20+ teammates all cheering her name. 

Deployment Positive Monday- Week 9

Well for a girl who just spent her first wedding anniversary with her husband fighting a war halfway around the world, I must say, I am in an excellent mood! I had absolutely, hands-down the best weekend possible, given the circumstances. 

Andrew and I have known that we would spend our first anniversary apart since we set the date for our wedding, so there was never really a part of me that spent my time dreaming about a super romantic weekend reminiscing in the awesomeness of our wedding and our marriage (does anyone actually do that?) but that didn't make it any easier to spend such a big milestone without him. What did make it a whole lot easier (and fun) was the fact that my college roommate/maid of honor/best friend came down to spend the weekend with me here in Louisville. I still can't believe how lucky I am that she flew all the way down here just to make sure I wasn't lonely this weekend. That is truly the definition of an amazing friend.

I won't bore you with all of the details of the weekend, but in short: I got my breakfast comp'd at Wild Eggs because she told the waitress the situation, we went downtown for dinner and saw 7483728 bachelorette parties and the Louisville Slugger Factory, drank bottles and bottles of wine and stayed up way too late chatting and laughing, drove 35 minutes to the coolest dunkin donuts, got our nails done, laid out at the pool, made an epic wedding video, facetimed my amazing husband TWICE, and went to Buffalo Wild Wings for my anniversary dinner for junk food, beers, bug buck hunter and watched (preseason) football. Basically everything was perfect. 

I think my favorite part of the weekend was looking back through the hours of video footage that she had captured from our wedding. Watching it made it feel like it was just yesterday, and I love all the little candid moments she caught that the professionals simply couldn't. If you have ten minutes to spare, I highly recommend watching the following link, Amy did an amazing job and really somehow managed to show the essence of our relationship... Just goofy, head over heels love 

http://youtu.be/KwCqd1eAzNU

Deployment Positive Monday- Weeks 7 and 8

Yep, well now I've just skipped an entire week. I've been petty disappointed in myself for my lack of blogging this deployment, but for some reason, I just can't get myself to keep at it. I really don't understand it because I can't even put a price on how much my book of the first deployment's blog posts means to me, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It kills me to think that I just won't have the same experience with this deployment. 

Maybe it's because I have been approaching this deployment with a completely different mindset. Part of it still doesn't seam real to me for some reason.  Obviously I know Andrew is away and at war, but everything from our communication to my living situation to his job is different. There hasn't been a single day since Andrew left 53 days ago that we haven't had some sort of communication (hopefully I'm not jinxing it by posting about it). I am working a job that I absolutely love and coming home each night to a home that a share with my husband (and the hardest part of this is that I still haven't adjusted to the idea of cooking for 1- I made about 4 times too many servings of dinner tonight... Hello leftovers!). Andrews job is allowing for us to communicate more, and giving him a lot more down time. Lately one of our favorite activities has been to do the same crossfit workout (same workout for both of us, but he completes it with more weight) and compare times. I kinda love it and can't wait to have him home to workout side by side again! Another favorite pastime has been planning for homecoming and all the things we want to do and trips we want to take before we are onto our next duty station. It's a little weird to think that chances are we won't be living in Kentucky at this time next year, but exciting weird. We'll be on to bigger and better things and we are both so excited to move and explore a new duty station together for the first time. Depending on where we are sent maybe we will even become first time homeowners! The future is an exciting time for us Dolans!

But, not to get ahead of myself too much, I'm still doing my best to keep busy and travel as much as possible while Andrew is gone. Last week I had a great trip to the Jersey Shore with my amazing inlaws then had a friend visit from Nashville over the weekend. It was great to have a girls night and we even went to a wine and paint bar and painted ourselves some "funky trees". It was a blast! 

That soldier husband of mine has been keeping busy too. He has been getting care packages in an average of under two weeks which is great and even received his anniversary care package this morning. It's still pretty hard to believe that this time last year we were in last minute wedding mode finalizing each and every detail. Hopefully this time next year we will be curled up on the couch together watching American Ninja Warrior and loving life in a brand new state. I can't think of anything better than spending our second anniversary together. 

Andrew has been getting lots of time in with his SFAAT team and his Battalion Commander even posted this picture of them on Facebook earlier this week. Can you spot my handsome soldier? 

Deployment Positive (Insert Random Day of the Week Here)- Week 6

It's pretty hard to believe that we have already just about hit the 6 week mark of this deployment. I guess it's the same feeling I have always had during separations; day to day seems to go by slowly, but looking back I can't believe we've already come this far. 

I've said it before and I will say it again... A large part of my sanity during Andrews time away has to be credited to my amazing family and friends. This past weekend I went up to my parents' house in New Hampshire and visited with them, my uncle, grandmother, brother and future sister in law! It was so great to catch up on lost time, and I love that my brother has found somebody who is such an amazing fit in our small little family. We spent lots of time talking about the upcoming wedding, which is one of my favorite pastimes!

Monday and Tuesday were strictly girls days. On Monday, Emily and I went down to spend the day in Boston and I met up with the greatest friends a girl could have. It was so great to see my girls from college and high school and pick up right where we left off. It's one of the best feeling in the world, knowing that months and months can pass and true friends are always there for you. It's amazing how we are all at different phases of our lives, but we hold a common bond of the past that will keep us together forever. Wow, that got sappy in a hurry... I guess what I am trying to say is that I'm a very blessed girl to have such amazing friends. 

Boston is probably my favorite place in the entire world, and this was the first time I had been there since the tragic events that happened at the marathon this year. To me, Boston has always had its own identity and there is some sort of unspoken bond between those who have called it home at any point in their lives. My heart absolutely swelled with pride and simultaneously broke into a million prices  when I watched the footage of the first responders and the heroes that emerged from the horrors of those events. I have never taken my roots in New England for granted, but I never ached as badly as I did in April that I wasn't there with my fellow Bostonians... Through the good and bad. It was amazing, albeit not surprising, to observe how the city has bounced back, and I am proud to always have a piece of Boston in my heart. Not only because it is where I met the love of my life, or because it is where he asked me to be his wife, or because of all of the little moments I have spent there over the course of my 26 years. It's because of the history of Bostonians, and what they have always been proud to sacrifice for the greater good of our fine nation.  It's the place that always makes me happy, no matter what. 

Speaking of things that make me happy no matter what, that husband of mine is still doing well over in the sandbox. He keeps telling me there isn't really anything new to report, but I suppose no news is good news. Next week I am heading to the Jersey Shore with his (excuse me, OUR) family! I can't wait for another getaway, but it definitely won't be the same without him. I sure do love keeping busy! Before we know it, he'll be home safe in my arms... And I can't wait!!'

Deployment Positive Monday- Week 5

Just to preface this: in all honesty, I planned to delay this week's post.

There are some days at work that are just so rewarding, and today happened to be one of them. There is a nationwide charity called Brides Across America, which donates weddings gowns to military brides at events twice a year. I am proud to say that my wedding boutique is one of the participating partners for this event and today was our Fourth of July Giveaway!

We had about 15-20 women register for the event and each one is engaged to a man in the military who is either currently deployed or has had a recent deployment. Actually, one was even in the military herself, which I thought was pretty cool. It was such a special day for me to help to give back to those in my own community! We gave away one dress to every bride who came today (they got to try on a couple of different ones to have the bridal experience and could choose their favorite) and most for veils and bridesmaid dresses as well. To see these women be so thankful and overjoyed was really an overwhelming feeling for me. 

I know first hand how difficult it is to plan a wedding during a deployment. There is so much weight behind every single decision you make. Every penny you spend, you question. Every contract you sign, you prepare for the worst. The anxiety level is high to say the least. So I can't imagine how what it meant to these ladies today to not have to stress abut the expense of a wedding gown. I'm proud of the management at my boutique for being a part of this amazing organization long before they ever had a military wife as an employee. I truly work for and with such kind-hearted people. I left work today feeling so fulfilled and happy!

In deployment news, Andrew is doing well and trying to keep busy working out once or twice a day during the downtime in between missions outside the wire. I realized a couple of days ago that if I am going to make our first wedding anniversary special for that boy I need to get a care package together and out to him soon. To me it still feels like August is so far away, but its only a couple of weeks from now! It is crazy how quickly the summer flies by, even when he it gone. I guess I'm just a lucky girl to be so busy!

Deployment Positive Monday- Week 4

Woohoo! I finally got to my blog on a Monday! Huge step for me, apparently. 

This week I am so so thankful for amazing friends and family who keep me busy and occupied while Andrew is away. I love looking ahead to the coming months and seeing every single weekend for the next two months occupied with visitors or trips! Honestly, nothing could be more exciting to me!

It all started this weekend with my moms visit to town. We had a great time shopping and catching up! Oh... And I died my hair. It's dark. Like, really really brunette. I'm still not quite used to it yet, but Andrew seems to like the pictures he's seen of it. It's funny because less than a month after Andrew left for his first deployment I cut off about 8-10 inches of my hair. It was a huge change for me at the time, as I had had the same hair style for years before that. Now, a couple of weeks into this deployment I have another big hair change. Maybe it's just my way of coping with a big void in my life. 

It's not only the weekends I have to look forward to. Today after work a friend and I decided to hit the mall for dinner and shopping... Literally until we dropped. It's so nice to not have to rush home after work to an empty house every day. AND when I got home the little neighbor girls came knocking on my door and offered me fresh baked cupcakes--- funfetti with bright Barbie pink icing and sprinkles. Seriously a great end to my day and perfect beginning to the week and month that we celebrate our great nation's independence. Not too shabby at all. 

Deployment Positive Monday- Week 2

Oops. 

I guess I am not completely used to being back at blogging again.  I will get better, I promise. 

This week, for the first time ever in my life, I am thankful for travel plans going awry.  I have spent the past couple of days with my amazing in-laws for a little getaway from my normal routine. The trip couldn't have come at a better time, as I could feel myself starting to slip into that inevitable sadness that this deployment is actually a reality for the next X amount of months. That feeling usually hits me about a week into any separation, and then after a couple of days it will pass once I am fully used to this each new phase of our lives. 

Visiting Andrew's family always makes me happy and keeps me busy.  Mom and I built in our tradition for the first deployment of treating ourselves to an afternoon at the Hotel Hershey Spa. How wonderful it was to just let go and relax for a while!

Last night about 3 hours before I was supposed to fly back to Kentucky, I got a call from the airline saying that due to air traffic congestion (really? This just seems like poor planning to me) my flight would be canceled. At first I was irritated because I thought I would be stranded in Charlotte on a layover overnight, but after talking to a not-so-friendly US Airways employee I got it changed to fly out this morning.  I'll be a little late for work, but in the grand scheme of things it was totally worth it. Lillia and Gavin had a sleepover and as I was reading them their bedtime stories I couldn't help but hold them just a little bit tighter than normal. These precious little children, hanging on my every word, trying their hardest to understand why their aunt is home and not their fun-loving uncle, were so worth the stress of yet another flight mishap. I wouldn't have traded that moment for anything. 

As I continue to get accustomed to this deployment, I keep reminding myself to look for the silver linings in everything. That is one thing I will always be thankful to the Army for- at a somewhat young age I feel that I am always able to find the positive in a difficult situation, because in our world that is survival. 

Deployment Positive Monday- Week 1

I've decided that since Thursdays are my late night at work I will give Mondays a try for my weekly positive post. Plus it gives me a great distraction from all the housework I've been avoiding since Andrew left. 

I was really struggling with the idea of getting back into the weekly posts, but looking back on my blog from the first deployment, I can't imagine ever going through a deployment and not having that time in our lives documented. Even now, it is so cool to look back on all of the emotions, activities and events of 2011. When I read those old posts, everything still feels so fresh, and I have a feeling that in the years to come reading my own words will always have that effect on me.  Having a weekly blogging "responsibility"-if you will- also seemed to help the time go by just a little bit faster. 

So here I am, back to my weekly posts. I have been finding myself constantly comparing the two deployments and we aren't even a week into it yet. I don't know if that's normal for people who experience multiple deployments, and I don't know if its some sort of coping mechanism that my subconscious is somehow reminding myself that I've done this before, but its been happening. A lot.  

The biggest comparison I've been noticing is how much has changed in the 17 months since Andrew's return home. The little technology improvements that we don't notice on a day-to-day basis have made a huge difference in our communication already. Last time we didn't video chat until 92 days into the deployment and already we have facetimed twice since Andrew has been overseas. He is still in transit so I know that is likely to change, but it has been so comforting to see his face and hear his voice. We have also been able to TEXT... Not just email but text each other every day, all thanks the the invention of iMessage, which will continue to work for Andrew as long as he has wifi. 

I'm still adjusting to this new phase of our lives, but honestly the transition has been pretty seamless so far. The hardest part is the nighttime because of my active imagination, I'm always convinced that somebody is trying to break into my apartment, but as the days turn into weeks and months, I'm sure I will get used to sleeping alone. Plus, lucky me, my wonderful husband left me with not one but two hand guns on my bedside table and a teddy bear he got me when we were in college that wears an Army T-Shirt, so what else does a girl really need to feel safe?

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 50

I'll be honest. I'm a blogging planner.

I've had this plan that towards the end of deployment I would blog about how prepared I am, how I've been packed for weeks on end, and how all I need is that call and I'd be ready to hit the road to Kentucky.

The problem: no matter how excited I am for something, I just can't motivate myself to pack. I hate it! I hate it, so much! (One time my dad asked me which I hated more: packing or terrorists. And I actually had to think about it) I really, truly believed that I would have been so excited for Andrew's return that I would have just been packed.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

I am, however, getting prepared to pack, which I guess is a step in the right direction. I have lists and lists and list of things I need to remember to bring down. Andrew's stuff, my stuff, our stuff... big things, little things, new songs and audio books on my iPhone. Everything has been accounted for, I've even printed out several different versions of directions for my drive to Louisville. But in regards to actually packing, nothing has been done. It's somewhat pathetic, but apparently I am the only one who is actually surprised by this, everyone else I've mentioned this to says "no, kidding, you HATE packing!"

I know it's not exactly the best picture I've ever taken, but here is my list. 2' X 3' ... and still being added to! (aslo check out my sweet mapquest directions, just incase my GPS decides to crap-out on me)

I think it's safe to say that I'm pretty excited for Andrew to come home. We still don't have a firm grasp on when he is expected to be stateside again, but I know it is soon. Each day is a step closer. Unfortunately, at this point in the deployment though, time       

                                                                      is

                                                                                dragging.............................................

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 49

I think this time of year it is reasonably normal for one to do a lot of reflecting. As we enter into the heart of the Holiday Season, everyone seems to be focused on Christmas and New Years which is right around the corner.

"What a year it's been" and "can you believe that XYZ happened this year" along with tv specials, news articles and blogs (my own included) are seen and heard everywhere reminding us of everything that has happened in the world in the past (almost) 365 days.

I have to say, it's pretty neat to book-end this deployment with New Years Celebrations. It shows me how far I've come, how much has changed around me, and exactly how many celebrities and political figures have completely lost their minds since Andrew has been deployed. Especially for me, the absolute freak about numbers and dates, it's beet a pretty cool way to wind down this deployment.

For example, Charlie Sheen was somewhat sane on X-Day. Nobody outside the state of New York had ever heard of Anthony Weiner, Kim Kardashian had only been on a few dates with her now ex-husband, and oh yeah... Osama bin Laden was still creepin' around. It's just been cool to see all the re-caps going on lately and realize that although I sometimes feel like life and the world around me has been on a stand-still this year, that is in fact, not the case.

Keeping with the Holiday theme, I'd like to share with you all what I asked for for Christmas this year. The only thing I want is for Andrew to call home on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Nothing could replace hearing his voice actually talking to him!

But my soldier had other plans for my Christmas gift this year, and forgive me but I have to brag a little bit about how absolutely amazing this guy is! Waiting for me under the Dolan Family Christmas Tree tonight (my last night in Etown before heading home to New Hampshire) was a very small box with a beautiful white ribbon, and inside were the most gorgeous pair of diamond and sapphire earrings I have ever seen!

I was absolutely overwhelmed (and even teared up a bit) as Dad said "AJ really wanted to make sure you opened this before you left". I really miss Andrew (understatement of the year) and opening that gift that I was in no way expecting just absolutely warmed my heart. I can't wait to have that boy back home soon and give him his Christmas present!

That is one of the very few benefits of spending the holidays apart... making other days into holidays! We had Christmas today when I opened my earrings, Christmas will happen for the world on Sunday, and we'll have Christmas again when Andrew is home! Not too shabby for a couple-weeks' span!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 46

(slightly delayed due to the craziest work-day ever yesterday)

Well lookie there....

Its finally that time of year where it's socially acceptable to countdown to something!

I've been waiting since MAY to hang this sucker (can you guess where I got it? Hint: It's the happiest place on earth!)

And, as I hung the first ornament on my wonderful advent calendar, I also did a small victory dance for having started our last full month of this deployment. Yep, you heard that right: Andrew will be home next month. I think I'm more excited for this advent calendar to be over than for any other countdown ever in my life. We are so close, 2011 is almost over and then just a few more wake-ups until I see my soldier!



Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 45

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Today, I am thankful for so much in my life, but mindful of those who are not celebrating with us... especially that empty seat at my table.

I wanted to share these pictures of the Comanche Thanksgiving Fest (which came after a pretty long mission for Andrew). What are the soldiers thankful for? No corn dogs or MRE's today!

 There is Andrew all the way on the right, on the far side of the table!

And here is a better look at the amazing turkey day spread at the COP. 

Giving Thanks

I saw this posted online today and wanted to share it in lieu of my DPT this week just incase I don't get around to posting on Turkey Day.

Dear deployed service member:

Last night, I packed my suitcase for a trip to see my family. The last time you packed your bags, it was for a yearlong trip away from yours.

We’ll soon crowd into our car and head to my parents’ house at the shore. You’ll step into a Humvee and convoy through a combat zone.

Tomorrow I’ll sit down for a Thanksgiving feast at a table surrounded by my loved ones. You’ll join your battle buddies in a dining facility.

At night, I’ll lay my son down in his bed for the night. You’ll lay down your rifle to catch some sleep in between missions.

I’ll check on my children one last time before I head to bed. You’ll blow a kiss to yours through a computer screen.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for your service. For being among the 1 percent of Americans willing to part from your family for up to a year and put yourself in harm’s way for me and my family.

Even though you’re thousands of miles away, rest assured your sacrifices don’t go unnoticed. It’s my family’s tradition to say what we’re thankful for at our holiday dinner. This year, I’ll be sure to say how thankful I am for you.

Enjoy the holiday, everyone! And please don't take for granted the gift of spending this All-American day with those closest to you.

I miss you, Andrew. Only a few weeks til we are together again and can start traditions of our own. A few. More. Weeks. Wow!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 44

This week has been absolutely fantastic. I have the best friends and family in the entire world, hands down, but more on that later.

Yesterday marked ten months of deployment gone boy. SCORE!

Today, our unit welcomed home our very first soldiers from Afghanistan! These are the times I wish more than anything that I was living down at Fort Knox, I can't even imagine the joy on those families' faces when their soldiers returned home to them. It was just a small group, but the wave has started, and will continue over the next two and a half to three months.

Our FRG (Family Readiness Group- the wives of the soldiers in the unit) is sending out more emails than ever lately, all with new messages about homecoming and block leave and returning to "normal life" once the brigade returns home. It's oddly comforting to know that there really is a light at the end of this seemingly never-ending tunnel, it's not just me imagining it's there. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in a moment in time, and I forgot that this deployment will eventually end. It's almost our turn!

Now, onto the most amazing weekend EVER!

On Saturday morning, Mom Dolan and I set off for a Scrapbooking day at Dottie's (her best friend who lives a few towns away) house. I had my huge scrapbooking box with me (decoupaged with newspaper clippings from the Sox 04 World Series Run- one of my favorite home-made projects ever!) and as we walked in the door I was slapped in the face with the sound of "SURPRISE!!!!!" by what seemed like a million women.

I'll admit, the three seconds before I realized what was going on felt like they lasted for-ev-er. I walked into the room, and put my box down, just as I realized "oh, is this all happening for me?" and as I put my sunglasses on my head, I saw them. My girls. My roommates from college, and my best friend since the first grade. Not to mention the countless family (Em, that includes you!)

It's one of the strangest feelings in the world, and I'll never quite be able to describe it, but seeing people I cared so deeply about, here in an environment that I had never seen them before (nor did I ever think I would see them before our wedding) absolutely blew me away. Thank you thank you thank you girls for coming down and making me feel so loved. I am so very very blessed to have you all in my life.

The last time we (my seven roommates and I) were all together was our graduation from Stonehill in May 2009. I was a wreck. We all were. We had just spent the 4 best years of our lives with some of our greatest friends (and senior year with a couple of legitimately crazy boys living down the hall who loved to put fireplaces in our stairwell) and none of us could accept the fact that that chapter in our lives had come to a close. We huddled. There was nothing else to do, we didn't want to let go of that moment.

So what do you think we did the moment we were all 8 together again for the first time in nearly two and a half years (after I got over my initial shock, of course)? Yup! We huddled!

My Bridal Shower was nothing short of phenomenal! I can't describe the joy I felt that day! I really wish I could post a video of my reaction, but I'm having technology issues at the moment, hopefully I'll figure it out someday.

Thank you so very much to everybody who made this day happen! I feel so blessed to be loved by my family, my friends and to be coming into a family who is so loving as well. Saturday was probably one of my favorite deployment days, and I can't help but smile when I think of myself walking into that room and being completely bombarded with love!

Here I am with my Lexa Lou and my rehearsal bouquet! She did an awesome job!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 43

It just occurred to me that I could be down to single digits with DPTs I have left! WOW! If that's not a positive, I don't know what is.

For the time being though, I'm going to stick with my promise to let all of you out there in bloggie-ville get to re-live our amazing two week R&R through posts and pictures.

On the first Sunday that Andrew was home, I was finally confirmed as a member of the Catholic Church and took my first communion. As with everything else in my life, I had waited a long time for that special moment, but man, was it worth the wait. I can't even let myself imagine what it would have been like to take such a huge step in our joint faith without Andrew. It felt great to have him physically behind me as I was welcomed into our church.

It was so nice to have both of our families be a part of such a huge day for us! Other than the actual day Andrew returned home, it was definitely the most emotional day for me. Everything happened exactly as I had envisioned it, including the song "Come Back to Me", which I've had my heart set on being played at both my first communion and our wedding since the first time I heard it way back in March... remember?

I really want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has been there for me during this process. The entire parish has been more than welcoming and accommodating to both Andrew and myself.

Quick R&R Recap (aka Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 42)

As of 12 hours ago, the best two weeks of 2011 have officially come to an end. I can't put into words how perfect it felt to have him back in my arms after 9 long months apart. This morning it was so difficult to drop him off again and say our "see ya laters", but knowing that we are down to a matter of weeks before our first deployment is over forever made it a tiny bit easier.

R&R was nothing short of fantastic. I am going to try to post about it in sections over the next couple of days because it is way to much to summarize all in one post (plus I'm pretty exhausted to be completely honest with you), but in the meantime, here are some of my favorite highlights from the past 16 days:

Wow, narrowing thousands of pictures down to just 3 was nearly impossible. More to come soon, I promise, now I'm off to bed with my cellphone on for the first time in two weeks.

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 38

Well I'm finally back home after a long week in Philadelphia for a work event. Events always drag every last bit of energy out of me so I am really really looking forward to this weekend. I am slowly recovering from my recent baseball heartbreak, but I don't know that I will ever completely get over that one.

This week I received an email from our unit's FRG (family readiness group) that filled my heart with joy. I was at a bar with coworkers and some of our exhibitors from the event when I realized a had gotten an email. I don't know what made me check it right then, but I started tearing up almost immediately. It may seem little to some people, but to me it is the very first step in the homecoming process. Not R&R, homecoming. This small, seemingly meaningless step just reassures me that this WILL eventually come to an end. I WILL see that boy again soon. And things WILL return to normal. Our new normal, and we can finally start our lives together.

So, what is this step? Our do-not-mail date! I can't believe it!! We have an actual, physical date that I can (and did) mark on my calendar that I can no longer send packages to Afghanistan any more! I cannot express the emotion that came with that email. This has been such a long road, and it has been challenging at times, but my God, the end is finally in sight.

As you may know, posting specific dates for anything regarding troop movement or redeployment (aka coming home) strictly violates OPSEC. Soldiers' safety is always the number one priority, but I'd be more than happy to tell anyone who asks/emails/texts me!!

So as I head to bed (early for once) I will leave you with this picture of my favorite soldier:


 

Andrew emailed me this picture this afternoon of his day today. "Training today....I like this picture, cause I think it shows us doing what we should be doing, preparing the Afghan Army to take over security in the country."

Look at that face. I don't know anyone on this planet who loves their job as much as he does.

... And I get to see that face in real life in front of my very eyes in a matter of DAYS. I really really really can't wait!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 35

I think I have intentionally been avoiding my blog lately. It would have been easy to have a huge long post about the significance of September 11th and what it means to all of us each and every day, but by now my opinions are pretty clear to those of you reading my blog. It was an emotional day, and for some reason I just didn't feel quite right bringing it to the blogosphere.

I will say that I was touched to see our country once again come together and show the unity we once had. I wish it could be like that every day, not just on certain dates we mark on our calendars, but I suppose we are taking a collective 'baby step' in the right direction.

The weekend of September 11th was also spent celebrating my birthday! Yup!! The big 2-5!! It's hard to believe that little old me is really that... Old... But I guess I'm getting used to it. I had a great weekend down in dc with my brother and his girlfriend (who, if I havent previously mentioned, I LOVE!) and we went to the Toby Keith concert on Saturday which was my actual birthday. He is amazing live, I highly recommend going to see him if you have the opportunity, but being that it was the "eve of September 11th" as he said so many times, it was particularly emotional and special for me. He is probably the most patriotic country singer who has ever lived and watching him pull soldiers onto the stage and sing songs like "American Soldier", "Courtesy of the red white and blue" and "Made in America" brought tears to my eyes. Hearing Toby say "thank god for all our heros fighting out there every day so that we can be here and have some fun tonight" gave me chills. It was a tough moment, and it made me miss Andrew almost more than I had at any other time this year.

Missing a soldier is hard to explain to people who don't live our life. It's not like when your husband goes on a business trip for a week or when your daughter studies abroad for a few months. Yes, there is an element of worry, but you have to put that out of your mind to a certain extent. Going a whole year without Andrew can sometimes be easier than just a week or two. It's hard to explain, but since it is such a long time, you just go through the motions without him here, almost like droning. You become numb to the "pain" of missing him simply because your body won't let you feel that way for months on end.

But there are moments in these long separations that my mind kicks me right back to the "I need him here now" mentality and I hate it so much. That concert was one of those moments. I didn't want to wait another second. Another was when we lost a solider in the community a few months ago. Or when one of the kids says something particularly cute about how proud they are of their ranger. I guess I go into emotion overload and that barrier I've been keeping up for so long gets torn down.

So yes, I did shed a tear or two at that concert, not only because I missed Andrew, but also for the devastation our country going through ten years ago. (andrew will give me a hard time about that for sure, but it's the truth so whatcha gonna do?) Here are some of the highlights from the weekend:














Life for me other than that lately has been busy Great and busy. I'm looking forward to a few days of relaxing with my mom in town this weekend, then gearing up for a big Yankees Red Sox weekend in New York before we kick off another event for work. I'm looking forward to the event being over, not only for the post-stress relief I will feel, but also because it means I am that much closer to seeing my soldier.

Oh yeah, that soldier of mine. Remember him? He's busy too, just loving life and kicking bad-guy butt! Leave got moved AGAIN, but this time because we asked for it, and the army actually granted it, which is pretty out of character. Leave will happen a few weeks later in the month, but it allows us more flexibility (and I was worried about crossover between leave and our conference for work) and by the time Andrew goes back to the sandbox, it will be november! Huge mental milestone!!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 33

Remember my Deployment Countdown Calendar?

I got to flip the page again today, which means for the first time this year I can officially say that I get to see my soldier NEXT MONTH! I can't express how happy this makes me, but if you know me, you know that it's basically all I've been taking about since the moment Andrew left seven and a half months ago.

I even caught myself earlier this week (still in August) postponing a call for two days just so that I could say truthfully "my fiance will be home from Afghanistan next month". It is such a different feeling than saying "October", and I love it.

We still really don't have a clear idea on when Andrew will actually be home, but that's just how things are with the military. It's all up in the air at this point, but chances are it will be at some point in October. It is going to be such a great feeling to be in his arms once again and just sit and talk and catch up on everything that we have forgotten to tell each other in emails for the past 8-9 months. It's also good to know that we will have the longest part of this behind us for this deployment and for future separations. The army has recently announced that they are moving to 9 month deployments from here on out. This is a huge mental victory for anyone who has ever been through a 12, 15 or 18 month deployment from the home front. I'm not sure how the soldiers are feeling about it, but for the most part, I think it is definitely a welcomed change.