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 19

Well it feels great to be completely wrapped on our biggest event of the year! It's been a stressful week for sure, and I've lost the feeling in my smallest three toes on my left foot from so many 15 hour days walking in four inch heels, but it feels so great to be done. Mom Dolan got into town about twenty minutes after we finished this afternoon and it was such a relief to see her! Now it's really vacation time!!!

I did want to share a quick story about something that really struck me and will always stick with me about this event. Our opening keynote speaker was an artist named Erik Wahl. I highly recommend looking into his work, not only as an artist but also as an eye-opening speaker. During his presentation, he took three five minute sections of time to show a video while he painted right in front of us. It was breathtaking to see him create right in front of us. The first painting was of Michael Jordan and then he talked about "instant risk, instant reward".

He talked for a while and then showed another video of soldiers coming home and surprising their families. I had tears in my eyes instantly and thought I could just ignore the video and watch him paint, but it got a little overwhelming I had to excuse myself before I started breaking down in front of 300+ top level executives of 50 of the nation's fortune 1000 companies. After I collected myself, I returned to the ballroom and saw the single most beautiful and moving painting of the statue of liberty I could have ever imagined.

I spoke with our Chairman for this year's event (an SVP at PepsiCo) and thanked him for finding such an all-around amazing guest. That moment stuck with me all day that day and every second since.

Today, it became even more touching and heart breaking as we learned that one of the attendees had had the same reaction to the keynote address as I had, but for a different reason. His son was a marine serving in afghanistan and was killed one year ago today. Some of his coworkers talked to my bosses and the chairman about it and we made a decision to give him the painting of the statue of liberty. There wasn't a dry eye in our closing ceremony today when we told the story and the immediate standing ovation was heart wrenching.

I was trying to explain my thoughts to my coworker this afternoon- I am in a place where I can tell anyone my fiance is in afghanistan and talk about it quite a bit without getting emotional, but when something takes me by surprise like that, it can become overwhelming. This was the last place on earth I ever thought I would shed a tear but it was so touching to see the overwhelming outpouring of support and thanks for our nation's families who have given the ultimate sacrifice.



"LIBERTY" by Erik Wahl 2011


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Masters Blvd,Kissimmee,United States

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 18

This post may end up holding the record for my shortest post ever, but I've got 3 days til the event in Florida and not a whole lotta spare time these days!

For no reason whatsoever, I checked an old email account this morning and found something waiting for me that Andrew had sent last week. I don't know why he sent it to that account, except for it is similar to my current email address and sometimes he gets confused.

Here is my solider! I think he said he is with a Polish Platoon and an American Platoon in this picture. Can you spot him?!? I think I know which one he is, but I'm not totally convinced that I'm right. High Five to the first person who can correctly identify him!

After this nightmare of a week at work, and a three-day long communication blackout, it is so great to have Andrew quote, unquote in my life again. I live for the little emails and "love you lots, girl"s he sends me, but this picture brought the biggest smile of all to my face.... even if it does kind of look like he lives on the moon...

It might seem a little weird to get so excited about a single picture where I may or may not be able to spot the face of my future husband, but I'll take what I can get these days! When you rely on emails and not a whole lot else to keep you going through the endless months of separations, a picture like that is enough to make your entire week a whole lot brighter.

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 17

Well unfortunately blogger had been down for the past 72 hours and now it's finally back up and online! I did write the following positive post from my phone last night:

Sorry for the delay!!

Well this is going to have to be a quick one, folks. (and also I apologize for being past my deadline, I need to work on getting these positive Thursday posts actually done on Thursday's... Imagine that). Unfortunately blogger is down right now so I'm stuck posting from my phone instead of my computer which means I will very quickly run out of patience typing on this ridiculously small keyboard. Also if you have ever seen my thumbs you know that one is abnormally larger than the other so it makes typing on the phone a little awkward.

Okay, so whats been going on this week? Simple answer: work is crazy. Sorry, that's wrong. Work is beyond crazy, it might be certifiably insane lately. It's okay though, one step closer to the event in Orlando and then disney!! All of this hard work will pay off in the end.

Yesterday I had a hair appointment and went BLONDE. Full on, no bars held, blonde. It's still shocking to see myself in the mirror, but for the most part I like it. It will definitely take a little getting used to. I think this deployment has allowed me to be way more daring with my hair than ever before in my 24 years. I love knowing that even if I really screw something up, Andrew won't be there to hate it... Not that be ever would, but as a girl I always have that in the back of my mind. Plus I have a solid 14+ months to get it exactly how I want it for our wedding day. It's been fun experimenting with it! Two weeks after deployment started I chopped 7 inches off!! Maybe that was my way of dealing with my kind of depressed state, because now I would KILL for my long hair back!

Other than that not too much is new in our lives. Today I had a big deployment victory, I got the Internet billing situation for Andrews apartment squared away after we found out they have been being billed for their Internet for the past four months! Lots of calls, but I'm so glad that won't be an issue anymore.

As for Andrew, things are pretty much the same for him. He does say that he misses things that aren't made of dirt. Understandable, as everything from roads to mountains to houses are all made from boring brown dirt in Afghanistan. So fine, you wouldn't believe it, it's almost like a dust. When Andrew sends packages home everything is coated with a fine layer of it.

That about does it for us. I'm just happy that Orlando is right around the corner, and by the time we get back it will be JUNE!! I never thought that day would come!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 16

Oh, Thursday, Thursday Thursday... we meet again.

Am I mis-counting? I can't believe I'm already on my 16th DPT! I'm not gonna lie, it feels pretty awesome to officially be into MAY, about to be completely done with four full months!

This week has been full of excitement from many different areas of my life. On Saturday my brother's girlfriend came up to Hershey from DC and we went to a great country concert together! One thing I really miss about Andrew being gone is going to country shows together, so it was awesome to be able to go with Em. Our senior year of college, Andrew and I must have gone to at least 10 different concerts together, and each has a very special memory that I will always hold close to my heart. Whether it be meeting Luke Bryan (remember that name, folks, you'll be hearing a song or two of his at our wedding) or walking along the beach after seeing Josh Turner on a late summer night in New Hampshire, each one has had it's own highlights that I re-live every time I hear their songs on my ipod or the radio.

Sunday was also a big day, as one Miss Alisia took her First Holy Communion! She has been counting the weeks until this day, and she is so excited that we are both going to take our first communion in the same year. Of course, the sad part of the day was when she told me how much she missed Uncle AJ and asked why deployment couldn't be like Ranger School where he comes home after 3 1/2 months (PS- as of this week, deployment has officially been longer than Ranger School. Yay? I guess that's an accomplishment of sorts). It was hard for me to explain, but I think all of her sadness disappeared when I came running up to her in line to take pictures with Father Dave and told her that someone special was on the phone. (I know, I know, I really shouldn't have answered it in church, but it's not every day I get a call from Afghanistan, you know. This was exactly the fifth time I have heard Andrew's voice since he has been gone. Can you blame me?) I think Ali was pretty excited about the call; what do you think?:

This was such a touching moment, I had tears welling in my eyes seeing that smile on Alisia's face. It was so hard for her and Andrew to hear each other, but I don't think it mattered to either one of them. She had her own special moment with Uncle AJ on her special day!

Sunday, of course, came the news of Osama bin Laden's death! I don't think I have  definitely haven't watched the news this much as I have this week since years ago; probably since 9/11. I- along with most of our country- am captivated by this. I thought the Royal Wedding was big news, but this just blows it out of the water. I heard somebody say "Hey, England! We'll take your wedding and raise you a funeral!" It's nice to be able to joke about it, but I did get a kick out of that. Lots of people have been asking me what the troops are seeing in response to this and what their reaction is. Honestly, I can't say much because of OPSEC, but Andrew says that our guys are excited, but it doesn't change all that much. We're still at war with the Taliban; bin Laden was the leader of al Qaeda. Hopefully in the coming weeks, this will continue to help to boost morale. The one thing that I have been loving about all of this is seeing America (for the most part) coming out and showing support for the troops again and showing that "united we stand"-ness that was so prevalent in the months following 9/11. It is a beautiful thing to experience as a military significant other; regardless of what it stems from. I love that people have been coming out of the woodwork to rally and show their support for our brave men and women who serve.

The rest of the week was absolutely crazy. Work is getting out of control lately, as we only have about 2 weeks until our biggest event of the year in Orlando. I'm excited to go, but I won't be able to relax until exactly 3 weeks from this moment with the event is OVER and Mom Dolan and I can just relax and enjoy everything Disney has to offer. I feel like I'm counting down the seconds! The best part is that we get back on May 31 which means the very next day will be June, that feels like it's right around the corner!

Mom has been working on putting together cookbooks for her Non-Profit Organization, Children's Playroom, for the past several months, and the whole project came to a head this week. I've been helping her put everything together for several hours each night. It's ridiculous, because it shouldn't be fun work, it should be daunting and depressing and completely overwhelming, but the two of us just couldn't stop laughing and having fun the whole time. She truly is an amazing woman!

Other reasons to be positive and upbeat today:
- I came home to two of the most smiley little faces (Lillia and Gavin) that came RUNNING up to me and demanding hugs from Aunt Tina. Best. Feeling. Ever!
- I saw ads on TV for season finales of some of the shows I watch! YAY! I never thought summer re-runs would come, I feel like we are finally making some headway in this deployment!
- Yesterday marked the 15 month pre-wedding mark! WOW, we're getting down to the real-time now! It's still hard to believe! After Florida I really have to hunker down and get some of this planning done or ya'll are going to be sorely disappointed when our wedding day actually comes! Don't worry though, we're promising one heck of a party, and you bet your boots we're going to deliver on that promise!
- Andrew's roommate, Jordan (also deployed to Afghanistan), is currently on his way home for his Midtour leave! Although we won't see him, it's good to know that at least for a few weeks he is out of harm's way and enjoying all the best things this fine country has to offer. Plus, it's another one of those things that seemed so far away when deployment started. Just another little step to check off that huge deployment list.

Slowly but surely, and day by day, we are making our way through this beast.

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 14

I know I just posted yesterday, so I'm going to keep this quick and stick with my Thursday tradition.

What a week! Things at work have been absolutely mind-bogglingly crazy, but I love it. Today marks exactly one month before we leave for the event in Orlando which is what all this hard work has been working towards so I'm really excited to see it all come together.

Also this week and next week are only 4-day weeks (thank you, Easter break)! Today after work I'm heading to Hummer's to get an Easter Ham for my folks, then getting my nails done, meeting the family at Hennigan's since some out-of-town cousins are now in town for the holiday, then eventually picking up my car from the shop (it was in for my first PA inspection)! I still have to pack (obviously) but other than that I'm set for my drive tomorrow. I've got a few audiobooks (thanks, Shannon!) and lots of new songs downloaded so hopefully my 8 hours drive will be quick and uneventful.

The one thing I'm worried about is that I gave up drive-thru lunches for lent. AND it's a Friday during Lent, so I can't eat any meat. I'm sure I'll come up with something creative, or just starve until I'm home, but it shouldn't be too bad.

This Positive Thursday, I'm just excited to be spending Easter with my family, and that it will officially be my last Easter as a non-Catholic! I will also be spending a lot of time with one of my best and oldest friends, Alexa. She's the sister I never had, so I can't wait to go wedding dress shopping with her and our moms on Saturday! Should be lots of fun!

Everything is going well with Andrew, but basically just the same as it always is. He was out on a mission yesterday into today, but it back safe and sound. He said his favorite part was giving out lots of candy (his mom sent an entire care package of just lollipops a few weeks ago) to the kids! My heart seriously melts when I think of him being so generous to those children! Gotta love that man!

In the meantime, I wish everyone a beautiful and fun-filled Easter!

P-L-A-N

... they say it's the only 4-letter word the Military doesn't use. 

Sure for tactical battles and whatnot, they have millions and billions of dollars invested to make sure everything turns out just right. But when it comes to the lives of their soldiers and their families... FORGET IT! 

I often upset at myself for taking something that the Army tells me as "fact", knowing full well that there is pretty much a 100% chance that they will change everything on me and leave me disappointed yet again. Christmas leave 2010 is no exception.

Even though this one is mainly my fault for getting my hopes up that Andrew would be home in time for the DDMP Christmas party tomorrow night, it's still a major blow. I hate that I let myself get excited about the idea of having him home, but guess what? It's human nature- I can't help it!

To top of my awful-rotten-no-good-terrible day my boss dropped a HUGE project on me this morning that she's known about for MONTHS and all of a sudden needs it done by the end of the day today. Do you think she had the courtesy to mention this to me even a week ago? NOPE! I had no idea that this was even on the horizon. Or that it was even my responsibility. Oh and the best part, it's not even work-related! She has me making DVD slide shows, photo mugs and picture albums with all sorts of inspirational quotes for her FAMILY for Christmas gifts. Are you serious? Her email (because she is obviously out of town) said "I know this is a lot, but I just don't have time to do it in time for Christmas. You'll have to have everything ordered by the end of the day today so it will get here in time for me to wrap it." REEEEALLLLY meaningful gift to have your employee making photo albums as if they were from you. But heck with what she's paying me and how long they're taking me, they're turning out to be pretty damn expensive little presents!

Okay, I can be done complaining now. I just needed a tiny break from pictures of somebody else's family taking fun trips that I didn't get to go on.  Hopefully something magically changes and Andrew actually gets to leave tonight or early tomorrow morning, but there I go again getting my hopes up. WHY do I continue to do that?