(570) Zumba!

I am completely exhausted... since I'm not used to waking up at 630 and actually staying awake on purpose. I'm still going to Zumba though. I'm trying to get in better shape for when the hubby comes home. I don't mean losing weight, I mean having energy to actually run 2 miles (and the energy to do energy consuming things with the hubby *wink wink*). Since I have a lot of free time that isn't consumed by cuddling with him, I gotta do something, so yay exercising. Zumba is a lot of fun, it feels more like dancing than exercising, but it's definitely helped me get in better shape and I haven't even been going that long.

(569) First day restarting my job

Well this is a little anti-climatic. I got to work at 740 because I left early because leaving post can take a while depending on what's going on for PT. I'm still waiting for my boss to get here and its 820. I already clocked in though so I'm still getting paid. It's a little weird being back, but it gives me a chance to learn people's names without it being awkward. Last time I didn't pick up on a lot of them and at that point it seemed to awkward to ask the person.

(568) Red Messages

I don't know if other units do this, but ours sends out red messages via email. The subject is like this: UNIT NAME Official Red Message (UNCLASSIFIED). A red message means someone was seriously injured or killed. To find out the details there's a pdf attached. This way you can choose whether or not you want to find out more information. If it was regarding our unit we would get a phone call telling us there was a red message in our email that way everyone got the same information. Although I like the way this is done, it makes it so you have the option of getting more information without displaying it right away. However, it makes me kind of sad to have these reminders of what's actually going on. Typically, I attempt to deceive myself and pretend that my husband is just on a training exercise or we're doing the long distance thing. It usually works... these emails kind of snap me back to reality. I feel so badly for the families affected by this. I can't even imagine what it is like. I tell you one thing, it makes me appreciate my husband even more.

(567) Deployment

Obviously it has been a long time since I wrote, but Mike was deployed in March 2010. So he'll be back sometime in early 2011. I wont know until it gets closer when he'll actually be back. Also we got married July 26, 2009, so I am officially an army wife and have been for over a year now.

We had R&R in August. It was originally supposed to be in December, but Mike had the option of moving it to August. I was a little upset by this because I wanted to wait as long as possible to take R&R so that there wouldn't be that much time left afterwards before he got to come home for good. But it was good nonetheless. It was really good finally being able to see him again. This is my first time dealing with him deployed. I gotta say the last half is a bit easier than the first half. I know I can get through this because I've already done it for 6 months.

FAQs (I get asked this all the time by non-army people)

Q: What is R&R?

A: R&R (rest and relaxation) is a 2 week period where soldiers get time off during the deployment. R&R starts the next day after they arrive in their destination country. For us it was here in the USA, so his R&R started the day after I picked him up from the airport.

Q: Do you miss him now that he's gone?

A: Honestly, this is the stupidest question I get. Of course I miss him. I start missing him the day he got here for R&R because I knew our time was short. I knew I had to cherish each moment.

The last day he was here I could barely eat and I cried a lot. When I had to drop him off at the airport I didn't want to let go. I felt resentment for everyone who doesn't go through this and gets to be with their S.O. I felt pride as I watched my soldier go through the gate to get on the plane.

Even as I type this, I am tearing up, remembering that day. It feels like a piece of my heart gets ripped out of my chest.

Q: When is he coming back?

A: When the Army lets him. It should be around Feb/March but you can never really be sure. It's not supposed to go past a year, but you can never really be sure.

Q: Do you get to talk to him?

A: All the time. I am very blessed to be able to talk to him on the phone everyday. It makes this a lot easier. I don't have to go days, weeks, etc without hearing from him like other S.O.s do. I know how lucky I am. I don't know how I'd be able to handle this if I didn't get to hear from him every day.

I have to remind myself that I chose this life. The only thing that wasn't really my choice was falling in love with my husband. I knew when I met him that he was in the army. At the time I didn't really understand what that would mean. I chose to quit a job I loved to live with him on post after we got married. I chose to marry him. At times I am unhappy with the choices I have made but even if I only get to live with my husband for a few months every so often, it is worth it. Sometimes it is easy to feel pity for myself because my husband has been gone, but I have to remind myself that I did make the choices I made and I am extremely proud to be his wife. <3

(566) Collecting Donations for Hospice

My grandmother recently passed away and Niagara Hospice was a great blessing to our family. We would love to give back, so we are collecting pennies until the end of August. If you would like to help out please contact me for more information. See flyer.

(565) My Grandma Has Passed Away

My Grandma Hazel passed away on June 16, 2010. I was lucky to have been able to spend the last week of her life with her. The memorial service was at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church on June 21, 2010. I will miss her very much. Special thanks to Niagara Hospice who took care of her in her last days here.

Obituary

(564) My Cat has gone Missing

Today I noticed that I hadn't seen my cat anywhere in the house today. I searched everywhere and could not find her. I know she must have escaped because she responds to the noise of an Excedrine bottle (weird I know) and always comes running. I went into the bedroom and noticed the screen had been knocked down to the outside, so I'm pretty sure she jumped or fell out. I have searched everywhere for her and cannot find her. She is microchipped (4B183F3265) so I am hoping someone will find her and report her missing. She was not wearing her collar when she went missing unfortunately. I miss her very much and I hope she is okay. If you are in the Fort Drum area please keep an eye out for her.
Missing Poster