7 Months and Going Strong

7 Months. It's been 7 months since my husband deployed. I can't believe we've put this much time under our belts without each other so quickly. While I'm experiencing it, time seems to crawl by, almost painfully. Looking back though, I don't know where the time has gone. It feels like just last month I pulled up to this house with a full truck, heavy heart and teary eyes because I felt so alone. A lot has changed and I'm grateful for it all.

I've made friends at work which has been amazing. We run together on the weekends, go out for drinks every once and awhile and they almost never allow me to go the movies alone anymore. That's been the biggest change. I'm a very social person, so not having it when I needed it most was devastating. Thankfully that is changing and I welcome it with open arms.

Another trick to time flying by is that I've kept unGodly busy. I work full time, I'm almost a full time Master's student (taking 9 credit hours this semester), upkeeping a two-story house/yard, caring for our 4 animals and caring for myself with daily workouts. It's exhausting sometimes, but it leaves me little time to think of my husband and the huge hole that constantly burns like a nasty yeast infection that you just can't seem to shake. This is where you laugh! :)

This way of adapting isn't for everyone. We each adapt in different ways to different situations. Keep in mind not all deployments are the same. Sometimes our husbands/wives are gone for shorter times, longer times, serve in more dangerous areas or serve in a cush location. All these factors and many more effect the way spouses cope.

Communication is another fragile element in the equation. Unlike others we know, we haven't been lucky in this department. He's in a isolated area so we can't skype. At all. I haven't seen his lips say "I love you" in a long time, and that's something I look forward to so much. He can't see me smile at his jokes and I can't see his cute faces when we flirt via phone. It sucks. But it's not the worst thing. We talk on the phone 2-4 times a month for 15-45 mintues at a time. Sometimes the calls are on a preset time so it cuts us off at specific times.

I write this not to evoke pity or sympathy. I'm a big girl, he's a big boy and we're making the best of our situation. We know it could be much worse and we're grateful for the fact that we haven't had to go down that rode. This deployment also isn't completely negative. His deployment has allowed us to become debt free, allowed me ample time to get a lot of school work out of the way and has revamped our travel funds. See, not all bad! I write this to show you how someone gets through a tough situation. How someone (me) adapts. Maybe it could give you ideas if you find yourself in a tough situation or maybe it'll show you what NOT to do. Either way, information is power and you can never have enough ideas.

I want to give a huge shout out to some special ladies in my life that have been a really big help through this for me. First, my mom and MIL. They keep in close contact with me and it's so nice to still be checked on every once and awhile from so far away. I have really close girlfriends too, that despite the distance, still find the time to message/chat/text/call me and still keep me involved. Even just the simple, "Are you doing ok today?" that I sometimes get is so helpful. I even love the baby pics/videos that I get. Even if I can't be there to see my favorite babies/toddlers grow in person, it's wonderful to be thought of and have a picture sent to me. Overall, my girlfriends have been a tremendous lifesaver and I can't say thank you enough.

We're getting closer to the end of my husband's last deployment and I'm patiently waiting the best I can. He thinks maybe he'll be home in August/September? Who knows. All I do know is that I'll be there at the gate, with open arms, teary eyes whenever the Army says when.

Then we'll live happily ever after...