Deployment Challenges and Triumphs

Hello sweet friends!


Can you believe it's almost March?!  I cannot wait until spring break arrives -- then I will have to begin my countdown for summer.  I am so thankful for the bright, sunny days we've been having.  Nutmeg has benefited from them too -- it's so much easier to take her for long walks when I'm not freezing my butt off! Our one month of adjustment has flown by, and now I'm on to conquering some of those goals I set for myself!  The gym has been calling my name this past month, and I'm determined that this week will be the beginning of an early wakeup for the gym and extra time with our sweet pup!


Nutmeg recovered well from her spay surgery, and is back to her crazy self!  NJ and I have been able to video-chat while he's deployed, and it is funny to see her hear his voice.  She has smacked the phone with her paw a couple times, and even growled back at him playfully.  I know she misses having him around, but I know he's missing her even more!


NJ is doing really well with this deployment, and we are finding that we are able to talk almost two times a day.  It really helps with the advances in technology to be able to video-chat across the big pond!  It brightens both of our days, and allows us to see each other almost daily.  THANK GOD for technology!  He finally received his first care package -- it took longer than expected, but he was ecstatic to receive goodies, his pillows, and comfy sheets from home.  It made me SO excited that he'd gotten his first package -- I really put a lot of heart into them!  I am looking forward to him receiving his next two which have more goodies and some surprises!


The challenges I've found with this deployment have honestly been just juggling all the responsibilities of a working wife!  Maintaining the house, loving all I can on the puppy, staying on top of my work, spending time with NJ, and finding time for myself is a hard juggle.  My mom has been able to help me with the puppy -- stopping by at lunch to take her out for a walk and just give her some love.  This really has helped me, because I know she's getting love, even if I wake up late for work and have just enough to get out of the door.  That's another challenging part of it all -- some mornings all I want to do is just lay in bed with the sweet pup, but I am learning that I feel much more prepared for my day if I drag myself out of bed and have time to play with her before I leave for work.  I've not been able to fit in my workouts the way I had hoped since NJ's deployment began.  I'm hoping to really kick it into gear this week -- it is extremely hard to motivate yourself to do something for yourself when you know you have 10 other responsibilities that are also weighing on your time.  I suppose it's a good lesson in how life will be with a husband AND kids (one day, in the long long long away future).  The challenges have been really easy to adapt to thus far in this deployment, and I can honestly say I'm thankful for our times of separation due to the military before this deployment.  They've helped me understand more about how the military works, how deadlines of return or leaving are not always set in stone, what it's like to maintain while he's gone and then regroup into a cohesive unit when he returns, as well as just being ok at being alone.  I know so many girls, as I also remember myself, as ready to find that "person" to spend forever with.  It's a fairytale we have all believed, and some still do -- that once we find that person our life beyond that is just perfect, and exactly what we imagined -- and we'll never be alone again.  I'm so happy that it's not what "I" imagined -- because my life with the man I love is so much more than I imagined.  Yes, sometimes the struggles we've faced have been more challenging than anyone ever wishes or imagines in their lives --- but you learn more about yourself, grow stronger from them, and your bond with your husband grows so much!  And, in any relationship, time apart is a good thing.  Having nights out with your girls, or the boys over to watch the game, or going to play ball with the boys -- we all need that time to remind ourselves who we individually are -- that's who the other person fell in love with.  I'm finding that I do enjoy having my alone time -- quietly reading, watching HGTV anytime, having time to spend weekends away with my girls.  Now, I'd give anything right now for a weekend with my husband -- but I'm learning to enjoy this season of my life.  I'm learning that the best way to adapt to it all is to breath it all in.  I've seen that in my husband too -- positivity (which he hasn't always excelled in), and learning from him even more about taking everything in stride.  I'm so thankful for such an awesome husband in my life -- one who supports me, understands the challenges on this side of the deployment, and reminds me every day how much he loves me.


SO thankful for everything I'm learning about myself, falling even more in love with my husband, and learning about life during this deployment.

XOXO,

H