Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.
You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving Forward.
You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up withyour friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from Home.
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told.
You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.
You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him.
If only there were more men like him!
If you support your troops, re-send this to everyone you know, if it gets to another veteran who hasn't received it yet, it will bring back memories.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the Soldier.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Amen
(Author unknown)
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Merry Christmas :)
There hasn't been a lot to say lately... what more is there than, "It's great to have hubby home!!" :)
This Christmas was great, but it was made even more great by this clip:
More than one of our friends was stranded by bad weather in Europe and not sure they'd be home for Christmas - but just in the nick of time, they made it through!!!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
He's home!
Well, it's official now. Our 2010 deployment is over and done. Hubby got home on Saturday and we are very much enjoying having him home with us!! I have a little to-do list that we need to get going with pretty soon but the first few days are just time to enjoy having him back and for him to try to sleep off some major jet lag. We're getting there with that one.
The challenge for the next little while will be to keep the kids on some semblance of a schedule for school and stuff while still making plenty of room to enjoy some time with Daddy!
Something interesting I have noticed... maybe it's normal, maybe not.... the whole time he was away I didn't cry. I am perhaps a little too good at swallowing emotion but it is something I do in order to keep things on an even keel. But once he was home, Saturday, Saturday night, off and on through Sunday, tears were there. They didn't come out but just kind of welled up and made me feel a little choked. I guess my subconscious knows now that I can let go and there's someone else here who will catch me... and just knowing that is a huge relief. I missed having my other half around, and I'm awfully glad to have him here again!!!
The challenge for the next little while will be to keep the kids on some semblance of a schedule for school and stuff while still making plenty of room to enjoy some time with Daddy!
Something interesting I have noticed... maybe it's normal, maybe not.... the whole time he was away I didn't cry. I am perhaps a little too good at swallowing emotion but it is something I do in order to keep things on an even keel. But once he was home, Saturday, Saturday night, off and on through Sunday, tears were there. They didn't come out but just kind of welled up and made me feel a little choked. I guess my subconscious knows now that I can let go and there's someone else here who will catch me... and just knowing that is a huge relief. I missed having my other half around, and I'm awfully glad to have him here again!!!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I'm happy to report that we are all accounted for and safely ensconced in our currently-appropriate locations. We had a chance to talk to hubby a little while ago. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the whole video chat thing, and how much easier it makes all of this?
Today was the beginning of getting back to normal - church this morning, walking the dog, playing, all the normal stuff of daily life. Tomorrow we start with our homeschool year and working harder on sticking to a daily routine. Arts and crafts this week will mostly be geared toward Miss A's birthday party this coming weekend. We made up the goodie bags today - paper bags with pictures of princesses glued on them that the girls colored last night and today. I may or may not have a tendency to go a little overboard on goodie bags for my kids' birthdays... but they really are a lot of fun!!! We have plans for seven little girls and one boy, so I made his bag up separately with play dough, a toy dinosaur, stuff like that. The girls are all getting stuff like hair bands, beads, stickers... and of course all the bags have plenty of candy in them :) The next few days I'll work on the preps for the crafts we have planned, then I'll do the baking stuff at the end of the week. (Nothing too fancy, just cookies and cupcakes.)
There has been a lot of "I miss Daddy" today... oddly enough, mostly it's coming from the young one. I think C has a better comprehension of what's going on and understands that it does have a semi-fixed deadline. She doesn't really understand the passage of time in detail, but she does know the order of seasons and calendar events, so that helps. A, on the other hand, is just kind of confused about the whole coming and going thing. It'll be good to be beyond this and back into having him home full-time for a longer period. Good for all of us. But in the meantime, we press onward, we embrace it rather than fight against it, and we look for the opportunities for growth and development hidden inside the experience. That's the way I look at it now. I could rail against the unfairness, whine and cry ... but that would be bad for all of us and would cheat me of another opportunity to say "Why me, God?" and mean it.
How's that for sounding all wise and mature-like? ;)
Today was the beginning of getting back to normal - church this morning, walking the dog, playing, all the normal stuff of daily life. Tomorrow we start with our homeschool year and working harder on sticking to a daily routine. Arts and crafts this week will mostly be geared toward Miss A's birthday party this coming weekend. We made up the goodie bags today - paper bags with pictures of princesses glued on them that the girls colored last night and today. I may or may not have a tendency to go a little overboard on goodie bags for my kids' birthdays... but they really are a lot of fun!!! We have plans for seven little girls and one boy, so I made his bag up separately with play dough, a toy dinosaur, stuff like that. The girls are all getting stuff like hair bands, beads, stickers... and of course all the bags have plenty of candy in them :) The next few days I'll work on the preps for the crafts we have planned, then I'll do the baking stuff at the end of the week. (Nothing too fancy, just cookies and cupcakes.)
There has been a lot of "I miss Daddy" today... oddly enough, mostly it's coming from the young one. I think C has a better comprehension of what's going on and understands that it does have a semi-fixed deadline. She doesn't really understand the passage of time in detail, but she does know the order of seasons and calendar events, so that helps. A, on the other hand, is just kind of confused about the whole coming and going thing. It'll be good to be beyond this and back into having him home full-time for a longer period. Good for all of us. But in the meantime, we press onward, we embrace it rather than fight against it, and we look for the opportunities for growth and development hidden inside the experience. That's the way I look at it now. I could rail against the unfairness, whine and cry ... but that would be bad for all of us and would cheat me of another opportunity to say "Why me, God?" and mean it.
How's that for sounding all wise and mature-like? ;)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
... and so begins the second half.
I haven't had much to say lately, mostly because I've been consumed by things I can't really write about until after the fact, like travel and being away from home and that blessed thing called HLTA in Canadian military terms. (Now that we're past it all I will likely go back and add some fill-in entries.)
But. The wonderful but all-too-fleeting time together has come to its inevitable end and darling hubby is back on board a jet plane bound for points far away. And us, we go back to staying busy, trying again to regain a sense of order and rhythm. I have to say I have pretty much failed completely at this lately. Spending so long visiting family, coming home, readjusting, then hubby home for leave, readjusting again... I have had a really hard time disciplining myself and getting us on track. Monday, though. Monday will mark the new start - our school year, my reawakened effort to "get healthy", and another phase of single parenting. No, I won't be too hard on any of us, but in the midst of allowing for the way life is, I do need to be a good deal tougher.
This departure was easier on me than the last... sort of... when he left at the beginning of summer I managed to keep the happy face on right up until we were leaving the airport and then it hit me like a punch to the gut. This time, the leaving the airport wasn't so bad. But late yesterday and then last night, being the last night of HLTA, I'm afraid I wasn't particularly good company. The negative voices got their teeth into me a little too much - not those "what-ifs" and junk like that, I'm pretty much over that. But just the wave of overwhelming "Oh gosh he really is leaving and I'm going to be alone again and it really really sucks and man I wish this wasn't just the halfway point..... wail... whine... " Today wasn't too bad though, although I will admit to choking up more than once when I was watching other people doing their goodbyes. And there was a fair bit of blinking and swallowing hard when we were doing ours and C had to give him like six hugs before she would come away with me. But we'll be all right. Life goes on, we'll get busy, and it will fly by. Right? Sure it will. Absolutely. But yes, I will most likely be a little pouty tonight and tomorrow.
Funny coincidence though - we got back to our hotel tonight after a stop at IKEA and who should happen to be here but our neighbors! So we're hoping to see them tomorrow, maybe go to the pool together for a while. That will be a nice distraction, if they're up for it. :)
But. The wonderful but all-too-fleeting time together has come to its inevitable end and darling hubby is back on board a jet plane bound for points far away. And us, we go back to staying busy, trying again to regain a sense of order and rhythm. I have to say I have pretty much failed completely at this lately. Spending so long visiting family, coming home, readjusting, then hubby home for leave, readjusting again... I have had a really hard time disciplining myself and getting us on track. Monday, though. Monday will mark the new start - our school year, my reawakened effort to "get healthy", and another phase of single parenting. No, I won't be too hard on any of us, but in the midst of allowing for the way life is, I do need to be a good deal tougher.
This departure was easier on me than the last... sort of... when he left at the beginning of summer I managed to keep the happy face on right up until we were leaving the airport and then it hit me like a punch to the gut. This time, the leaving the airport wasn't so bad. But late yesterday and then last night, being the last night of HLTA, I'm afraid I wasn't particularly good company. The negative voices got their teeth into me a little too much - not those "what-ifs" and junk like that, I'm pretty much over that. But just the wave of overwhelming "Oh gosh he really is leaving and I'm going to be alone again and it really really sucks and man I wish this wasn't just the halfway point..... wail... whine... " Today wasn't too bad though, although I will admit to choking up more than once when I was watching other people doing their goodbyes. And there was a fair bit of blinking and swallowing hard when we were doing ours and C had to give him like six hugs before she would come away with me. But we'll be all right. Life goes on, we'll get busy, and it will fly by. Right? Sure it will. Absolutely. But yes, I will most likely be a little pouty tonight and tomorrow.
Funny coincidence though - we got back to our hotel tonight after a stop at IKEA and who should happen to be here but our neighbors! So we're hoping to see them tomorrow, maybe go to the pool together for a while. That will be a nice distraction, if they're up for it. :)
This makes me proud. This pile of stuff is what I collected from a half-dozen or so friends who wanted to contribute to a care package going overseas to someone I know in the military. He and his buddies work in an environment I never want to experience, much less live in 24/7.The kitty treats are for his pet cat that has become a mascot of sorts in his shop and that he's hoping to bring back with him to Canada when he's done his tour. How much of an "aawwww" moment is that? :)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The eagle has landed...
We have DH back in our arms for an all-too-short but oh-so-needed vacation break.
I had originally hoped that we might do something special, some kind of little vacation, but reality has set in and we're going to chill out at home. Between jet lag, the kids going into "velcro mode" and not exactly an abundance of spare cash, it makes much more sense to just hang out at home and take it easy for a while. However, we did make it into a mini-vacation by opting to spend the night in Edmonton at a nice hotel that really spoiled us by giving us a phenomenal deal on a package AND a free upgrade to a suite. Add to that the presents that Daddy brought home, and they are just as happy (probably more so even) than if we had planned something "special". I know I am. :)
I had originally hoped that we might do something special, some kind of little vacation, but reality has set in and we're going to chill out at home. Between jet lag, the kids going into "velcro mode" and not exactly an abundance of spare cash, it makes much more sense to just hang out at home and take it easy for a while. However, we did make it into a mini-vacation by opting to spend the night in Edmonton at a nice hotel that really spoiled us by giving us a phenomenal deal on a package AND a free upgrade to a suite. Add to that the presents that Daddy brought home, and they are just as happy (probably more so even) than if we had planned something "special". I know I am. :)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Conversations with a two year old
Interesting conversations can be had with peculiarly verbal two year olds.
A - "I really miss my father. "
Me - "Yeah, I know."
A - "I lost him in the desert somewheres."
Me - (choking a bit) "No, you didn't lose him. He's working and he'll be back when he's done."
A - "And he'll come and pick me up? After supper?"
Me - "No, not after supper, but when he's done then he'll sure pick you up."
A - "Okay." (and off to playing)
C gets into a blue mood sometimes about us being on our own, and with her it's pretty much out there. She'll have a little rant or cry and we'll get past it and she's all right. A, on the other hand, isn't at all. She's just kind analytical... and when she has an answer it's all good again. Weird kid. LOL
Things are still good on the homefront. We're here for another day before we head to New Brunswick to visit some friends there, then back for a few days before we finally board a plane back to Alberta. We've done a TON of visiting, had some fun times, reconnected with friends that we miss, and all that good stuff - plus spent enough time at the beach to remind my why the 'beach' in Cold Lake is such a letdown. *sigh* Now I'm in the homestretch where I'm picking a few last people to spend time with and collecting up things to bring back for us and for friends. I've got to pick up a spare duffle bag to hold the extra stuff we've picked up... that's one of today's missions.
DH is doing well. He's had a chance to see a good friend and a cousin this week, which strikes me as almost funny - he had to go halfway around the world in order to spend a day with people from home. LOL We're mucho looking forward to HLTA - that's the CF lingo for VACATION!!! He'll be home for a couple of weeks, which will be really, REALLY nice. :)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Just a quick check-in... things are going well, the trip to Mom's was uneventful (the way one would hope a flight and long drive would be), and the weather in Nova Scotia is foggy.
Nephew D's birthday party was yesterday and went over really well - but took a lot more time and effort than I plan on putting into a birthday party any time soon!!! My mom arranged a carnival day so they played a bunch of games where they won tickets and then they could cash them in for prizes at the end. Pizza, hot dogs, cheesies, ice cream, cake... all the stuff kids want. And a bunch of time in the pool too, of course. I don't know how many kids were here... 15+ anyway. Lots of chaos, but they all had a good time and no one drowned so I guess we can call it a success.
Haven't had much communication the last little while with hubby - things have been very busy for him so he hasn't had much time on the computer or phone. There have been four casualties (that I know of) in the last week, plus some other activities there, and all their regular work, so I'm feeling pretty bad about the lack of sleep he's getting. Hopefully things will work out that he'll get some downtime soon for a quick call home and a decent night's sleep. It's a little rough sometimes when we have these long gaps between chats... but keeping busy helps and we're definitely both doing that.
Anyway like I said, just a quick update. Not a whole lot of time right now for typing... but then there hasn't been a whole lot going on anyway, so... ciao!
Nephew D's birthday party was yesterday and went over really well - but took a lot more time and effort than I plan on putting into a birthday party any time soon!!! My mom arranged a carnival day so they played a bunch of games where they won tickets and then they could cash them in for prizes at the end. Pizza, hot dogs, cheesies, ice cream, cake... all the stuff kids want. And a bunch of time in the pool too, of course. I don't know how many kids were here... 15+ anyway. Lots of chaos, but they all had a good time and no one drowned so I guess we can call it a success.
Haven't had much communication the last little while with hubby - things have been very busy for him so he hasn't had much time on the computer or phone. There have been four casualties (that I know of) in the last week, plus some other activities there, and all their regular work, so I'm feeling pretty bad about the lack of sleep he's getting. Hopefully things will work out that he'll get some downtime soon for a quick call home and a decent night's sleep. It's a little rough sometimes when we have these long gaps between chats... but keeping busy helps and we're definitely both doing that.
Anyway like I said, just a quick update. Not a whole lot of time right now for typing... but then there hasn't been a whole lot going on anyway, so... ciao!
Monday, June 21, 2010
My mom, every time we ever went away for a trip, always cleaned the house before we left. It seemed a bit mad to me, growing up. I never understood the point of stressing out and deep-cleaning the house for a week so that you were exhausted going into a vacation. And I confess, I still don't. However, in a small nod to my mom, I did wash all the sheets today so we will come back to clean beds. And I've spent a little extra time this week paying a bit more attention to things, so that when we leave tomorrow I will at least know that the dishes are all washed and put away, there is no laundry festering in the basement, and nothing on the floors to attract ants. But you know... I still don't feel a need to move all the furniture and wash underneath, scrub the cupboards, etc every time I'm going away for a week or two. I guess some things just are not inheritable. Which is probably good, for the sake of my children's and husband's sanity. LOL
Today was fun. We spent the morning a friend's farm on a tour with the local homeschool group. Lots of kids, animals, sunshine and space. A fabulous combination. I could have stayed there soooooo much longer... it was refreshing to be surrounded by nothing but animals and fields and smell nothing but farm smells. Sure, they're stinky, but it's sure better than car exhaust. And it was nice that for a few hours I wasn't surrounded by houses and concrete. Don't get me wrong - this base is really nice. It is well-maintained and a lot of work goes into making it very green. And where our house is, we actually have a fair amount of open space nearby. But it's not the same as having an acreage to wander and real work to do that involves life and dirt and seeing things happen. I was just walking along with A and feeling like, "aaaahhhhhh....." I think perhaps that's a sign that we need to get out more.
In sadder news, we lost another soldier today. A Cape Breton guy by the name of Sgt. James MacNeil, aka Jimmy. Which is sad. Thoughts and prayers appreciated for his friends and family... and also for my hubby and his section as they will be working the upcoming ramp ceremony for his repatriation. It's not something anyone looks forward to being involved in, but this will be their first so I'm pretty sure they're going to have a rough day.
Anyway... signing off, must go finish packing and get ready for this trip. Not to mention, it looks like rain and my car is wide open.
Today was fun. We spent the morning a friend's farm on a tour with the local homeschool group. Lots of kids, animals, sunshine and space. A fabulous combination. I could have stayed there soooooo much longer... it was refreshing to be surrounded by nothing but animals and fields and smell nothing but farm smells. Sure, they're stinky, but it's sure better than car exhaust. And it was nice that for a few hours I wasn't surrounded by houses and concrete. Don't get me wrong - this base is really nice. It is well-maintained and a lot of work goes into making it very green. And where our house is, we actually have a fair amount of open space nearby. But it's not the same as having an acreage to wander and real work to do that involves life and dirt and seeing things happen. I was just walking along with A and feeling like, "aaaahhhhhh....." I think perhaps that's a sign that we need to get out more.
In sadder news, we lost another soldier today. A Cape Breton guy by the name of Sgt. James MacNeil, aka Jimmy. Which is sad. Thoughts and prayers appreciated for his friends and family... and also for my hubby and his section as they will be working the upcoming ramp ceremony for his repatriation. It's not something anyone looks forward to being involved in, but this will be their first so I'm pretty sure they're going to have a rough day.
Anyway... signing off, must go finish packing and get ready for this trip. Not to mention, it looks like rain and my car is wide open.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Oops.
Yeah. Well. I guess in this life we all have those "Wow, I really suck" moments. Trouble is, in the world of military wife, you rarely get a do-over. Today was one of those.
Don't get me wrong, the day as a whole was pretty good. It was warm and sunny, the kids got outside, we went to a yardsale, I remembered to return the library books, and we got a nice little thundershower to liven up the afternoon. And the kids are in bed at a reasonable hour.
It was just a little five-minute window where I blew it... one of those opportunities to be super-wife that fizzled into a whole lot of nothing. And I will have to get over kicking myself for it, but for the moment I'm still peeved.
Hubby called this evening with just 4 minutes remaining on his phone card. Which left me floundering just a bit. The call was unexpected as it was, but let's just say my brain doesn't function well with deadlines. So I ended up with very little to say, just a bit of everyday stuff, kids, weather... completely forgot to pass on the one bit of interesting news... and it hit me about a half an hour later... TOTALLY overlooked the fact that in his world it is already Sunday, meaning already Father's Day, and I didn't even mention it. Much less gather the girls to give their wishes to Daddy.
Talk about a sudden downward spiral for the psyche. Sigh. I am being plagued by this evil superwoman who sees the number on the phone, realized it's Sunday and calls the kids immediately over, answers the phone and has them tell Daddy "Happy Father's Day, I love you!!" before passing on the day's news and whatnot. Or at very least, realizes it at the last possible second before hanging up. Even THAT would be something.
Yeah. Perfectionist guilt really stinks. But so does forgetting to say the important words that need to be said, when the odds of a second chance are pretty much slim to none.
I think I need to go to bed. I've been up too late the last couple of nights, and being overtired doesn't help when you miss the guy you love more than anyone, you wish you could be the one making waffles and bacon for breakfast tomorrow, and you feel like instead you let him down in a big way. Hopefully the boxes that are en route with goodies and surprises will make up for it.
Yes, the rational part of me realizes that he is a guy, and guys don't get all hung up on stuff like this. And yes, that part of me also realizes that he totally gets that we are missing and loving and thinking about him every day. It's entirely self-inflicted guilt-tripping going on here.
I do that sometimes. What can I say? I think it's part of being a girl - I swear it's hard-wired or something.
Don't get me wrong, the day as a whole was pretty good. It was warm and sunny, the kids got outside, we went to a yardsale, I remembered to return the library books, and we got a nice little thundershower to liven up the afternoon. And the kids are in bed at a reasonable hour.
It was just a little five-minute window where I blew it... one of those opportunities to be super-wife that fizzled into a whole lot of nothing. And I will have to get over kicking myself for it, but for the moment I'm still peeved.
Hubby called this evening with just 4 minutes remaining on his phone card. Which left me floundering just a bit. The call was unexpected as it was, but let's just say my brain doesn't function well with deadlines. So I ended up with very little to say, just a bit of everyday stuff, kids, weather... completely forgot to pass on the one bit of interesting news... and it hit me about a half an hour later... TOTALLY overlooked the fact that in his world it is already Sunday, meaning already Father's Day, and I didn't even mention it. Much less gather the girls to give their wishes to Daddy.
Talk about a sudden downward spiral for the psyche. Sigh. I am being plagued by this evil superwoman who sees the number on the phone, realized it's Sunday and calls the kids immediately over, answers the phone and has them tell Daddy "Happy Father's Day, I love you!!" before passing on the day's news and whatnot. Or at very least, realizes it at the last possible second before hanging up. Even THAT would be something.
Yeah. Perfectionist guilt really stinks. But so does forgetting to say the important words that need to be said, when the odds of a second chance are pretty much slim to none.
I think I need to go to bed. I've been up too late the last couple of nights, and being overtired doesn't help when you miss the guy you love more than anyone, you wish you could be the one making waffles and bacon for breakfast tomorrow, and you feel like instead you let him down in a big way. Hopefully the boxes that are en route with goodies and surprises will make up for it.
Yes, the rational part of me realizes that he is a guy, and guys don't get all hung up on stuff like this. And yes, that part of me also realizes that he totally gets that we are missing and loving and thinking about him every day. It's entirely self-inflicted guilt-tripping going on here.
I do that sometimes. What can I say? I think it's part of being a girl - I swear it's hard-wired or something.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Week Two dawned bright and sunny... a gorgeous day perfect for washing the car. So we did. :) It's been a nice day filled with little errands and sunshine, and now a quiet spell with TV and naps. All good. I'm getting itchy for more contact from the man of the house... this business of having gaps of a few days between emails is a little harder to take than when he was still on Canadian soil and we could text or talk most every night. It's a good thing I'm not usually the needy/clingy/overly dependent type, or this would be really, REALLY hard. (Actually the whole lifestyle would be hard, but this kind of separation would be brutal.)
Which is not to say this is easy, because that would be lying - it's not easy to step into the functional role of two parents simultaneously. But I keep a positive focus on things - like being grateful that I don't have to juggle a job on top of everything else, grateful that unlike generations past we actually do have fairly regular communications, grateful that I have a rock-solid relationship and am not plagued by some of the worries that I hear expressed by some girlfriends and wives, grateful that I have two sweet little ladies to keep me busy and grounded... Focusing on the blessings, both big and small (sometimes especially the small ones), helps me to stay in the happy place for riding through times like this.
Now we are into the one-week countdown to our trip back home to visit friends and family, which C is mucho excited about! I'm looking forward to it as well, with the possible exception of wrangling kids and luggage through three airports in one day. At least at the third stop I'll have help!! And I'm really hoping that at the first stop the hotel's shuttle driver will be kind to me!! We need to be there at 7:00 am, which makes me grateful for continental breakfasts that start at 6:00!! We'll get a good breakfast and stock up on fruit and such to take with us on the plane, so we'll be all set. It should be a good trip. I'm really praying that the check-in staff will be generous and allow us to sit up front so that if the kids start kicking their feet against the seat in front I won't have to hear from the likes of Mrs. "Can't you make that child sit still?!?!" from the last time I had an excited two year old on a plane. That, and it will make our 40-minute connection much easier if we don't take 20 minutes to get off the first plane. With any luck they'll get a little sleep on the second flight and be fresh when we arrive - although I'm not 100% counting on that.
Now, to see about finding a portable DVD player for the kids...
Which is not to say this is easy, because that would be lying - it's not easy to step into the functional role of two parents simultaneously. But I keep a positive focus on things - like being grateful that I don't have to juggle a job on top of everything else, grateful that unlike generations past we actually do have fairly regular communications, grateful that I have a rock-solid relationship and am not plagued by some of the worries that I hear expressed by some girlfriends and wives, grateful that I have two sweet little ladies to keep me busy and grounded... Focusing on the blessings, both big and small (sometimes especially the small ones), helps me to stay in the happy place for riding through times like this.
Now we are into the one-week countdown to our trip back home to visit friends and family, which C is mucho excited about! I'm looking forward to it as well, with the possible exception of wrangling kids and luggage through three airports in one day. At least at the third stop I'll have help!! And I'm really hoping that at the first stop the hotel's shuttle driver will be kind to me!! We need to be there at 7:00 am, which makes me grateful for continental breakfasts that start at 6:00!! We'll get a good breakfast and stock up on fruit and such to take with us on the plane, so we'll be all set. It should be a good trip. I'm really praying that the check-in staff will be generous and allow us to sit up front so that if the kids start kicking their feet against the seat in front I won't have to hear from the likes of Mrs. "Can't you make that child sit still?!?!" from the last time I had an excited two year old on a plane. That, and it will make our 40-minute connection much easier if we don't take 20 minutes to get off the first plane. With any luck they'll get a little sleep on the second flight and be fresh when we arrive - although I'm not 100% counting on that.
Now, to see about finding a portable DVD player for the kids...
Monday, June 14, 2010
One week down, a whole bunch to go. We have our Father's Day stuff nearly together so Daddy will have another package going in the mail to him shortly. :)
Today has been nice... although busy! It's funny how we can go a month and hardly see anything, then suddenly have a flurry of activity. And that was today. An invite to the park, followed rapidly by an invite for a beach picnic... so needless to say we've spent most of today outside! Here's to a good and LONG night of sleep for the little people!!! Although A actually went to bed last night at six after a long, drawn-out and really painful (for me) temper tantrum about this that and everything, so that will be hard to beat.
And on the subject of littlest miss, potty training is staying at the "rather hit or miss" level. We're making some progress, but it's sure not a quick thing. I am going to move away from using pullups though, except for when we're on the road, because I don't think they're helping the matter.
Not much planned for tonight except that my sponsor is coming over to tighten up the bolts on the swingset for me. That's what sponsors are for, right? ;) (It helps that they are friends of ours besides...)
Today has been nice... although busy! It's funny how we can go a month and hardly see anything, then suddenly have a flurry of activity. And that was today. An invite to the park, followed rapidly by an invite for a beach picnic... so needless to say we've spent most of today outside! Here's to a good and LONG night of sleep for the little people!!! Although A actually went to bed last night at six after a long, drawn-out and really painful (for me) temper tantrum about this that and everything, so that will be hard to beat.
And on the subject of littlest miss, potty training is staying at the "rather hit or miss" level. We're making some progress, but it's sure not a quick thing. I am going to move away from using pullups though, except for when we're on the road, because I don't think they're helping the matter.
Not much planned for tonight except that my sponsor is coming over to tighten up the bolts on the swingset for me. That's what sponsors are for, right? ;) (It helps that they are friends of ours besides...)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Day Six.
I am soooooo tired. Not because it was a bad day, though - just because it was a full day.
This morning we hit the road early (as in, before 7:00) to scope out the residential areas of the base for cast-offs. This weekend is the annual "big stuff round up" event, and we were enthusiastic participants in the "curb-side shopping" aspect of it. I've never heard it called that before, but it's much more pleasant than "scavenging." LOL We scored big, too, bringing home a dresser, a coffee table and matching end table, a swingset, a bicycle trailer, a box of megablocks, and a treadmill. The treadmill turned out to be a dud, though, so it's out on my curb now. It works, but it's annoying, so I know I won't use it.
Then we were off to a friend's house to visit her yard sale/bbq and let the kids play together. I brought home some cute clothes and a puzzle for A, and C bought an Ariel baby doll, and we tried Bannock bread which was quite good and made for really good hamburgers :) After that, back to the base to do another drive around looking for goodies, a quick visit to another friend, and then off to a fundraiser yardsale at a nearby school where I LOADED up on books for 10 cents each. Love it. I put the swingset together (a tad challenging while alone), did some tidying up, made supper... and now I am sooooo zonked and I don't know if I'll even get the dishes done. A shower will take about all I've got left, I think.
However, the day ended really well when I got that much-needed and highly-anticipated first phone call from abroad. :) Mucho happy. Emails are great, but voice contact is better. We're hoping he'll have internet access set up in the next week or so, and then he won't be dependent on the "welfare computers" with their slow connection and limited access. THEN, we can get on video chat, which Cara really enjoys. :) He's adjusting... settling in... getting acclimatized slowly. My weather forecast said he was experiencing 42 degrees yesterday, but he corrected that and said it was in fact 49 in the shade. They even have guidelines on how to cope with working in the heat. No, thanks.... You know, I think I'll stay quite content with the temperatures back here in O Canada, thanks just the same. And I will probably think twice before complaining about the heat when it hits a mere 30 degrees.
This morning we hit the road early (as in, before 7:00) to scope out the residential areas of the base for cast-offs. This weekend is the annual "big stuff round up" event, and we were enthusiastic participants in the "curb-side shopping" aspect of it. I've never heard it called that before, but it's much more pleasant than "scavenging." LOL We scored big, too, bringing home a dresser, a coffee table and matching end table, a swingset, a bicycle trailer, a box of megablocks, and a treadmill. The treadmill turned out to be a dud, though, so it's out on my curb now. It works, but it's annoying, so I know I won't use it.
Then we were off to a friend's house to visit her yard sale/bbq and let the kids play together. I brought home some cute clothes and a puzzle for A, and C bought an Ariel baby doll, and we tried Bannock bread which was quite good and made for really good hamburgers :) After that, back to the base to do another drive around looking for goodies, a quick visit to another friend, and then off to a fundraiser yardsale at a nearby school where I LOADED up on books for 10 cents each. Love it. I put the swingset together (a tad challenging while alone), did some tidying up, made supper... and now I am sooooo zonked and I don't know if I'll even get the dishes done. A shower will take about all I've got left, I think.
However, the day ended really well when I got that much-needed and highly-anticipated first phone call from abroad. :) Mucho happy. Emails are great, but voice contact is better. We're hoping he'll have internet access set up in the next week or so, and then he won't be dependent on the "welfare computers" with their slow connection and limited access. THEN, we can get on video chat, which Cara really enjoys. :) He's adjusting... settling in... getting acclimatized slowly. My weather forecast said he was experiencing 42 degrees yesterday, but he corrected that and said it was in fact 49 in the shade. They even have guidelines on how to cope with working in the heat. No, thanks.... You know, I think I'll stay quite content with the temperatures back here in O Canada, thanks just the same. And I will probably think twice before complaining about the heat when it hits a mere 30 degrees.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Day Five is coming to an end, and things are still going pretty well. C's temper has been a little hot today, but I think an earlier bedtime will take care of that. A still has a cold hanging around, it never seems like it's very serious, but it is enough that it's making her more tired than usual. On the plus side, it seems like she's finally interested in potty training - we're about 30% potty and 70% wet pants, but it's a start anyway. And she's interested. Which is a huge step forward all on its own. Me? I'm doing fine - but I can't say the same for my diet. Blah. I have a great day then a bad one - yesterday was great so you can guess what happened to today. I'm working back up to it, though. In a lot of ways it's easier to diet when the hubby is away, because there's no guilt factor involved in making all the weird food choices and not having "man food" around - and the boredom factor of being alone is a good motivation to develop an exercise habit. Besides which... knowing that he's living in a 24/7 sauna, and working, and drinking lots of water... darn it all I can NOT have him coming back in better shape than me!!!
This time difference is really, REALLY weird. And it's going to make it challenging if not impossible to arrange for phone calls with the kids except for maybe on his days off when he can get away with staying up late. We've been looking at the clock through the day - I set up my Google homepage with a clock for here and for there, and with weather reports for here, there, and home so that C can learn a bit even while I just satisfy my curiosity. She was quite blown away that when we were getting ready for bed, he would have been just barely thinking about getting up... and today when we were enjoying the sunshine, he would have been snoozing and snoring. Likewise was she amazed at the weather differences... when she spied 40 degrees, her response was "WOW! I'm sure glad I'm not THERE!" LOL
We mailed out the first of what I'm sure will be many pieces of mail today - I'll be curious to see how long it takes to arrive. I really love that if you go to the military post office, you can send mail and packages for free. That is a huge blessing. When we're home for our visit I expect I'll plan a day trip to Greenwood to visit friends and send off a care package from the folks at home. :)
Tomorrow's plans are kind of up in the air - I'm hoping to either visit a friend or have a visit from a friend... maybe a small yard sale in the morning.... and definitely at least one drive around the base to see who's tossing out what (it's a junk collection week, and 'curbside shopping is encouraged'. lol). Sunday will be pretty full between church and the kids' craft day at the MFRC. Should be fun. And the weather is forecast to be beautiful. :)
This time difference is really, REALLY weird. And it's going to make it challenging if not impossible to arrange for phone calls with the kids except for maybe on his days off when he can get away with staying up late. We've been looking at the clock through the day - I set up my Google homepage with a clock for here and for there, and with weather reports for here, there, and home so that C can learn a bit even while I just satisfy my curiosity. She was quite blown away that when we were getting ready for bed, he would have been just barely thinking about getting up... and today when we were enjoying the sunshine, he would have been snoozing and snoring. Likewise was she amazed at the weather differences... when she spied 40 degrees, her response was "WOW! I'm sure glad I'm not THERE!" LOL
We mailed out the first of what I'm sure will be many pieces of mail today - I'll be curious to see how long it takes to arrive. I really love that if you go to the military post office, you can send mail and packages for free. That is a huge blessing. When we're home for our visit I expect I'll plan a day trip to Greenwood to visit friends and send off a care package from the folks at home. :)
Tomorrow's plans are kind of up in the air - I'm hoping to either visit a friend or have a visit from a friend... maybe a small yard sale in the morning.... and definitely at least one drive around the base to see who's tossing out what (it's a junk collection week, and 'curbside shopping is encouraged'. lol). Sunday will be pretty full between church and the kids' craft day at the MFRC. Should be fun. And the weather is forecast to be beautiful. :)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Day Four
Well today was kind of interesting. This morning I decided we were staying put because the girls are snuffly and I'm still plugged up... so we were just chilling out. THEN, at 8:10 the phone rings and it's someone from hubby's work, needing paperwork, and needing it before noon. Um, okay, sure I can do that! Enter scramble mode - because the paperwork needed all had to be looked up and printed off the computer. Not to mention I was still in my pjs. But I got it all together and dropped off by 9:30 - well done, I think. :)
Then, since we were already out anyway, and the kids seemed to be shaking off most of the morning snuffles, we went ahead and dropped in to storytime at the Deployment Support Centre. It was nice - once a week they have a drop-in program where they read a story, do a related craft, share a snack, and have some time to mingle. I thought it would be good to go to some of their activities so that C can relate to other kids whose Dads are away. And A, well she just likes other kids regardless. So we went. And it was a good time... although I am always a little disappointed by how some parents control their kids (or don't, more specifically) in a group setting. However aside from a couple of live wires, it was a good group of kids and parents. And they had a good time, which is what I was hoping for. There wasn't anyone there I knew, which led to me being a tad slow to find anyone to talk to, but I did make some good contact with the ladies who organize it so that was nice.
It's going to be helpful being in a base community while he's away - when we were back home and he was away, the nearest base was 2.5 hours away and that's a bit far to go for drop-in playgroups and the like. (Of course I still had family around, so it wasn't really required anyway.)
Still awaiting word from my love about the whens and wheres and successes of his travels... hopefully sometime tonight if I'm lucky. Having some twelve hours between us will make arranging communications rather interesting.
Then, since we were already out anyway, and the kids seemed to be shaking off most of the morning snuffles, we went ahead and dropped in to storytime at the Deployment Support Centre. It was nice - once a week they have a drop-in program where they read a story, do a related craft, share a snack, and have some time to mingle. I thought it would be good to go to some of their activities so that C can relate to other kids whose Dads are away. And A, well she just likes other kids regardless. So we went. And it was a good time... although I am always a little disappointed by how some parents control their kids (or don't, more specifically) in a group setting. However aside from a couple of live wires, it was a good group of kids and parents. And they had a good time, which is what I was hoping for. There wasn't anyone there I knew, which led to me being a tad slow to find anyone to talk to, but I did make some good contact with the ladies who organize it so that was nice.
It's going to be helpful being in a base community while he's away - when we were back home and he was away, the nearest base was 2.5 hours away and that's a bit far to go for drop-in playgroups and the like. (Of course I still had family around, so it wasn't really required anyway.)
Still awaiting word from my love about the whens and wheres and successes of his travels... hopefully sometime tonight if I'm lucky. Having some twelve hours between us will make arranging communications rather interesting.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day Three
A funny thing happens when the mister goes away. Suddenly I get overtaken with this urge to clean. And I don't mean just washing the dishes, either... it's like everything around me needs to be tidied and reorganized. Yesterday I did our bedroom, the girl's rooms and the playroom - tidying, vacuuming, throwing away stuff. Today I have a smaller goal of just cleaning the bathroom and the upstairs hall floor, because we're going to be out for part of the day.
Just for a few minutes I wondered about this, because it's not just me. It seems to be a nearly-universal thing among the wives I know - as soon as he leaves town, the house must be cleaned. It's compulsive. I wonder if it is, as people say, just a need to keep busy... or whether there's actually something a little deeper at work. Like a need for control. Life as we know it just got turned on its head, but by jove there is something we can do, and that is to clean and organize and put things just so all around us. I'm thinking that is in there, albeit in a sort of unconscious way. Of course, "keeping busy" is a part of it, too. Not to mention that it's just a really good opportunity to do things in your own way and not worry about stepping on anyone else's toes in the process. But I don't think we're all that simple. ;)
Day Three today. And so far, so good. We've had a few "I miss Daddy" moments and the occasional "What if he doesn't come home?" - have I mentioned that Miss is a bit melodramatic from time to time?
Just for a few minutes I wondered about this, because it's not just me. It seems to be a nearly-universal thing among the wives I know - as soon as he leaves town, the house must be cleaned. It's compulsive. I wonder if it is, as people say, just a need to keep busy... or whether there's actually something a little deeper at work. Like a need for control. Life as we know it just got turned on its head, but by jove there is something we can do, and that is to clean and organize and put things just so all around us. I'm thinking that is in there, albeit in a sort of unconscious way. Of course, "keeping busy" is a part of it, too. Not to mention that it's just a really good opportunity to do things in your own way and not worry about stepping on anyone else's toes in the process. But I don't think we're all that simple. ;)
Day Three today. And so far, so good. We've had a few "I miss Daddy" moments and the occasional "What if he doesn't come home?" - have I mentioned that Miss is a bit melodramatic from time to time?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
... and here we go again ...
Hubby left yesterday for a six-month deployment overseas. This will be his first trip so far away, and it's admittedly a tad surreal to think about us having half the world between us. So we just don't think about that too much. Thankfully he's not in combat, but rather in a rear support role where he's in more danger from heatstroke and spiders than enemy fire. Not that we want to be totally complacent, either, but that line of thought keeps the stress level pretty low.
We spent Sunday as a fun family day, took the kids to the West Edmonton Mall to check out the theme park and see a sea lion show, and spent the night at a hotel with a pool. Then Monday morning we brought him to the airport to see him off, which was rough for a few minutes but then I bought off the kids with some dinosaur-shaped mint chocolate pops and headed for the highway. I'll tell you, those steps and each kilometer down the road were just as brutal as the times we left the Halifax airport or left Ontario... but we made it. We spent the afternoon at a McDonald's playplace with some friends to play with, then got home a little past supper time.
So far the tears have been pretty few. Tempers are a tad short in the littles, but we're working on keeping the minds occupied so there are fewer opportunities for confrontation. I'm trying to think of things to keep their focus on happy things like making stuff to send to Daddy, watching fun movies, and planning some playdates. And we'll be headed back home at some point for visits with family and friends, so that will be a nice distraction.
And me? Well, I guess you could say I've hauled out the toolkit from last time. Some might think it's unhealthy, but I have kind of mastered the art of compartmentalizing this part of life, and I have shelved the box containing the negatives. I'm sure at some point it will try to open itself or fall off the shelf, but for now it's good. I'll buy some extra-strength duct tape just in case. ;)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Yay! Today was yet another test... this one was on rifle drill, and in spite of being a little nervous, he passed it. A couple more tests later this week, then next week they're out for field exercises. I sent him a care package last week, which arrived today, loaded with energy bars, beef jerky and snacks to take out there with him, plus some odds and ends that I though might come in handy. He got some teasing when a few of the guys saw that I sent along baby wipes - but one of the officers pointed out that baby wipes are a soldier's best friend out in the field.
So there, boys. LOL
So there, boys. LOL
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