Almost done

So Robert will be coming home in less than 2 months. Yes, I am extremely excited for so many reasons...

• I get my cuddle buddy back
• I'll get and get to give tons of hugs
• I'll get at least one 'real' meal a day :)
• I won't have to drive all the time
• I'll have someone to come home to and tell about my day
• We get a second honeymoon
• I'll have a reason to get a little dressed up every once in a while
• We'll try to complete our bucket list for HI
• I'll finally be able to breathe

There are so many reasons to be glad this thing is almost over but as other military wives can confirm, the end of a deployment is just as bad if not worse than the rest of the deployment. The range of emotions experienced is astounding, I find myself extremely irritable one second and rediculously happy the next. I am anxious and just ready to close this chapter of our lives. I always feel like I'm forgetting appointments or other important things, like shoes. I daydream about the homecoming... it usually resembles a scene found in Nicholas Sparks novels :) Let's not even get into what I'm going to wear to the ceremony. Feeling overwhelmed sets in quick and I start thinking about everything else...

• Will he mind that I rearranged the furniture?
• Does this mean I have to keep the house a lot cleaner?
• What? Cereal's not okay for dinner?
• I was really enjoying only doing laundry twice a month
• He better notice all those hours I put in at the gym

Oh the rollercoaster that is the end of a deployment.

society says be skinny

   This is a topic that is near and dear to me. I've never felt an overwhelming pressure but there are many girls out there who have. The world tells girls that we're supposed to be skinny, so what do we do, we kill ourselves to be skinny. Why doesn't the world instead impress upon us the need to be healthy. Not only does it look way better (in my opinion) it would solve so many other problems.
   I know some people take the need to be skinny to an extreme, then there are those who don't seem to care at all. I'm saying be healthy no matter what size that comes to. The number on the scale doesn't mean anything.
   Like I said I've never felt much pressure, but then again I've always played soccer which has kept me in pretty good shape and now I CrossFit which has me feeling and looking better (in my opinion) than I ever have. Personally, I'd rather wear a size 8 and be able to claim what I can do rather than claim my size 0 figure.
  What I'm trying to say is... stop defining 'fit' by how tiny you are!

Rest and Relaxation produces sleepless nights and stress

So Robert and I are getting closer and closer to his R&R dates. For those of you who may not know, R&R is a 15 day break in a deployment where the soldier gets to come home, most people try to put R&R right at the 6 month mark so it evenly breaks up the deployment. Robert and I decided to aim for a later date, at a little over 8 months.

Anyway, we're both extrememly excited to see each other for the first time in 8 months, obviously. However, while I am excited about seeing my husband, I am suffering the stress of making sure these 15 days really count. Just imagine seeing your spouse for 15 days out of the year. Would you want to share them with anyone? No, but you can't be selfish so you have to. What are you going to do for 15 days? It's up to you to figure it out because chances are your soldier just wants to not go on patrols, sleep in a bed, and take a break from giving/taking orders.

I know he'll be happy with whatever we do and I know it'll be perfect because we'll be together, but I can't help but make sure things get done while he's home. You think my face looks like I have chicken pox? No those are just tons of pimples from the stress. You have gift suggestions for Christmas? Well too late, I had to have that all together by last week so I could ship everything home in time for Christmas. You would like to know our schedule while we're home? Yeah, so would I, I'm actively trying not to plan so my husband doesn't feel rushed around. You want to pick him up from the airport? To Bad. Sorry, there's like Army law or something that says all spouses get their soldier for the first 36 hours... at least.

Our God is good, I can prove it!

This past weekend I had the privilege to spend time with about 50 of my brothers and sisters witnessing God's mercy, grace, and goodness.

The focus of our retreat was Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

A whole weekend devoted to learning about God's mercy, what it means to be a living sacrifice and spiritual transformations. Let me just start out by praising God for having everything come together for the retreat and everyone who had their hands in on it. Before even getting to the retreat God was working in us a message to be shared.

I won't share much from the actual sessions but some of the applications I have for myself coming off the retreat are to:
 - cancel cable, DONE
 - create a life map
 - ask the Holy Spirit to help in keeping God's mercy a focus for me
 - follow through on Quiet Time schedule
 - figure out where my Time, Money and Strength are going vs. where they should be going
 - filter what I allow penetrate my mind.'

There's so much I need to be working on and slowly but surely, with God's grace and mercy, I'll get it.

In Christ,
Julie

And I thought my chest was small

  I'm usually against these types of poems/letters, whatever you want to call them. You know the e-mails you get that claim you'll have an eternity of bad luck unless you forward this to the 3rd, 17th, person in your address book oh and everyone you know with an "e" in their name. Yeah, okay... DELETE.
  However, one comes along every so often that I identify with. I really like this one because it doesn't paint the military wife to be a victim like most others do, yes it displays some hardships but the part I most like is the dependant v. independant line. After reading this one I could feel my chest poof up and I have a feeling I'll be walking tall all day.

Lots of moving... Moving... Moving... Moving far from home... Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course. Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house; Moving curtains that won't fit; Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours. Moving away from friends; Moving toward new friends; Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting... Waiting... Waiting... Waiting for housing. Waiting for orders. Waiting for deployments. Waiting for phone calls. Waiting for reunions. Waiting for the new curtains to arrive. Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better: She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book; Handle the yard work; Fix a noisy toilet; Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts. She can file the taxes; Sell a house; Buy a car; Or set up a move...all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. She reinvents her career with every PCS; Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south. And learns to call them all 'home'. She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty... They leap into: Decorating, Leadership, Volunteering, Career alternatives, Churches, And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people. Their roots are short but flexible. They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other: They connect over coffee, Rely on the spouse network, Accept offers of friendship and favors. Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond: The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a 'JOB' He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit... He's on-call for his country 24/7. But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town! His language is foreign TDY PCS OPR SOS ACC BDU ACU BAR CIB TAD EPR And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his. She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments: She wants to wring his neck; Dye his uniform pink; Refuse to move to Siberia; But she pulls herself together. Give her a few days, A travel brochure, A long hot bath, A pledge to the flag, A wedding picture, And she goes. She packs. She moves. She follows.

Why? What for? How come? You may think it is because she has lost her mind. But actually it is because she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man, Who puts duty first, Who longs to deploy, Who salutes the flag, And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband, She will remain his military wife. And would have it no other way.

I promise this will be the last one of these military letters. I'm just so darn proud I can't help it!