Welcome Home my Love!

Two weeks ago today my husband came home! It's hard to believe it's only been two weeks though. Now that he's back it feels like he never left. Life has resumed and everything is finally back to normal.  It's FANTASTIC to have him back safely in my arms and it's wonderful to see our post full of sky soldiers once again! BUT back to the homecoming celebration...

Their arrival time kept getting pushed back further and further. So Sunday was an excruciatingly long day. A sweet friend and I tried to take our mind off of the ever present (and seemingly never ending countdown) and watched an entire season of Nashville. Then we tried to eat dinner, but our nerves got the best of us and we didn't end up eating much of anything. After dinner we came back to the house and watched a couple chick flicks. Finally at around 1:45 am we received our phone call that they were on the buses and finally making the drive back to post. We scrambled around, putting on last minute touches of makeup, and flew out the door eager to get to the gym where the homecoming celebration would be held. We still had over an hour and a half to wait, but who's going to stick around waiting at their house at that point! 

Luckily the majority of my dear friend's husbands/fiances were coming back on the same mainbody as Ross'. So finding each other in the gym to wait together made for even more excitement in the air. We had all been there for each other during these past 9 months and to be able to experience the excitement prior to the homecoming together was the perfect ending. I am so thankful for these girls and their friendship! I truly would not have been able to have stayed in Germany by myself for as long as I did. 

This is what 4 am looks like to wives and children who have missed their soldiers for 9 months. 

Deployment Diary: The Final Weeks

Sail Away with Me

Yup, this is going to be us in less than 100 days. We just booked our block leave trip and we're going on a CRUISE. Traveling in Europe is amazing, but in my opinion a cruise is the PERFECT vacation for RELAXATION. And after 9 months of separation that is exactly what we need. Hello, 2nd honeymoon!

Labadee, Haiti + Falmouth, Jamaica 

George Town, Grand Caymen + Cozumel, Mexico 

HERE WE COME! 

Deployment Milestone

Just wanted to post a quick hoorah! 

We reached another deployment milestone. 

Don't want to say the exact number of days for OPSEC reasons,

 but the daily countdown, in my eyes, is much more manageable now!

I think I may even make a paper chain to countdown the days.

Also, I'm flying out this weekend to head back to the States. 

As if this week could get any better!

I'm so happy to be going home to my family. 

I will be staying in South Carolina for the remainder of the deployment. 

Hopefully the time will fly by while I'm with family.

Halfway There!

Even though everything inside of me doesn't want to....it's kind of hard to say "WE'RE HALFWAY THERE" without making the obligatory Bon Jovi reference. So there you go...

Wooooahh, we're halfway there. 

Wooooahh livin' on a prayer

Take my hand and we'll make it- I swear

Wooooahh livin' on a prayer

Deployment Diary: Week 14

It's been a MONTH since I last updated this blog. So what's happened since then? Well, we are 1/3 of the way through this deployment! Fall has officially arrived in Germany. The temperature has dropped, the leaves are changing, the pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg has opened, and Oktoberfest is in full force. Fall is probably my favorite time of the year and I must say I love it all-- The crispness in the air, pumpkin flavored everything, and appropriate weather for boots & scarves!

Honestly, the month of September flew by. Nothing terribly exciting happened. I didn't travel anywhere. I don't have any pictures to share and no real exciting news. Instead I thought I'd share what I've been trying to accomplish during this deployment... being healthy in all aspects of my life. 

BEING HEALTHY: 

Emotionally, Spiritually, and Physically

Emotionally: There are a number of things that have helped me keep sane during this deployment. I talk to my family. A LOT. They have been my greatest support system and talking to my parents on Skype for sometimes hours a day makes this deployment life feel a little more normal. I have a schedule. Consistency helps me feel a little more in control and makes the days go by faster. Trying to stay involved. I tend to be a little more reserved and a homebody, but I try to connect with the other wives here. They understand this crazy, awful process and are an amazing soundboard & make me feel a little less crazy.

Mostly I try to remember that such an extreme separation like this is emotional. Sadness, bitterness, anger, jealousy, loneliness, fear, calmness, excitement, or happiness. Whatever it is. It's all normal. And God-willing it won't last forever. I try to remember that and let myself have bad days. I don't have to be happy all the time. It's okay to be mad. It's okay to feel lonely. Ultimately I don't ever want to feel guilty about anything that I'm feeling and I think embracing that is a healthy outlook. 

Spiritually: I'm not going to lie. This element of living a healthy lifestyle has been on the back burner for quite a while. I think it's easier to see the visual side effects of poor physical and poor emotional health, but poor spiritual health can be much more detrimental. Since we've been in Germany (and some time before if I'm being completely honest) I've been pretty fat and lazy regarding my spiritual health. It's been a me, me, me kind of relationship. Always taking and never giving. So I've really been trying to turn that around. I've been consistent in our tithing. Earlier this month I started journaling again and began watching/listening to messages from the church we attended in GA: Crosspointe Church. I'm still looking for a consistent daily devotional and I'm definitely a work in progress.

I've been trying to let go and let God. A healthy spiritual life dips into a healthy emotional life and I know this. I just need to work on it. Knowing that God has a bigger plan has helped me have a better outlook on this deployment. If we are in the center of His will then this is the path He has chosen for us and we will be blessed. Although it may be hard and often overwhelming He is my greatest source of strength.  

Physically: This journey has been an exciting one for me.  I've been participating in a CrossFit style class at our gym on post since the middle of July and I am hooked. I think this video gives you the best description of what CrossFit is. Every day I go in it is a challenge. Every day it's something new. And if it's not a "new" workout I've done before it's still a challenge because I am competing against my previous time. Every day I'm surprised by what my body is able to do. I never thought I would be so into weightlifting, but after doing this style workouts I don't know if I'll ever go back. I grew up playing sports and once I got into college I missed it. I knew I still needed to be active, but running on a treadmill and using some machines DID NOT motivate me to go to the gym. CrossFit is motivating. I wish I had found CrossFit a long time ago. 

CrossFit has also changed the way I think about my body A LOT. Woman are way too obsessed with how much they weigh. Have you ever seen a picture comparing 5 lbs of fat and 5 lbs of muscle? Want another example of how body weight is not a true example of being in-shape and healthy? I'm embracing the phrase "strong is the new skinny". Now I only weigh myself once a month. I've learned that how I look (is there more muscle tone? are my legs/arms more defined?) is more important that what numbers come up on a scale. My ultimate goal does not have a number involved -- it has a physical appearance.  Again I'm a work in progress but I'm loving this journey. 

Deployment Diary: Week 10

LIFE LATELY... So things have been feeling a little monotonous around here. I guess this is actually a good thing; If you want to look at the glass half full! I've gotten in a nice routine between work and Crossfit classes. On days where I have both --I'm only working part time-- the time flies by! On days I have off I spend time on Pinterest. So THIS is my life lately... doing what I think most military wives who move every couple years do- dream of their dream home.

For me right now it's not even dreaming of my dream home.
It's dreaming of not having the restrictions of living overseas in Europe.

CASE IN POINT: Repurposed furniture. I love it! I'd rather have a house full of garage sale/thrift store/Craigslist finds than brand new furniture from IKEA. But I've had a really hard time finding thrift stores/etc. around here. Not to mention that we live in stairwell apartments which make it difficult to navigate any piece of furniture up to our second floor. Oh yah, and the fact that I am husbandless.

Deployment Diary: Week 9

I've been really slacking on these weekly updates, but here we are at week 9! We have made it two months which makes us about a 1/4 of the way through this deployment! I don't have many pictures or updates from this week so I thought I'd leave you with some Instagram pictures from Luxembourg...

Deployment Diary: Week 7

This week was definitely out of the norm. I spent the entire week in Wiesbaden/Mainz for work training. No Crossfit, absolutely no gym time, but lots of shopping & wining and dining!  I was lucky to have some amazing girls in our class and we spent pretty much ever waking minute together. We were a nice mesh of Army and Air Force  and we even had some lovely girls from the UK. I learned that my English accent was actually pretty good and thanks to them I'm going to start trying to integrate the words "wag" and "posh" into my vocabulary. :)

Deployment Diary: Week 5

This week started out a little rough. RC and I have had pretty constant communication since he left, but that stopped all of a sudden. Completely out of the blue. For 2 days I didn't hear from him and I was a little freaked out. I knew something was wrong. I soon found out that all soldiers in his region were put on a media blackout because two men, a specialist and a private, were killed. A number of other individuals were injured. With the way technology and Facebook is they are mandating blackouts so that families can be properly notified before someone senselessly posts something on Facebook.  

My heart aches for their families and instantly I was reminded how real this war is. 

The rest of my week was spent at work and continuing the CrossFit/functional fitness classes in the evening. I've developed some nice calluses, determined my baseline for weightlifting, and hopefully gained/toned some muscles! I also conquered round two against these gawd-awful walls and hung some curtains in our living room. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a retelling of Cinderalla from one of the "ugly stepsisters", is my current read.

Also, here's a picture of one of the Daddy or Hero Dolls. You can place a picture under the plastic piece in front of his face. I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of creepy looking and the dudes got crazy hair. But these are a great tool to help kids deal with separation from their solider.. or errrr wives when there are extra Daddy Dolls left over. :)

Deployment Diary: Week 3

This week actually went by very quickly! Here's to many more weeks like it. RC started a new work schedule this week. Luckily he has the ability to sleep anytime & anywhere when given the opportunity; whether it's AM or PM. I'm hoping that he adjusts well and that our schedules continue to allow us to talk regularly. Our daily conversations have made this so much easier!

// Day 15 // H&M and German restaurant day was a success!! I actually really liked the schnitzel.
// Day 16 // Celebrated two sweet girls' birthdays over the weekend.
// Day 17 // Laid out on my balcony and tried to get a little sun.
// Day 18 // I've been using the Nike Training Club app and absolutely love it!
// Day 19 // Went and saw RIO for FREE on post with Sarah. Yes, we were the only ones w/out kids.
// Day 20&21 // Been busy being a working woman. Thankful for this job! The days go by much quicker.

Deployment Diary: Week 2

This week was full of ups and downs. I got really frustrated on Sunday evening. I had been trying so hard to stay busy and have a good attitude... and then it hit me, it had only been a week. All of this work and effort for only a week. I felt defeated. I was tired of trying so hard to be happy. I'm starting to realize that this is going to take time. It is going to take awhile to start feeling comfortable in this new routine. 

// Day 8 // Worked on better understanding our finances. Didn't hate it.
// Day 9 // Fun in the sun @ the lake. Homemade pina coladas courtesy of Sarah.
// Day 10 // Put together the wall ladder for our towels. I hate having no closets.
// Day 11 // Bought some beautiful flowers for the window sill.
// Day 12 // Had a crappy day and moped around in RC's basketball shorts.
// Day 13 // Celebrated the 4th the only way I know how... in the sun.
// Day 14 // Met up with other ladies from the 173rd.



I should also note that RC is doing well. I've gotten to talk to him every day since he's been in Afghanistan. That is such a blessing! He's been working long days and there aren't really "weekends" in combat zones so I know he's exhausted. They have yet to receive any mail, so hopefully his packages while arrive soon. I am so proud of him and honored to call him my husband!

Deployment Diary: Week 1

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, I'm sorry. I know you've seen these all before! 

But I've decided to challenge myself to taking at least one Instagram picture a day. I think it will push me towards getting out and doing something fun everyday. Plus will be fun to look at the 200+ pictures when this deployment is all said and done. This week felt forever long, but we made it! 

// Day 1 // Said goodbye to RC.
// Day 2 // Went to a winefest with some friends.
// Day 3 // Set up the wireless internet.
// Day 4 // Enjoyed the sunshine and started a bible study.
// Day 5 // Went to the Farmer's Market in the marktplatz and then Zumba.
// Day 6 // Found a thrift store and explored with a sweet friend. Skyped with RC. Found a note on my door.
// Day 7 // Picked up Mr. Owl from the thrift store and shopped at Momax!