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Alone Time November 1, 2008 in Deployment, Me Myself and I | Tags: army, Army truth about enzyte Wives, Cruises, Deployment, lonliness, Military Wives, Thanksgiving | 2 comments First off, I just want to say a quick THANKS to my readers My blog traffic DOUBLED this past month, and I’m really happy that so many people are coming to read my ramblings. It’s much appreciated. Keep telling your friends and passing along my site! Secondly, the house is EMPTY! Well, besides my three sleeping pooches who are crashed out in their respective spots (Bailey hanging out near the arm rest on the couch, Marley curled up and layed up next to me, and Daisy hanging out on the rug — I love them most when they are lazy and sleepy!), the house is empty. I haven’t had very much “alone” time lately, which has started to take it’s toll on me. My work hours are getting longer, while Hubby’s are getting shorter thanks to the upcoming deployment. He get’s his days off, where as I come home, tired and exhausted, and have to jump into super wife mode — cooking, cleaning, laundry — all the stuff that I really enjoying doing, but for whatever reason, it’s just been seeming tedious. Anyways, I’m enjoying my time to myself today. Hubby is off doing army stuff, and I’m here at the house, currently watching The Hills and getting caught up on all my other girly shows! The Hills is painfully frustrating, but I’ve sadly been hooked since the first season of Laguna, so, there’s no going back. Just call it a guilty pleasure! The upcoming deployment is also starting to take it’s toll. We’ve got just a couple of weeks left, and while I’ve been better, emotionally, this time around (compared to the emotional basketcase WRECK that I was last time), i find myself breaking down at the wrong moments. So far, I’ve been pretty good about hiding it from M, but it’s difficult. I get choked up about the little things. I feel silly about it, but what can you do? This is a wierd balance, as usual; wanting him to know that I’m going to miss the crap out of him, and don’t want him to go, but also trying to be strong, so that he doen’t have to worry about me, but still, at the same time, not letting him think that I don’t need him around. Most of you Army Wives (or any other military wife out there), understand this conflict. It’s a sticky situation to be in. I have decided, though, that a vacation will be in order when he leaves. Something to get my mind off the sudden aloneness. If he leaves before Thanksgiving, there is a cruise that leaves Thanksgiving Day from Cape Canaveral down in Florida, and comes back Sunday morning at 7am. I could easily get down there that Thursday, and be back by Sunday night, in time to be at work on Monday. And it’s freakin’ CHEAP. Cruises this time a year are the best to go on, because they are easily affordable. If I had somebody to go with me, it would, of course, be even cheaper (any takers??!) but i don’t mind paying the double occupancy for the rate that it is. A weekend in the Bahama’s to solve some lonliness issues? Done and DONE. October 31, 2008 in Politics | Tags: Barack Obama, Election, Obama, Omaba's 30 minute commercial | 2 comments In case you missed it, I’m including the video. I am constantly CONSTANTLY more and more amazed by this man. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. He has won my vote, and he has won my support. He is truely amazing. Truely Presidential. October 30, 2008 in Deployment, army | Tags: Deployment, army, Care Packages, Care Package Ideas, What to give a deploying soldier | 2 comments With the flip-flopping of the deployment dates, and the potential that my hubby will be leaving a heck of a lot sooner than recent plans have told us, I’ve been trying to put a lot of thought into the deployment gifts. Much like most military wives when their husbands are over in the big bad sandbox, I like to do sweet little things for my hubby every now and then to remind him of how much I love him and miss him. Maybe it’s my work schedule, maybe it’s the lack of sleep, maybe it’s the stress of the whole baby-makin’ thing … who knows. But I’m finding my usual creative juices just aren’t flowing the way that they used to. However, I did have a list of ideas, and in my research of trying to find other new ideas, I found some cool sites, both of which I wanted to share. And please, if you have any other suggestions, feel free to share with the group! Small Electronic Toys: One of the most favorite things that I sent to my husband last time around was a pen that had a small remote control car on top. It was silly, and I think I found it at the dollar store, but it [apparently] offered up hours of mindless entertainment. This year I might splurge and get him something a little bigger. Nalgene Bottle: My husband loves his, and actually, I do too. So much in fact that we have MULTIPLE around the house. They are extremely durable, live up to the abuse that guys like my husband are bound to put them through, and are convenient. Add a carabiner clip [you can get these at REI, or any other out door store] and they become extremely transferable, making it easy for them to clip them to the back of their molly’s and transport to and from work. Care Packages: Obviously, this is something we all do. If you’re feeling kind, and want to branch out and help, say, the entire unit [without spending the bucks], contact the USO [www.USO.com]. As someone who has been a witness to what goes into these care packages, I know that they are fun, and full of necessities. All you have to do is contact the USO, put in a request with the necissary information, and they will do their best to send care packages to the entire unit. Hickory Farms: Who DOESN’T love Hickory Farms?? The sausage, the cheeses, the yummy goodness in every bite? They have a military special, specifically for deployed military personnel. And what’s even better? Free shipping to APO/FPO military addresses, which makes these even that much more affordable. Homemade Photo Albums: I made M a photo album last time and sent it to him, and I will probably do it again this time around, since it needs some serious updating. And the best part was, that he loved it. I had everything in there, us from the time we started dating until now [well, "then"], our pets, our friends and family, and even included a nifty little story line to carry him through the years. That thing was in shambles when he got home, a testament of how often he looked at it. If you’re not that creative, Wal Mart actually has a very cool online photo album builder. It’s very inexpensive, and all you have to do it upload your digital photo’s. I’ve used this in the past as well for friends. It’s always a hit. Cheryl & Co: Along the same lines as Hickory Farms, except they specialize in fresh baked cookies, desserts, and all sorts of other homemade goodness. And again, free shipping to APO/FPO military installations. Squirt Guns: 130 degree heat and a bunch of weapon-toting military guys? Need I say more? These are just a few ideas, and I’m hoping to come up with some more as I get closer to the deployment, as well as into the deployment. And as always, I will share with all of you! And please, if you have something that was a hit, don’t be afraid to give us your secrets! |