Technology & The Modern Soldier

I will post more about how technology is helping to keep my marriage strong. For now here is a little screen shot of how sweet my husband is, and how something as simple as a facebook status can make someone's day!

More recently my wonderful husband has made a little video of photos of us and posted on facebook.  Love Him!  Video

10 o'clock Slump

After working for him for a year, my boss has finally realized-- I am NOT a morning person. Lately I have even been annoying myself with my inability to get out of bed with my husband (the alarm clock) gone. I am absolutely of no good use before 10am. Anyone else in the same predicament?

Also, nothing important should occur before I have had my first dose of caffeine for the day.

The subject of today's blog is in the new theme of my blog is:

Getting yourself into a positive routine in order to make the time away from your loved one go smoothly & without stress.

Here is a list of nonconstructive things I find myself doing while falling into a slump instead of into a positive routine, and the solutions I am using to combat them:

Problem #1. IM LATE!!

My husband usually wakes me up for work, with out him here I just shut the alarm off and go back to sleep until 5 mins before work. Causes stress and for me to be late for work!

Solution: Set an alarm in the bathroom, so I HAVE to get up. Also getting wake-up texts from Marcus help as well. :) Lay out Kami's clothes that SHE helped pick the night before so there is no

battle! Figure out how long everything takes you to do in the morning & make a mini-schedule, so you aren't constantly surprised when things are running behind.

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Problem #2. MAD MOM.

Too much time with a crabby child makes mom crabby.

Solution: Ask for help! When you are raising a child by yourself even when you are alone for only a year, it can be stressful! Ask family and friends for help. Pay daycare to keep your child for an extra hour to get grocery shopping and other important tasks done quickly and stress free.

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Problem #3. IM BORING.

Becoming a shut-in!

Solution: You know all those friends who say if you ever need anything..... take them up on it! I am so guilty of "sitting around feeling sorry for myself" Get up- get out there- make your day better. If you are feeling like you might be getting depressed, MAKE THE CALL to you friend, parent, anyone who you trust. They love you and they will listen. My friend Jacci, whose brother and boyfriend both joined the army has decided to plan a once a week wine night & play date for the kids. What a great idea to put something FUN into your schedule to look forward to!

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Problem #4. IM GOING TO EXPLODE!

Shutting your feelings in.

Solution: It is easy to bottle things up, especially when your free time consists of a lot of alone time. Start a journal, or in my case... a blog! Let your feelings out. Write Letters! This is a lost art, but writing a letter to your loved one is a great way to get you emotions out, and plus it is fun for them to get mail. Include funny pictures and drawings from the kids. This is not only cleansing for you but your significant other will be thrilled to get a little bit of home in the mail. Also, don't forget your best resource, someone you can talk to & trust.

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Problem #5. IM A FATTY.

Eating when you are bored/alone/depressed.

Solution: Its easy to let yourself go when you don't have anyone to impress. And for me the biggest problem is eating healthy since I don't cook! The best way I have found to eat healthy is, to limit my food budget to only healty things with a long shelf life... rice, frozen chicken breasts, frozen fruit juices.... That way nothing is going to spoil (this happens to us non cookers a lot) but when we do cook, these items are easy to make, convenient and healthy!

As for the letting yourself go- make it so you DO have someone to impress. Marcus and I have used technology A LOT this far in our time apart. Get dressed up, do your makeup, and take pictures of yourself to email to your man! He will love this, and it gives you a reason to look nice! I find that wearing makeup and taking pride in how you look directly translates to how you feel! Its also fun to have someone else take fun photos, here is one of my pictures from a Hey Cupcake shoot.

I hope this little list had helped, not only those who have a loved one in a deployment & away from home, but for the moms, wives and working women who feel like you might be starting to fall into a slump.

It happens to all of us!

Breathing Breeze

My heart leaps.

Can I feel your breath on my neck?

A dark summer night.

Cool breeze.

Nothing better

than you next to me.

So glad that...

oh.

Awake.

Dreams, if only reality.

Soon the breeze will be your breath.

A Soldier's Wife

I am unmistakably one of the most free thinking, liberal, peace loving, colorful people you will meet. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be married to a conservative, republican soldier I would have laughed in your face.

Love has a funny way of sneaking up on you just when you are least expecting it. You can learn more about the beginnings of my relationship with my husband by reading in previous blogs, and you will also learn of my overwhelming feelings for him.

If you already know me-- you know that my husband Marcus has left for training for his deployment to Afghanistan. I have officially been missing him for nearly one month, one of approximately twelve.

Watching my best friend, lover and new husband walk onto a bus, not knowing when I will see him next is by far one of the hardest things I have ever done.

It is nearly impossible to express how true love makes me feel, and how "being without" -cliche as it is- "makes the heart grow fonder". I am going to take this experience and write about it not only to help me, but in the hope that I might help other families out there who are now or will be battling with the challenges of watching a loved one leave on a deployment.

It has been one month since I last kissed my husband, and I am ready to start talking about the challenges of being a new wife without her husband.

The day that he left I was determined to keep my emotions under control.

I walked into the crowded armory and my eyes scanned the sea of people mixed amongst them were about 40 uniforms.

When I turned to my left I saw a familiar face emerge from the mass of soldiers. My heart leapt into my throat and as his arms fell around me I exhaled and it felt like I was being stabbed in the chest. He pulled back, kissed me and asked me to wait there, that he would be right back.

Standing in that swarm of people I couldn't control anything any more. My next breath out was filled with streams of tears. This was really happening. I was there to watch the one person who keeps me grounded leave for a country full of people who could care less if he was there or not.

In just a moment, Marcus was back and found me standing in a state of realization. He took me into his arms again and for those few moments I felt safe, but I knew it was only going to last a

short while.

The ceremony began and I sat at the end of a row of folding chairs. I have no idea what any of the speakers talked about, I had too much to think about -- too much to feel.

The ceremony ended and we were able to sit together for a while. I was a mess, and after we had been sitting for a while, what my husband said to me was completely ridiculous and exactly what I needed.

"Do you wanna go have sex quick?"

A smile immediately filled my face. This was his attempt at distracting me and getting me to laugh instead of cry. It worked.

After visiting with family and bidding everyone farewell the soldiers were called to formation. They lined up as we all waited on the lawn for them to exit the armory and board the bus. I stood along the sidewalk near the door. The men moved quickly past me and as I saw Marcus coming my heart crept towards it's new favorite place in my throat.

He had something in his hand.

When he walked past he gave me a rose. His hand reached towards my face and in an instant he disappeared in the blur of camouflage and he was gone.

If I tried to explain the emotions that filled me as the bus started to pull away, I would be typing for hours and still wouldn't be able to share it appropriately.

I know that every woman who has had their husband leave for a deployment knows exactly how I felt, as for the rest of you I hope that this helped to illustrate what the day is like.

I am so proud of the man I married, and I hurt for him to return. Until I see him again I will continue to write here and I hope for some followers in that time to share this with.

On June 26, 2010- I married my hero. On July 30, 2010 I let him go to fight for all of us.

I will see him soon, and in 11 months we will begin our life together.

share, an article from a local paper.

Blogging on Blogging

After inspiring my very opinionated fiance to start his own blog, I realized that I have neglected mine...

What have I been up to? WELL, wedding plans are well underway- We are having the ceremony at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines and the reception at Copper Creek Golf Club in Pleasant Hill.

I feel like this is the perfect wedding for the both of us, I love animals & the zoo. Marcus is a golf nut & we spend a lot of hours in the summer on the course.

I am not the greatest wedding planner, but I feel like we are in pretty good shape.. though the date keeps getting closer and closer.. Funny how that happens?!

Ok now onto my topic today Blogging-
My fiance is so passionate (I love that about him) about everything! Every event that happens in the news, every thing he hears on talk radio, EVERYTHING is a big deal and he HAS an opinion on it! (sounds like someone else you know doesn't it?)

SO He has started blogging, perfect! As a Democrat and very liberal individual, the difference in our beliefs has only caused a problem because he wants to talk and debate about everything and I don't really care to. So I am hoping that blogging will help him to express how he feels and get some feedback from the public (or people other than me).

He is so intelligent and has so much to say so I am really excited to see how this works out for him.

I am so thrilled with the idea of marrying this man who challenges me, infuriates me, loves me & respects me. He is truly the most amazing person I have even known, and now everyone else gets a little taste of the humor, intelligence and PASSIONATE opinions that I experience every day.