Fun in the "Wait"

I have had some wives say to me that they didn't think it was right or fair for their husbands to have fun while deployed, away at training or in the field. "I told my husband he can't go to the Movies or out to eat or to USO shows" or they get mad when it looks like their man is having some kind of fun or looks TOO happy in a photo posted while he is away from home. Some might bash me on this one but I am secure in who I am, I am secure in my marriage, my spouse and the truth is if my husband didn't want to be with me anymore then I respect myself too much to want a man who doesn't want me..see ya later alligator! That being said if my husband can find some happiness, a moment of silliness, a good belly laugh so lightheartedness in the middle of a Dessert then I would be over joyed. So some of the amusing photos that came my way during my husbands deployment. 

My advice is to tell your husband to try to have fun...if he is going to be there for Halloween send him a costume nice and early ..I didn't even think about that my husband never dresses up for Halloween (he is not in any of these costume photos lol) but next time I am sending him something way cool to wear..

What Really Happens on the Home Front During a Deployment

We bust our buts working fundraisers 

We raise funds for Single Soldiers Homecoming projects

We make beds & make the Barracks welcoming

we take trips with fellow Army Families

and more Co Trips

We build families

we show our Patriotism 

we try new things like Cheer leading

we enjoy quiet family time ..

Every new Military spouse asks the same question when it comes to Deployment. How do you get threw it? Well the simple answer is stay busy!!! Get involved in your FRG you all heard horror stories about gossipy frg and cliques well I can tell you I am a FRG leader and I don't do gossip and I don't do cliques my FRG is a family readiness group I want my spouses to have knowledge and information that will help them be resilient every day not just during deployments. I am a firm believer that if you join an frg and its not what you think it should be then stand up and voice your opinions...A successful FRG is an active one with volunteers who sincerely care I don't do what I do for the perks, pay ?? umm no?? those card stock certificates umm nope I do it because I care and my thought is a happy spouse, makes a happy soldier makes a successful Company, Battalion and Community...Now besides your FRG, their are Spouses Clubs and PWOC check out your Post Chapel...moms groups, ACS always needs volunteers...now on to more fun things we did DFAC lunches and dinners to keep business at our DFAC during Deployment, we did a local Wild Animal Park, Amusement park, cheer camp, oh and check out those Chapel based Marriage and Family retreats ...they have them for Deployed spouses too. The point is just don't sit around marking off the days on the calendar or eating the each days M & M's get out and explore the area around your post...travel with a friend, or another wife...go someplace your husband wouldn't have fun like Polish Pottery shopping, crystal shopping, shoe shopping or purse shopping...I definitely do not encourage crazy spending on shopping!!! I once drove two friends to Cheb a town in Czech to purse shop I bought nothing I just went for the adventure ....I also advice personalizing your calendar my husband is gone 9 months we broke our calendar up into 3 Big events My daughters Senior Prom & Graduation, Her off to college & the little ones back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas...in our case the twins Bday is Jan 12th ....Homecoming was scheduled for Jan 1st but we heard they might be home by Christmas so we told the girls daddy would be home for their bday...so Jan 12th was circled on the calendar so if he didn't show up for Christmas they wouldn't be disappointed ....so personalize your calendar ...I also say don't move home with your parents or mother in law I promise 9 out of 10 Spouses regret it ...stay in your HOME, go visit family plan a month visit however after 2 weeks you probably will have reached your ok I need to go now phase...lol so visit for 2 weeks go visit some other family, then head back to mom n pops spend a week say see ya later and head on home...SPACE A is your friend....if you are OCONUS ...in the states round trip Greyhound bus tickets Mil discount $208 ??? heck yea no gas cost, no driving woohoo
**** Don't forget Single Soldiers who will becoming back to Barracks ask your FRG leader about Helping out with welcome home baskets & signs*****

A glimpse of Deployment Soldier Side

Deployment time went by fast for me I think it was because the girls and I kept busy and broke the Deployment up into BIG EVENTS . I bet Pachenko doesn't think it went by fast.

 Pachenko got to fly the Apache he loved it and I am surprised they got him out of the bird afterwards.

 Pachenko is not known to be stylish this hat sorta proves that point. I still love the guy though

 The man working hard I am glad he likes what he does and he sure looks good doing it.

Communication style letters to the sand box

Oldest left to get married see previous blog named "Oh how fast they grow", Husband deployed see previous blog named  "The Beginning of a Deployment 2012" 

I think about our grandparent, I think about our mothers, I think about the generations of military wives who walked this path before us. I am sure they are looking on our generation thinking we have some things a little easier then them they had. They lived with snail mail while we have email me, there were no good phone calls then now we have instant messages, text messaging, skype ...Are we blessed or does today's technology make it more difficult? 

See to me I don't like skype the connection is horrible, the time delay frustrates me and our daughters don't understand why it takes daddy 5 mins to answer a question and why his face freezes and jerks around..

To keep myself from being worried about him I don't want to get into a routine of expecting phone calls at a certain time to me that just sets you up for worry.."Something horrible has happened it is 10:05AM and I haven't heard from my husband today he calls everyday at 10:05AM !!!" instead of being joyous when you get that surprise phone call you are left worrying about why you haven't gotten a expected call. When it comes to Deployments you should be prepared for the unexpected things happen, things change, communication is not guaranteed to always work power lines, phone lines can be out of service. Maybe I am old school or Retro give me snail mail any day I love old air mail envelopes could be the red, white and blue..patriotic envelopes how can you go wrong? So my question is what way do you like to stay in touch with your loved one? 

The Beginning of A Deployment 2012

So we dropped Pachenko off driving away the big girls in tears we arrived a family of 8 we are now a family of 7....to some that missing of 2 family members wouldn't seem like a lot in such a big family but it means less cooking and quieter nights..

Now that it is over and Pachenko is safely home from Deployment I will post a little about deployment and life during it. Right before Pachenko left we said good bye to our oldest Kathryn she decided she was grown and ready to go out into the adult world. She left home and went to Texas with her new boyfriend long story short she is an adult and even though I see this not ending well she has to make her own mistakes in life... So we are now down to 6 daughters at home making us a family of 8. Then the big day came we took Pachenko to the Hanger to send him off on deployment. People say it is hard on little kids the truth is look at the photo below our 2nd oldest Julianna knows she will be going to prom in a week, graduating high school in a month, leaving for college in 3 months and her daddy will miss all of this. Our 3rd oldest knows her daddy is going to miss her birthday, that she is going to be the oldest sister in the house in 3 months both girls know the reality of war, of  a deployment that dads and moms deploy and sometimes sadly they don't go come home. Look at our 4 little ones faces they know that their daddy is leaving that he will be home in January for the twins birthday. They don't see that as a long time because we are marking it off with big events Julianna will be graduating in June, then we have 4th of July which means a lot to military children, Ballet classes, Cheer leading Camp, Gymnastics and then a couple fun trips mom planned to kill time, then Julianna will leave for college, they will start back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas having those big count downs helped pass the time.. 

                                                No greater love then a girl and her daddy

No matter how old they get little girls still need their daddies