Homecomings and Re-Intergrations

Being a military family has it's benefits; it really does. We get to travel to many different places, and learn new things, and make new friends as we live in an area.

We chose to come to Alaska for many different reasons. From a pilot's perspective, you'd be crazy not to pass up the opportunity to be here, especially if it's outright offered to you, because some wait their whole lives to get here, and some never make it. As we were making our decision on which Post to PCS to, we took into account that the world is changing, and that Alaska in all it's beauty might not be the same years in the future, as it is today; the natives are saying that the winters now are not like they were, due to global warming. We wanted to give our children a chance to see it for what it is NOW. And the fact that my husband's Branch Manager told him that there were no expected deployments while we would be here, was bonus!

But...this is the military folks! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is ever a promise. (The pessimist in me just knew that this was going to happen, so I was a tad mentally prepared.)

Because everyone else is out in either Afghanistan or Iraq, our guys were sent out to do humanitarian aid, and heavy cargo lifting in Pakistan for the four months leading up to Christmas.

And here is where I jump off, and rant. And use run-ons. And begin my sentences with words like, And, But, and Because; with lots of parenthesis...
(My high school English teacher would really be so proud. While I'm at it, let me give a big shout-out to my college English 101 teacher too.)

Separations are never easy. Especially when they are unexpected. So, imagine my surprise when Phillip came home one afternoon and poured himself two finger fulls of Glenlevit (we are not "drinkers"), and told me he had "something to tell me". Enter expletive...HERE.

I'm not a woman who accepts change very well, and moving to Alaska after living in Texas for 5 years (close to family, close to THINGS TO DO) was a huge adjustment for me.

And so, there goes the husband...again.

As a military wife (and family), you have to learn to adapt to whatever comes at you. And it can be very taxing when too many changes come your way in a short time. But, you do what you have to do, and it is what it is.

I often remind one of my close friends that one day, we'll have our reunion in some beach resort somewhere, and while our husbands are sharing stories on flying, we'll share ours on how we coped with it all, etc. etc. Someday, we will smile at this. At times, I already do.

It's empowering. It's exhausting.

When they're gone, the ones left behind are dealing with many things. We know that they would give almost anything to not be there, and we know that being here is better than being there. I try to keep that in mind, as I play the many roles required of a military spouse and mother.

There's always the encouragement that they will be home soon; whenever that is. Because nothing is ever written in stone (I believe I've said something like that already in this post), and the roller coaster ride of rumors is always just a "blast" to be on. "When" is a major question. And I'm not going to depress you all by mentioning the constant worry that looms over your head on "IF" they're coming home (oh, I just did).

Here's where things start to speed up...

But, Alas! You get the official notification (after weeks of rumors) that your husband will be home for the Holidays! Joy! And a bit of guilt. Because, you have friends out there who's husbands won't be home to open presents, eat the cookies, put the toys together. But you know that they are happy for you, as you will be for them, when their time comes. (We're all in this together, us military wives.)

So, you've received word that he's coming home. You start "nesting" like a pregnant woman expecting that brand-spanking new baby to arrive. You want everything to be just right. The house. The kids. The linen closet. YOU.

I might be speaking for only myself here, but when he does come home, I fight that constant inner battle to "give up" and let him do everything that he's missed doing (like taking out the trash, gassing up the car...), because I know that eventually he'll be gone again, and I don't want to have to struggle to get myself back into the Be-the-Independent-Woman mode again. So, I try to stay in it. (The whole coming home thing is like a gumbo pot of emotions and experiences, for everyone; even the cat.)

And, he's so excited to be home. He's able to take a hot shower, sleep in his own bed, wash his own clothes, and able to cook his favorite meals (to eat bacon!). He's having fun with being able to do everything that he couldn't for so long, and for me, it can be a bit hard to watch it all happen, because I know that I take it all for granted. We tend to spend all sorts of money on having fun, eat at all of our favorite restaurants, get that new iPad, etc, etc. Because DADDY'S HOME! You get it? There goes the checkbook, Sally!

He also sees that he may not be "needed" so much around the house anymore. Mom's got it. That, I'm sure, can be a bit damaging to a man's ego. But, I can assure you that he's definitely wanted. And Mom just needs to let go, and let things happen; let go of some control, and hand it over to someone else for the time being. Because, Darn It, it feels so good to have my best friend home!

For now, all is right in our household.

We're all excited. A new chapter has begun. The next deployment looming over our heads (we're never sure where or when), is not gonna slow us down.

As with anything in this world, it's all in how you roll with it.

Shorts to String You Along...Episode 2

On the Friday that we came home from our trip down South, I picked Sarah up from daycare at about the same time that they were getting ready to play outside, so she was upset with me. When we got home, Phillip and I went outside to let her play, wait for Gabe to get home from school (he walks through the back yard to get to and from), and to shovel snow. Hours later, we'd made a snow hill out of the wooden picnic table that we have on the back deck. The kids had a blast!

It's times like this that make me really love, and appreciate Alaska for what it is.

You will witness my small act of defiance when Phillip tells me something...



(When I finally got back inside the house that night, my thighs were red and felt like leather...shoulda worn snow pants...just another example of how the cold can get to you without you even realizing it.)

Shorts to String You Along...Episode 1

You've got to watch until the end, where Sarah gets frustrated and yells "Ah, Come ON!".




(the video was taken at my Dad's house just after New Year's Day, and "He touched the butt!" is referring to a scene in Finding Nemo)

A quote for today...

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."
- Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Happy New Year, Everyone!

We came in late last night from a very nice, and very busy trip home to Louisiana. It was a great way to start our new year.

I hope that this year brings positive changes, safety, health, and happiness to all of you!

A boy and his cat...

"Did it move?"

"Nope, don't think so."

"Let's keep watching. Shall we?"

At 40 degrees below zero, you find a new appreciation for staying home (and other news).

It's COLD today. I think it's the coldest that we've had so far, and just like you may guess, it's not fun to have to go out in it. This is our first winter here in Central Alaska, and I'm learning new things by the day. I absolutely LOVE to stay home now. Housework, reading, playing with toys, and trying to empty the DVR cache is our fun for the moment. (But, we do try to get out for a little while to prevent the winter blues.)

I've been bringing Gabe to school lately. Usually, he walks; but with the sun rising at around 10:30 a.m. now, the short walk to through the woods is a bit scary for him. I have him properly armed with a flashlight, cell phone, and enough winter gear to keep warm, but I can understand that bringing him the short distance in the car will put less stress on both of us if I continue to do it for the next month or two, or until we see daylight at the beginning of the school day again. I also see that a pair of snow shoes for him might be a smart purchase in the near future.

The kids and I were supposed to fly out to Lafayette tonight, but with Phillip coming home any day now from his latest mission, I decided that it was better to get our tickets changed so that the four of us can fly home together. Because Sarah and I have been a bit sick this week, I'm very glad that we're not leaving tonight!

In the past 12 days, someone over here has either gotten spayed, de-clawed (leather couches, and I can only put us both through the torture of nail trimming so often), micro-chipped, had a double-ear infection, sinus infection, a hole under the tongue where exposed salivary glands were inflamed, stuck his tongue to a basketball goal to see if it's true (and it is) that your tongue will freeze to it, caught the common cold, or had strep throat.

It's time for the husband to come home. Thank Goodness that this was only a short deployment (about 4 months). It seems as though it never fails that when he's due to come home, someone is on their last leg. I imagine it as a jet coming in for a landing with only one wheel down. When there is only one parent around, the kids need extra reassurance and attention, and I'm the one to provide it; after a while, that can take it's toll on me.

I do my best to stay positive, and not complain. I know that my situation could always be much worse. If I were not the wife of such an awesome man, I'm not sure what life would be like, but I know that I wouldn't have what I have now...and it is a beautiful life.

We all can't wait to have Phillip home. The weather and landscape sure have changed! And, in just the short time that he's been gone, Sarah has begun to hold complete conversations with us. Her vocabulary amazes me on a daily basis. And she is Conais (Cajun for mischievious) with a capital C! Gabe has gotten so much more mature. He and I had a short conversation last night about how when he was a "little" boy, he wanted so much to be a "big" boy, and now that he feels that he's there, he wants to be "little" again (that's how he put it). I had to remind him that he shouldn't want or need to grow up too quickly; his job is to be a kid, and he should leave the grown-up stuff to me or Dad. I do NOT want him to grow up too quickly...a kid should be a kid.

Oh, lovely...just got a call from the doctor, and this morning's strep swab on me came back positive. Well, that makes two of us since Saturday. Welcome Home, Babe! Here's a Z-pack!

I've been busy with lots of different things lately. I made some major changes to my blog. I've felt for quite a while that I needed a change. We needed a new look. And I wanted to do as much as I could to prevent certain invasions of privacy. Although I put lots of personal information on here, I do try to be discreet and not lead the common criminal, etc. to our front door, so I deleted some things.

Also, I've come to the realization that there comes a time in deployments (when I know the end is near), that I do extra things around the house to keep busy to make the time go faster. I also get into a sort of a "nesting" mode. And then I get tired and frustrated from the extra work, and then the kids get sick...

The roller coaster never ends!

Until next time,

I've added...

...some new photos to both albums, and some more blogs to my blog roll.

I've deleted some blogs as well, since there was no activity on them.

And that's about it for today, folks!

A Not in any Particular Order Photo Story of When Pa-Paw and Ya-Ya came to visit.

...as told by Sarah (so don't believe too much of what you hear).

Pa-Paw and Ya-Ya came to visit in mid-October (and that's another reason why Mom hasn't gotten around to working on this blog), and they arrived on the day of Ya-Ya's birthday. I was excited about them being here, and I wanted to show them everything; especially how safe my ice-skating helmet is, because sometimes, cinnamon rolls can be dangerous.

One day, during their visit, we went to see downtown Fairbanks, because it's the largest city in interior Alaska, and we wanted to show Pa-Paw and Ya-Ya how huge and modern it is (compared to life in the bush). I took some time to reflect on my life so far...

...and how I was going to get Pa-Paw to pick me up because I was tired of walking and thinking.

We also took them to see the Museum of the North at the University of Fairbanks. I'm not joking; this place is impressive. Gabe liked it. See?

At the museum, there was a butterfly exhibit. Now, it's by no means as cool as the one that they had in New Orleans a couple of years ago (Gabe told me all about it, because I didn't get to go), but there were some really pretty things to see. Living...

and pretending to die.

During that week, we drove Dad's truck up an icy hill north of Fairbanks to get lunch and pie at the Hilltop Truck Stop.

It's a popular place for the truckers going up to Prudhoe Bay, or wherever those guys traveling the Elliot Highway are going, and so they have their own smoking and eating room. See?

Chena Hot Springs was hot on the list of must-do's for that week. And the ice carving people even made a pumpkin for me! (Mom mentioned before not to believe anything you read, people!)

We saw the pipeline...

...and an old man in a red suit, that my brother was especially nice to (I wonder why?).

And even though Mom was very disappointed that the moose that makes tracks in the snow almost every day in our yard, but we can't seem to catch her at the right times (I think she's invisible) we were able to see Denali Mountain a.k.a. Mt. McKinley before they went home to Louisiana.

I wish they didn't have to leave. We miss them very much.

But...we should see them around Christmas time. And hopefully, Daddy will be home around that time too!

Keep your crossed.

THE END