Best Wishes for Gunner

We are still alive and living among a sea of boxes.

Gunner is still here.

My ankle is not broken, but I did strain it, and am in pain.

I was hoping all my followers would leave some words of advice for Gunner, or well wishes, or something before he leaves soon.

I'm sure he'd love some encouragement.  So comment away, and let him know you care!  Thanks!

She likes to cook!

It's no secret that I am not a big fan of cooking.

Every once in a while I get motivated to make something, bake something, or throw something in the crockpot.  It's not very often though.  Thankfully Gunner is a great cook and enjoys doing it.

I am good at meal planning, so I handle that portion, and I will usually start dinner.  Once Gunner is home, I pass the baton and he finishes it up.  It works for us.

When Gunner leaves, we eat a lot of steamed stuff, or quick stuff like oatmeal. 

 Em can make a mean spaghetti.  Tonight she wanted to make hamburgers, and they are excellent.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup are something else she can cook.

The best part.....she LOVES to cook!  How can I argue with that?  She offered to cook at least twice a week while her dad is deployed.  Hmmmmm....I could get into this.

I'm not a slave driver, so if she doesn't want to, she won't have to, but if she does want to.....I can't say no!  I might be hampering the next Top Chef--okay so maybe not the next Top Chef, but maybe she will at least like cooking more than me!

She just found a box of brownie mix and asked to make those for dessert.  I already see that this deployment is shaping up to be a little bit different.

Gunner's Silver Linings

After Gunner read my post, he had his own ideas on the silver linings of deployments from his end.

--Not finding an empty bottle of shaving cream because someone used it to shave their legs.

--He gets more sleep, sometimes.

--He gets boxes and letters, it's like Christmas.

--Homecomings.

--Using what he has been trained to do.

--No decisions on what he has to wear 24/7.

--Someone does his laundry and doesn't complain about it.

--Saves money on shampoo because he shaves his head.

--He knows where everything is, because it is the last place he left it.  No one has touched it.

--R&R.

--A sense of accomplishment.

Does your husband have any other silver linings?

Pre-deployment guilt

Right before Gunner leaves, I start feeling a little lot guilty.  While I will have the comforts of home, he will be stuck in a tent somewhere in Afghanistan.

Sure they have steak and seafood nights in some of the DFACs, but who wants to eat seafood in the middle of the desert?

We went to the thrift store today so I could drop off another 16 bags of "crap" that we didn't need.  Make that a total of over 30 bags that I have dropped off in the last week.

I needed some more laundry detergent so we stopped off at Sam's--hey, with 3 kids and one who will be potty training forever, we wash a lot of clothes.

There it was, Gunner saw the Nintendo DSi XL.  He wanted it.  I couldn't say no, since I knew we had the money.  He needed games for his new toy.

We are busy eating his favorite meals and visiting his favorite restaurants.

What extra things do you do before they leave?

Upsides to deployment?

My husband isn't the type to beg to deploy.  It's his job.  I'm trying to look for the positive side to it all.....

The 16 hours of free daycare is going to be nice and well used this time.

The tax break is nice.

Not charging leave for R&R is a great bonus as well.

Extra pay.

Letters that arrive with "Free Mail" in the upper right hand corner make my heart melt.

A 10 minute phone call when it has been weeks since I have heard from him.

The "buzz" of Yahoo IM.

Webcams.  

People that say thank you.

Seeing the flag and understanding what it signifies.

How he can make me laugh even when he is halfway around the world.

That we make time count each and every day when he is home.


Kids that will stop whining when I pull out a tape recorder while they are throwing a fit, promising to send it to their dad.


I don't have to do a whole load of Army "crap" to make sure that he has clean socks, PTs, and a uniform.


I get the bed to myself and can surround myself with dozens of pillows.


I can eat the same thing for dinner every single night and he won't be there to complain.


I can indulge in brussel sprouts, something he can't even stand to smell cooking.


No alarm clock going off in the middle of the night or late night alert phone calls.

I can watch all my reality tv shows without hearing how I am losing brain cells.  I can fill up the entire DVR.


No TA50 lying all over the living room and the bedroom.


No green socks tucked underneath the couch.


After about a week or so though, I might miss the load of Army crap and the green socks.  


What's your favorite positive side of deployment?

Conversation With Abs

Last night we had the final briefing about the deployment.

I'll get to some stuff in another post, but of course Abs stole the show.

They went through all the technical stuff and they mentioned there would be a portion of the briefing dedicated to questions from the families and Soldiers.

Abs eyes lit up and she said "I have questions".

Oh dear.

They mentioned they would hand out microphones and Abs started trying to figure out how to get one.  I assured her that she could ask me her questions later.

She wanted a microphone, but they decided not to hand them out, and the LTC would repeat the question.

Someone asked a routine question, and when the LTC asked who was next, Ab's hand shot up before we could stop it.  The LTC saw it.  He pointed to Abs.

Abs stands up in a crowd of about 800 people, wearing her Twilight Burger King crown, a red and white polka dot dress, and her new daddy doll in her arms.

"Is my daddy going to come home?" came out loud, strong, and in the sweetest, most innocent voice you have ever heard.

The audience responded with sadness, "Awwwwwwww". They all waited to see what he would say.

The LTC stopped for a second.  Collected his thoughts.  He repeated the question.

The lady behind me put her hand on my shoulder.  I teared up.

He didn't laugh at Abs, he didn't smile, he took her seriously, and not one person in the audience said a word.

He responded with something to the effect of.....I am not a shoe salesman. I don't make promises that I can't keep.   I'm not sure what the future holds.  What I can promise you is that your daddy is well trained.  He has had the best training available.  Your daddy has the best equipment available to him.  I am pretty sure your daddy can handle anything that comes up.  Your daddy is with a group of men that are some of the best in the Army, and I promise you that we will do everything we can to keep him safe and all the other Soldiers safe.

Abs smiled.  She understood that he couldn't promise her daddy's safety, but she appreciated that he promised to try.

The LTC looked relieved that she didn't ask anymore questions.

I cried.  9 years old.  She's been through three year long deployments and this one will be her fourth.

They never get easier...

Who wants more stress????

Apparently that would be me.

Gunner stopped by housing and they have a house available on post for us.  We are going to take it.

So in less than two weeks, we have to pack everything up, move, and send Gunner off to war.

I have no idea how this is going to happen, or what it means.  I am taking my vegetable garden with me, somehow.

I have a lot of purging to do.  I have to get quotes from a moving company since I can't move my piano or the shrunk by ourselves.

We have no boxes.

I hope this works out and isn't a HUGE mistake.  It won't snow as much there, which kind of makes me sad.

But I like an adventure, so I guess we are giving it a shot.

I only called him and asked him to check with housing because I was irritated about something here.  Maybe next time I should keep my mouth shut?

Gunner as a Dad

My kids are very fortunate in that they have a dad who would do anything for them.  During our time in Tampa, we hit the beach one day and he was recruited to be the Little Mermaid.  (I'll spare you the full body, but they completed it with shell decorations and all.)

Since Em had hurt her knee, there was no way that she could get around the beach on crutches.

He carried Em to the water, to the towels, to the water, to the sand castles, to the water, to the towels, to the water, to the towels, to the water......

Of course Junior benefits from riding on his shoulders, playing with him, and all the roughhousing that I don't do.

Sometimes I feel like I have four children because he is just as goofy as the kiddos.

Abs is a hard kid.  Very hard.  Sometimes I think that no one can love her like I do, but I know he does.

Our time is limited, but he has done his best over the last year to leave his children with memories to hopefully hold them over until he returns again.

Block Leave Plans

Sometimes I have ideas.  Sometimes they are really good, but other times, after they come out of my mouth, I wonder what the heck I was thinking.

Today was one of those times.

Me:  Wouldn't it be fun to go to Utah?
Gunner:  That's a GREAT idea.
Me:  We could camp I guess.
Gunner:  Even better, I love camping.  Think of all the fun the kids will have.
Me:  Okay, I'll try to find a place.

Later after I had exhausted my research, I found two campsites located at the same place.

There are great reviews.

It's a beautiful location.

The catch???  There are no showers!!!

Gunner assures me that he will arrange a way for me to shower.

I told the kids that I had big and exciting news.

The girls started jumping around--"Are you having another baby???"

I was speechless, no way, no how.

When I finally gave them the "good news", Abs was jumping up and down.  Em, not so much.

Em:  How is this going to be fun?  Are we borrowing Oma and Opa's RV?
Me:  No, we're going to stay in tents!
Em:  Seriously?
Me:  Yep, and we don't have to shower the entire time we are gone!
Abs:  This is a dream come true.
Em:  You would think being dirty was a lot of fun.  Some of us have standards.

I could feel the love between them....almost...not really.  I did tell Em should could share a tent with her sister since we will have to find another tent or something as we only have a two person tent.

We will get back just in time to wash clothes, shower, and head out of town to my 4th triathlon of the season.  From there it's straight to Florida, and then back in time for block leave to end.

Whew.  A whirlwind.  Memories in the making.  Hopefully enough memories to last us for a year apart, and pictures to tell the stories.

Oh JRTC, how I don't like you

The timing of JRTC though, couldn't have come at a worse time.  


Gunner and I signed up for a triathlon and it will be less than 12 hours  the day after he gets home.  I hope his flight isn't late!  


Abs got written up at school.  It's about something so ridiculous, and something that in every other classroom across the nation would have been handled in the room.  Granted, it is slightly bigger than when she got written up for having a cold and blowing her nose and using an entire box of kleenex, but still.  


I can't believe Easter is here already.  


We have plans tomorrow for an egg hunt and carnival.  Em has a chemistry day with Girl Scouts, and I signed up for a 7 am spin class so I can get my workout in before all the festivities start.  


Maybe we can ride the route for the triathlon too. 


With JRTC finally being here, it is reminding me that I need to get busy on preparing for deployment!  My initial to do lists were pushed aside with everything else that is going on, so it's time to create more--I wonder if there is an app for that?


Does anyone have any checklists that they have created that they want to share?


Oh, and earlier this week I was ready to book a one way ticket for myself on the crazy train, but more about that later!

Preparing for Deployment

You would think after 4 year long deployments, I would be an old pro at this, but every deployment is different, and so it's time to start thinking about this next one.

Gunner hasn't deployed to Afghanistan before, so I need to have plenty of time to read up on it, and learn about what is going on over there.  I am not totally oblivious to the situation, but I like to be informed.

We need to update the big white notebook that Gunner made for me last deployment.  During his first deployment to Iraq, I couldn't find POA's, and luckily he had given my mom one, so she was able to sign for housing for us.  His last deployment he made an organized notebook (since I am the most unorganized person around) that contained sections with anything and everything I could have needed--POA's for all the different possibilities, his will, daycare information, shot records, educational records, copies of deployment orders, all of our accounts organized with passwords and account numbers, emergency contact numbers, and tons of other information.  I carted that big white book around religiously, and always had anything and everything that I needed at my fingertips.  We still use it consistently, but it's time to start making sure it is updated with all of our new information, stuff about Colorado, and anything else we can think of that I might need.

Pictures.  I need to update the photo frames that each of the kids have with pictures of them with their dad.

We need to make sure that Gunner has an album with pictures of the kids to take with him, and this time, come hell or high water, I am scrapbooking a deployment countdown calendar for him to take with him and one for each of the kids.

I need to have plans in place in case one of the kids gets sick in the middle of the night, which means I need to get out and meet some people.  Ugh.  I'm not the most social person, and I seem to attract people with more issues and drama than any one person should have.  Can't I just meet some people that 1. Like their kids, 2.  Like to get out and do things, 3.  Value education, 4.  Knit, 5. Have financial sense, 6. Like to workout and do triathlons and 5 and 10 K's, 7. That are honest, and 8. Are independent?

This is just me personally, but I can't stand people that sit back and wait for their husband's call every single day, don't go do anything because their husbands want them to wait till they get home, or don't take the opportunity to make their lives better for the entire family.  It's a year people, get out and accomplish something for yourself!  Go back to school, learn something new, get in shape, explore the area you live in, and realize that the year is going to pass and you can either do something with it, or waste it away.  Em told me after last deployment, that she was glad that I took on something so huge (going back to school to become a teacher) when I had all of them to take care of, plus getting in shape, and taking care of everything else.  She told me I was a great example of how to handle deployments and life.  That made me feel good and made me realize what a great example it was to them on how to take a not-so-good situation and turn it into something that made all of us better.  Just my .02 worth.

So, I am making a list of things that need to be covered over the next 10 months before Gunner leaves.  I would rather that he stay here, but I am glad that he has such an important job to do.  Once he is gone, I will wallow in self pity for a few days, and then begin my list of everything that I want to accomplish before he returns.  I'm thinking a marathon, half ironman triathlon, and learning digital photography are going to be at the top of that list.  This time I want the kids to set some deployment goals for themselves and we will pursue those as well.  Maybe they want to learn to ice skate, snowboard, run a 5K themselves?  Maybe they want to dance or learn to cook (since they won't get that lesson at home!) or travel?  Deployments in our household are viewed as a time to make things happen, so that when Gunner comes back he sees that we survived, grew, and even thrived.  While he makes our family complete, I don't want my children to look back on deployments as a time of misery and hopelessness, but rather a time when they missed their dad terribly, were proud of what he was able to accomplish and also had great accomplishments of their own that made them, me, and Gunner proud.

Deployments come whether we like it or not, but take it by the horns, you won't be sorry you did.

Counting Time

Obviously in order to practice good OPSEC I can't give more details, but we are down to counting time. Very little time. Not enough time. You get the picture.

We've been bums all weekend and enjoying all of Gunner's favorite foods. I don't think one of the foods is on WW, but I will be back on the program once he is gone. I couldn't deny him all the things that he will miss. Tonight we will have German food. Yum. Crepes for dessert.

I ordered the girls dog tags with a picture of them and their father. Once he deploys, the girls will be able to post a picture of their dad on the 'Wall of Heroes" up at school. A high school collected and donated teddy bears for each of the children at the girls' elem. school to have a bear once their father deploys.

Gunner HAS to pack tonight. He can't put it off any longer.

It's over....

I took my test this morning and now I just have to wait 3-4 weeks for the results. Think positively!

We went and saw my nephew's science fair project at the regional science fair in Austin. It was jam packed with kids. He did a great job though and I am proud of him.

After the science fair we went to celebrate my sister's birthday at Souper Salad. Where else do you eat when you have 5 children with different tastes and me on WW? I absolutely love salad bars. I did have two pieces of their gingerbread though. How can you pass that up?

I schedules three massages over the next three months and now I have 3 more microderms at the spa that I need to get done. Can't wait!

Last deployment I slept because I was pregnant and Junior took everything out of me. This deployment I will get in shape and pamper myself, start a new career, take care of my three monkeys, hang out and knit with Erin, lose weight with Peggy, send packages to Gunner, and keep my sanity! I wonder which one will be the hardest to do.

School

The school sent home a flyer last week advertising a free class tonight titled "How to preare our children and stay involved in their education during deployment...". I thought it would be a beneficial class for DH to take and he agreed so I signed him up.

I had a class to go to somewhere else so off he went with all three children in tow. And from our school with over a thousand kids, guess how many parents showed up......TWO (and that was including my husband)! I just don't get it. Maybe everyone thinks that they know everything there is to know about preparing for a deployment and staying involved? Maybe they are too busy? Don't care? Have better things to do? This will be DH's third deployment to Iraq and he did one to Bosnia for a year before kids, but it still doesn't get any easier. Every time our children have been different ages, at different schools and doing different things. I'd go to a dozen classes in the hopes that I could gain one idea from it to make my life or his life easier during this deployment.