I really did have good intentions when I first started this blog. In my mind, I was committed to keeping up with my posts regularly. It worked out well for a while. Unfortunately, life sometimes has other plans. I got so busy keeping up with everything that I let my blog fall by the wayside. I have several postings that I started, but got interrupted and never finished them. There were also times when I would sit down to write and was too tired. I couldn't think of anything to say. That's a strange one for me, by the way. I always have something to say.
Here I am today, with a little time on my hands. I finally have a day with no plans, no agenda, no expectations. It's just me with some unexpected free time. I should probably go knock on some wood after saying that. I never know what could pop up out of the blue. With that said, my husband popping in early from work would be great!
I honestly can't even remember everything that's happened since my last post. These past few months have been full of my kid's school, theater rehearsals, hula practices, everyday life, among other things. This past month I started taking online classes to work towards my associates degree as an educational paraprofessional. That just added more to my schedule, but I'm glad I finally got the courage to take classes. It's been 15 years since I've been in a classroom, though this time it's a virtual classroom. I was told by many people that online courses are harder than going to a university and sitting through class. That may be the case in their situation, but not mine. I actually love online classes. I have the flexibility to do my work when I have the time and motivation. The only time constraints are the seminars. There's only one a week per class and they only last an hour. If something does happen to come up and I can't be there, there's a second option to make up for it. I rather enjoy the experience and for me, the work is not hard. As long as I'm focused while I'm working, it just seems to come. When I get frustrated I just log off and find something else to do until I can concentrate again. Not to mention I can attend in my pj's if I want to.
The most important thing that has happened since my last post is... My husband is finally home! Just one week ago, I was sitting at the gulch (that's where we meet them) for an hour, impatient as I'll get out, ready to wrap my arms around my soldier. That was probably the longest hour of my entire life. It was also the best day of the last 366 days prior. I don't even have the words to describe how amazing it felt when he was released from formation. As soon as they were dismissed, maybe a couple seconds before, I took off running straight into his arms. That moment was completely worth the 12 month wait.
I have learned from past experience to put aside any and all expectations of post deployments. A person would think that life after a deployment would be all roses and sunshine. That's what I thought the first time around. I expected everything to go back to normal, like it was before he left. Maybe I even thought every day life would be better. For the first week or so, it was close to my expectations. We were just so happy to be back together. However, life seems to have a way of moving forward, regardless of circumstances. After that first week, I started seeing changes in both my husband and myself. We had both moved forward during that 9 months, but not together. He faced things while he was away that had changed him. Things, that in my opinion, no one should have to go through. At the same time he was changing, the kids and I were too. Kids grow up quickly and in 9 months a lot can change in their lives. As a parent we grow up with them in a sense. We adapt to their changes, thus changing us too. Trying to mesh all those changes together is no easy feat. Add to that our all to soon vacation. Before we had time to get reacquainted we hit the road to visit family for a few weeks. Though we were happy to see everyone, it was very hectic. Very bad timing on our part. Being so busy trying to keep up with everyone and visit so many people made for very little time for us to reconnect. Everyone wanted their chance to see my husband, which I completely understood and respected, but that left us with little time to reconnect. Towards the end of our visit we left our kids with family and took a trip, just the two of us. We really needed that time alone together. In time, we did overcome it all to get our family into a routine that worked for all of us. I learned from that experience that it's so much easier to stay home for a little while before taking on too much. We need to spend time getting to know each other and getting into a routine before anything else.
Deployments are never fun. I won't hesitate to blurt out that DEPLOYMENTS SUCK! However, God has a plan and a purpose for my family, as he does every family. His plan for us just so happens to include our Army life and everything that comes along with it. I have to say that I would not give back any of our experiences, even the deployments, for anything. If it weren't for the Army we wouldn't have met so many amazing people. We never would have dreamed of living in Hawaii. My husband and I wouldn't be as close as we are today. Our kids wouldn't be able to experience so much in their young lives. Most of all, we wouldn't be this close to God because we would have been way off his plan for our lives.
Now that he's home for a while, hopefully a long while, we can get on with our family life. We can move on to the next chapter that God has written for us.
