Ready to Reunite ... Right??

PHOTO: Our 2006 Reunion after a yearlong deployment to Iraq.

Okay, so I’m a few weeks out from my Soldier’s homecoming. It’s supposed to be the best of times, the ‘end of the trail,’ the happily ever after … right? And mostly, it is. The thought of having him home is exhilarating. Our children will be euphoric, our families are already rejoicing, and we’re making fabulous and fun plans for our Block Leave (civilian translation: the time-off a Soldier gets after a deployment). It’s a great place to be!

At the same time, it’s also a bit nerve-wracking. This man that I love, with whom I share all my secrets, that I adore with all my heart … is also the man that I haven’t seen in many months, with whom I’ve shared scratchy 15-minute phone calls ended by “I’m sorry. Your time has expired. Please hang up,” [forget any secret-sharing there!] and who has not lived in our house for over a year. There is such a stark contrast to all these emotions that it’s sometimes hard to sort out.

When deployment-induced insomnia strikes (that’s not just me, right?), I start dreaming up all kinds of things to worry about. Is our home routine what it should be? What mismanaged numbers might lurk in the bank statements of deployment-past? What will the kids have to say about the time Daddy was gone?

In my more negative moments, I see that our routine is clearly erratic at best; the bank statement, ugh, is a jumble of numbers that only he can truly decipher anyway (I know, I know … I should be all Army-Strong about it and take a class or something, but really, I feel more akin to the poor girl in “Confessions of a Shopaholic” than I do a responsible budget-minded mom), and the kids run crying to Daddy, screaming, “We’re so glad you’re home! Mom is crazy!!”

In reality, I think it will be slightly less dramatic than that, but there is some underlying pressure when a second adult re-enters your [err, ‘our’] home. For the past 12+ months, I have made every decision, prepared every meal, fixed every problem, bandaged every hurt, planned every event, organized every trip, fretted over every fever, driven every carpool, cheered every sport, conferenced with every teacher, paid every bill (I think?) and been responsible for every single aspect of our lives at home. Of course I have been able to consult with my husband on the big things, but the daily events were mine.

Again – the mixed emotions. I am thrilled to share some of this again (possibly leaving some extra brain space for quiet, sane thoughts), but am also a little unnerved and intimidated by it all. Where do you start catching up on the past year? How do you make up for the lost time? What changes will he see in me? The house? The kids? How will he have changed? What has he seen over the past year? What can I ask about? What should I ask about? How long before we’re truly ‘us’ again? … You can see how this might be a lot to decode all at once.

This is our third deployment and third welcome home. Ultimately, I am simply thankful that he is coming home … and just like in the past, we will become ‘us’ again very soon. It is just a matter of “time and talk.” Time to readjust to living together again and talking about … well, about everything!

By the way, one of my favorite welcome home memories comes from our first deployment … a group of wives was working on “hurry home” photos and banners to send to our Soldiers near the end of our deployment. One creative mom brought a photo of her two children … one holding a sign that said “Hurry home, Dad!” and the other holding a sign that said, “Mom’s gone crazy!”

TORCH and ADVON

Photo: ADVON returning from a year-long deployment. Okay, I have to admit that after 15+ years as an Army wife, I don’t know what ‘TORCH’ and ‘ADVON’ stand for. Something about advanced party … but there’s no ‘p’ for ‘party’ … so I just don’t know. I do, however, know what it means. It means your Soldier comes home FIRST!! We’ve never had the honor of either of those designations. My husband somehow manages to get himself into the ‘stay-behind-and-make-sure-all is-well-out-here’ job and comes home late or last. Not that I’m complaining, though, as I am happy these TORCH and ADVON folks get here and get the place ready for everyone else to come home. In a way, it’s reassuring to me. The wheels are turning, the process has begun … our unit actually is coming home and coming home soon! Homecoming becomes reality, not just a long-sought-after dream. It’s good to see our unit patch and our unit Soldiers back at home, on U.S. soil and on our Army installation. It’s heartening to w

The Change of Command Ceremony

Last Friday, my Family and I participated in the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division change of command on Fort Hood, Texas. Hubby became the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment and joined a wonderful group of "Red Dragon" Soldiers and Families. It's a dream come true for us ... one of those things you hope in the back of your mind you'll get to do one day, but know realistically that the chances are slim you'll get to do it. When I first saw his name on 'the list' that the Army publishes, I was elated for him. No one knows more than I do his passion for the Army and for the Soldiers in it. He is a wonderful leader and cares so much. We both knew that this would be the adventure of a lifetime. We explained this new job to our two boys (ages ten and six) as best we could and they kept saying, "We'll have 500 new friends on Friday!" as their summary of the discussion. =) The ceremony was amazing, a st

A Letter to My Cousin and Friend

As I was cleaning out our home office today, I came across an old college notebook from a writing course I had taken at Baylor. Our assignment was to write a letter to someone filled with memories of time spent together. I had chosen to write to my cousin Lori and, although it was a rough draft, I just had to post it. I finished out the last part and laughed out loud at some of the superfun memories with Lori, my cousin and friend. Dear Lori, As I reflect on the time we have spent together, I remember so many wonderful memories with you. Laughter always comes first to mind because we have shared so much of it. We start out giggling over some trivial nothing and soon are rolling in teary-eyed, side-splitting, I-can’t-catch-my-breath laughter. Days later, we will laugh again when one thought triggers another and we think of the same funny thing. After all, we are ‘more funny repeated.’ Our memories together are vast and varied for they have been collecting since, well, basically fr

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