I haven’t been able to make a full post out of my thoghts lately, so here they are in no particular order:
1. We have finished two full weeks of deployment! Luke is taking it the hardest and his behavior has deteriorated quite a bit. The other day he flooded our bathroom….literally. I had just shut off the water in his bath and had been out of the room for maybe three minutes when Chloe ran to tell me Luke was getting the floor wet. I went to check, and he had emptied out most of the tub using the bucket for rinsing hair. There was half an inch of water covering the entire bathroom floor, and it flooded the carpet three feet out into the hallway. Of course all he could say as I lectured and punished and made him help clean up, was “why not?”
2. I really like webcams. This is the first time we have been able to use them while he’s been gone and it changes the dynamics a bit. Although I had to laugh because since my husband is looking down at his laptop screen and not the camera, it makes it look like he’s trying to look down my shirt from the computer! And since he totally does that in real life, it’s kind of like he’s standing right in front of me 
3. While blog browsing several weeks ago I came across Jennifer at Mississippi Girl whose husband was almost home from a deployment. We got to commenting and emailing and decided we’d try to get together, as we probably lived close enough. Then last Sunday I saw a pretty black-haired girl singing on our praise team at church, and guess what! It was her! We live just a few blocks from each other and go to the same church. So we got together for lunch at Chick Fil A last week, and I had a blast! She’s so sweet and so fun to talk to and our kids enjoyed playing together. It just humbled me to think of how God worked all those details out, from directing me to her blog, and her to mine, to moving us near each other, knowing that having someone nearby who could relate to me would be a huge encouragement. Plus she gave me a recommendation for a good salon to get a haircut, and if that isn’t evidence of God’s provision, I don’t know what is!
4. I just got the book “Chocolatherapy” in the mail. I’ll let you know how it is!
So I’ve discovered one benefit to my husband being dployed.
A king-size bed with only one occupant?
Totally holds like 4 loads of laundry.
I may not hang up clothes for the next 6 months!
Have you checked out the great contests over at 5 minutes for mom? They are giving away a ton of stuff between now and the 4th of July.
I’ve already entered for some mommy business cards and a CUSTOM swimsuit from Land’s End (who makes my absolute favorite swimsuits, so I really want to win that one!)
Go check it out, maybe you’ll win something!
So it’s been a few days since I’ve burst into tears.
And while I’m definitely sad, especially in the evening when there is no one to hang out with, I feel more like myself again.
And I don’t feel the need to beg my husband to please, please get out of the Navy and never ever leave me again.
Because I seriously was on the verge of doing just that a few days ago.
The truth is, there are a lot of benefits to his being in the Navy. The insurance is great, we get to travel and meet new friends all over the world, some day the retirement will be pretty good, I have a common bond with a lot of people that I wouldn’t normally have a lot in common with…
But I think one of the most surprising things, to me, about having my husband in the Navy, is the depth of respect it has given me for him. I mean, of course I respected him enough to marry him. And I knew before we started dating that he would be in the Navy. He was ROTC in college when we met, and when we started dating it was with the understanding that I would need to be willing to marry someone in the military. And if I wasn’t, then there was no reason for us to date.
But before you are married you can’t possibly understand the full extent of the bond you develop, or what it means to be one.
Or that when your husband is gone, part of you is very much gone with him.
But I love him so much more, and respect him so much more, for the fact that he did not just serve his time to pay the military back for his education and then get out. He truly wants to serve. He volunteered to go to Afghanistan two years ago when the call came out. We didn’t know at the time that they’d only give him 9 days notice that he’d be going, but I don’t think that would have made a difference. He wanted to help in the effort to build hospitals and buildings, and roads that would provide access to previously inaccessible people.
And the thing that resonates most deeply with me, is that I know he would give his life if necessary. Not just by being in a dangerous place, but that if it was called for, he would be the one to give his life in order to save his men or others in danger.
And while I really hope and pray that that never happens, I am proud to be his wife.
John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
