My First Welcome Home

During the past few weeks, Fort Carson has been busy welcoming soldiers from the 3rd ACR home from their 2nd year-long deployment in Iraq. I am so excited for these families! My best friend Katie will be welcoming her husband home this weekend (FINALLY!! -- Yeah Katie!), and many of my students have parents coming back also. I was going to save this post until right before I welcomed Jon home for the second time, but in light of all of these happy reunions, I thought now would be a good time to reminisce about my first welcome home ceremony!

I remember it like it was yesterday. The timing of Jon's return home couldn't have been better! He arrived on a Friday night -- my last day of work before Spring Break began! I am so thankful that I had to work all of that day. I would have been a mess otherwise! We only had a half-day with our students and I can remember sitting outside and talking to my friends from work while we waited for them to get on the bus to go home. Each of my friends gave a little bit of advice and helped to calm my nerves! During his first time over there, Jon wasn't able to leave for R and R, so I literally hadn't set eyes on him for a year!!

I'd had my dress laid out for days and my poster ready to go. My "Bachelor" friends (the women I watched "The Bachelor" each week with) gathered at Katie's house for a glass of wine, then drove with me to the special events center on post (it's basically just a big gym). They came for a few reasons I think -- to support me, to experience a welcome home ceremony, and to take pictures!!

We arrived around 6:00, since we heard that the soldiers would be coming around 7:00. I was meeting another Army wife there, Lana, whose husband was also arriving home. However, once we arrived, we were informed that the men wouldn't be coming until closer to 9:00. We had prime seats, and didn't want to give them up, so we decided to stay and made the time pass by reading the latest issues of People Magazine and US Weekly. I think I must have gone to the bathroom to check my hair at least 13 times in those three hours! It felt like an eternity!! The only other time I have felt so anxious was during the three hours before I walked down the aisle at my wedding!

While we waited, we continued to get updates on where the guys were -- landing at the nearby air force base, on their way to Fort Carson, inside the gates, etc... Finally, we were informed that the guys were waiting just outside the doors!! In the meantime, Jon and the other soldiers were being told not to expect much of a welcome home (boy were they surprised!!!).

What seemed like hours later, the doors of the gym opened just as Toby Kieth's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" began playing. The jam-packed special events center went CRAZY!!! Actually, that is a total understatement.

I can't even give justice to the feelings that I had while the guys paraded into the gym. I have NEVER before experienced such an intense sense of pride or love. These feelings were completely overwhelming -- the best I've ever experienced! I held up my sign, screaming my lungs out, while tears streamed down my face. My Jonny Angel was finally home!

Or was he??? All of those soldiers looked identical in their DCUs and big kevlars (their helmets)! For the life of me, I couldn't find Jon! After the national anthem and a few words from various commanders, the men were dismissed and families literally poured out from the stands! I still couldn't find my Jon!! Luckily, he had spotted me right off the bat, so he was able to find me!

My eyes are open just to make sure I'm not dreaming!!

All I can remember from that moment is how he looked just the same as always. He felt and smelled the same as always. This really was my husband!! After lots of hugs and kisses, we left the gym and made our way home. I think CaliValley Girl says it best:

"after the whole hoopla, you get home, sit on the sofa and chit chat about the most normal things, and realize that nothing has changed. It was like he never left."

I will never forget that evening -- probably the longest hours of my life! But the feelings of love and pride I felt for my husband at the end made the entire year apart worth it. I already can't wait for the next one!

Projects

Yeah!! I'm feeling so much better since my last post. Just when I said that I needed a new project to keep me busy, I got one! One of my friends from poker night was trying to get rid of her double bed because they were getting a new one. We only had a twin in our guest room and have always wanted something bigger, so I told her I'd take it. The best part was that it was free and I got a chance to do a tiny bit of redecorating! Well, several dollars and an entire weekend of shopping later, I got our new guest bed finished for now.

Doing this totally brought back memories of last time Jon was deployed. We had just bought our townhome and it was newly built. It was like a blank slate. All of our walls were white. We had no window coverings and barely any furniture. That year I kept SO busy decorating until my heart was content!

Jon also gave me a project to work on. He needed a new fleece blanket, so I was happy to put that together for him!

I was stunned today by the funeral procession for one of Colorado Springs' police officers that was killed this past week. As I sat in my car on the way to yoga, I noticed that the traffic was MUCH heavier than usual -- gradually slowing to a standstill. Then I started to see a few police cars flying by with their lights going. At first I wondered what was going on -- terrible traffic and then all of these police cars -- I thought there must have been a horrible accident. But then the police cars didn't stop. And I noticed that people were out on the streets everywhere watching. Then I remembered they were having the funeral for the policeman that was killed. You might think that I'm exaggerating -- but there had to be at least 300 police cars that went by like that with their lights on in parade fashion. I was very moved and sat in my car praying for the spouse he left behind.

However, I know this sounds terrible, but I started to compare the way they handled this hero's death with the way they handle the death of the soldiers that are posted here. This man's death has been all over the news and radio. It has been SUCH a huge deal. They even said on the news tonight that watching this procession was like watching a funeral procession for a president. However, when a soldier dies here, he is barely mentioned. It really kind of infuriated me. Not that this policeman didn't deserve such a grand goodbye. I just feel like every hero that works to serve and protect us deserves something like this. Especially our soldiers who are put in harm's way every day of their deployment. Of course -- I might be a little biased ...

Three Month Slump

I have so enjoyed reading others' blogs lately. Some people are such great writers and are able to voice their thoughts and opinions so elegantly through words. If you haven't visited "Learning to Live" or "Trying to Grok" yet, you really should. I found them linked to a friend's blog and I've been reading them ever since. I will never be able to express myself as clearly as these women, but I'll do my best!

Since I said goodbye to little sis this past weekend, I've been going through a major slump! Time seemed to be going by so fast at first, but this last month has just DRAGGED on! (And it's the shortest month of the year!) As of next Tuesday, Jon will have been gone for 3 months. Now I can look at this one of two ways: If I'm feeling optimistic, I concentrate on the fact that we are already 1/4 of the way through this deployment. If I'm feeling like a Negative Nancy (which I have been lately!) I remember that we've still got 9 months to go -- an eternity! I could get pregnant and give birth to a baby in that amount of time!!

For some reason, the first deployment was just easier than this one. I was able to spend the first four months of it with my family before I moved out to Colorado Springs to start my teaching job. Once I got here, I was blessed by the friendship of an amazing little group of Army wives -- my Fort Carson Family! (I will tell you more about these beautiful women later -- I think I'll start crying if I do right now!) Needless to say, each one of them has moved during the past year, and I am the only one left until Miss Sally gets back from her extended stay with her parents.

Earlier this week, I searched through Jon's side of the closet trying to find his smell in some of his clothes, but it's all gone. So I came up with a fabulous idea. I took one of his undershirts and used it to cover one of my pillows like a pillowcase. Of course, the whole point was to snuggle with something that smelled like him, so my plan was to spray the shirt with his cologne -- but I couldn't find it anywhere! So I got desperate. There was an extra stick of his Old Spice underneath the bathroom sink, so I just wiped that all over the shirt. I know, I know -- kind of wierd -- but it smells just like him! I love it!

So maybe I just need a new project to occupy my thoughts, a new book to read, or a fun trip to plan. In any case, I think it's time for a little attitude adjustment.

Thanks for listening to me whine. I promise not to make a habit of it. :)

A Day with My Sister!

I haven't posted anything in a few weeks for a few reasons. First of all, I've been SOOO busy! Secondly, nothing has happened! Ok, so I know that sounds totally contradictory. Maybe I should just say, nothing INTERESTING has happened. Who knew that everyday in the real world would be mostly the same as the last one! Get up, work out, shower, go to work, keep working or go to yoga, stop at Starbucks on the way home to do my Bible study lesson, come home, eat dinner, sleep, get up, work out, shower ...

I finally had a little bit of excitement this weekend, though! My little sister, Lauren, and her boyfriend Daniel came to visit me for a day! Lauren recently decided to move from Sacramento, where she was working for Whirlpool, to Atlanta, where I'm sure she'll find another great job. More importantly, though, she will get to live near Daniel and her friends from UGA! I'm so happy for her! Anyways, she and Daniel stopped in Colorado Springs while they were driving across the country. What a treat for me!

The two of them arrived late Friday night, so we just ordered a pizza, visited, and watched a movie. The next day was so cold!! It was only about 6 degrees outside, so we had to stay in all day, but we had so much fun spending time together! We watched movies, played scattegories, then went to a movie and out to a local brewery for dinner. Early Sunday morning they had to leave, even though I begged them to stay for just one more day! The two of them are such great company -- so laid back and fun to be with. All I could think about the whole time they were here was how great it would be to live closer to them! As of right now, they are still on their way to Atlanta. I miss them already!

Lauren and Daniel (aren't they so cute!!)

I've Been Tagged!!

I was tagged!! Okay, so before I start, I just have to tell a teeny tiny story. When I was taking composition in high school, we had to keep a journal that we wrote in every day. This journal didn't really tell so much about what was going on in our lives. It was basically just a collection of things that told who we were. That's what this reminds me of ...

4 Jobs you have had in your life
1. My first job was the summer before my junior year in college. I worked in the bag room at one of the country clubs at home. This basically involved helping people get ready to golf and then cleaning their clubs when they were finished. Oh yeah -- and I had to drive the cart that picks up all the balls on the driving range. It was great target practice for the members!
2. Waitress
3. 7th Grade Math Teacher
4. Basketball and Volleyball Coach

4 Movies you would watch over and over (I LOOOOVE MOVIES!!!)
1. The Sound of Music
2. Gone With The Wind
3. Anne of Green Gables
4. It's a tie!! Grease, The Notebook

4 Places you have been on vacation
1. Florida
2. Honolulu (Okay, so I'm not sure if this counts. I was really there to play volleyball when I was at TCU, but we did have a little vacation time ...)
3. On an Eastern Carribbean Cruise (St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbados)
4. I haven't been anywhere else!!!

4 Favorite Foods
1. Nachos
2. Ice Cream
3. Mashed Potatos and Gravy
4. Soup

4 Websites you visit daily
1. USAA
2. Hotmail for email
3. Expedia.com (I have dreams of traveling!)
4. Fandango.com

4 Places you would rather be right now
1. Michigan with my mom, dad, and Eric (my brother)
2. Barcelona with my sister, Katherine
3. Sacramento with my sister, Lauren
4. On a tropical beach with Jon and some frozen margaritas!!

4 People I Tag...I don't have any other friends with blogs, so I don't have anyone to tag yet! :)

Reflection on Life as an Army Wife

Yesterday morning, the women's ministry team at my church put on a Valentine's Tea. It was great to spend the morning talking with old friends and making new ones. However, something that one woman said to me started to make me think.

I was talking to this lady that I hadn't met before, and we were in the process of introducing ourselves and getting to know each other a little bit. It soon came up that my husband was in the military and deployed to Iraq. The woman's first question was how long he would be gone. I proceeded to answer like I always do -- "I'm not quite sure -- probably a year at the most," and she proceeded to comment (like most do) "I could never do that. I don't know how you do it." Now, when people say this to me, I always respond in the same way -- "Yes, you could do it. If you were really put in the situation where something like this happened -- you could do it and you would get through it." But then she said, "No I couldn't. I love my husband. I actually like living with him way too much to send him away like that."

Okay, so in this woman's defense, I'm sure she didn't mean anything by her comment, but it really made me kind of upset. The fact that I can go on living when my husband is away doesn't mean that I don't love him. In fact, I love him very very much. I am not afraid to step aside while he leaves to serve our country. I know that there are worse things in life than a deployment. And even though life in the military is certainly difficult at times, at this point in my life, I love being an Army wife. I thought I would share with you some reasons why:

1. Welcome Home Ceremonies
2. Love letters from the field
3. The incredible bond I have with other Army wives -- just because we are going through the same thing
4. Free Health Care -- I can go to the doctor, walk right across the hall to pick up my prescription, and never have to pay a thing
5. Cheap groceries
6. Wive's Coffees
7. Knowing we won't be in the same place, doing the same things forever
8. Having a husband who comes home from work happy
9. Being able to see my handsome husband all dressed up in his dress blues (WOW!!)
10. Hail and Farewells
11. Learning about the Army -- it's lingo, posts, policies, history
12. Getting saluted sometimes when I drive through the gate on post.
13. The enormous sense of pride I have for my husband.

So these were just a few of the things I thought of when I was driving home from the tea yesterday. I also thought about how lucky I am to have a God that gives me strength and hope. When I first married Jon, my second cousin, Stephanie, sent me the Army Wives' Prayer. What a blessing:

"Dear Lord,

Give me greatness of heart to see, the difference between duty and his love for me.

Give me understanding that I may know, when duty calls him he must go.

Give me a task to do each day, to fill the time when he's away.

And Lord, when he's in a foreign land, keep him safe in your loving hand.

And Lord, when duty is in the field, please protect him and be his shield.

And Lord, when deployment is so long, please stay with me and keep me strong.

Amen."

Our Anniversaries

It may sound a bit funny -- but at the age of 26 I have already been married 3 times -- TO THE SAME MAN!! My husband, Jon, and I started dating in 1996, when I was just 16. In December of 2001, Jon asked me to marry him and we began planning our wedding for June 21, 2003. Everything was going according to plan. The following January(2003), I sent out about 150 carefully made "save the date" cards to friends and family. Since then, I have learned that there is no such thing as "saving the date" when you are in the army.

That same January, I made my first trip out to Colorado Springs to visit Jon and help him move into the new townhome we had bought. My trip was supposed to last for ten days, just enough time to celebrate my birthday before I traveled back to Michigan. The day after I arrived, Jon received orders to deploy to Iraq. Although we didn't know at the time that he would be gone for an entire year, we figured that he probably wouldn't be back in time to make our June wedding. So, on my 23rd birthday, I got the best present in the whole world -- a husband!

Even though it was just three years ago, I only remember bits and pieces from that day. I remember Jon calling me from work in the morning and telling me that he would pick me up on his lunch break at 11:00. We were going to get married!! We were both a little nervous on the way to the courthouse, but very excited! I had not a doubt in my mind that this was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It felt like I had been in love with him forever! We ended up at the El Paso County Clerk's office, where we paid $10 for a marraige liscence and certificate at the same time. The ceremony basically consisted of us swearing that we were who we said we were and that we were not being forced into this marraige -- not terribly romantic! And Jon was able to kiss his bride while the clerk went to make a copy for us.

Our Wedding Day -- January 28, 2003

Needless to say, even though we were "legal," we still didn't quite feel married. I mean, we hadn't said any vows or anything like that. Plus, our parents missed out on the most special day of our lives! Later that weekend, both sets of parents came to Colorado Springs to say goodbye to Jon, and we organized a little ceremony so that we could say our vows to each other and in front of our parents. My parents had surprised us with a night at the Broadmoor (a SUUUUPER fancy resort here in the Springs) and we decided to hold our little event in front of the fireplace in one of the sitting rooms. Jon's best friend and roommate from West Point, Dan, "officiated" for us. This one was definitely a bit more romantic. We had our ceremony, took some pictures, and then had everyone up to our room for champagne and wedding cake (which I made myself -- thank goodness for those cake decorating classes from Michael's!!).

Our Second Wedding Day -- February 1, 2003

So by now we felt officially married, but we didn't want to give up that big wedding that we had planned at home! (I know I know -- ALRIGHT ALREADY -- right?) Well, I wouldn't give up our third wedding day for anything in the world. By the time this one came around, Jon and I had been married for about a year and a half. We weren't nervous for the ceremony at the church, just excited to be able to celebrate our marriage with all of our loved ones! What an amazing feeling to walk down the aisle in my wedding dress and watch Jon's face! And then to stand up there and look out at all of the people who were there to love us and support us. It was completely overwhelming. I know it sounds incredibly cliche', but this we absolutely the best day of my life.Our Third Wedding Day -- June 5, 2004

In honor of our third anniversary, I just want to say that after three years of marriage and many months apart, my love for Jon continues to grow and grow. I am so blessed to be married to a man so full of integrity, honor, and tenderness. I am so proud of him that sometimes my heart feels like it is going to burst. I would marry him another three times if I could.

A Weekend With The Girls

Lindsay, Ally, Jill, and Rachel 1-20-06

This is my first blog, so although I'm not really sure what I'm doing, I'll give it a shot.

I was so fortunate to be able to spend this past weekend with two of my very best friends from college. Ally, Lindsay, and I played volleyball together at Texas Christian University. Ally is now a salesperson in Fort Worth and Lindsay is a graphic designer in Denver. I was so blessed by their visit. It is so amazing that an entire year can go by without seeing them, yet we are able to pick up right where we left off -- laughing, sharing stories and advice, and of course -- eating a little junk food. Ally came in on Friday and our first stop was Montagues -- the most adorable little tea house (I guess that's what you would call it) filled with beautiful old tea cups and tea pots and lots of antique furniture. We ate lunch there and caught up a little before Lindsay joined us at our house. We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up and reminiscing before meeting another one of our old teammates, Jill, for dinner. Jill is 2 years older than us and always so wise and full of advice.

Rachel, Ally, and Lindsay after Fondue and Margaritas

The girls wanted a nice relaxing weekend, so we spent the day on Saturday watching chick flicks and then going to see one -- "Tristan and Isolde," which I highly recommend! We finished the evening with cheese and chocolate fondue at my place. It was a perfect day and a perfect weekend! It was so hard saying goodbye today. Not only because my house feels lonely and quiet, but because it is so nice to be around friends who know me so well. I already can't wait to see them again!