Its 'Dragging Ass Monday' Everyday!

In a military family, the first two weeks of deployment are always the hardest and the last two weeks are always the longest. The first two weeks are the hardest because you are struggling as a single parent, trying to find your groove. Once you are in the groove, time flies, and then you get down to those last two weeks of deployment and it seems like time moves in slow motion. For the last four months my days have disappeared into the nights and I have spent my nights wondering where the days went. My days have been filled with kids, love, tears, joy, happiness, sadness, anger, family, doubt, laughter, mistrust, friends, trust, loyalty silliness, smiles, frowns, bumps and bruises, baseball, the dog, illnesses, school for Taylor, hot sunny days, cold windy days, then hot sunny days again. The list is endless. Now that we are well into our last two weeks, time could not move any slower. Taylor and Austyn have both had baseball practice canceled this week.Once because it was too hot for the kids and again because it was far too windy, dusty and cold for them. It went from 102 degrees outside to cold and windy and not being able to play outside without inhaling millions of dust particles. So this week has been spent indoors without baseball practice; completely unlike the last four months of our lives. We have grown accustomed to life without Mark, as we always do when he leaves. I've taken on every minuscule task in the house from mowing the lawn to taking out the garbage. We've been on our own schedule and once Mark comes home that entire schedule will be completely haywire. We have to fit in another member of our family all over again. It might sound like I am complaining, but TRUST me, I'm not. I'm more than happy to fit him back into our schedules and lives. We've been without him for so long now that a few days or weeks of chaos are welcome just to get into a groove of our own....yet again for the fourth time in a year! A lot of people can not get accustomed to the lifestyle that we live, let alone understand it. Its different than our entire families' lifestyles. We are used to it, and saying goodbye for 2 or 3 months to 6 months at a time is perfectly normal to us. Its not a pleasing, or a happy time for us by any means. We are distraught and torn apart, but it doesn't mean that because Mark left our entire world comes to a standstill. So, these last two weeks are definitely full of 'dragging ass Mondays for us!' lol. But at the end of the tunnel, there is the light, the rainbow, the pot of gold, the silver lining in that cloud, the finish line or what have you. Mark will be home and it will seem as though those last two weeks flew by once he is safely back at home. We can't wait for his return and we are diligently counting down the days with as much enthusiasm as you've ever seen. Each morning we mark off another day on our calendar and we shout hooray and we yell out how many days are left. You'd think we were insane or something, but that's quite alright with us. We are pretty crazy around here sometimes! =o) And unfortunately we have decided not to make the 7 hour trek to pick him up from the ship. It would just be too chaotic and stressful. We'd rather have a quite and peaceful homecoming than one full of rushing around and driving 7 hours just to get home to sleep in our own cozy beds. But don't be too sad because we will be planning a trip down soon to visit with everyone! Mark misses you all very much as well and would like to see everyone soon!
So, while there are men and women out there sacrificing their lives and their families for your freedom, and your right to say stupid things about the military, be thankful that someone is willing to put their life on the line just for you. Sure, Mark isn't fighting on the front lines of the war, but his job is extremely dangerous and all of what he does is for this country that we all live so freely in. So when you go to bed at night and you say your prayers or when you are talking about all of the things you are thankful for, don't forget your armed forces and all of the men and women who defend your freedom, land, country and rights. You don't have to agree with the war to be supportive of our troops, and as a great old saying says, 'If you can't stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them!"
And for all of my friends whose husbands have just left or have been gone for some time now, hang in there ladies! You will get passed this and when you look back at it you will wonder what you were so afraid of. You will grow stronger than you ever thought you were, more independent than you imagined, and you will love and miss him more than anyone could ever fathom. We wish them a safe deployment as well as a safe return home...hopefully sooner or as scheduled instead of later!