It began with a nightmare...

Our 2nd Date, 11/14/04
My mom said she could see us starting our lives together
when she took this pic.

I cried a lot in my sleep last night because of a nightmare.  I dreamt that something happened to Brady and every time I woke up and went back to sleep, the dream continued.  I realize some of it was because of TV I watched yesterday (Ray Romano was in my dream as a therapist--I watched him as a guest star on Parenthood), but it was so real.  I was in my parents' house, trying to figure out when I had to tell Gavin and Kailee.  I was in horrible pain, but I could not bring myself to break their happy, shielded perception of the world and their daddy's safety.  It was AWFUL!   Every time I woke up, I prayed myself back to sleep for Brady's safety and for the safety of all soldiers in dangerous parts of the world.

Today, Brady is on my mind more than usual (I have no distractions, it's not a work day and the kids are at my parents'), and I have been extremely nostalgic today.  8 years ago, little did I know, but in about a month, Brady and I would begin talking online.  I had zero interest in talking to someone whose profile said he was in Vermont, but our second conversation lasted for 3 hours.  Within a couple of weeks, I saw him on the webcam and it was obvious that he was not in Vermont--he was actually in Iraq.  He told me he wanted to meet me when he came home to visit his family in Texas for his 2-week leave.  I knew he had at least 1 other date lined up, but the more we talked (I would stay up half the night talking to him if that was the only time he was available), the more we both realized this was it.  He did not meet up with any other girls while home and bought me a promise ring--the one I wear as my wedding band today.

I cannot believe it's been almost 8 years already, yet when looking over everything that has happened, I cannot believe it has only been 8.  I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who helped all of my dreams come true!  I love him so much and can't wait for him to come home!

XOXO,

When life gives you lemons...

When life gives you lemons, make some lemonade!  After my last post, I think I need to make some lemonade...

Here's what I've got that makes me happy:

1. My family--especially Brady, Gavin and Kailee
2. My faith, I know He's working on me
3. My hope
4. My heart that loves so much
5. My soul that feels so many emotions, good and bad
6. My mom, she's the strongest person I know
7. My stepdad, Dean, he's our rock
8. My health
9. That while I'll never be rich, at this moment in time, it is not a struggle to make ends meet
10. My boldness--I'm not afraid to confront
11. The internet and wifi
12. My maids
13.  My friends who are always there to listen and guide me (and tell me when I'm wrong)
14. My neighbors who help with the dogs
15. My discipline
16. My dedication and determination
17. My career
18. My babysitter and her friends that fill-in
19. My growing patience (baby steps)
20. My tears, the release is necessary

XOXO,

It doesn't get more real than this

On Wednesday morning, I flipped out.  I flipped out on my 6-year-old.

Let's rewind a bit...  Tuesday morning (the second day of school), I realized I hadn't heard from Brady since Sunday morning.  I sent him an iMessage and didn't hear back.  All day long, I worried.  Tuesday night, Gavin had martial arts, Kailee had dance and we didn't get home until 7:45 after leaving the house that morning at 7am.  I finally heard from Brady that night and he asked that we FaceTimed with the kids in the morning.  Wednesday morning, I hit snooze an extra time, forgot we needed to get gas, forgot until it was almost time to leave that we needed to FaceTime.

We were running late and the carpool line was INSANE.  I decided to drop Gavin off in a different place (Brady used to do this to avoid the carpool lane), but Gavin decided to refuse to get out of the car with his "Me Bag"--his homework.  He did not see any kids with their bag and didn't want to be made fun of.  Last spring, I sent him to school in his swimsuit on the wrong day, and he was made fun of (in kindergarten!!!!) and hasn't forgotten.  At that moment, I completely lost it.  I screamed my head off at that poor child.  I drove around the block, got back in the carpool line and again he refused to get out.  By this point I had realized that I was taking out all my fear and stress the last couple of days on him.  I apologized for yelling at him, but he was very upset.  When Gavin is upset, he gets very quiet and doesn't talk.  Some employees came to try to help get him in the school, but he wouldn't go with them.  We all ended up getting out of the car and walked him to class at 8:05 (20 minutes late).  We have since processed it and discussed how we are all on the same team and need to help each other in the mornings.  Gavin at least says he understands that Mommy is very stressed out and that he should never refuse to get out of the car again.

I feel like the worst mom on the planet.  I completely overreacted.  I feel like I yell so much more now that Brady is gone.  I have no energy--which may sound crazy seeing as how I had been working out like crazy.  I feel like I have such a short fuse, and it's not fair to Gavin and Kailee.  I keep seeing the pinterest thing about how we talk to our children becomes their inner voice and I feel like this year is going to completely screw up my kids because I am not handling things appropriately.

I'm exhausted.  I feel like I can't do it all.  The house is a disaster--I barely get it cleaned up before the maids come, and I can't cancel the maids because the thought of having to tidy up AND clean is too much.  I would not clean ever and my children would live in grime.  The sink is full of dishes that I haven't done in 2 weeks.  I am seriously considering using paper plates and plastic silverware just to cut out one more thing.  I come home and am so tired I just don't care what the house looks like, but when I look around, I get stressed because I don't like a messy house.  I have zero energy to work out when I get home--and I think I need those endorphins.  The only time I feel happy and confident is at school.  It's the place where I feel like I have everything together.  It's the place where I feel like I'm succeeding and not failing.  It is such a comfort to be back in the classroom.  I want to come home and feel happy, not stressed.

Right now, the kids are with my parents.  As soon as my mom left with them, I immediately started thinking of all the things I must get done in 24 hours and became exhausted just thinking.  I know I have to be an adult and do this, but all I want to do is lay on the couch and let time pass.  I am not good at this.  It is so hard to balance everything without your partner there to help you stay balanced.  I feel very trapped and I don't like feeling trapped.  I don't know how single moms do this full time.  I am very thankful for my parents' help and for them keeping the kids a on most Saturday nights.  I know it would be so much harder without their help.

And then there's the huge thing... We miss Brady soooooooo much.  When things get tough, it just makes me miss him even more and makes me really miss the wonderful life we had.  I can't wait to have him back again!!!!

I try not to let him know just how hard it is (he doesn't read my blog), but it's really hard.  So hard that I am especially grateful that the army messed up on his contract and that he has options now.  He's not locked into 6 years!  He's locked into less than a year and currently has zero plans to extend beyond a year to year basis to prevent this from happening to our family ever again.  If they do not offer that option, he is willing to consider not renewing.  We'll see.  He seems to always forget just how much he misses us when the time comes to renew.

And now, I'm going to go dry my eyes, head to the store (because I figure it will be less busy on a Saturday night than a Sunday afternoon) and try to tidy up this house.  I gotta utilize the kid-free time or else I'll regret it later.

XOXO,

Oh and I just wanted to add that I feel like an ungrateful baby with all the worse things happening to others in the world!  I have happy, healthy children, a wonderful husband, amazing supportive people in my life.  I want each of you to know I am thankful for you.  Please forgive my pity party.

A chance encounter...

My baby, Kailee, turned 3 on Monday and for the past two years we have gone to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  While there this year (please, let's not get caught up in the whole Chick-Fil-A politics now), Gavin got hurt while wrestling with another little boy--I know, I know, bad parent moment for me, I was reading on my phone at the time.  The mom came over to apologize and I explained that Gavin knows he can only wrestle around with his Dad who has been gone for a couple of months.  Turns out, this woman's husband is currently deployed!  They are stationed out of the country and came home for the summer since her husband was deployed anyway.

We ended up chatting for 3 hours!  The kids (hers are 4 and 6) played wonderfully and were disappointed they had to say goodbye after 3 hours.  If you've ever been to the Chick-Fil-A play place, this is quite impressive as it is small and not that awesome (though I 100% appreciate that the kids are enclosed in a separate glass room so you don't have to hear the screams).  I am sad the family is heading back to their home overseas next week.  We leave tomorrow to see Brady so we won't be able to visit with them again--though we exchanged info and hope to get together when they visit family in the area next time.

It was a great day for all of us :).  We can't wait to head to see Brady tomorrow (we won't get there until Saturday).  Watch for a post in a little over a week about our visit.  I already have plans for a slide show using iMovie.  Stay tuned!

XOXO,

The kids are REALLY missing Daddy (Mom is too!)

Yesterday we checked into the Gaylord Texan for a mini-vacation with one of my best friends and her family.  It was so much fun after a week of being stuck home potty training!  Kailee did very well while we were there.  She wore pull-ups but told me when she needed to go potty.  We still don't have #2 down but she's pretty consistent with #1 as long as she's not in the pool :).

Today on the lazy river at the resort, I noticed Kailee watching other kids with their daddies.

Here's a conversation we had:

Kailee: I miss my daddy.  My daddy left us.
Me: No, Baby!  He had to go to Mississippi for work.  He didn't leave us.
Kailee: I want to go to Daddy's house in Mississippi.

It made me tear up.  This has been hard for all of us, but it's especially heartbreaking to see my kids hurting.

About an hour later, Gavin and I had this conversation:

Me: Are you excited to go on our big vacation in 2 weeks?
Gavin: Is Daddy going too?
Me: No...  He has to be at work in Mississippi but we'll go see him there a week or two after we get back from vacation.
Gavin: When we went to Great Wolf Lodge, was that Daddy's last vacation ever?
Me: No!  Maybe we'll all go back to Great Wolf Lodge when he comes home for his 2 weeks.

Just typing this conversation made me cry because what I managed to hold in for Gavin is that I have had that question plague me.  What if...?  I pray that that was not our last family vacation with Brady.  I know I can't let myself go there because that's unproductive, but my heart sank when he asked that.

So if you are reading this, please say a quick prayer that Brady comes home safely after his tour.  Thank you!

Just realized that our honeymoon cruise left today without us :(.  Oh well.  Next year! :)

XOXO,

Parenting alone

Parenting is hard with two parents, alone, it can be miserable.  I recently decided to try to potty train Kailee.  Well, if I'm honest, I was really excited when my mother-in-law offered to do it because I was DREADING IT.  Unfortunately she was unable to do it after all.  I brought home Kailee determined that we were done with diapers.  I had been so excited at the thought that I could not put it off any longer.  We began Monday around 5pm--yes I realize that might seem crazy, but I was determined and just plain done with diapers.  I won't go into details of all the accidents on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but yesterday I did have a meltdown (not in front of her) where I broke down crying just as a sweet friend called to let me vent.  She asked the million dollar question, "So why are you adding to your stress right now?"

That is a VERY good question.  Here's the honest answer:  while we have been adjusting to Brady being gone, it has been hard and I've found myself becoming more and more envious of the people around me.  I had a great life and I knew it.  I miss the life I took for granted and I was beginning to see all the negatives. I felt like so many things were going wrong and I just needed something to go right.  I try not to complain about something if I'm not willing to take action to change it--hence, my insane workout regimen which is making me quite toned.  After hearing about two close friends who potty trained their 1-year-olds in the last month, I decided I needed that.  I needed my almost-3-year-old to get the heck out of diapers.  It has been an up and down process this week but we are finally having a VERY successful day.  She's had zero accidents and finally pooped in the potty.  Let me tell ya, there were tears.  I cried in relief!  I picked her up and tossed her in the air, swung her around, cheered, and gave her about 50 M&Ms.  We called Brady and he was just as excited and praised her over the phone.

I won't go so far as to say we are done, but we have made huge progress and are committed to no daytime diapers, just pull-ups at night!

Next project: drop the pacifier or as Kailee calls it, "Myna."

XOXO,

Lazy Sunday

On Sunday, I slept in.  I know, I know, I should have gotten up and gone to church, but it was a much needed opportunity to sleep in and actually was the first time I slept in since Brady left (I have been sleeping with either the TV on or a light each night since he left which has made for less than stellar rest).  Every other time the kids have been gone overnight, I still woke up at like 7am.  On Sunday, I slept in until 11 and still have 5 hours until I needed to get the kids from my parents' house.  

So what did I do?  

I could have done some laundry (okay, I did do 1 load), I could have tidied up the house, I could have gone to the grocery store...  I didn't do any of that.  I worked out and proceeded to watch the remaining 4 episodes of Revenge on my DVR and it was WONDERFUL.  Yeah it meant I might have to brave the store with 2 wild children, but sometimes, you just gotta relax and forget your responsibilities.  

I am so grateful my parents live nearby and give me a break each weekend.  I am a social being BUT I need my alone time to reenergize and that's exactly what I got on Sunday.

And Brady comes home tonight! :)

XOXO,

Butterflies :)

As the saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder."  Well, this text message this morning gave me butterflies :).  It's the little things that matter most!

XOXO,

A confession...

Thank you, Pinterest

Do you know what happens when I don't put bath time on the calendar with an alarm?  Well... They had a bath on Sunday and then not again until tonight (THURSDAY)...  In my defense, I was incapacitated on Tuesday and still felt icky last night, but I almost forgot they needed one tonight!  I did not remember until 8pm (bedtime).  There's apparently too much going on in my head.  I apparently MUST SET REMINDERS for even day-to-day things.

XOXO,

Sick & Sad

It's never fun to be sick, but it becomes especially hard when you are a single parent.  Yesterday, I became ill while at work.  A month ago, this would be no big deal.  Brady would gladly pick up both kids and take care of them while I recuperated.  Tonight, while I still feel weak and a bit icky, he would let me go to bed and rest while he cared for our kids.

Thank goodness for my parents who were able to pick up the kids, feed them and bring them home yesterday.  My mom stayed the night which turned out to be an even bigger blessing when Gavin became ill around 2am.  Dean came to pick up Gavin this morning and kept him while he recuperated so I could go back to work.  I am so grateful to my parents!  I know there are many other full time single parents who do not have the support I have.

BUT... For a moment I am having a little bit of a pity party.  When I saw Brady's car in the driveway upon arriving home, I got sad.  I wish he were here.  Not because I want him to take care of the kids for me but because I want him to cuddle with me and tell me that it's all going to be all right.  I want to feel comforted and not alone.  When I was sick as a kid, all I wanted was my mom.  Well now, all I want is my husband.  I miss him :(.  

What's making it worse is that I see all the sheets and towels--not to mention clothes--that need to be washed today.  I just can't do it.  I ate a hearty lunch but right now my stomach feels blah so I'm going to relax on the couch and watch some Dawson's Creek on Netflix.  

XOXO,

Thank you, veterans!

Thank you to all the veterans who have served our country!  I am forever grateful for the the spoiled lifestyle I can lead without fear thanks to every person who ever fought on our nation's behalf.  

And thank you to the families of veterans!  Our sacrifice and hardship are not without reason.

I am especially thankful for my husband!  I am so lucky he found and chose me :).  I love you, Brady!

XOXO,

3 Day rule

Whenever there are big changes in my life, it typically takes me 3 days of mourning for the old life before I start to feel better.  Brady left Saturday, day 1, and while I was distracted most of the day, when I drove home late in the evening, the tears began.  Then on Sunday, day 2, I cried pretty much all day and evening.  Yesterday, day 3, I cried before work and after work.  Today, I woke up a little sad, but did not feel the urge to cry.  I have had a great day for the most part (despite my students who have completely checked out and who are fighting tooth and nail to not have to do anymore work this year).  Tonight, I didn't even get overwhelmed with all the things that had/have to get done.  For example, I had to unload the dishwasher so that the maids would be able to load it when they come tomorrow.  Speaking of the maids, I had to do my part to put the house back together so the maids can thoroughly clean--the downstairs is ready to go, though I will tackle the upstairs as soon as I'm done with this post.  Not to mention the baths that I put on my calendar so I wouldn't forget to keep my children clean (in my defense, bath time has been a Daddy thing since day 1).  I also remembered to feed the dogs (that caused tears on Sunday when I forgot to feed them until like 10am) and hopefully will find time to do workout 99 tonight.

I'm tearing up right now, not because I'm sad but because I'm relieved to feel more at peace and to want to be an active participant in my life.  I have been praying--or rather, BEGGING for peace--and while our situation is not ideal, I am again able to focus on the amazing blessings around me.  I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me to receive words of encouragement from so many people the last few days (and weeks).  It really has helped me get through the beginning which to me is always the hardest part.

Now off to clean up the upstairs, which wouldn't be so bad except that I decided to rearrange the entire master bedroom last night (you may call this my new stress outlet seeing as how I don't have to clean anymore), making it necessary to go through tons of books and random things.

XOXO,

The most heart-wrenching moment so far

Tonight when we arrived home, Gavin got very excited.  He jumped out of the car and said, "Look Mommy!  I see Brady's car!  It looks like he's home!"  Sadly, I had to explain that I dropped off Daddy on Saturday and that he left his car here for us to use.  He wasn't paying attention when we got home yesterday or left for school this morning so he didn't realize the car had been here all along.  (Side note: Gavin sometimes talks about us using our real names, though he never actually calls us anything besides Mommy and Daddy). 

At that point, I teared back up.  This morning was a rough one.  I cried a few times (thankfully, I got it together before my students arrived).  It felt great though to be back in my normal routine with my students, doing what I love to do.  Driving home after school I was at peace with the normalcy of the day, but Gavin's excitement at the thought that Daddy might be home reminded me how much I wished he were home.  I cried through dinner and then was able to get it together again.  Of course, now that I'm remembering it, I'm crying.  Thankfully, Gavin did not get upset about Daddy being gone still and was happy to talk to him on the phone before bed.

XOXO,

Fears & Tears

I put off coming home today until I absolutely had to (9pm is when I arrived home after leaving at 5:30am), and I was okay until I came upstairs and got into bed.  Looking over to Brady's side of the bed, seeing his clothes in the closet, I miss him.  I know it's silly to be crying right now as I type.  I saw him this morning, I will see him again in 3.5 weeks, but every time he goes away, the first 3 nights are lonely.  After about the 3rd night, I start to adjust and get into a routine.

But this time our time is limited.  When he comes home, we don't get to go back to normal.  Every second will be precious.  I just keep thinking back to a month ago when I felt safe and secure.  When our life was "boring" and simple.  I want to go back to that.  I don't want to be worried for another year.  What if he doesn't come back?  I know I shouldn't let my mind go there, but how can it not when every person gives me the same look when they hear he's going to Afghanistan.  EVERY SINGLE PERSON.  They may try to cover it with their words, but their eyes give them away and I find myself agreeing and reassuring them when my head and my heart feel otherwise.

I'm an all or nothing kind of person.  I give things either my all or nothing.  I feel overwhelmed by the fact that I now have to do everything.  When I get overwhelmed, I give up and don't do anything at all.  I don't have that option.  I know this is going to sound really selfish, but right now I don't have anyone to take care of me.  I want to curl up in a ball and sleep for a long time until this is over.  Gosh, I wish he hadn't signed yet.  I wish he hadn't talked me into letting him sign again.  It's too big of a risk for retirement.  It's not worth it.  No amount of money is worth this risk.

I know I need to trust God.  I'm just at a loss with my heartache and fears to be able to do that right now.  I want to.  I want to be comforted and feel at peace so badly.  I want to have faith that God will bring Brady back safely--but don't you think that many of the wives who lost their husbands had that same faith?  Why should we be so lucky for him to survive a 3rd deployment?  I hope and pray that we are.

My tears right now are more about my fears than anything else.  I'm not just scared on my behalf but also for my kids.  I know how attached I was/am to my mom.  It literally was impossible for me to be away from my mom for an extended period of time (besides going to camp).  Some of my friends can attest to this.  I hurt thinking about how I would feel in their shoes.  I don't want them to be sad. I want to shelter my kids from this kind of pain and hardship.  I want them to have a normal life with Daddy here with us.

All right, time to go blow my nose and hopefully stop this crying.  I'm going to put on Scrubs or How I met your Mother now on the Roku to distract my brain and hopefully will be asleep within minutes.

XOXO,

Saying "Good Bye" the First Time

Brady had to report for duty on Thursday morning but because he lives in the area, he was allowed to come home Thursday and Friday night.  I cried a few times throughout Thursday and Friday but was so grateful for even just a couple more evenings of him here.  I don't think the reality hit Brady until this week and he's had trouble sleeping.

Today he told me that it was different this time around for him.  He told me that while it's one thing to leave me, it's another to leave his babies for such a long time.  The longest he's ever been away from Kailee is just over 2 weeks, from Gavin, well, it's been another deployment.  When Brady came back last time, he admitted that it was a lot harder to leave Gavin and me behind than he thought it would be.  I think he had forgotten that feeling until this week, and he became really down about leaving again.

So please keep him in your prayers.  I know I could not leave my kids for this long.  I think I could handle a week away, but beyond that is beyond me.  Thankfully, we will be able to talk on the phone, FaceTime and Skype on a regular basis for now.

XOXO,

Oodles & Gobs: Gavin's 6th Birthday Party

Click the link below to see pictures of Gavin's 6th birthday party.  We wanted to make it an awesome memory to look back on while Brady is away.

Oodles & Gobs: Gavin's 6th Birthday Party: We got a little crazy planning for Gavin's birthday party this year.  Once we found out about the impending deployment, we were able to just...

Oodles & Gobs: Great Wolf Lodge

Click the link below to see pictures from our family vacation to Great Wolf Lodge.

Oodles & Gobs: Great Wolf Lodge: Last Sunday we headed to Great Wolf Lodge for our family vacation.  Here are some pics from our visit: Kailee is ready to go! Gavin a...

Bitter

It's a part of the process I know, but I don't like the immense anger I feel tonight.  I am so angry at this situation that I cannot change.  I am so angry to be so powerless.  Thankfully, for the most part I have been able to distract myself, but I feel it hovering behind every task I accomplish tonight.  I have been doing laundry like crazy, and I realize it's because it's my "cleaning" stress relief.  I have a clean house thanks to the maids--for whom I am so grateful and appreciative that our new financial situation from the impending deployment affords us--so I have found a new outlet: laundry.  This is good because I hate laundry normally.

I guess that's the silver lining.  In my anger, I have accomplished much laundry.

XOXO,

Thank you, AT&T!

On Friday, Brady's school presented him with a new 4G iPad so on Saturday, we went to get a case and some service for it.  While we don't plan to pay for service while he's overseas, he can use it until he ships out in August.  The man who helped us gave us $60 in free accessories.  Just because.  Just to do something nice for my husband who will be serving our country yet again overseas.  Brady only wanted some headphones and then insisted I get yet another case for my iPhone.  Naturally I obliged and got this adorable giraff print case.

AT&T has once again given me reason to stay their customer.  When Brady was deployed last time, I sent him a cell phone.  It didn't work, so he broke it and tossed it, without removing the SIM card (we had just switched from Sprint and he didn't know about SIM cards).  He didn't tell me because he knew I would be mad and figured he could deal with it later.  Well...  Someone stole and used the SIM card, racking up $2500 in international calling charges.  When I got the bill, I immediately thought, "OMG!  Brady is having an affair!!!!"  NOPE!  Brady thought a broken phone meant no one could use it, which he was correct--though the SIM card still functioned.  Unfortunately, other soldiers took advantage (yes, you read that correctly--they couldn't prove who, but I called the only US number on the bill and the guy said his cousin used someone's phone to call him).  AT&T was WONDERFUL.  Technically, we did not report the SIM card stolen in a timely manner but in the end, we only had to pay $63.  I am forever a fan of AT&T because of that.

XOXO,

The greatest hate springs from the greatest love

I promised to be honest, so here goes nothing...

The other night, when I was EXTREMELY angry, I began writing a list of all the things I hate about this situation.  I got to 100 easily and went to find Brady.  He had fallen asleep on the couch.  I was so mad that he could so readily fall asleep while I was so sad and angry that I woke him up and read every item to him.  He stayed on the couch for the whole night--his choice, not mine.

The next morning, (the morning I read the beautiful email from my student), I woke up crying.  Brady barely acknowledged me and I knew I had to make him understand.  I grabbed him and hugged him and apologized.  I told him that this list of things that I hate are actually things that make me love him.  That the reason I hate them right now is because these are 100 reasons I'm going to miss him.  100 things that I love about my life that only work when he's here too.  He forgave me :).

It made me think of that quote "The greatest hate springs from the greatest love."  This actually is one of my "Tapas" that I use in my Spanish classes.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  The people we love most have the power to hurt us the most, but we trust them not to.  When they hurt us, it's worse than when someone we don't even know hurts us.  It magnifies the hurt.  So while Brady did not choose to go on this deployment, he did choose to sign another contract--we had discussed it and agreed that he would but he promised to tell me when he signed it, which he did not.  Part of my anger came from me dealing with the fact that I trusted him to tell me before he signed and he didn't.  He had less than a year on his contract, making it impossible for him to deploy.  Had he waited until, say, next month, he would not be deploying.  

I know that God has a reason for this and I keep reminding myself of that, but it's hard when my head wants to go back through all the what-ifs that would make this situation go away.  I know I have to trust Him, but it is hard, especially after finding out this weekend that of all the jobs the soldiers were assigned, Brady was assigned the most dangerous.  I know it's an honor--it means he's good at what he does and that they trust him to be good at his job.  But right now, I just wish he sucked at his job a little more so he'd safely be on base everyday. Ignorance is bliss.  I wish he could lie to me this time like he did last time, but I was there when he found out and another soldier explained what they "get to do."  Please pray for his safety.  This is his most dangerous deployment yet.

XOXO,

Yellow Ribbon Event

Yesterday, Brady was required to attend a pre-deployment Yellow Ribbon Event for soldiers (or warriors as they kept calling them) and families.  I feel extremely sorry for the head presenter because I could tell she tried to put on a great event and in many ways reminded me of my personality while teaching.  Unfortunately, there were many things that could definitely improve.

First of all, the day began with a promotional video about how honorable it is to be in the National Guard and how honorable it is to be chosen to deploy.  Anyone who has been around for a few years knows that they will take any and everyone they can so it was a bit of a farce.  Then, the video shares the story of a mother who is so proud of her son who was killed in action while on deployment.  Yes, you read that correctly.  At a pre-deployment family event, they thought it was a smart idea to show a video that included the story of a soldier DYING.  There were many children in the room at this time.  I'm still mad at myself that I forgot to mention this on the comment card distributed at the end.  How could I forget the most stupid thing of the day????

Next, they separated the families and the soldiers.  The families took part in a Q&A session where a moderator ran around the room with a microphone to get questions and then ran back at the front for someone to answer them.  All the while, a screen was up with contact information for people not presenting/answering questions.  I immediately thought of at least 2 options for how to make this session more efficient.  My first thought was to have them choose a twitter hashtag and have people tweet questions.  They could have it up on the screen instead of the unrelated contact info.  The other option is to create a Today's Meet room or a Poll Everywhere poll and have people text their questions fro their phones.  The inefficiency was so bad that they had to delay lunch because they felt they hadn't been able to answer enough questions in the allotted time.  While the inefficiency was annoying, I did still learn some useful information like the fact that they should have access to wifi (though they likely will have to pay for it) and that many soldiers take smartphones and ipads to Skype or FaceTime with families over wifi.  iMessage also works over wifi there.  So family, if you don't have an iPhone, iTouch or iPad, you may want to invest if you want to easily message Brady over there.

Additionally, they kept having important contacts say/spell out their information.  They should have given us a detailed handout with all the pertinent information.  I did not know what I needed to write down and only wrote down some of it.  They later handed out a huge contact sheet, but none of the ones they said we needed to keep on hand were on this list.  Supposedly they have been doing these Yellow Ribbon events for years... This is the first I've ever heard of since being with Brady, and he said he's never been to one before either.

Then, in the afternoon, we were separated yet again.  Brady snuck over to see me at one point because they were trying to make the soldiers "share their feelings" and Brady doesn't do well with those situations.  I had the pleasure of hearing all the vendors present and did learn one useful thing: the phone number for the Red Cross in case there's an emergency over here while he's away.

I could not even tell you the point of the last session.  I was so checked out by this point that I was merely playing on my phone... AS WAS EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM.

Finally, it was too long.  They could have covered everything in a morning and saved a lot of time.  As it was Brady's birthday, it was frustrating to be stuck there from 9am-3:30pm.  By the last session, everyone on the room was playing on either a phone or an iPad, tuning out the presentation which involved MANY random video clips from movies or famous YouTube videos.  Why was this necessary?  As I said, I don't even know what the point of this session was.

I know some other people were irritated about the peppiness of the presenter.  She did keep trying to sell to us that this was such an awesome time and what a great honor it is to serve our country.  While I respect that, I think everyone would have respected her more had she acknowledged to the family members that this sucks; that this is a very hard time and that no one wants to go through this.  Had she done that, she would have been more relatable.  As a soldier herself, none of us felt she knew what we were feeling.  She's on the other side, not ours.  Perhaps it would have been better to have someone on our side of the game leading.

XOXO,

A keepsake

I have been trying all week to remember who gave me this handmade pin to wear during Brady's first deployment.  Basically, it was a wooden heart, painted to look like camouflage, with a yellow ribbon and Brady's name.  Well, not only do I not recall the girl's name, I also do not recall where I put my Brady pin.

Rather than fret about it, I searched ETSY.com for someone who made them, but had ZERO luck.  Not to fear, I've become more crafty or DIY if I want to sound cool, so I decided to see what I could come up with on my own.  I knew painting camo was out of the question--I'm no artist, just ask my students who have seen me draw pictures to explain a Spanish word--but I am pretty efficient with mod-podge and a glue gun.  Here's what I did:

I am going to try to make a many as I can before Brady leaves and hand out blank ones to family members at the send off.  I know that the one given to me was something I cherished so much on both previous deployments.  I plan to begin wearing mine on my lanyard at work on Monday.

XOXO,

The generosity of others

I have been so overwhelmed by the generosity of others in this last week.  We do not deserve the amazing gifts that have been bestowed upon us and words cannot fully demonstrate how appreciative we are!

First, my students have been soooo thoughtful!  I have gotten brownies, cards, notes, the cookie cake (see previous post) and an amazing email.

Yesterday, Brady's school had an assembly to show their gratitude for him and to give him a goodbye party of sorts (this is his first year teaching).  Some of his students cried upon hearing that he was leaving.  The school and some parents got together and bought Brady the new iPad as a going away present.  We are so grateful because the ability to facetime or skype from the device while he is gone will mean SOOOOOOOOO much to us.

Yesterday, I also got an unexpected gift.  4 of my closest girlfriends who I met through my sorority at Austin College got together to hire a photographer to come take family pictures of us on our vacation to Great Wolf Lodge in a week.  I was speechless.  What an amazing gift!  We will all cherish these pictures forever and especially as we deal with our year apart.  Thank you, Holly, Roni, Shannon and Erika!  You guys are the best!  Even though we aren't nearby, I know you are here for me.

Again, words cannot capture my gratitude for all the kind words of encouragement I've received this week.  While I'm scared for this year, I do not feel alone.  I feel truly loved and supported.  THANK YOU!

XOXO,

A Cookie Cake from Some Sweet Students

Upon arriving at school this morning, I had a crowd of students waiting for me.  They claimed to be here for make-ups and I searched my brain for memory of telling them to come in.  I've been so scatter-brained this week with my mind on the impending deployment, I didn't question it too much.  Then another student arrived with a surprise: a Cookie Cake (in patriotic colors)!

They also all signed a beautiful card for me and one student made sure to tell me they all pitched in $6 for everything.  I feel VERY special!

I am so blessed :)!

XOXO,

A letter from a student

Today I woke up sad.  And then I read this email from a student:

Mrs. Barber,

I wanted to send you this email because I am so much better at expressing myself through writing than in person, but want to talk to you sometime before summer as well. These past couple of days, your attitude has been such a light. I know your life may seem kind of dark right now and you might feel down, but your ability to break out of that is inspiration to me. When you were so honest and told us you needed a day to just be sad, you still held it together for us because you aren't going to let one thing in your life negatively affect the other things. The beginning of this year I was having a really hard time finding joy in the darkness when we lost a close family friend. I fought the negativity, and though I'm still sad and it's still hard I'm able to be joyful. The way that you are so easily able to put a smile on your face for the sake of others is remarkable and so selfless. I hope you realize, even in your humility, how truly amazing you are in handling this. I have a potentially busy summer, but will be here most weekends. I wanted to offer to babysit because I know that you'll be alone with the kids all summer. Even if it's just while you run some errands, I'd be more than willing to help out in any way possible because you deserve it. If not, I'll be helping out by praying for you, your husband, and your kids to understand the best you all can and be safe. I've had so much respect for your strength and optimism these past couple of days. Let me know what I can do to help out. Thank you for being a light and an inspiration to us all.


After reading that and an inspirational message from a high school friend (thanks, Alli!), I knew I could make it through the day.  And so far I have!

XOXO,

Mad... At myself

This also was from one of my other blogs:

Brady convinced me to let him sign.  He has 6.5 years to be eligible for full retirement benefits from the military.  I wanted to say no, but I listened and stupidly believed the troops were coming home.  I should have listened to my gut.  I am not a gambling person at all.  Anyone who has watched Deal or No Deal with me can attest to this.  I am so unbelievably mad at myself.  WHY DID I LET HIM SIGN????  If he had waited a few more months, this wouldn't have been an issue!!!!  How can he sleep right now?

I feel sick.  So sick.  I am so stupid.  I will NEVER ignore my instincts again.  I WILL NEVER gamble on anything again.  It's JUST NOT WORTH IT.

And my children are FORBIDDEN from joining any branch of the military or marrying into it.  FORBIDDEN.

Ay Deployment

I originally wrote this on a different blog, but it belongs here...

I am so truly blessed in my life.  Just last week I let the thought creep in about how I don't deserve how truly blessed I am.  And then fear creeped in.  Fear that I could lose it all.  Well, I haven't lost it all but our world has been shaken up quite a bit.  We found out that Brady will be deployed for 12 months and that he'll be leaving on May 17th for training.

Yesterday I woke up like normal, and for a couple of seconds, I thought it was all a nightmare, and then I remembered it was really happening and the tears began.  I cried while fixing breakfast, while eating, while getting Kailee dressed, while getting myself dressed, while saying goodbye to Gavin and Brady, while driving to Kailee's school, while dropping Kailee off, while driving to my school... You get the picture.  I managed to hold it together for the faculty meeting but then the tears began again and did not stop until midway through first period.  My colleagues were SOOOOOO wonderful.  I got so many hugs and encouraging words from everyone.  I even got a smiley face sticker that made me smile every time I looked at it.  My students were amazing and completely understanding that Mrs. Barber was having a tough day.  Today two brought me brownies, one a nice note, and two some flowers.

I did not ignore my emotions and really made myself think about what all was running through my head.  I wanted to remember.  I realized that most of my tears were brought on first by fear for Brady's safety, second for the fun summer we had planned that no longer could go according to plan, and third the fear that I am going to fail miserably at this.  I am still scared for Brady's safety--and will have that fear until he's home safe--but I am much more okay with the fact that our summer is not going to be what we planned.  I am closer to acceptance than I thought I'd be at this point.  I am still sad that we have to get a refund on our honeymoon/7-year-itch trip and that Brady won't be able to go to Lost Pines for the 3rd year in a row, but it will be okay despite the fact that it sucks.

I am still really scared about my ability to do this.  I have very little patience and was at my wits end when Brady came back from being gone for only 2 weeks.  I was snapping at my kids left and right and feeling like the world's worst mother after 2 weeks.  I don't want to do this alone.  I am not one of those moms who can't leave her kids for one night.  I need my time away from them to truly appreciate them.  I am a very selfish person.  I need alone time or I can't handle life.  My energy comes from being alone.  Plus, I am a perfectionist, believe it or not, and I feel this HUGE pressure to be the perfect parent to compensate for Daddy leaving and I don't know that I can do it.  Brady is the better parent.  I'm the one who should be deployed.

I don't like taking care of things.  I LOVE that Brady pays the bills and takes care of everything like that for me.  I have no worries.  I have ZERO desire to take care of things like that.  I am worried that things will break and I won't be able to get them fixed because I have to save all my days for when the kids are sick--I only get 10 a school year and 1 goes to the leave pool.

You know, Brady just convinced me to let him sign another contract a couple of months ago.  I naively did not even consider deployment a possibility.  They said troops were coming home.  I cannot believe I had a part in letting this happen to our family.  I swore I would never do anything to let this happen again.  Brady promised he wouldn't sign again.  Why did I listen to him?  Screw retirement.  Now I feel the anger coming on so I'm going to stop this post before it turns into a rant.

Before I end, I do have one more thing that needs to be said.  I am so thankful for all the prayers and good thoughts sent my way the last few days.  I did not feel alone and know I made it through the day yesterday and today because of all the wonderful people I am connected to whether in person or through Facebook.  Please continue to pray for us.  All day I have felt strong, but I feel the weakness seeping in again.  Oh well, it's good to just let the tears flow--better tonight at home than tomorrow at school.

XOXO,

Here we go again...

I have two blogs but for this year, I decided to create a blog to document my husband's third deployment.  So who am I?  I am Laura-Jane, married to Brady (who will leave for his 3rd deployment as a member of the National Guard in two weeks), mom to Gavin (almost 6) and Kailee (2 and a half).

My posts will be honest.  100% honest.  Sometimes they may be inspirational, other times they may be disturbing.  I am going through this alone--we don't live on a base, none of my friends' husbands are about to deploy--and I want to remember everything.  Maybe my story will help someone else get through a similar situation.

XOXO,