Moving?

The Army sure knows how to keep things exciting.

It's entirely too complicated to fully explain, but suffice it to say that the Army made a clerical oopsie, and Donald's orders to return to Fort Lewis after the deployment have been deleted. Most likely, the error will be amended, and we'll enjoy a few years together in Washington, here in our new house.

But... with the military, that "slightly less likely" chance of us moving is still an "actually very likely" one, and we'd be relocating within the next 2 months. Where? Who knows.

Like I said, we'll probably stay put. The odds are overwhelmingly in our favor... but I felt the urge to blog the situation. Why? Because crazy possibilities like this are an every day part of being an Army wife. I'm not complaining, honestly. Sure, a potential move would delay the adoption by another couple months (due to homestudy complications), but I'd welcome the wild adventure. When I married Donald, I did so knowing that the Army could move us as frequently as they wanted, and that for the next 15 years (roughly 10, now) our time spent together could, and would, be severely compromised. I said "I do" knowing full well what the risks were. The benefits(having him for a husband) have far outweighed those hardships, and the Army has always (okay, usually) taken care of us. If they want to move us... so be it! I just hope we can find renters!

Donald and I have lived together for less than 2 years of the 4 years and 2 months that we've been married. So long as we're in the same house, geographic location is small potatoes at this point.

We'll see! Stay tuned!

He's Home He's Home He's Home!!

Okay, so he's actually been back for 11 days, but a lot has happened between then and now... so it definitely still feels like I just picked him up!

The ceremony was held at midnight on the 26th, and as of 2am-ish Sunday morning, he was back home!

...more pictures to follow!

My Puppy and My Blankie

What, at the age of 22, helped me last 15 months alone in a foreign country?

My dog, and my blankie.

Yes, a blankie. A flannel baby quilt, made by my grandparents when I was little. Every night it's there with me. You must know, though, that this isn't "the" blankie I carried around as a toddler. No, anyone who knew me up through my teenage years is probably familiar with my original "purple blankie" I used to tote everywhere. That blanket, unfortunately, was accidently sent to the goodwill by a friend's mom when I was 17. It was falling apart long before its' untimely demise, though, and I still carry two small scraps of flannel, inside my scripture case, that had fallen off of it shortly before it disappeared. As much as I miss it, the blanket I've used since then has served as a worthy replacement. Yes, at the age of 17 I couldn't come to terms with life without a blankie. I didn't cope and move on as most nearly-adults would. Instead, I found a suitable replacement. Both were made by my grandparents, both having been broken in by years of wear, tear, and filth by yours truly.

From an early age I compromised with myself about when I'd give up the blankie. Jr High, I decided, would be my coming of age. When I turned 12, though, I decided that High School was a more appropriate time to cut the habbit cold turkey. High School turned into graduation, and from there I decided Marriage was a good time to give her up. After all, who would want to share a bed with a dingy piece of flannel between he and his wife? Granted, he may tease me from time to time, but Donald hasn't made me give her up.

I also told myself I'd never be the sort of person who'd talk to their dog in full sentences. And yet, here I am. Moroni knows my deepest secrets, and his big, mischievous brown eyes have never failed to comfort me during my long-winded complaints and tears.

Without my blankie and my 110 pound lap-dog, the Boogie Man surely would have gotten me by now. I'm grateful for them both.

And I don't plan on giving either up any time soon.

The Curb Trick - Iraq

Donald's a riot.

Check out this video of him in Iraq, from several months ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7agGR9vgyqk

My Sleepy Soldier

My husband is amazing. He's been in Iraq for 14 months now. I don't hear from him as often as I'd like, but that's what I married into and I can't complain much. He gets online once or twice (sometimes 3 or 4, if I'm lucky!) times a week, usually for about 30 minutes at a time. Phone calls are out, so our online time is all we have.

Well, he's working a job right now that's taken him away from his usual location. There, he has INTERNET IN HIS ROOM - wireless - on his laptop! He got online last night a bit after 9pm, and after having a long, long, long day... he gets online to talk with me. He ended up falling asleep at the keys within about 40 minutes. Literally. I wouldn't hear from him for several minutes, only to receive a "I love you. What? I'm sorry. I fell asleep... I love you." This pattern went on for nearly an hour. Every time I'd PM him, the chime would wake him up, and he'd try his best to respond.

The conversation was going nowhere, really. Finally, after about 10 minutes of silence, I decided to let him sleep. I stayed online for another hour or two, and watched his status go from "available" to "idle".

Of all the silly things in the world that could have made my day - THIS was it. It was as if I had physically watched him fall asleep. Just being able to share something as mundane with him as falling asleep...

it was the highlight of my week.