Olivia Eileen

What have I got to lose? Nothing. But, I'm still nervous about running the 17th Annual Army Birthday 10 miler tomorrow morning @ 6:30AM!!! And I think I have a legitimate reason :: I had mono the first 2 1/2 weeks of May. Looking back in April 29th when I found out from the Dr. that I did in fact have mono I was a mess. I had already been feeling undertheweather for 9 days. So, I was instantaneously depressed from the Dr's words, "You'll be sick for 4-6 [more] weeks. Rest and drink water.", thus entirely convinced I wouldn't be able to run the 10 miler... But, I prayed, my mom prayed, my friends prayed, my husband prayed, and I boosted my immune system with vitamins (and water and rest;))...and a week and a half later, my health started coming back! MIRACULOUSLY MY HEALTH IS BACK!!! AND I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL!!! I got to put in a couple "long" runs before the race and ended up 11 seconds off my pre-mono running ability, which is nothing race adrenaline...

 "A person can discover that no matter where he is right now, he is still the creator of his own destiny."  Joseph Zinker Not much about this first deployment went exactly as I "perfectly" plotted and planned it out in my mind. Especially my high hopes of blogging regularly about the experience. I shift all blame of my unintentional blog sabbatical to our sweet easy going non demanding 18 month old (when my husband first left) who turned into a much more attention needing toddler almost immediately! :-) But, here I am. It's July 2012 and we are about to finish up our 5th month of this deployment. Our house is still standing. All the appliances are still working. Both cars are still running. The cat is still alive. The bills have been paid on time every month. Our daughter has been bathed and fed each day (okay, well, maybe not bathed each day;)). I've even managed to keep my small garden alive. At this point since our deployment length has been changed I am ...

 "A person can discover that no matter where he is right now, he is still the creator of his own destiny."  Joseph Zinker Not much about this first deployment went exactly as I "perfectly" plotted and planned it out in my mind. Especially my high hopes of blogging regularly about the experience. I shift all blame of my unintentional blog sabbatical to our sweet easy going non demanding 18 month old (when my husband first left) who turned into a much more attention needing toddler almost immediately! :-) But, here I am. It's July 2012 and we are about to finish up our 5th month of this deployment. Our house is still standing. All the appliances are still working. Both cars are still running. The cat is still alive. The bills have been paid on time every month. Our daughter has been bathed and fed each day (okay, well, maybe not bathed each day;)). I've even managed to keep my small garden alive. At this point since our deployment length has been chan...

I cannot explain the heartache I feel on a day to day basis missing my soul mate. It's truly an indescribable feeling and was nothing I could have ever "processed through" or "prepared for" in advance of this deployment. And believe me I "processed through" as many emotions as I could before my husband left. Just ask him how many tears I shed in "preparation" for his departure.  We both did. And while that curbed *some* of the emotions on departure day, it definitely didn't curb them all.   Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. -Kahlil Gibran Daddy's girl. So, now that we are a month and a half in (and I'm no longer in total survival mode) the aches have arrived. The "funny" thing is, though, my heart aches for my husband during the happy moments. Especially when sugar bean achieves a new milestone. It's almost like my heart looks to my side for my husband to share the mome...

I cannot explain the heartache I feel on a day to day basis missing my soul mate. It's truly an indescribable feeling and was nothing I could have ever "processed through" or "prepared for" in advance of this deployment. And believe me I "processed through" as many emotions as I could before my husband left. Just ask him how many tears I shed in "preparation" for his departure.  We both did. And while that curbed *some* of the emotions on departure day, it definitely didn't curb them all.   Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. -Kahlil Gibran Daddy's girl. So, now that we are a month and a half in (and I'm no longer in total survival mode) the aches have arrived. The "funny" thing is, though, my heart aches for my husband during the happy moments. Especially when sugar bean achieves a new milestone. It's almost like my heart looks to my side for my husban...

I'm pushing my luck starting this blog because my little sugar bean has been down for a nap since 12:30pm...and it's 2:22pm! But here I am with my coffee hoping to get this blog updated. I wont be too sad if she wakes up though, because I have been productive in other areas of my life so far today: swam about 2200 meters, made dinner (in the crock pot), sent out FRG e-mails, paid a bill I forgot about (BUMMER!) blah blah blah :) Unfortunately, blogging has had to take the back burner the last month. I mean, we did move into a new house and sent my husband off on his first deployment this month... Two TOTALLY normal life activities occurring nearly simultaneously, right? Only if your military! But my husband is off and sugar bean and I are about one week into holding up our home front.  Last week I was very intentional about getting to the gym. I knew that if I did not make the childcare reservations for the entire week ahead of time I would not have been getting out of bed ver...

I'm pushing my luck starting this blog because my little sugar bean has been down for a nap since 12:30pm...and it's 2:22pm! But here I am with my coffee hoping to get this blog updated. I wont be too sad if she wakes up though, because I have been productive in other areas of my life so far today: swam about 2200 meters, made dinner (in the crock pot), sent out FRG e-mails, paid a bill I forgot about (BUMMER!) blah blah blah :) Unfortunately, blogging has had to take the back burner the last month. I mean, we did move into a new house and sent my husband off on his first deployment this month... Two TOTALLY normal life activities occurring nearly simultaneously, right? Only if your military! But my husband is off and sugar bean and I are about one week into holding up our home front.  Last week I was very intentional about getting to the gym. I knew that if I did not make the childcare reservations for the entire week ahead of time I would not have been getting ...

It's been a bit nutso around my house as we prepare to move, but I read this devotional in my email tonight and felt compelled to share it, word for word... Worst Day of the Year I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  Habakkuk 3:18 If you woke up feeling especially blah this morning, you're in good company. January 24 is now officially "the most depressing day of the year."  Those are the findings of Dr. Cliff Arnall, an English psychologist who specializes in seasonal disorders at the University of Cardiff in Wales. His formula for analyzing such things includes seven variables--the weather, personal debt, monthly salary and even the amount of time since Christmas, among other things--that determine people's feelings of happiness.  He figures January 24 is when credit-card bills start rolling in, reminding us how we got carried away again with our holiday spending. By now many of our New Year's resolutions have fallen by t...

It's been a bit nutso around my house as we prepare to move, but I read this devotional in my email tonight and felt compelled to share it, word for word... Worst Day of the Year I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  Habakkuk 3:18 If you woke up feeling especially blah this morning, you're in good company. January 24 is now officially "the most depressing day of the year."  Those are the findings of Dr. Cliff Arnall, an English psychologist who specializes in seasonal disorders at the University of Cardiff in Wales. His formula for analyzing such things includes seven variables--the weather, personal debt, monthly salary and even the amount of time since Christmas, among other things--that determine people's feelings of happiness.  He figures January 24 is when credit-card bills start rolling in, reminding us how we got carried away again with our holiday spending. By now many of our New Year's resolut...

This song brings our hearts great hope and peace and sums up where our hope currently lies at the dawn of a deployment. Olivia

This song brings our hearts great hope and peace and sums up where our hope currently lies at the dawn of a deployment. Olivia

My husband's first deployment is right around the corner. To say emotions have been up and down over the last three months is an understatement. There is much that comes with a deployment, besides the obvious long separation. On top of anticipating your loved one being in harms way for 9-12 months, there are many things the soldier has to prepare for himself and his family before he leaves... He has new equipment to be issued/organized/laundered. He also has a huge list of extra supplies to buy in order to be prepared and comfortable (new socks and ground coffee are two of my husbands "necessities":)). Then all of his stuff is shipped out in stages over the course of, about, three months prior to the actual departure. Seeing my husband for the first time in his new Multicam uniform was quite the tear jerker. The Army is retiring the ACU for the Multicam , which is currently only being worn by soldiers deploying overseas. Then there are all the financial and legal issues...

My husband's first deployment is right around the corner. To say emotions have been up and down over the last three months is an understatement. There is much that comes with a deployment, besides the obvious long separation. On top of anticipating your loved one being in harms way for 9-12 months, there are many things the soldier has to prepare for himself and his family before he leaves... He has new equipment to be issued/organized/laundered. He also has a huge list of extra supplies to buy in order to be prepared and comfortable (new socks and ground coffee are two of my husbands "necessities":)). Then all of his stuff is shipped out in stages over the course of, about, three months prior to the actual departure. Seeing my husband for the first time in his new Multicam uniform was quite the tear jerker. The Army is retiring the ACU for the Multicam , which is currently only being worn by soldiers deploying overseas.