Reintegration and Mixed Emotions

Josh's return is getting close. While I'm excited, I'm also nervous/anxious. Soldiers and their families have to prepare to reintegrate back into "normal" life. While most civilians just see a soldier coming home, military families have to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thankfully, most of it is good, if you allow it to be. It's so exciting having your other half come home after so many months apart. But what most civilians don't see is the deep seated issues that come along with deployment. Soldiers see a dark side of war that the rest of us will never understand. Having to return to a world where people don't understand and life continues to go on around them is not easy.

I have never doubted that God put me in the position of an Army wife for a reason. Even with all the emotions that come along with this life, I still love it. I love having a husband with such a love for his country; I love the ability to be part of a military community and am thankful to have met many wonderful military wives. I love the ability to move around and experience different parts of this country. But mostly, I love that this life forces me to completely depend on my husband and forces me to realize the importance of a close family. Things around us will continually change but our family won't. It's the only stability we will really have.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that materialistic gains are not important. Me getting my master's degree is nothing compared to developing a strong, loving relationship with my husband. While I've spent a lot of time working on "me" this deployment, it's time that I focus on "us."

Tips, Tricks, and Remedies That I Swear By

Thanks to my newfound obsession with Pinterest, I've found some amazing, natural, homemade remedies for just about everything. My husband likes to call me a hippy. I object to that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with hippies (especially since they seem to run in my family), but I'm just not one. I do love healthy, natural living though. With that said, I'd like to share some of my newfound joys!

I am IN LOVE with coconut oil. This is currently the brand I use but you can get a jar at Wal-Mart for $10.

I mainly use coconut oil for a conditioning treatment but have also used it as a moisturizer. I also give a little bit to Zoey which gives her a shiny coat. It's great used as a replacement for butter and much healthier. There are a TON of wonderful uses for coconut oil. I love using it as a conditioning treatment. I have started to put it in my hair at night and sleep with a towel in my hair in order to avoid greasy pillow cases. Thoroughly wash out all the coconut oil (sometimes I have to shampoo twice) and your hair will feel amazing!

Here's a website with a list of great coconut oil uses:

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/

I've also started rinsing my mouth out with hydrogen peroxide. This is supposed to be a natural whitener for your teeth and I've started to notice a difference. Yay! Believe it or not, hydrogen peroxide doesn't taste bad. Give it a try :).

Very recently, I've decided to try washing my face with a baking soda/milk mixture. It's too early to notice a change yet, but it feels wonderful when cleansing. After the baking soda mixture, I rinse and wipe my face down with a cotton swab dipped in apple cider vinegar. This smells awful...but hopefully is worth it. I'll keep you updated! I've always had issues with acne so I'm hoping to find something that helps me. Side note, I recently read that women often break out around the jaw when they're ovulating. The side that you break out is the side that you're ovulating...which makes total since. I've been paying attention to this and it seems to be true!

Lastly, I love vinegar and baking soda as placements for all cleaning supplies. My favorite mixture is vinegar and dawn soap to clean my bathtub. Spray it on your bathtub, let it sit a few minutes, and then wipe it off. The soap scum comes right off! It's pretty amazing.

SO Close!

I knew this time would come...the time when Josh's homecoming is close, but not close enough. Time drags! I've been trying not to think about it so time won't go by so slow but that's easier said than done. We have about a month left (can't say any more due to OPSEC). I remember from our last deployment how slow that last month went by. It's painful, but so exciting at the same time!

I've also been doing a ton of planning for the month of November. I need to get oil changes, cars cleaned, house decorated, weekly menus planned, etc. I know Josh won't care about all that stuff, but I do. I want him to come home to a clean, comfortable house with his two favorite things - meat and beer. :)

I've also been doing a lot of thinking (maybe a bit negatively) about how Josh will be when he returns. It's hard to imagine being in his situation...seeing the things he's seen, killing, trying to stay alive...etc. It's something none of us will ever know (unless you've been in a war zone). Of course I've been told that things can and probably will be different. I understand this...but it still worries me. I guess my job as a wife is to be loving, understanding, and there for him no matter what. I think it will be fine, especially if we're both willing to work through any struggles that might come along with this deployment.

With that said, I'm incredibly excited to be hugging my husband VERY soon and plastering a slobbery kiss on his lips. Yay!