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!

Anniversary Numero Dos

Yesterday was our second anniversary. I spent the day working, treated myself to Panera Bread, and hung out with a friend who just had surgery. Missing important dates together kind of become normal in the military. I hate to say this, but it doesn't even phase me anymore. Obviously it's sad not to have your best friend with you during special times, but I also know that nothing can be done about it. I've decided to try to keep our anniversaries somewhat special by documenting each year with a picture. So far, this is what I have:

September 25, 2012

1st Anniversary (Naples, FL)

2nd Anniversary (Skype Date)

26.2 miles...DONE!

I'm so excited to have another thing to cross of my bucket list - a marathon! I can't wait to have an entire week off of exercising and eating healthy food! I know that sounds horrible, but you have to be so dedicated when training that I'm tired of being "good."

Here's a recap of my weekend. Friday afternoon, my friend Karen and I drove up to Denver. I'm so thankful to have a good friend that wanted to be there with/for me. It shows a true selflessness. Although I'm sad that Josh couldn't be there, I'm happy that I was able to share this experience with Karen (and Sarah, who showed up later). We checked into our surprisingly nice hotel in downtown Denver. We quickly put on some deodorant and lipgloss and walked a few blocks to the convention center where the packet pick up was. We then walked downtown and finally decided on dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Here's a picture of me carb loading!

At Cheesecake Factory

We went to bed pretty early that night. I actually slept pretty well that night - apparently I wasn't as nervous as I thought. We got up the next morning at 5 a.m. and headed to grab some coffee, bagels, and fruit. After breakfast, we got ready and walked a few blocks to the starting line. I'm so thankful that it wasn't very cold that morning because I don't do well in cold weather. The weather was actually perfect. 

Beginning of the race

Re-adjusting my bib

Running with a picture of Josh

I'll cut out some of the boring details and just get to the actual run. The first 3 miles were a breeze and I was running at a 9.5 minute mile. I actually had to make myself slow down a few times so that I could avoid getting tired too quickly. The first 13 miles were pretty easy. I think this was because I've done a few half marathons and always know what to expect. Miles 13-16 were ok....but kind of boring. I was also feeling pretty sore and had to stop a few times to stretch. After mile 16 was when I had to talk myself into continue running. My hardest miles were 16-20. I think after 20, I realized that I only had 6 miles left. Those 6 miles were hard but not as bad as the previous miles had been.

I ran most of the way, but there were a few times where I did stop to walk for a minute. I got to the point where walking hurt worse than running. I guess my body was so used to running at that point that even walking hurt.

After mile 24, my speed picked up. It's funny how much more energy you have than you think you do. Crossing the finish line was a great feeling! I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time I do a marathon. As hard as it was, the outcome makes it all worth it.

 Finished!

Video of my finish

Missing my best friend

I'm missing my husband, companion, other half, and best friend. I remember how hard these last few months are from our last deployment. The fact that our communication has been cut in half hasn't helped things. I'm just ready for my man to be home.

Ever heard of a donut of misery? Kind of corny, but here's mine :).

Marathon Training

So my marathon is a frightening three weeks away. To be honest, I'm not really sure if I'm ready. Sometimes I think I am...and then I second guess myself. My longest run was 18 miles. According to everything I've read (which is a massive amount of material), you don't need to run any more than 18-20 miles in order to prepare for a marathon. The last month before the marathon you are supposed to start tapering your runs. Last weekend I ran a half marathon. It was a pretty slow pace (I was running with a friend who wasn't as prepared as I was). I felt really good at the end of the half marathon except for some tight muscles.

This month I'm working on running shorter distances in a faster time. You'll be more prepared if you strengthen yourself than if you try to run long distances. If I survive this race, I'll definitely post about it. I'm excited/nervous! I'm sad that Josh can't be there for me, but my good friend Karen is coming along to cheer me on.

And lastly, I can't wait to have a little bit more time to myself. Training for a marathon takes up a huge amount of time!

One last thing...I miss my hubby terribly. I find myself thinking more and more about his homecoming the closer it gets. Three months people!