A New Army Wife

Ta-Da! That's me. A 100% bona fide active duty Army Wife. So far I'm blessed though. My darling hubby is only at Basic Combat Training (BCT) and not anywhere else at the moment. You know, such as Iraq. I won't have to 'worry' about that happening until sometime next year after he finishes up all of his training. Of course I'm one of thousands of wives praying that their husband doesn't get sent there. Right now though, I'm dealing with our very first separation since we met 6 years ago. I know now that unless you've gone through this kind of a separation, you have NO clue what it's like. I wouldn't recommend it, but I sure am proud of my husband. *smile*

According to my calendar, I'm now in day 4 of him being gone. However, I have learned not to think of him as "gone." "Gone" almost implies death or never seeing him again. That's not true. We'll see him around Christmas. Sure that's a ways away, unless you have 3 kids who are constantly reminding you that really you have less than 50 days to get them their presents. They don't understand the concept of time, so Christmas is practically tomorrow in their little world. Thank goodness. It helps that they don't quite understand how long Daddy is really away for.

Anyway! I have learned to think of him as being away on a business trip. Don't ask me why, but it really helps me to think of it that way. Considering he is now in the Army and he did leave to go get trained for his new job/jobs (technically he'll have 2), then my reasoning holds up. Well, under distant inspection anyway. Husbands who are on real business trips have access to such things as cell phones, regular phones, and email. My hubby? No such access. As a matter of fact, he's not allowed any email the entire time he's in BCT. Phone calls? Haven't had one yet except for a few minutes before he was handed his plane ticket and flown out. That doesn't stop me from believing he's just on a business trip and will be home "soon." Hey! If kids don't understand how time passes, why do I have to admit that I do?

Have you ever noticed that kids are generally happier than adults? I think we sometimes need to just believe a few things like they do. In my case? I'm pretending that time passes really fast and Christmas is just around the corner. If I started doing everything I'm supposed to do before Christmas, well, I'm positive it will pounce on me out of no where.

Well, I actually have a lot I need to get caught up on. Spending 3 days down in the dumps can really set you back. Never mind the fact that I'm a crafter and it always takes time to finish things up. Did I mention we have to pay for DH's plane ticket home for the holidays? Somehow, I need to find a way to come up with that money and still give the kids a present or 2 for Christmas. DH being home is the main present, but they still need something to unwrap Christmas morning. I see my quilting/sewing abilities coming to my aid there. Wish me luck! I'd better start something now so it's all ready for Christmas. Hey! Don't laugh that hard. You might hurt yourself!