Hello again!

The keyboard has been quiet for a little while. We have spent our days savoring and squeezing every sweet drop of time together before Hubs left.

And now begins our long separation.

It is surreal to me. I can't wrap my mind around this length of time. From what I've been told, that's normal. Take it day by day. Break things into bite-size chunks. Make plans. Set goals. Remember that mercies are new.

Taking it day by day...I know this will be hard for me. I am a planner so looking at the first day of deployment and not seeing the long line of days attached to it is nearly impossible. I hope that our daily rhythm of life will help me. Home schooling has forced me to be more present with my kids than ever before. What blessings these children are to me! Bull will be my secret weapon in this. The night that Hubs left, he said, "So Daddy's not coming home from work tonight?"

Break things into bite-size chunks...I've already done this a little bit, reminding myself that there are only five weeks until we leave for Christmas vacation. I haven't gotten much past that though: part of that "being present" thing. Actually, this proved useful tonight with Gator. He was lamenting how long it would be before we could see (meaning touch) Daddy again. I was able to share some of our "chunks" with him and the length of time didn't loom so large anymore.

Make plans...No problem! We have plans made until this time next year. I need to confirm them and add a few more to make time a bit more bite-size. There's a good chunk of time between January and Spring Break - time that is ripe with potential for the blues because of the weather. After Spring Break, we'll be trying to get re-settled after a long winter and looking forward to R&R. Summer will fly by as usual with a trip to Spring Canyon, and trips to see family sprinkled in there. Then, we'll hit the new school year. And soon after that Hubs will be home!

Set goals...I'm a great planner, but a terrible goal-setter. I have a love-hate relationship with that type of accountability. Using this list as a starting point, I've managed to set some goals!

• I want our family to be physically resilient and fit, to adapt the "culture of fitness" that is prevalent in the military. I want to be back to "pre-pre-pregnancy" weight by the time Hubs comes home. So, I will exercise for at least 20 minutes every day, whether that is by myself, by doing PE with my kids, or by working out with friends. I will also strive to be in bed by 10:00 every night, allowing myself at least 7 hours of sleep. By using Once a Month cooking, I will be intentional about our menu so that I don't resort to cereal, macaroni and cheese, pizza, and fast food every night of the week.



• I will develop a good, working routine/schedule for our lives, to include new responsibilities for everyone, as well as some changes in the earning department for the kiddos. This will lighten my load considerably AND eventually score me some points in the daughter-in-law department! :)



• I will be using this space as a journal of sorts for me, a place to process my thoughts, documenting our life while Hubs is gone, and maybe getting his point of view every once in a while. I will also be hiring a sitter and/or using my free childcare hours as an added sanity maintainer. Most importantly, I will stay connected to my energy source by studying the Word.

Remember that mercies are new...every day in fact! Some days will be harder than others. I know that I will fail by allowing my exhaustion and sorrow to overtake me. And every day that I wake to new mercies is one day closer to Hubs being home.

It is my prayer that I will look back on this deployment and say, "Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?" We are looking forward to what He will complete in us during our time apart.

Here we go!