Do you remember as a little kid, the days/hours leading up to a big event like Christmas, Vacation, or family visiting?
I remember counting down days on the calendar as a kid. I was always so excited for Christmas, Vacations, visiting family, Camp and just about anything else.
Usually I would have my bags packed weeks, if not a month, in advance so I wouldn't forget anything. Then, the night before, I would not sleep hardly at all. My excitement would keep me up.
Well.... Nothing has changed. Especially when it comes to visiting my husband.
I the last 5 months we have spent a total of 7 days together (not even all in a row). I know being in the military means we won't get to see each other near as much, but that doesn't change how excited I am when I do get even just a couple of days to spend with him.
I would start thinking about what I'm taking weeks in advance, and sometimes even start packing that early. I have the days numbered on my calendar so that I know exactly how many days I have left until I leave.
A couple days before, I start counting down hours as soon as I realize I am down to 48 or less. Then, I can't stop talking about how I can't wait to see him in X number of hours.
Then, the night before, yeah.... might as well not even go to bed because I KNOW I'm not going to be able to sleep.
On the drive down, I might as well be pumped full of caffeine the whole way because even if I'm driving I'm practically bouncing in my seat with excitement (without any caffeine).
Once I get close to where he's at.... I pace until I can see him because I'm that excited.
Once it's time to meet him, I anxiously scan the faces of every man in uniform that walks by..... hoping the next Airman to walk past me is my husband.
Then it happens.... I see him walking towards me and my heart stops! The time is finally here!! At that point It doesn't matter if it's been five minutes, five months or five years since I've seen him. All I want is to be in his arms again.
The time always goes by too fast but the memories that we make (whether it is going to the zoo, a movie or just walking around somewhere) is what keeps me going until the next time I start counting down days.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
My Airman
My Airman
No words can describe
How proud I am of you
Putting everything you have
Into everything you do
Rising early in the morning
Staying up late at night
Spending every free moment
Becoming a unified flight
Classes, marching, saluting too
Rank recognition and learning to shoot
Chain of command, cleaning your gun
Learning to sing in the middle of a run
Seven short weeks left
And then I will see
An Airman in uniform
Smiling down at me
I’ll watch you run in front of me
An Airman’s coin you will receive
Parade, salute and an oath you will say
An Airman you’ll be at the end of the day
No words can describe
How proud I am of you
I hope you realize
How much I LOVE YOU!!!
This is a poem I wrote for Zac about a week or so after he left for Basic. I sent it to him in a letter, hoping it would be an encouragement to him.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Communication
(I have re-written this due to the fact that I wasn't 100% happy with the original version. It ended not being what I was looking for, therefore the new version.)
Communication is the key to every relationship. For some it is easier to keep up the communication than it is for others. For those of us who are living a life in the military, either serving or as a spouse, there are different challenges that we face.
We go for days, month, sometimes years without seeing our spouses. Zac and I went almost 9 weeks while he was at basic where we didn't see each other. The only form of communication that we had were the letters and brief phone calls on occasion.
I remember, before he left, I made a promise to write him at least once a day while he was at basic. From the day before he left until about a week before I went to see him(I wanted to make sure he would get the letters so I stopped writing the week before I went to see him) I wrote him everyday, sometimes twice a day. I would tell him about my day, how work went, how our dog Misty was doing, funny things that were said or done. I would also tell him about my good days, my bad days and the days that were somewhere in between. I wanted him to know I was surviving, finding a way to keep busy so I don't miss him as much, and that I am extremely proud of him and love him so very much!
My letters just let him know what was going on in my life. But, I sent other things as well. At Christmas myself and a group of others whose men were in the same flight as Zac got a list together and we sent Christmas cards/letters to all the Airmen that we had names for. I sent a birthday card to the guys in Zac's flight that I knew would have a Birthday while they were in basic. I sent a page filled with pictures of my latest cake projects just so he could show them off to his buddies. I printed pictures of me, or us, in some letters so he could see my smile again. I sent pages of funny jokes one time, and another a page full of encouraging quotes and verses the week before he had a field exercise. Our nephew and I even sat down and colored pictures for Uncle Zac over Christmas. One of my favorites is the two or three times our dog Misty wrote him letters. I would add a Bible Verse at the end of each letter so that he could have an encouraging verse each time he read a letter. I wanted him to know that I supported him, prayed for him, wanted him to laugh and to encourage him!
I also eagerly anticipated a letter from him in my mailbox. I would check my mail daily hoping for a glimpse of his handwriting on the small blue envelopes I had come to expect from him. After he was actually able to write and started sending me letters every week I would check my mail, sometimes more than once, near the end of the week hoping that he was able to send me even a short note. I even remember checking the mail 3 times one day because I knew it was about that time of week where the mailman would deliver a letter from my hubby! I cherished every word in those letters, sometimes read them 20 times and about memorized some of them.
We would also get short phone calls almost once a week. I remember making sure my phone was always charged and the volume turned way up so that I would hear it ring if he got the chance to call me for a few minutes. I would spend my Saturday nights staring at my phone hoping that he would be able to call again like his did last week. Over Christmas and New Year's I was blessed with the opportunity to talk to him for about an hour. Seeing as we had only had maybe 15 minutes to call the whole time he had been in Basic this was a HUGE blessing.
Now that he is out of Basic Training we are able to text, talk, Skype e-mail and still write each other. There have only been a couple of days in the last 4 months that we haven't talked for at least 10 minutes or more at night. A lot of times we will talk for an hour or more on the phone or Skype at night, usually about nothing much just going over how fun, or boring, our day was. We are even able to send packages to each other with little things that we know will make the other person smile!
I am really thankful that I am able to keep in contact with my husband easier now. I know there are many families who still don't get the chance to talk to their loved ones on a regular basis. I have learned to cherish every letter, every text, every e-mail and every minute we can call or Skype each other. This is my lifeline to him and without it my days would be much harder and my nights much longer.
Thank you Lord for Modern Technology and the privilege to communicate daily with my husband!!
Communication is the key to every relationship. For some it is easier to keep up the communication than it is for others. For those of us who are living a life in the military, either serving or as a spouse, there are different challenges that we face.
We go for days, month, sometimes years without seeing our spouses. Zac and I went almost 9 weeks while he was at basic where we didn't see each other. The only form of communication that we had were the letters and brief phone calls on occasion.
I remember, before he left, I made a promise to write him at least once a day while he was at basic. From the day before he left until about a week before I went to see him(I wanted to make sure he would get the letters so I stopped writing the week before I went to see him) I wrote him everyday, sometimes twice a day. I would tell him about my day, how work went, how our dog Misty was doing, funny things that were said or done. I would also tell him about my good days, my bad days and the days that were somewhere in between. I wanted him to know I was surviving, finding a way to keep busy so I don't miss him as much, and that I am extremely proud of him and love him so very much!
My letters just let him know what was going on in my life. But, I sent other things as well. At Christmas myself and a group of others whose men were in the same flight as Zac got a list together and we sent Christmas cards/letters to all the Airmen that we had names for. I sent a birthday card to the guys in Zac's flight that I knew would have a Birthday while they were in basic. I sent a page filled with pictures of my latest cake projects just so he could show them off to his buddies. I printed pictures of me, or us, in some letters so he could see my smile again. I sent pages of funny jokes one time, and another a page full of encouraging quotes and verses the week before he had a field exercise. Our nephew and I even sat down and colored pictures for Uncle Zac over Christmas. One of my favorites is the two or three times our dog Misty wrote him letters. I would add a Bible Verse at the end of each letter so that he could have an encouraging verse each time he read a letter. I wanted him to know that I supported him, prayed for him, wanted him to laugh and to encourage him!
I also eagerly anticipated a letter from him in my mailbox. I would check my mail daily hoping for a glimpse of his handwriting on the small blue envelopes I had come to expect from him. After he was actually able to write and started sending me letters every week I would check my mail, sometimes more than once, near the end of the week hoping that he was able to send me even a short note. I even remember checking the mail 3 times one day because I knew it was about that time of week where the mailman would deliver a letter from my hubby! I cherished every word in those letters, sometimes read them 20 times and about memorized some of them.
We would also get short phone calls almost once a week. I remember making sure my phone was always charged and the volume turned way up so that I would hear it ring if he got the chance to call me for a few minutes. I would spend my Saturday nights staring at my phone hoping that he would be able to call again like his did last week. Over Christmas and New Year's I was blessed with the opportunity to talk to him for about an hour. Seeing as we had only had maybe 15 minutes to call the whole time he had been in Basic this was a HUGE blessing.
Now that he is out of Basic Training we are able to text, talk, Skype e-mail and still write each other. There have only been a couple of days in the last 4 months that we haven't talked for at least 10 minutes or more at night. A lot of times we will talk for an hour or more on the phone or Skype at night, usually about nothing much just going over how fun, or boring, our day was. We are even able to send packages to each other with little things that we know will make the other person smile!
I am really thankful that I am able to keep in contact with my husband easier now. I know there are many families who still don't get the chance to talk to their loved ones on a regular basis. I have learned to cherish every letter, every text, every e-mail and every minute we can call or Skype each other. This is my lifeline to him and without it my days would be much harder and my nights much longer.
Thank you Lord for Modern Technology and the privilege to communicate daily with my husband!!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
School Again
Even though Zac is done with basic, he has to go through almost 7 months of training before he is done.
The good thing about him being in School rather than Basic is the simple fact that now we can talk on the phone every evening.
The first week we would be on the phone, or Skype for almost an hour each time. It is a huge relief to be able to talk to him everyday, even if it's just a short text, instead of having only 15 minutes each week, if even that much.
Also, I've been able to visit him once so far and will be visiting again before he is done.
I was thinking the other day, so far Zac has been gone 5 months. In that time I've only seen him for one week (7 days), it wasn't consecutive day, and even then we weren't able to spend the whole time together.
At times I have felt so overwhelmed with simply being the only one at home, taking care of bills, taking care of a dog that was sick for a week, handling small issues with the car and the simple fact that he wasn't here to just give me a hug after a bad day.
I know that he will be home before I know it. I know that God will help me get through anything and everything that comes my way. I know that I have friends and family there for me. But, sometimes, a girl just needs to be allowed to have a bad day.
What do I do on those down days? Usually, Curl up in the living room with a good book or movie and have pizza and soda! (Not very good considering I want to lose weight, but hey, it works).
I do have my good days too. Those days when he and I get to video chat for 2 hours and be stupid, the days when I get a package from him, or a small handmade card, or when he just tells me how well things are going for him.
I am definitely adjusting to this life. It has taken time, patience and a lot of prayer but I am surviving. I think we both will fit in well to the military life before long and I can't wait to see where this road leads us!
The good thing about him being in School rather than Basic is the simple fact that now we can talk on the phone every evening.
The first week we would be on the phone, or Skype for almost an hour each time. It is a huge relief to be able to talk to him everyday, even if it's just a short text, instead of having only 15 minutes each week, if even that much.
Also, I've been able to visit him once so far and will be visiting again before he is done.
I was thinking the other day, so far Zac has been gone 5 months. In that time I've only seen him for one week (7 days), it wasn't consecutive day, and even then we weren't able to spend the whole time together.
At times I have felt so overwhelmed with simply being the only one at home, taking care of bills, taking care of a dog that was sick for a week, handling small issues with the car and the simple fact that he wasn't here to just give me a hug after a bad day.
I know that he will be home before I know it. I know that God will help me get through anything and everything that comes my way. I know that I have friends and family there for me. But, sometimes, a girl just needs to be allowed to have a bad day.
What do I do on those down days? Usually, Curl up in the living room with a good book or movie and have pizza and soda! (Not very good considering I want to lose weight, but hey, it works).
I do have my good days too. Those days when he and I get to video chat for 2 hours and be stupid, the days when I get a package from him, or a small handmade card, or when he just tells me how well things are going for him.
I am definitely adjusting to this life. It has taken time, patience and a lot of prayer but I am surviving. I think we both will fit in well to the military life before long and I can't wait to see where this road leads us!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Graduation At Last!!
It was Friday, it was a bit chilly and damp, but still a nice morning. We got up and went to the base to get our seats by 6 am. We wanted to make sure we had good seats near where Zac's flight would be standing.
We sat for about 3 hours I think. Someone made a Starbucks run for breakfast and we just talked, waiting nervously for the Graduates to arrive.
As the stands filled I was able to meet families of other men in Zac's flight and we shared stories from the last 8 weeks.
Finally, off in the distance, we could see the flights marching in for the ceremony.
Row, upon row, upon row of men and women in uniform. Marching in step, with a purpose. You could feel the level of excitement, anticipation and pride in the stands among the families and friends who had gathered to watch the ceremony.
As the ceremony began a hush fell over those gathered as we stood and listened as the National Anthem was played and all the new Airman stood at attention with a crisp salute to our nations flag.
We then got to watch as all those new Airman marched along the stands, in review.
As his flight passed by I was so excited, I could find him in the formation! This would make it so much easier to find him after the ceremony. I felt such pride!!
Finally, we were getting close to the end of the ceremony. All the flights marched forward as one. They all recited their oath, and then in one voice recited the Airman's Creed. The crowd sat in silent wonder as the words echoed off the nearby buildings. Their voices grew in conviction and and had everyone close to tears as they reached the end. Calling out in unison the last line... "WE WILL NOT FAIL!"
Immediately following the training instructors marched off the field and the families were allowed to go find their Airman and release them from formation.
I ran to the spot that I knew Zac would be standing and gave him another, massive hug and told him how incredibly proud I am of him.
We enjoyed a nice, leisurely weekend where he didn't have any obligation (except being back to his dorm on time). I was so thankful to finally have some time with my amazing husband.
I am so thankful that God has brought us to this point in our lives. It has been quite a journey so far. There have been difficult times, lonely times, times of utter relief when we have realized that yet again HE has provided for us, and certainly times of great joy.
I can't wait to continue this journey with the man that God has brought into my life, who has worked so hard, and who continues to follow the call of God even into places we could have never imagined.
We sat for about 3 hours I think. Someone made a Starbucks run for breakfast and we just talked, waiting nervously for the Graduates to arrive.
As the stands filled I was able to meet families of other men in Zac's flight and we shared stories from the last 8 weeks.
Finally, off in the distance, we could see the flights marching in for the ceremony.
 |
| Marching onto the Parade Field |
Row, upon row, upon row of men and women in uniform. Marching in step, with a purpose. You could feel the level of excitement, anticipation and pride in the stands among the families and friends who had gathered to watch the ceremony.
As the ceremony began a hush fell over those gathered as we stood and listened as the National Anthem was played and all the new Airman stood at attention with a crisp salute to our nations flag.
We then got to watch as all those new Airman marched along the stands, in review.
 |
| Flights passing in review. |
As his flight passed by I was so excited, I could find him in the formation! This would make it so much easier to find him after the ceremony. I felt such pride!!
Finally, we were getting close to the end of the ceremony. All the flights marched forward as one. They all recited their oath, and then in one voice recited the Airman's Creed. The crowd sat in silent wonder as the words echoed off the nearby buildings. Their voices grew in conviction and and had everyone close to tears as they reached the end. Calling out in unison the last line... "WE WILL NOT FAIL!"
Immediately following the training instructors marched off the field and the families were allowed to go find their Airman and release them from formation.
I ran to the spot that I knew Zac would be standing and gave him another, massive hug and told him how incredibly proud I am of him.
 |
| A much anticipated hug after Graduation. |
We enjoyed a nice, leisurely weekend where he didn't have any obligation (except being back to his dorm on time). I was so thankful to finally have some time with my amazing husband.
I am so thankful that God has brought us to this point in our lives. It has been quite a journey so far. There have been difficult times, lonely times, times of utter relief when we have realized that yet again HE has provided for us, and certainly times of great joy.
I can't wait to continue this journey with the man that God has brought into my life, who has worked so hard, and who continues to follow the call of God even into places we could have never imagined.
 |
| My Husband and I after the Ceremony |
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