Hiatus

Stealing my husband's lingo for an extended absence from blogging, I'll just say that I've been on "a hiatus."

Said hiatus pretty much began the day Ian left. Early in the wee hours of that morning, the call of nature woke me from my slumber and I peed on a stick. The results woke me up faster than a triple shot of espresso injected directly into my veins. "I'M PREGNANT???" WAIT, I MEAN "I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!"

So, yes, I'm pregnant. Needless to say, it was quite the emotional roller coaster that day. We were ecstatic to find out the good news, and were able to celebrate for about 15 hours together before Ian got on a bus destined for Japan. (Well, the bus itself wasn't going to Japan...he had to get on an airplane...oh, never mind.)

Prior to and after Ian's departure, I had East Coast friends visiting. The last one left San Diego just a few days before Aaron and I packed up and headed to the East Coast ourselves. Over the course of about six weeks, I went to two weddings (Congrats Benny and Nick and Blake and Mary!!), spent a week at the family cabin in Maine, saw lots of familiar faces, spent time with family, and even squeezed (squoze) in a week in Newfoundland.

We had a FABULOUS time seeing everyone, but boy, oh, boy, was I glad to get home. There really is no place like home.

But, now that we're here, we've finally had time to let it sink in that Daddy's really and truly on his adventure. I'll be especially blue this Friday, on the 30th anniversary of my love's birth, and I really wish I could spend it with him. Not drinking. Because I can't. Which sucks. But I would TOTALLY DD for him.

At least football season starts soon. (11 DAYS!!) But it won't be the same without a Sam Winter in hand. Well, I suppose it COULD be in hand, just not open. Which is just not as fun.

48 hours

Ian deployed on his second tour of Iraq in February 2009, a mere 9 months after his return from his first tour in May 2008. As a result, he was "guaranteed" (as much as anything in the Marine Corps is ever guaranteed) at least one year stateside before he had to deploy again. 367 days later, he will deploy to the Asian Pacific, and it seems I can't accuse the USMC of not keeping their promise.

Points of Order

• There are TWO WEEKS LEFT, PEOPLE. Dig deep down in those pockets. Pretty please? DONATE. Every dollar helps. Thank you.
• The Christmas spirit has struck me early this year. Santa's list has been made, and I'm counting down the days until I can put the tree up. This will be our first Christmas "at home" here in SD. I'm not counting That One Year I Gave Birth to My Firstborn Child Who Was Born 3 Days after Christmas.
• Check this out: Traffic Tirades. A friend of mine here in SD started this blog as a safe way to vent her road rage. I update the Twitter feed for this blog. You can follow us on Twitter, and you know you want to. @traffictirades
• .backwards is everything now and relocated was work at cubicle My (see what I did there? I'm so clever.)
• Ian will begin to commute up to 29 Palms during the week soon, and will only be home on weekends. We're getting a practice go of it this week, and IT SUCKS. That is all.

Twitch

It all began last Thursday night. Maybe it was the stress of knowing someone was in my house whom I had never met, while I wasn't there, and who now had a key. (Yay! Thanks for letting me hire a maid, Ian!) Maybe it was the stress of having to dash home from work and host the regular Thursday night dinner for the squadron ladies. Maybe it was the stress of an absolutely hellish week at work. Maybe it was the stress of not sleeping well, since my two year old wakes up at night and wanders around. Maybe it was the stress of having my husband deployed. MAYBE IT WAS ALL OF THE ABOVE COMBINED INTO ONE GINOURMOUS BALL OF STRESS.

My eye started twitching.

Not like every now and then. We're talking continuous pulsing here. And when I woke up on Friday, it was still going. Around 2:00, the headache joined in, and people at work started looking at me weirdly since they could actually see my eyeball trying to jump out of its socket.

This continued until Sunday.

Lt. Dan speaks

Anti-war protesters, take note. Citizens of Berkeley, listen up.

Here is a man who understands what families like mine endure to protect the freedoms our country enjoy. Men like this make what we do worth it.

One week down!

...and only 21 left to go. Here's the breakdown: (as of 2/19/09, 2:09:22 PM)

Months remaining: 4.95
Weeks remaining: 21
Days remaining: 148
Hours remaining: 3,578
Minutes: 213,757
Seconds remaining:12,822,797.90

And, no, I don't actually have that much time on my hands. Also, obviously, it counts down to a theoretical date, which most likely, will not be the actual date they return. One of the ladies in our squadron and her husband developed this Deployment Countdown for their kids. It's actually kind of fun to watch the numbers get lower.

Doesn't make me miss him any less, though. Especially yesterday, what with it being trash day, and all.

Birthday

Tomorrow is my blog's birthday. I feel I should mention this today, since I will be drowning my sorrows in a bottle(s) of tequila.

5 1/2 months left to go....

Wedded Bliss

Excuse me whilst I barf. (As I'm repeatedly told by my husband, I'm so unromantic.)

Today is my and Ian's three year wedding anniversary. Thanks to the Marine Corps, we have spent this day together only once. (And that day was actually my due date, and we spent the evening at my company Christmas party, where I got to watch everyone else get drunk.) Yet in spite of all that, the past three years truly have been some of the best in my life. Recap? OK.

December 18, 2005 - The Newlyweds drive to NYC for their honeymoon in Bree's grandfather's Buick. They split the driving, but somehow, Bree ends up driving the last leg through the city. Screaming, wailing, gnashing of teeth, and threats of divorce ensue.

December 19, 2005 - Bree comes down with The Plague.

December 19-21, 2005 - More wailing and gnashing of teeth. But hey, if we were going to be stuck inside, at least it was a nice room (Renaissance Hotel in the middle of Times Square). Yeah, Marriott Discount!

December 21-24 - Did I mention that we were visiting NYC during the transit strike of 2005? This severely limited our excursions to those things within walking distance. We did share a cab with some interesting folks out to Ellis Island, however. We got to see some awesome shows (Rent, The Producers, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), went to see David Letterman, and took in the sights.

December 25, 2005 - Bree refuses to drive in the city again. Makes Ian drive first leg back to MA. Streets are obviously deserted, and this is the easiest drive EVER.

December 31, 2005 - The Newlyweds celebrate NYE with friends in Manchester. Little Purple Hands!

January 1, 2006 - Bree drives Ian to MHT airport to catch a flight back to to Pensacola. Ian, having been "overserved," didn't come to bed until about 1.5 hours before we were supposed to leave for the airport. As a result, he is sticking his head out of the car window on the way to the airport and hiccuping through the security line.

Mid-January 2006 - Bree packs up her U-Haul with all her wordly possesions, grabs a co-worker to drive it for her and makes her way to Wilmington, NC, where Ian will be stationed at MCAS New River. Ian and Bree ("Bree-an" from here on out) settle in to their new place, and go about their new lives together.

Mid-March, 2006 - Oops! Is that a plus sign?!

Mid-July, 2006 - Bree-an's lease comes up, and Ian is supposed to finish up training any day now. Bree-an moves into their friend Shaun's beach house.

August, 2006 - 5-months-pregnant Bree and Ian begin their drive West. Before they can leave the house, however, Bree leaves her cell phone locked in Shaun's hosue. The drive "West" goes something like this: North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Boston, Maine, Toronto, Ohio, Missouri, Amarillo, Flagstaff, San Diego. 4 days of searching yields an overpriced apartment in Del Mar.

December, 2006 - One year of wedded bliss. 32 hours of contractions, 3 hours of pushing and voila! Aaron Patrick Brown, in all his glory.

August, 2007 - Sick of the overpriced apartment in college-kid ridden hell, Bree-an and offspring move to an overpriced townhouse.

September, 2007 - East coasters invade and successfully surprise Ian on his birthday.

October, 2007 - Ian deploys for Iraq. One day later, Bree and Aaron evacuate their home from SoCal wildfires threatening San Diego.

December, 2007 - First anniversary solo. Aaron's first Christmas and birthday in New England.

May, 2008 - Ian returns from Iraq!

July, 2008 - Bree-an buys their first home together.

December, 2008 - Ian is away at a three-week training in Yuma, AZ, and Bree spends the second of three anniversaries solo.

So there you have it. Through all the ups and downs, however, we still have the best time. Ian makes me laugh more than anyone else I know (with the exception of those Peyton Manning MasterCard commercials), and there is no one I would rather wait for to come home. I'll always be waiting, and I'll never stop loving you, Ian. I love you. Happy Anniversary.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

To all my sisters out there, Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day! The following has been circulating around the MySpace bulletin board this morning, but (with a few edits for grammatical errors!!) I thought it was worth reposting. 

Here's to you, the one who waits, no matter the distance, no matter the time.

Here's to you, the one who fights your own battle at home, between the tears and sleepless nights. 

Here's to you, the one who will never give up, even when everything around you seems to be falling down.

And here's to you, because while people may think they know how tough it is to be a hero, no one but us will ever know how tough it is to love one... 

Semper Fi, ladies! :)

Trying

Well, we are right about there with only 2 months to go in this deployment. And, try as hard as I might not to, I'm getting really excited. It's not that I don't want to be excited, it's just that there are still 2 months -- 8 weeks -- left to go, and I should focus on getting through those rather than think ahead. All this is made more difficult by small things that keep my mind unfocused. For example, receiving an email from my KV regarding the Return and Reunion Brief scheduled for March 29. All the talk of the relief squadron's advance party making preparations to leave. People asking me whether or not I'm excited. (Duh.) In short, as long as I can make my mind think about the fact that there's still 8 weeks to go, and a lot can happen during that time, and not focus on that number of days left getting smaller and smaller, I think I'll be ok. 

And on a similar note, here is something that I have discussed in the past with my fellow military wife, Jaime, whose husband returned from Iraq in March 2007. PLEASE don't ask us if we're excited. I mean, honestly, I truly love it that you care, and I have really appreciated all your support during this deployment, but the answer to that question should be overly obvious. In fact, so obvious that I think I might change my answer from "Yes, really excited," to "You know, I hadn't thought about it. But I guess it will be a little awkward when I have to kick my boyfriend out of the house." You know, just to see how you'll react.

That made me think of this: Things You Should Never Say to a Military Wife. Learn it, live it, love it. (Courtesy of Lois)

THINGS NEVER TO SAY TO A MILITARY WIFE!!!

 
Things Never to say to a Military Wife...Especially those whose loved ones are deployed...

1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"
(This one ranks in at number one on the "duh" list. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds ---but thanks, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.)

2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."
(This is intended to be a compliment. Though, its just a little annoying. Here's why: it's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)

3. "At least he's not in Iraq."
(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there. And Africa is no better either…where do you think the bad guys are hiding out?!)

4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?"
(Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.)

5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"
(Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of alcohol can occasionally help!!!)

6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"
(This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq b/c there is work that needs to be done.)

7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."
(Sure, we do learn coping skills and its true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.)

8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."
(This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12 month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a crappy ford taurus with mercedes convertible.) (... I recently had a co-worker admire me, since when her husband left FOR FOUR DAYS, she almost went crazy.)

9. "Wow you must miss him?"
(This one also gets another big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they're now divorced.)

10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"
(I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for seven years and at war in 
Iraq for five years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day ---and on maps everywhere.)

11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there."
(Yes, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.)

12. "Don't you miss sex! I couldn't do it!"
(Hmmm, no, I  don't miss sex. I'm a robot. Seriously...military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night.)

last but not least....

13. "OH, that's horrible...I'm so sorry!"
(He's doing his job and he's a badass. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable 
American lives to realize that our soldiers fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.) 

So there you go. Perhaps some are a little harsh, a little more sarcastic than maybe I would have said to someone who said one of those things, but you get the general idea. 

BUT, on the bright side.... only 2 more months!!