Holiday

No, not the Madonna song.

Think: Christmas. Think: 8 years old. Think: "I still believe in Santa Claus."

That's kind of what I'm feeling like right now. We're past the halfway mark of a 15 month deployment (yes, still 15 months - regardless if other units get knocked down to 12). In a VERY short while, I'll be seeing The Boy for R&R.

I'm already stressing about logistics and traffic to the airport and how I'll find out exactly where & when to pick him up. I'm stressing about what I'll be wearing, whether it will be a decent hair day or not, and whether our Atlanta hotel will have cable channels such that he can see his beloved Cubbies.

Joy, excitement, happiness... wow, it's been a long time since I've had these feelings!

Halfway

It's all downhill from here.

I think I want to run for public office

... just to get the perk that someone would do my geneaology for me.

Come, on seriously? Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie?? The crazy-ass idiot thing is that I guarantee that somebody is going to get a vote based solely on that.

Happy Not-our-pcs-date anymore

Involuntary extension sucks.

However, to look on the positive side, deployment is a little more than 40% completed. Of course, if it weren't a 15 month deployment, we'd be at 50%.

Customer Service

Ever have one of those "weird" customer service moments, where you're just not quite sure what to say?

I am working on funding our Roth IRA's this year (I am not the wife who buys a lot of "crap" with the extra deployment money), and wanted to consolidate with one institution, rather than have funds in different places. I had to call, because of course I had questions. I want to move our money to a particular company, and the customer service rep was really weird about it. "Do you mind if I ask you why you're moving these funds?"

I am sure he asked because he was required, but it was one of those weird things that people say that just made me a little uncomfortable. I considered asking him if he thought that I shouldn't move the funds, but figured that would just make me sound like the weirdo on the other end of the line :)

Perspective

I originally started this blog to chronicle the lives of The Boy & I as we started our lives together, and moved to Germany. However, it became many things - an avenue to meet new friends, a way to "publish" my thoughts on adult education , and a way to vent. It's interesting to look back and try to remember what I was thinking/feeling/doing at the time I felt the urge to push that "publish post" button.

I got a healthy dose of perspective today. I've been struggling a lot lately - struggling being here by myself, struggling with the deployment, struggling with my last semester of school, struggling with issues I'm having with friends. But, I decided today that I'm letting it go.

And today it all started with my hair.


I've got to start learning to let go. And the hair is only the beginning.

Christmas Eve

It's funny to make a phone call to an ex-boyfriend. It's even funnier when you call to say, "remember that Christmas Eve you broke up with me, and then went and spent it with your ex-girlfriend? Yes, well... this Christmas Eve sucks more than that one did."