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Guest Post: Re-integration take 3

November 10, 2010 by Julie 1 Comment

Today’s guest post is by Lauren at Faith and Deploying!  Check out her blog too 🙂
 
Coming Back From Deployment

“The snooze setting on an alarm clock should be banned” I remember thinking that the very next morning after my husband had only been home for approximately 6 hours and had to report for his in-processing. My husband has a habit of snoozing for HOURS! And his alarm goes off every 5 minutes. I definitely did not miss the snooze button during deployment number 3, or the tossing and turning, or the side swipes of the elbow at 3AM. I didn’t have any expectations this time when my husband came home like I did the last two and I think that helped us more than my husband will admit. He wanted to relax and while I did resent the fact that he was living in a hotel in beautiful Guam for 5 months having someone cook and clean for him, if he wanted to relax, well then it was his R&R. He did manage to clean up some things and help out more when I asked and I found myself not nagging him like normal. Usually I only had to request once, maybe twice if I asked through a text message and he seemed to want more time with me not sitting at home (which was completely out of the ordinary). Don’t get me wrong we had our fair share of blow ups and I definitely said my fair share of mean things, but honestly this re-integration has been the easiest. I think I amount that to how well we did this deployment with talking and not holding grudges and learning about our marriage.

The hard thing about re-integration is you have lived another life, one without your husband there to rely on. You realize you can cry alone, fix the power washer as you scream at it in your back yard, manage to discipline the dog, cook dinner, and catch up on emails all without any help. You are the Queen on your Lair and then suddenly, even though you might prepare for it, another person is suddenly there always in the way and making a mess. I don’t think they mean to make a mess, but let’s be honest they have lived in a 12X12 box (if you’re my husband) and only had 1 maybe 2 bags of possessions. The only taste of home is probably whatever came in the care packages you sent. So now an 1800 square foot house becomes fair game for shoes, socks, jackets, underwear, or just mess that you have no idea where it comes from. Let’s face it, it’s an adjustment.

I think the longer you are married the easier it gets. You learn to balance more and explain your way of living to your husband so he can help mold his bad habits out of the house when he is home. But he’s lived a different life too, one where all he had to do was get up to work every morning. If he wanted to sleep until 3pm and snooze that rotten alarm all morning long and eat whatever he wanted and play his video games for hours he could. But now that he is home, things are different. There is suddenly someone who needs attention and duties to fulfill with the house. Responsibilities he hasn’t had to think about or do for 5 months. It’s an adjustment.

I haven’t quite figured out the knack to re-integrating, but I am happier with this adjustment period. I find myself less reliant on my husband and more independent. I have no problem leaving him and going to a meeting or going out with my girlfriends. And we have no  issue just telling each other when we are upset. It’s an adjustment, but I’d rather have the adjustment and have him home than to not have him anymore. And I may just have to disable the snooze button on his alarm…..

Since the time for baby is getting closer and closer, I figured it might be a good idea to have some guest posts. My mind is mostly mush these days and not sure how much blogging I will feel like doing right after he is born.  If you are interested in writing a guest post for my blog, please feel free to email me about it at juliethearmywife@gmail.com.

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Filed Under: Deployment Tagged With: Deployment, guest post, military, military wife

Guest Post About Christmas Newsletters

November 8, 2010 by Julie 2 Comments

Since the time for baby is getting closer and closer, I figured it might be a good idea to have some guest posts. My mind is mostly mush these days and not sure how much blogging I will feel like doing right after he is born.  If you are interested in writing a guest post for my blog, please feel free to email me about it at juliethearmywife@gmail.com

Today’s post is by writer Tiffany Silverberg.

Christmas Newsletters

Growing up as a Coastie brat, I moved every three to four years and ended up with friends all over the globe. Those were the days before blogs so relied on seasonal letters to get visual and written updates from our dear ones. From the time we could read, those holiday letters from friends around the world were precious. We couldn’t wait for the temperatures to drop and our mailbox to fill. My sisters would always rush to the mailbox to see who we would hear from. And we were happiest when those letters contained two things: a picture and a letter.

*The letters without pictures were informative, but we ached to see how our friends and their siblings had grown. We would even pull out last years’ pictures and compare.

*The pictures without letters seemed to be missing a caption. Why was the family sitting on top of a mountain? And which mountain? Or why were the all dressed up? The letters filled in the gaps. They answered all our questions. They made us feel connected to our friends, in a world before facebook.

Even just last year, my husband and I went home for Christmas. Upon our arrival, my mom handed me “the basket.” The wicker vessel containing all the letters we had received. Each had been opened and read at least once by each family member. Now it was my turn. As I pulled out the pictures and read through the letters, my family watched waiting for my reaction to each story. Just as we had always done.

As a military family, our holiday traditions always included letters that came anytime from Thanksgiving to Valentines Day. Even now, as a Navy wife, my fridge is covered in pictures of dear friends’ Christmas pictures. I can’t wait to renew those pictures with the letters we receive this year.

As you plan your holiday letter, stop by my website www.tiffanysilverberg.com where you can find tips and information about my writing services. Cheers!

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Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: christmas, guest post, military

Battlefields and Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan Book Review and Giveaway

November 7, 2010 by Julie 9 Comments

Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

I was contacted by Jocelyn Green a bit ago about participating in a Veteran’s Week Blog Tour for the book Battlefields and Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan.  I am a huge fan of her book Faith Deployed so I knew any book she was apart of was going to be great.

Battlefields and Blessings is a book made up of a bunch of different stories/devotionals. Co-authored by Jane Hampton Cook, Jocelyn Green and John Croushorn.

The book has 1 entry for each day of the year. Now I read the book all the way through over a few weeks.  But you could also just read 1 entry a day based on the day or a couple each day.  The entries are from different people associated with the military in some way.  From Chaplains who work at the Pentagon who were there on 9/11, to military wives having to get through deployments.  A lot of people who wrote them have about 3-4 entries each.  I found this pretty cool because it let me know a little bit more about each of the people who wrote them.  At the end of each entry, there is a short prayer for us to read.  I could really see this book as a great tool to have during a hard situation such as a deployment. There are stories of faith, what people have gone through and some very inspirational thoughts that just stick with you.

The people who wrote in this book felt very real to me.   Sometimes there were entries from a husband and wife and it was great to hear from both of them.  There were stories about 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and life back at home.  Stories from mothers and wives and from those who have been to war.  I also really enjoyed the layout and even how the book was put together.  Just a great mix of people.

The one entry that sticks out to me was from a military wife Kerri Hartwick who lost her husband in Iraq.  One of the prayers listed said,  “Lord, prepare my heart for whatever you have in store for me.”  Really this is what we have to deal with in life.  We don’t know the future or if our prayers will be answered but we can know God is there for us through whatever we must go through. There were many other entries that made me feel very encouraged as well.

Would you like to win a copy of this book?  Trust me it is amazing!  It is also autographed by Jocelyn Green.

Here is how the giveaway will work…

It starts now!  And it ends Sunday November 14th, 2010 at 11:59pm Central time.

To enter please answer this question:

What encourages you the most during a hard time?  Any favorite verses that come to mind?

That is it!  Good luck 🙂

PS make sure I have a way to email you if you win 🙂

For more information here are the websites…

Battlefields and Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan

Faith Deployed

I received a free signed copy of the book Battlefields and Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan for this review.  And an additional copy to giveaway to one of my readers.


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Filed Under: Giveaways & Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Deployment, giveaway, military

Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride in Nashville, TN

September 28, 2010 by Julie 9 Comments

Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride in Nashville, TN

 

On Friday, I had a guest post about the Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride.  It just so happens that we got invited to the Soldier Ride in Nashville to cheer my friend’s husband (and everyone else riding) on.  We left early Saturday morning and got there just in time for the opening ceremony.

It was such a great thing to see!  So many people riding their bikes.  They also have a walk and we are thinking of really trying to do it next year.

 

Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride in Nashville, TN

Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride in Nashville, TN

wounded warrior soldier ride

wounded warrior soldier ride

wounded warrior soldier ride

wounded warrior soldier ride

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wounded warrior soldier ride

I had not heard of this before.  It sounded like my friend’s husband had a wonderful time getting together with others and bonding over a 4 day time period.  This race was just apart of what they did together over the weekend.  It sounds to me like an awesome program.

 

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Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: military, military living

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About Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life

Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Welcome to Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life! I am so glad you are here.

My name is Julie and I have been a military spouse for 16 years!

My husband of 19 years has served in the active-duty Army and now the Army National Guard. We have lived in Germany & Tennessee during our time as a military family.

We have three boys and have been through four deployments together.

I hope that you can find support for your own deployments, PCS moves, or anything else military life brings you 🙂

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