Take the good with the bad!

[Meredith]

So Lora reminded me, and I know we've done this post before but maybe it's time for a re-do!

What are some of the awesome things that have come out of your deployment?? How has it made you a better or a stronger person/couple?

1. increased communication skills! Mike and I can hash out anything via phone/internet which has made communication in person so much easier and I find we fight a whole lot less than other couples that we know.

2. absence makes the heart grow fonder!! For every goodbye there's a more memorable beautiful hello!!



so what do you have ladies?? I have tons more but I wanna give you a chance at them ;)

[Katie]

I 150% agree about the communication!!! I would def say I learned to be a Jack of all trades, and can fix just about anything!!!

[Mary Cat]

I think it helped me to do things I never though I could do alone! I learned to stand on my own two feet without any help!

[dawgangel24]

I've definitely learned to appreciate, well, everything a lot more. Deployment taught me that life is too short to stress about things you have no control over. Just gotta adapt to the situation and learn how to make it the best you can.

[Belinda]

Learning who my real friends are. When I actually need to call someone at 2am, I know who in my phone will answer and be willing to help. The list is shorter than I like, but I've found there are a few people on it that I never would have expected.

I've also learned to take time for myself. I've always been bad about looking out for myself, but when my stress level is this high, I find that I NEED to take me days every once in a while.

[Meredith]

kinda like what Lora said! THE LITTLE THINGS!!

enjoying that little kiss on the cheek, or hold in hands when you walk through a parking lot, or him opening the car door for me....those are the important things. not what bar to go to next or what clothes to wear....time together is the most important thing in the world

[ReginaCherie]

the biggest thing i learned was that i can do things on my own.

[Erin]

I'm not sure which separation taught me this, but I learned that you cannot let some temporary situation stop you from living your life. Life goes on even when they are gone, and taking a year off of life won't help anyone.

[dawgangel24]

Erin took my next words right out of my mouth! I think my last deployment was just too much of a shock, I was pretty much alone, I had ZERO military friends cause my husband's unit pretty much refused to acknowledge I even existed and all my civi friends were tards. I pretty much stopped my life for the year he was gone and it's taken me until now (about 4 years since he's been home from #1) to really get myself in order. Definitely wont be doing that again. I've already made plans for stuff to do, I have a job this time, so that will keep me occupied. I wanted to go back to school for culinary arts, but I'm planning on starting MediFast, soooo yeah not a good combination. I'm really excited about it, my brother and sister in law are both on it and I think between the two of them, they've lost well over 125 pounds! But yeah, definitely to keep going, big one there!

[Mary Cat]

Good luck Lora!!!!

I think Belinda is deffinately right on track! When Matt deployed we weren't married yet and I was still living in NJ no where near a base. Even though we got married on R&R, I didn't move up here until 9 months into the deployment. Before I moved it really helped me see who my true friends were. People would make such rude comments and have a total disregard for what I was going through and I would just smile and ignore it. But on those days that I really needed someone there were just a few people that I knew I could turn to (Aside from mtmh of course :) )

[snwalways41903]

when william deployed for 1st time, i was so used to having everything done for me. i had never mowed the grass before, i was so dependent on everyone around me so it was a quick shock. i attempted to start doing things myself. i flooded the lawn mower and had to buy a new one. i had to replace 2 sets of mini blinds, 2 hours later and many trips to the front yard hedges and many slams of the door, cause i was so mad. i finally got them up. my neighbor said hey u need help, i told him no cause me being stubborn i would have only been more aggravated when he came and had them up in 5 mins. when i got them up i felt proud cause i did them and didnt need anyone to help me. after that deployment i know the ins and outs of a toilet, im a pro at mowing the yard. as much as it sucked that william was gone i was so proud of myself at the end of the deployment cause i did it 12 hours from all family. and i didnt have to rely on my dad or anyone else while my hubby was gone.