In between the emotional ups and downs of preparing for deployment, you have to ensure you have everything you need to take care of finances, the house, cars, etc. while your spouse is gone. You have to keep in mind that while you might have pretty regular communication with him or her when your spouse […]

The good news is we made it through the holidays without having to dodge too many questions about my husband’s next deployment. A few family members and friends asked, but we just told them that we aren’t talking about it right now. We are focusing on just enjoying the holidays with Mike home. I knew […]

Dear Santa: Thank you for bringing my husband home right before Christmas. It is the best Christmas present I could ask for this year. Since my husband and I got engaged in December 2004, we have only been able to spend 2 Christmases together so this will definitely be a special holiday for us! However, […]

So it is about one week before my husband comes home and I’m trilled! I cannot wait to see him. Last week was a bit of a struggle. I don’t know why, but for me it is always about 2 weeks before he comes home that is a real killer. The time seems to literally […]

It is certainly hard to hear the news that the U.S. will be sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. I understand the troops already there are spread thin and need the support, but I still don’t want my husband to go. While he is still currently deployed and I’m sure has no idea if his battalion […]

While we spend another Thanksgiving apart, I still have many things to be thankful for! Email and webcams: I know that email can seem impersonal sometimes, but I’m still thankful that I can look forward to my husband’s emails everyday and know he is safe. At least we don’t have to communicate by letter. Webcams […]

It definitely helps me to have a hobby or interest (or two) that can keep me busy while my husband is gone. Running is something that really helps me get through the hard times. It has a spiritual aspect for me that I really cannot explain. This year I decided to run the Marine Corps […]

To be honest, I never even thought about what I want to know and don’t want to know when my husband is deployed. It never even occurred to us to have this discussion. I just assumed my husband was telling me everything because to be honest I cannot handle the truth when he is in […]

When my husband deploys I set little milestones for myself. First, it is getting through day one. It is always a day of mixed emotions and that forever lump in my throat that will not go away until I break down and cry. I do my best not to cry when he leaves because I […]

Saying goodbye to my husband before he leaves is probably the hardest moment of deployment for me. I drive to the base with an upset stomach and a lump in my throat choking back the tears. Nothing can really make it better, but one of Mike’s former captions did share some good advice when Mike […]