Please keep the 293rd MPCO in your prayers!!

Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan

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Happy to hear my brother and husband were okay...but regardless this is still family! Wether you know them or not.
My heart and prayers go out to the family. The 293rd will be home in July next year, bring home my husband and brother...and all the other men and women that deployed on July 28th.

Holding my breath...

Is exactly what I was doing on Friday night. Alicia, a good friend of mine, who's husband is my husbands gunner had heard that 1 person was killed and 2 others injured in their group. It was difficult to sit and wait, not knowing. We were told their would be a briefing the next day at 3pm for the wives and family if they could make it. Well with me in Florida, that doesn't help much.
I didn't know them...but my heart goes out to their families.
But I must also add that I am so angry. And I don't know how to write without sounding like im ragging on my FRG group, but SERIOUSLY?! The people that where actually contacted were told 3 different stories, a platoon was MADE UP, the FRG leader ended up turning her phone off, as we're sitting here going "Okay, I haven't heard from my husband/wife".
I feel like that hasn't even touched upon the surface of how I feel and what happened.
But I really don't want to vent on a blog, when I know there are FRG leaders out there that do a great job keeping people informed and what not.

Besides the point, my husband is fine and will be here on R&R in 10 days! Although, my time is cut short because he is visiting family in Michigan before coming to Florida. Regardless, I get to see him and im pretty excited!
My brother is in Germany last I heard on his way here, so im happy that they're both okay!

But please do keep the 293rd MPCO in your prayers, as well as all of the other men and women that put their lives on the line every day!

Wish I had more to say tonight...

I wish I had more time to jump into blogging every day. It seems about a month ago I had all the time in the world. And now since the move and getting a new job (Subaru! Very excited).

Nothing much has happened, I got my couches. Although, the company they decided to ship them through busted the leather on one of the arms...im not very happy about that.

I've been pretty sick today...not wanting to move much.

The hubby is doing well, I heard from him today. Just 2 1/2 more weeks and he'll be here for r&r, very excited.
He'll be visiting family in Michigan and then on his way here.

Well, time for bed. Mandatory drug test tomorrow...Yuck.
Night, night!

Big Bad Dog

So the hubby bought me a puppy before he left, as you can see in the pictures.

He's cute, and the love of my life (nothing against my husband ;) ) But guard dog he is not, haha. Moving into the apartment I was very excited, but if anyone comes in I sure hope I hear them because Bear is not going to let me know, he'll be too busy hiding.

We're currently working on a bark...

Aside from my puppy not wanting to grow up, there are thousands of wives left alone while their husbands are deployed. Nothing against the husbands left alone when their wives are gone, BUT. During this time women do seem to become "targets". Please do be aware of your surrounding at all times, do not go around announcing to everyone that your husband is gone and you are home alone. Simple things like yellow ribbons all over the yard, or any sign that he has been deployed screams "hey im alone". Even the "safest" of neighborhoods you should be careful of. Especially in military communities, it is all too common.

All im asking is stay safe :)

And if you have any tips or stories, please...do drop me a line through comments!

Coming live from my new apartment :)

Hello all, don't hate me...I know I have neglected my blog for a bit. Of course only for necessary time to move into the apartment. Which I definately don't ever want to have to do this again. This is only the 2nd time i've moved on my own. With the hubby being deployed, I don't have to experience the oh so frequent moving around that the military loves for their men and women to do.

Why is it such a hassle to get internet and cable, and WORKING internet and cable at that?!

I had it installed 2 days ago and the Rep said that the Ethernet cable wouldn't fit my computer? That was the oddest thing I had ever heard. It fit my Mac fine, but of course the Mac didn't want to work with me and my HP just wasn't having it.

But other than that, all is well.

Still waiting on my couches, I ordered them sometime last week...they're ETA is October 7th, I didn't know you should have to order them a month in advance, haha. I just want my apartment to look liveable, is that too much to ask?



Well, visit again soon...there will be more updates on the move.





Update on the hubby: He got his CAB (Combat Action Badge) ...

In a few words- OY VEY! Stressfull...

I'll hear all about it on R&R though, and of course give you the scoop...well, what I can of it :)

What i'd give for a nap!

Oh loyal followers how I love you... :)

Don't hate me for slacking on the blog entries, I do promise to be more interesting after the move. I'm very excited to say that I bought couches today! I bought them through AAFES too, with our Military Star Card. They're very nice, should be at the apartment in a few days.

If you don't have a Military Star Card you should get one, it's nice when you don't want to spend too much and don't want to pay taxes ;)

They even have good sales from time to time. Although, I wish I was closer to a base so I could actually shop there as opposed to online where I'm still paying shipping and handling.

Also, they have a new Military Star Card through Chase so you can use it off post! Very convenient.

Wish you were here...

Sorry to my followers, the last 2 days I have just been completely out of it. With the move not going as fast as I'd like and not hearing from the hubby in over a week...not my idea of fun.

Im really hoping to get out tomorrow and get this moving thing taken care of, along with other important matters that I've been putting off because I have little to no motivation.

Well, im off to watch Army Wives :)

All that is missing is bon-bons!

Haha, Mmm...Bon-bons.

Silent ranks playing hardball...

I love Army Wives, I like watching others face the crap we go through every day! It's nice to know when you're not even living near a base (since my hubby is deployed I have chosen to live near home) that there are others out there and that I'm not the only one. Hence, the blog?
But today I read something that just honestly pi**ed me off! I'm still outraged. But I'm going to share it with you because I know you've dealt with it before. This isn't the first time I have jumped to the defense of a soldier...even before my husband I just didn't understand how ignorant people can be.
As I said, I love Army Wives and just happened to miss this last weekends episode. So I jumped on the site to see if they had the episode posted yet. I stumbled upon a blog and was hooked on the entries almost instantly (as you are to other military families/wives, it's our comfort zone) A few entries in I stumbled upon this entry...

"I think a show about military life is extremely annoying.First of all, have you ever noticed when someone dies in a war, he or she is labeled a "hero"? How do we define a simple stranger as a "hero"? Most of them are drunkards, womanizers, and poor excuses for human beings. Many of you claim they joined for "the love of their country." Get real: most of them do not even know what the Constitution IS."

I don't know their name, I don't know why they took it upon themselves to wake up today and post to the Army Wives blog with anger? But what I do know is...

These "drunkards", "womanizers", and "poor excuses for human beings" are fighting for their right to even say that. It's unfortunate that our soldiers are stereotyped, because I know that my husband is not any of the above and I'm pretty sure yours isn't either!

I'm just going to pass this one off as venting...

Operation Enduring Silence...

Our first conversation when my husband actually hit the field did not go over well because I failed to comprehend what I could ask him or what he can even tell me. (Im happy that we can experience the first deployment together)



2 months later I find our conversations going something like this...

Me: Nervous laugh

Hubby: What do you have to say (oh so sarcastically, but still loving)

Me: Well, I saw something on the news...

Hubby: I told you not to watch the news...

Me: Yeah, yeah I know ::as I roll my eyes:: (Hey, he can't see me...I can get away with it)

FACT- NO ONE CAN IGNORE ANDERSON COOPER, or his appeal ;)



Regardless...I could ask, but he can't tell. It still leaves me quite frustrated, even today.

Especially when you get so excited to see "unknown caller" pop up on your caller ID. You're in the middle of shopping and everyone around you is becoming annoyed because you're oblivious to the world around you. Hanging onto every word your soldier has to say no matter how many times you've heard about camel spiders or the heat.





Also, know this:

This is our first deployment, but we learned real quick that the price of a sims cards for the Afghan phones (don't know if this is the same for Iraq) is quite expensive. If anything, budget calling cards into each pay period. They're running us 50 for 2500 units for his phone, and to call the states it takes double. so we fly through these cards. So far my soldier has only been able to buy these cards at the PX on post, and when they get a shipment in they go fast!

Please if you have any information/stories pertaining to these sims cards or how it works in Iraq (or any other deployable country) share with us :)

Things are looking up!

Days like today remind me that it's all going to be okay.

Im now moving on the 30th! Very excited to get back out on my own for the next year, go to school, and hopefully get a new job :)

Just because it doesn't always seem fun or exciting to be a military wife, don't think every day has to be like that.

Truthfully, my hubby has never been great with money, but today I found out he was approved for a credit card. And the credit building begins. Im so happy that he'll have established credit by the time he gets back.

The great thing about this deployment is that I can focus on things like our finances. Especially since combat pay is significantlly higher than when he is being paid to work in the states.

I have learned that going through military banks/credit unions will definately benefit you. So you should take advantage of banking through USAA or even Pentagon, you can check out the links I have provided. Maybe you'd like to refinance your car? Take advantage of your resources :)

https://www.usaa.com/inet/ent_logon/Logon

https://www.penfed.org/

Sending God to the frontline..

Before the deployment I was personally struggling with my faith. I couldn't grasp it...It was almost as if I could turn it on and off. And unfortunately my significant other and I couldn't see eye to eye on religion, making my struggle even harder. He didn't like the idea of a God, and I knew that this God he didn't care for was the only thing that kept me sane half of the time. We all turn to God in our roughest of times, so of course I was craving my usual time of worship closer to the deployment, but finding all of my time wrapped up in a human being that had already flipped my world upside down with his PT, briefings, formations, and oh so confusing military time...something needed to be changed.
It took me some time but I realized I was being selfish, I wasn't sharing my God, our God...with him. Maybe he never gave him a chance because he was never properly introduced to him. Sometimes that's just how it works.
So I set out on my mission, I bought a Bible (nothing fancy 12.95 @ Walmart) a pack of highlighters, and tabs. I then set out to figure out all of my favorite Bible verses and then some. I found verses for strength, courage, trust, love, and sadness. I even wrote side notes just in case he had questions. A few weeks before the deployment I presented the Bible to him, and he thanked me...but we didn't talk too much about it. Here and there he would ask questions, but nothing too serious. Then I had had it. I sat him down to explain how much God was apart of my life and how much I wanted him to be involved in everything that I do. He told me he understood and we had an in-depth conversation that night, I still felt like I got nowhere...but was relieved to express myself.
1 week before the deployment he had taken my set of dog tags that he had give me when we had first met...didn't say a word, just took them. He handed them to me with a smile, I looked at looked at them and where it once said "no religious preference" now read "christian".
Now even 7000 miles away he tells me about Bible verses he suggest I read :)

Sending my love, 7000 miles away...

My sleeping habits are 100 percent unhealthy, and I have a few army wife friends that would say the same.
At 7:30pm my time, he's waking up for work. Convenient. But he doesn't get a chance to talk until about 2am my time, and if he doesn't get a chance then anywhere between 2-6 he could call. I almost feel guilty when I fall asleep, thinking I could sleep through the phone ringing.
I wrote every day for about 2 weeks when he was first deployed, but then found myself at a loss for words. My days were too predictable and the pages were filled with enough love to last him a few years.
Our phone calls are great and I love to hear from him, but hate when I have to bring up financial issues or anything negative. I almost dread the phone call...I hate making him think that anything could possibly be his fault.
Despite it all, all of our phone calls and letters end with love and we put anything else behind us.
A book I received pre-deployment helped me get through a lot of similair issues. I have provided the link if you're interested!
http://www.separatedbyduty.com/

Trading my sanity...

When he asked me to marry him I thought it would be easy. When we said "I do" I thought to myself, "This is it!". But when he left me for Afghanistan, my mind went blank. I drove back to the hotel in the dark, tears streaming down my face...alone. I paced as anxiety set in. But I could do this "You're Army wife strong" he would tell me, and I would laugh and roll my eyes. I was weak, who was I kidding?

That was 2 months ago, and I have learned that if you do not allow yourself to take on the duties of a military wife and be "strong" you will fail miserably at a chance of sanity.

That is why I made this blog, not for myself but for you. If you're anything like me, Google has become your best friend. Ways to get through deployment, pre-deployment, what is an LES, how to read an LES, military ranks, AHRN, living on post vs. off post, etc. Im sure many of you could provide more (encouraged!).

So please, join my blog, follow me, make your own blog, and lets get through this together. Wether it's a deployment or your husbands/wives 20 year chosen career. Any branch, any MOS, lets do this together!