Deployment

So....

about a week and a half down. Many more to go.

I'm also not going to lie and say that deployments don't suck. Because they do.

And how am I doing? Ok, so far.

My emotions have gone into survival-mode, which I'm thankful for. Of course there are difficult moments, but any time I start to feel myself getting too emotional, I immediately think of all I have to be thankful for in this, and then I'm Ok.

The incredible blessings are as follows:

1. Matt is in TX now and at the end of June, he has four days of leave, so I get to see him!!!! That fact alone made the goodbye infinite times easier, just knowing I'd get to see him again in several weeks.

2. A blessing in disguise is that for the past four months, Matt has been gone all the time either on trainings for this deployment or for work during the week in Detroit. That means for the past four months, I've been alone a lot, so it makes being alone now much easier, having gotten used to it.

3. Matt's unit is intelligence-based, meaning while he's in Afghanistan, he'll be sitting at a desk, as opposed to being in a combat. That is HUGE--that I don't have to sit around wondering if Matt's in the line of fire.

4. Because his unit is intel, he'll be on the main base in Afghanistan: Bagram. That's the safest place he can be, plus it will allow for the best communication opportunities between the two of us. We're hopeful we'll be able to have fairly consistent communication.

5. Army deployments can take soldiers away for 14 months, when you count the time in the US before going overseas. Matt's deployment should last for 12 months total, and possibly less.

6. I get to do something so amazing while Matt is gone--getting to go to live/work in Hungary! This means, of course, that Matt will come to Hungary when he has his leave. We both can't wait!

7. This deployment will allow us to make some huge steps financially--pay off our debt, take a very cool vacation, and afford a down payment on a house. We have so much to look forward to!

8. I'm ultimately very proud of Matt and his willingness to serve our country. I also feel honored that, in a way, I'm able to participate in giving back to America, just by being his spouse. Matt and I both love this great country very much.

Right now this whole deployment thing doesn't seem so bad, since Matt is still in the US. I'm sure once he actually gets to Afghanistan, it will be much more difficult for me because I'll feel very cut off from him. So I am anticipating things to get harder, but I know with God, and all the love and support from family and friends, I'll make it through, and hopefully be all the stronger for it.

Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers! Your support means the world to both of us. We are so blessed!