Tag Archives | mondays

Happy Birthday!

By on August 2, 2010 in Celebrations, Deployment

Today was my husband’s birthday. It is very tricky to celebrate a birthday form 7,000 miles away with an 8 1/2 hour time difference, but we managed admirably. The night before I posted on my military spouses Facebook group that Anthony’s birthday was coming and could they pass the word on to their husbands. That effort was apparently successful as he told me that a few of the guys treated him to lunch at the mess hall. Not the Ritz I know, but it was the thought that counts.

He just by amazing coincidence received the box of birthday presents I had mailed the week before. He was very excited about the cards, framed picture, books and the candy and cookies of course. In addition, he received a couple of other gifts via email gift certificates and is already spending them!

We were able to finally get Facebook chat to work and communicated for some time catching up and celebrating his birthday virtually. It was a pleasant, rather nicer than expected day.

Later that evening the kids and I decided to go out to dinner and to the beach to celebrate “for him.” We had a nice dinner, walked on the beach, took pictures and rode some rides at the little amusement park there. It was nice until I got sick on the Ferris wheel and was ill for the rest of the night. I don’t do rides, but Elijah wanted me to take daddy’s place and so I reluctantly agreed. For future reference, not a good plan…

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A Sad Anniversary is Hard

By on July 19, 2010 in Deployment, Emotions, Stress

Today was both sorrowful and triumphant; a swirl of desperate emotions that threatened to overwhelm, but instead encouraged in an odd and unexpected way.  Today is the anniversary of my father’s death. It has been 4 years now and in a detached way, I am curious to see how the day unfolds. Will it be absolutely awful or less painful than previous years? I feel some guilt that I am moving on with my day, with my life in fact, but that is what must be done.

Work is a bit hurried and stressful today. I am increasingly having trouble juggling my responsibilities, clients and work. I just keep thinking that if I could plan out my days in a more efficient fashion, it would all get done. I am a productivity expert after all; I should be able to figure it out. My morning work runs late, a client cancels and I just decide I need to escape. Elijah and I go to the movies for an impulsive afternoon diversion and are surprised that we enjoy ourselves tremendously. I chat with my sister and have a brief visit with my mom before I am off to my evening meeting and then a stop at the cemetery on my way home.

I struggle all day with the underlying grief. I shed only a few tears, but the ache is there like a dull throbbing twinge that will not go away. I discover that instead of being shattered, I am strengthened by the memories. I am reminded once again that life is too short and that I must follow my heart and be not afraid of other’s opinions. I am feeling so emboldened that at my meeting I announce to the cemetery board that I will not be renewing my term as treasurer. I need to start slashing my commitments, because I have come to realize the awful truth that I do not have any time for me. I am getting lost in my daily shuffle and I never will find myself again if I do not stand up for myself.

I visit my father’s grave as I do frequently and this time though tears threaten, I can almost hear him say, “Atta girl. You’re going to be fine.” I reply more to myself than to him, “Yeah dad, I am.” For the first time I smile as I leave the cemetery.

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Manic Monday for a Military Wife

By on July 13, 2010 in Deployment

Whew! Mondays are always hard; tougher still when you have a squirmy 11 year old sleeping with you, who is a bed hog and who snores almost as loudly as his father. Note to myself: The snoring issue must be hereditary, remember to warn my son’s future wife someday to buy cases of earplugs. So, with approximately 6 hours of spotty snatched of sleep I am up and running; except not really running, because once again I have slept until 6:30 and do not have time to exercise.

I have work and Elijah starts summer band today, so I have to text in that I will be late for our weekly virtual staff meeting and off we go. Either I wrote down the location wrong or it was moved, because we could not locate the summer band rehearsal and had to drive around to several of our school buildings until we ended up at the elementary school where we probably should have started. Oh well.

I have started working from the dining room table instead of my office, partly because it’s cooler on the first floor and partly because I want to be nearer to Elijah as he plays, eats and works on his projects. Elijah and I decide to have tuna salad sandwiches for lunch and egg salad sandwiches for dinner; both of which my absent husband will not eat. Points for us.

We get groceries and finish our evening by playing Atari. My son annihilates me despite the fact that he was not born until 20 years after I owned my original Atari system.

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