Mobilization & Dance Class

Malu left yesterday to start mobilizing for his upcoming deployment.  Basically, he and his unit will be training and preparing to deploy overseas over the next two months. Back in the states, Malu would always mobilize at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  There was usually one four-day weekend closer to their departure date that they'd be released to visit family, go on a short trip, etc.  Here, although he is technically mobilizing in another German state, he's only two and a half hours away at Grafenwoehr.  This means, that when there's down time over the weekend, he may be able to squeeze in a few visits here and there. 

Additionally, next weekend the unit will host what's called a Yellow Ribbon event where all the unit soldiers and their families link up for a meet & greet and to connect with resources before the deployment.  Lodging is paid for, which is a nice bonus, and you get to spend time touring the area at which the event is hosted.  We'll be in Nurnberg!  So while it's not officially good-bye, I still had a hard time after he left yesterday.  I mean, this is pretty much the beginning of the deployment (which, including mobilization, will total 11 months).  And even though he's a few hours away right now, he's still not here :(

 

Somehow I manage.

 

Work and just everyday life just kicks right back in to gear and there's no room for moping.

 

Today was my first official day back at work after leave.  It was busy.  I still have tons of catching up to do.

 

Vaiosina also started her first day of the Parent & Toddler Team Dance class that I signed us up for.  For the next two months, she and I will spend every Wednesday afternoon (it's a 45-minute class) at dance class.

 

Today, she was very timid.  She was content to just watch for the first half hour.

 

 

I didn't feel the least bit bad.  With a class full of tots, it was hard to keep anyone's attention.

 

 

She didn't really warm up and start dancing until about the last ten minutes, but it was still fun.  I'm pretty sure that after about two classes, she'll start groovin' like she usually does when it's just us at home.  As a matter of fact, she was showing me some of the moves she learned while on the potty tonight.  It's going to be a great time for the both of us!

 

I decided that we'd treat ourselves to personalized pizzas for dinner.  Vaiosina loved making them!

 

You see?  Even though we're missing part of our trio, we make do.  We're just fine.

 

Malu had been telling Vaiosina for weeks that he'd be leaving soon and that she was going to have to take good care of me and that she is.  I'm so glad that she's here to keep me company.

 

I love you baby girl.

 

And to Malu...we love and miss you so much!  Hope that we get to see you when you catch a break!



Deployment Survivor Button-Up

So check it out...Amber, a Marine wife over at Goodnight Moon!, is hosting a blog link-up called the Deployment Survivor Button-Up.  What a great idea...so I decided to participate.

If you have survived a deployment or are going through one, then this link-up is for you!  Head on over to her blog, grab her button, tell your story, and link back up to her blog (which is totally cool, by the way).

I have personally survived 1 deployment.  I was deployed to Iraq back in 2004 (as I am in the military myself) and I actually met my husband there.  I'd say that I've been on two deployments, but that's a funny story.  I got back from that "deployment" last December.

OIF (2004-2005)

My husband, Malu, has been on two deployments since we've been married.  He returned from his most recent deployment in mid-June...just in time for our baby's arrival!  For the 5+ years that we have been together, we have lived together about a total of one year.  I won't even go into the Army schools and TDYs that have kept us apart.  Being a dual military couple is no joke.  But it's what we signed up for...and we understand that's the nature of the beast.

So yes...I'm a deployment survivor.  And will most likely have to survive many more to come!

~Pure Bliss~

Wow!  Sorry I've been "out of the net" the entire week guys.  It was one heck of a week with work and how crazy hot it is out there, making it completely unbearable for this 34-week pregnant woman.

I got a ticket on post on Wednesday for supposedly going 40 in a 35.  I think the MP would have given me a warning had I not argued with him.  But I got a $115 ticket, which is more than other tickets I've received for going so much more over the speed limit.  Whatever.

Then, I was on lock-down at work because someone in the unit decided to lose a really important piece of equipment.  That meant, no one could go home until they were found.  All the soldiers, including my pregnant friend, Laura, had to stay at work overnight.  We literally slept on the couches in the brigade headquarters.  She and I were finally released last night...it's so great to be home.

But none of these things could break my spirits this week, because.....

Malu is HOME from his 3rd deployment to Iraq! 

I mean, home for good--at least for a while!

His unit's deployment was cut short and he'd known for a few months and planned on surprising me.

Well, he gave it a nice try.

After some snooping, I'd found out about it about a week before (I have my ways) and some of my girlfriends went to the airport at 11:30 p.m. on Monday to surprise him.  And it worked out really well...he never really devised a plan on how to get to our house, which he's never been to before (and it can't be map-quested because it's in a new part of town).

Here are some pics, and even though I knew he was coming home, it was still a wonderful surprise for me...and for him.

The pre-arrival photo

Me:  Gotcha!! 

Malu: What are you doing here?!?!

And once again, all is perfect in my world.

The next morning, I woke up to this:

And almost a week of seeing him every morning by my side, I'm still in amazement and am beyond elated.  And the serenity I feel just by having him here...it's indescribable.

So yeah, bring on the speeding tickets and unit lock downs (in which Malu stayed with us the entire night, brought blankets, pillows, and food for us!)!  I've got my hubby...and he's all I need.

He'll be leaving tomorrow to go back to Fort Dix, NJ to complete his demobilization and will return in a few days.  He'll definitely be here for Vaiosina's delivery, which I'm completely ecstatic about.  And we'll go from there. 

And he's been so wonderful....cooking dinners, taking care of Lucy, making me breakfasts late at night because I crave pancakes, singing and talking to Vaiosina before we go to bed.  It's been great!

And today is our 3-year anniversary, so we're going to have some fun!

Moms Know Best

I called my mom on the way home from work today because I saw that she had phoned me earlier, but I'd missed the call. She told me that she'd rented the movie, Brothers, from the Red Box and that she took it to work. Depending on how busy the store gets, she can find some time to watch movies and she watched this one today. I personally haven't watched it and it's a good thing because she said it's scary and living alone and having to sleep alone at night, I just can't. do. scary. movies.

As you probably know, this movie has to do with a pair of brothers, and one goes to war, and the other, is left to console his brother's grieving wife when they find out that he is missing in action and is eventually declared dead. In the process, the wife forms a relationship with the "alive" brother only to have the "supposedly missing/dead" other brother return from the war "un-missing/dead" to find that his brother and his wife are "together" (did you guys get all that?). I guess he becomes hysterical--a lot of this stemming from what he experienced in the war, which according to my mom, was a lot of murder. Both him committing murder and witnessing murder. I think he was in Iraq in the movie.

So my mom asks, "Is Malu okay? Have you heard from him lately?" And of course, I had. I let her know that he's doing fine. So she says, "I just want to make sure that he doesn't end up like the guy in the movie. Does he see a lot of killing over there?" And that, I'm not sure. He is in the kind of job that requires him to interact with a lot of the local populace, so it is possible. If he does, he wouldn't tell me anyway for fear that I would worry. And I would. "Maybe he should get a psychological eval when he gets back." And I assure her that all soldiers normally do when they return from a deployment. "I would hate for him to go crazy like that." And I just laughed it off.

Although I got a really good laugh because it just caught me by surprise, looking back, it is a very serious issue. Many Soldiers come back after experiencing traumatic events overseas and are never the same. Some are completely irrational and do act like the guy supposedly did in this movie. Situations like these are not easy to come to terms with, but if you are a family member of a Soldier in this predicament, there are people that can help--both you as a dependent and your Soldier! So if you need more information, just let me know.

So moms can be crazy funny sometimes, but they do know best. And my mama was just looking out for Malu and I, and our little baby to be. I love you, Mom! But Malu will still get a kick out of this when I tell him this story.