First of all I would like to thank Melissa for letting me guest blog for her while she is out. I really enjoy reading her blog. There isn't anything stronger and more inspiring than a woman who is raising two kids and also deals with the hubby being in the Military. I tip my hat to Melissa and all of you ladies out there who are doing this.
At first my mind was completely blank trying to figure out what in the world I was going to post about, I thought about it and I think I have found something. I hope it's not to lame lol.
I never in a million years thought I would ever enter this crazy life, but now that I am in it I wouldn't trade it for the world. So I get on facebook and on here and see girls talking about how their SO's are deploying, or have deployed, and it breaks my heart. I have been through 2 deployments with my Marine in the almost 2 years we have been together. Seeing girls post and talk about the "D" word brings back all those emotions I had when my Marine was gone. I can look at pictures and start crying because I can still remember how I felt when he left. I believe that a deployment is a true test to see how strong your relationship truly is. I can honestly say that the 2 deployments we have been through have most definitely made ours so much stronger, and I am so thankful for that. Before Justin (my Marine), I had always dated guys that lived around here, so I was use to seeing them every day. Being with Justin has made me appreciate our relationship so much more because we don't take for granted the time we get to spend with each other. Justin is stationed 4 hours away in VA, so the only time we get to spend with each other is on the weekends when he drives to NC. He will never know how much I appreciate him driving down to spend the weekend with me every chance he gets, it makes me feel so special. I soak up every second I get to spend with him, because I know that moment wont last forever.
Our first deployment (and the time and reason I actually started my blog), was a true strength builder. We had only been dating like 3 months or so when he left for Cuba on December 1st. (Pretty sad when I don't remember to many dates, but I can tell you exactly when he deployed lol). Cuba was a make it or break it deployment. It showed us pretty much if we were going to make it or not, that is where we built our trust for each other. No, it wasn't easy because we had both been burned in the past and had trust issues, but we made it and I cant tell you how amazing that feeling was when he was in my arms again. Another thing that Cuba did for us was prepare us for the next deployment, because we knew it was going to be for longer. Next up was Japan for 7 1/2 months, he left July 7th. It's funny because I handled it better than I thought I would. Yes I had my moments when I couldn't help but cry, but overall I was so proud of myself for not coming completely undone. Japan tested us in other ways than Cuba, and you could tell that we had grown so much in our relationship. No, our relationship isn't perfect, we still have to work at it, but we made it through it, and I am so proud to say that our love has survived 2 deployments, it makes me think we can handle anything thrown our way. It is so funny because when he got back from Japan it was like we just picked up right were we had left off, it felt like nothing had changed.
My advice on those who are going through a deployment, or will face one in the future...
First of all keep positive. I read things where girls post that its been so many days/months since they have seen their SO...ladies don't look at it like that. To me that is so negative, try to keep positive and think about it like its so many days/months until I see him again. Trust me, if you get the mind set of counting down until you see him again, no matter how long it will be, I promise it will be so much better than doing the counting the days since I've seen him. Try to keep your mind positive, as hard as it may be, and trust me I know it's hard. Another thing, try to find something to keep yourself busy. Whether it be school, craft projects, reading books, or whatever interest you. If you keep a list of things you want to accomplish before his return, and slowly check each item off as you go, I promise it will go by so much faster than sitting by the phone or computer waiting for his call or email, just keep your mind busy and off of how much you miss him. Once again I know it's hard, but trust me it will make things a lot better.
I am not a deployment expert by no means, but I have had to learn a lot of things along the way and I wanted to share some of the things I have learned with some of you, hoping to help you out, as others have helped me. I really hope this has helped at least one person, even if in the smallest way possible. Just remember to stay positive, stay strong for your man, and know there are ladies around you who are here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to vent to, or just need to simply talk. You are not alone in this crazy life.
I want to thank Melissa once again for giving me the opportunity to share some of my experiences with you. I'm sorry the post was so long, I hope you didn't get to bored lol. I hope you all have a great day! Semper Fi <3
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Thanks for the love yall! <3