7 Days Time

Ok. Here’s the “tooth” about deployment: sometimes it really “bites.” Other days it can directly hit a “nerve.” The absence of your Beloved creates a “cavity” that is difficult, if not impossible, to “fill.” Yes, deployment can even leave a bad “taste” in your mouth. But know what? Taking time to determinedly set your “jaw” and keep a stiff upper “lip” even in mundane moments of daily life such a a triple-play day of dentist appointments is necessary to find joy and hope in the “suck.” Time (and Jesus) gives us “wisdom” and yes, even the ability to SMILE.

PS: No major dental procedures were performed in the making of this post. #ThankYouJesusForThat #EveryoneCrushedIt #EvenTheToddler!

Now that I’m done with school for the summer (Can I get an amen??), I am trying to be more intentional to “play” during the rest of this deployment. It’s kind of weird that it doesn’t come naturallyl to me anymore (too much adulting I think– gross, I know!) Thankfully, the kindergardener-almost-rising-first-grader is good at drawing me in… Like a Saturday morning (mandatory?) PJ picnics in the living room (on a cardboard box for a table).

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Deployment Log, Day 216:

1. ARE WE DONE YET??

2. No. No, we are not.

We absolutely LOVE it when family comes to visits. But dang, the see-ya-laters get us every time. Malick looked how I felt when we dropped Aunt Denise Wysong off to return home earlier today. We miss you, ‘Neese!! And thanks for blessing us with your presence and help the last 12 days. So glad I could catch my breath!

Now if everyone will excuse me, I have to go solo adult again. #Gross

The Knobloch children are in fine form today. Conspiratorial shenanigans before school, now this, 15 minutes after school gets out.

Me: “All right! That’s IT! This is your LAST warning! If you two do not stop fighting, there will be TIME OUTS FOR EVERYONE!”

Charis: *Pauses from the impromptu youth MMA match in the kitchen* “A time out even for you, Mama?”

Fifteen (FIFTEEN!?!) years ago today, my Beloved graduated from basic training!! Since then, a lot has happened: 5 deployments, 6 duty stations, 1 wife (you are welcome, by the way!), three pregnancies, two Tiny Humans, 1 dog, 4,329 inside jokes and about eleventy billion prayers.

Thanks for doing what you do, Brandon We are so dang proud of you… And cheers to being 75% (ish) done with your army career!!#HowSoonIsTooSoonToStartPlanningTheRetirementParty#AskingForAFriend

#KiddingNotKidding #ButSeriouslyImKidding

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Deployment Log, Day 210:

1. So, hypothetical question… how close does one have to be to the end of a deployment to start using the phrase “homestretch?”

2. Now? OK. CHEERS TO THE HOMESTRETCH OF THIS DEPLOYMENT!!! And hello, month seven.

3. Disclaimer: No, we never know when exactly he’s coming home. And yes, it can always change. And no, I can’t post it on social media anyways… OPSEC (operational security is mucho importante).

4. I feel like the last couple ish months of deployment are a lot like the last couple months of pregnancy. It seems to drag on, and we all look like a hot mess, even though we are really doing ok. And my apologies in advance to anyone who asks when he’s coming back and I give kind of a short, snippy, general answer. I don’t mean to have an attitude. And you can totally ask me. But it is really the only way I can keep myself from getting TOO excited TOO soon. Again, kind of like a baby’s due date. Both my kids were overdue and those last few days when someone said, “GOSH, YOU ARE STILL PREGNANT?!?!” I wanted to cut them. Similar-ish feeling. Only I don’t get as much heartburn and can walk to the mailbox without losing my breath.

5. I have began the redeployment (homecoming) nesting process. Not that my husband cares if things are organized and clean. But I finally have time to get some stuff back in order…

6. BECAUSE I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL FOR THREE MONTHS! #AndAllGodsPeopleSaidAmen

7. Oh, after 6 weeks of hoopla and literally 12 trips between emissions testing, dealership and car registration place, THE TRUCK IS OFFICIALLY REGISTERED IN TEXAS. Although you might think I would have cried happy tears, I almost cried tear-tears… Because they made us pay sales tax on the truck. PSA to all my military friends: IF YOU EVER BUY A TRUCK IN GEORGIA, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, opt to pay the Ad Valorem tax, even if it “appears” to be about a hundred bucks cheaper. Because Ad Valorem tax does not count as sales tax in other states, say Texas. Now we have two license plates for the truck that are literally the most expensive piece of metal we’ve probably ever owned. #ByeMoney

8. Aunt Denise introduced me to the glory of wet brushes for thick kindergartener (and mama) hair. My life has been changed for good. #ItsTheSmallStuff

9. Charis has just over two and a half weeks of school left. That’s craziness, I tell ya!

10. Malick and I have continued to work on his vocab when we are on our stroller walks. Today was brushing up on more patriotic words: Infantry, Regulars (our battalion), America, and his personal favorite HOOAH.

11. Prayers: For peace, kindness and gentleness in these final weeks-ish of deployment. Although homecoming is a good thing (a VERY good thing) there’s a lot of chaos that normally comes with it and reintegration isn’t typically like it is portrayed on the Hallmark channel. Oh, and prayers that I can REST now that school is done for me and focus on spending time with the great people in my life and filling my bucket.

12. Parting thought: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. ” ~Philippians 1:16 NLT

It was “Wellness Wednesday” at school today. So parents were invited to come walk with their kids during PE. Except today was one of the like nine days of the year it rains in the desert. So we did PE in the gym. See also: Dancing. To YouTube/Just Dance videos. I. Looked. A. FOOL. (Charis was near the front of the room, so go big or go home I guess). But it was hilarious. 40 something kindergarteners and a handful of brave parents doing the Gummy Bear dance, the Monkey Dance, and the kid version of “Watch me whip it” and “What does the Fox day?” All of that wasn’t part of my plan when I woke up today, but I know it was the right choice when Charis leaned over and hugged me between every song.

We, Malick, Charis, Aunt Denise, Flat Daddy, Autumn (honorary Knobloch) and I want to wish our Beloved Leroy Chuck HAPPY EASTER! You were undoubtedly missed at Paseo Church’s sunrise service in the park.

And of course, Blessed Resurrection Day to all of our friends and family across the miles.

If there is not already a milspouse proverb that says “Friends that get inked together, stay together, even if one friend is moving a thousand miles away,” there should be.

Today, my bestie Megan and I were reminded how much feet tattoos hurt… but we now have matching tattoos! The design turned out wonderfully: it is the actual skyline of the Franklin mountains, complete with the Texas star (because Megan lives below it) and also includes the iconic Mount Cristo Rey. The scripture is Isaiah 52:7, which says “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

I’ve had many proud moments in life. I graduated undergrad with honors. I ran a full marathon and didn’t die. I watched my Beloved Husband rock at his job and be promoted “ahead of peers” in the army. I birthed two beautiful children without painkillers. But TODAY is my greatest* life accomplishment! After EIGHT inspection attempts, driving hub’s truck nearly 1,000 miles after we replaced the battery in an attempt to get the monitors/drive cycle reset (“Just keep driving it,” they said), 4 hours at the dealership and approximately 4,329 prayers, THE TRUCK HAS FINALLY PASSED ITS EMISSIONS TEST. The issue? Dust (seriously, just dust?!?!) in the mass air flow sensor.  #GladItDidntCostAMillionDollars#AndAllGodsPeopleSaidAmen

*Only slight exaggeration on the “greatest accomplishment” bit.

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Deployment Log, Day 202:1. We are in the two-hundreds of our count-up, folks! Which can only mean one thing: We are getting closer to homecoming EVERY DAY.

2. Ok, I admit that even at day 12 we were getting close to homecoming everyday. But it’s way different now that we can almost see the light at the end of this very sticky, sandy, milk-spitted tunnel (thanks, son).

3. It’s been an absolute joy, delight and blessing to have Aunt Denise here. Seriously. That woman needs to update her resume to include “professional shoe-putter-onner” and “kid-bed-putter-to-sleeper” and “fight-breaker-upper.” I feel like I’ve been able to breathe!

4. And speaking of breathing– I went on a sabbatical this weekend. As usual, the time away with just me and Jesus was EXACTLY what I needed for my soul. Nothing profound except sleeping through the night, eating slowly with two hands (and not sharing) and going to the bathroom by myself.

5. Now that I think of it, that IS pretty profound.

6. I could write my own post all about my sabbatical in the little casita north of Las Cruces, but here are the highlights: I slept 10.5 hrs, 11 hrs, 11.5 hrs each night (respectively), and “accidentally” took a three hour nap on Saturday. I read three books and started two more. It is officially sun screen season and lizard season, pecan orchards are AWESOME (especially when they are being irrigated!), New Mexico has onion fields (did not know this) and the Rio Grande is pretty grande, it not very rio-ish (almost zero water in it). Oh, and the three horses out in the yard near the casita brought such joy to my soul. My hostess even taught me to “drive” them like for pulling a cart/carriage.

7. My Beloved has been incredibly busy the last month with EIB (Expert Infantryman Badge) train up and certification (He already earned his, thank goodness!) That said, we hadn’t talked on the phone in a MONTH. A month I tell ya! BUT… Last night we were able to connect and chatted for NINETY MINUTES! 90 precious minutes of uninterrupted husband/wife life talk. I thought my heart was going to explode and was all happy-teary eyed when we got done! (Thanks again to Aunt Denise for putting the babes to bed so we could have our time together).

8. Malick and Charis are still a handful of funniness. Malick is saying more and more words everyday and it’s great. He realized how incredible pockets on his pants are today. And Charis is intermittently frustrated at me because I won’t let her change her name to start with a “K” and that her last name DOES start with a “K” but actually sounds like an “N.” I know, honey. Words are hard. (Better than numbers, though!)

9. I am at the HOMESTRETCH of class for this semester. Three assignments away from summer freedom. (One of those is a 20 page research paper. Hooray said me never). I feel like I have senioritis and I’m totally not a senior. Maybe I have adultitis. Or deploymentitis. I should prob get that checked out before a develop a rash or something…

10. Prayer requests: Strength, focus and motivation to finish this class and finish well; safe travels for Denise back to MN tomorrow (sniffle, sniffle, tear, sigh); Positive attitude and sticktoitiveness for the last several weeks of this separated-by-duty situation. WE. CAN. DO. THIS. #Merica

11. Parting thought: “Rejoice always.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:16