Deployment Log, Day 7: Brought to you by Costco Pizza, the Blessing Box and, as usual, Jesus.
1. Today was probably my “twitchiest” day since see-ya-later day. I was just wound up all day, trying to deal with what Billy Ray Cyrus refers to as my “achy breaky heart.” I’ve still only gotten like 3 text messages and one 5 minute Facetime convo in the last week with my man. His sched is super busy, but I sure miss his face!
2. I think today got off to a wonky start because the kindergartener decided to rebel, starting at 0554 this morning. I was trying to get my quiet time in with Jesus and she had found the skimpiest pair of shorts left in her collection (I thought I had done a recent modesty sweep, but apparently she was hoarding them). The windchill factor this morning was 38 degrees, so I told her she had to wear pants under the shorts.
3. Epic 45 meltdown ensues. #ParentingIsHard
4. Malick was also a bit clingy and needy today. He seemed more tired than usual– maybe because we’ve been staying up a bit later (since I am trying to do #AllTheThings by myself in the evenings now) and because his dear sister woke him up this morning with her fit.
5. Anywho, I am grateful it was still a productive day… My happiness style is “Doer” (Thanks for writing that amazing book, Jennifer Lee)
6. That said, I’m trying to be a less sucky housekeeper. I really don’t have that high of standards, but they say routine is super important for kids during deployment, and it is also important for Type-A mamas. So Tuesday, I focus on cleaning up the hot mess express that is our house… With the kids, cleaning really is like shoveling the sidewalk while it is still snowing or brushing your teeth while eating Oreos, but trying to stay on top of it on a more scheduled, regular basis is less overwhelming for all things life.
7. If you come over, chances are there will still be toddler-sized greek yogurt handprints now caked with sand stamped across my kitchen floor, even if I just mopped 90 seconds ago.
8. I hauled the kids to Costco after school. Malick is a good snack/sample eater.
9. Thank the Lord for ginormous slices of Costco pizza for a whopping $2.15. Fed both kids and apparently the dog supper (Justus stole the other half of the huge slice).
10. I’m grateful for our tribe cheering us on. I dipped into my portion of the Blessing Bucket just a few minutes ago and opened the first of Staci DeGeer‘s blessing to me– I love it and am so excited for my Fruits of the Spirit Devotion series.
11. Oh, in all of Charis’ rebellion and back talk today, I was praying for God to give me some insight how to respond. I was expecting some profound scripture to flood my soul, but instead the words of Woodrow Call from “Lonesome Dove” came to mind: “I won’t tolerate rude behavior in a man.” #ThatWorksIGuess
12. Today’s closing thought, from Zephaniah 3:17…
“The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Although Flat Daddy has to wear the same uniform day after day, we encourage our daughter to embrace her individuality and express herself through her attire. (That and Not-Flat-Mama doesn’t really want to argue with her…) Today, our daughter broke some records with her clothing choices: Long sleeve green shirt with the funky matching top/skirt set Not-Flat-Daddy brought back from his last deployment to Thailand, Lularoe red-heart leggings, non-October-esque shoes, three hair bows, a loud headband and a woven striped coat (I stopped her from bringing the partridge and the pear tree to school today…)
***
Deployment Log, Day 8 & 9:
1. It’s been a good couple of days. I feel like we are starting to maybe-kinda-sorta get a groove on… As my wise Mama Cj says, I have to remember that it’s not only going to take us awhile to establish our new normal, but also just recover from the prep and chaos of the last few weeks (months?!) Apparently deployment stuff can be stressful or something. #RumorHasIt
2. Yesterday I did a boatload of errands that I have needed to do but hadn’t had a chance. I also didn’t open my computer till the evening after the kids were in bed. It was refreshing!
3. Thanks to all the running around yesterday, I now have a couple pair of jeans that fit (#NotComplaining#GettingFitProbs), long running pants that fit, (side note: My Fitness Pal should have exercise programmed in there for power-shopping-clothes-trying-on. I checked my heart rate and I was going at a speed that totally counted as cardio), Halloween costumes planned for the three of us, and more than enough “supplies” for my new bullet journaling endeavor.
4. I am now obsessed with Washi tape.
5. And Hobby Lobby (but that’s not news).
6. If something is 50% off at Hobby Lobby, that means you can buy twice as much, right? Asking for a friend…
7. We engaged all things social last night and tonight and had some best good friends over (Sorry if that sounds like Forrest Gump talking about Bubba). But seriously, Megan Clayburn, Brandi Walker and Melania Fainaare such heart bucket fillers for me.
8. Oh, I got to talk to Brandon this morning at 0534. It was a wonderful nine whole minutes of seeing his face… Even though we both looked like sleep-seeking zombies. He’s worn out from the crazy work schedule, and my alarm had just gone off a few minutes prior to our conversation. (I sent him a picture of me 20 minutes later, after a couple sips of coffee, some squats, push-ups and make-up applied. Much better).
9. And yes, husband, I know you don’t care if I wear make up. But I DO need the coffee. #BrainOffToASlowStart#WordsWereHard
10. I said something about being “Day 9” of deployment and he was all like, “It’s already been a week?!?” Yes, Beloved. It has most certainly been a week.
11. Final grades are posted for my Trauma in Marriage and Family Counseling Class and by the grace of Jesus, I pulled off an A, even with all of the chaos of the last few weeks. My prof even asked permission if she could use my final presentation I submitted as an “exemplar” for future classes. #NotSoHumbleBrag#Hooray!
12. My heart is encouraged by great people, adorable (and funny) kids and a rather full schedule of organizations to pour into/goals to run after. Thank you, Father.
13. Tonight’s closing thought:
“Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.” ~Psalm 40:5
Flat Daddy had a surprise visitor today! His Battle Buddy Bromance Greenway is currently TDY (Temporary Duty) here in West Texas, so he stopped by the house to pick up some items he had shipped here. Rodney Greenway and Flat Daddy (and Malick) enjoyed an impromptu lunch date of leftover homemade mac and cheese and salmon cakes. Then, because Flat Daddy is such a generous soul, he gave his Battle Buddy the remaining half case of sugar free Monster energy drinks to sustain him during his time in the desert.
***
Deployment Log, Day 12:
1. Praise God from whom all blessings flow… I feel like that we are starting to find our daily “Battle Rhythm” in this deployment.
2. That said, the kids are also starting to ask more and more about Daddy. Apparently, all Malick talked about in church today was Daddy (which replaces his normal conversation topic of “Trucks”) and Charis asked how many days till daddy comes home. I could only say “A lot” because telling her something like 258 (or more-ish?) would probably be a bit too much to process.
3. We are staying busy with a semi-full schedule, but not to the point of me being a crazy person or my eye twitching. It’s enough to keep the kids engaged and from staying at home/fighting at the house, but I still feel pretty good about the slower times we have too. Kind of staying engaged enough so we don’t have extra time to feel the ache or pine for Leroy Chuck/Brandon.
4. But gosh, we still miss him!
5. On that note: I wish there was a way I could bottle up Husband Hugs. You know, like an essential oil roll on bottle. Because there is something about my man’s strong arms that just put me in a place of happy peace.
6. So if you see me and I insist on getting a hug, it’s not because I’m trying to be an awkward Stage 5 clinger. I just don’t get grown-up hugs at home at the moment.
7. Kid hugs are great… Although I have to be on guard with Malick, because a hidden/well-placed truck/toy/book in his hand will turn a warm and fuzzy huggy moment into a near concussion. #ThisIsWhyMamaFlinches
8. Charis has had some pretty great quotes the last couple of days:
*Climbing into the shopping cart by herself*
“Look, Mama! I’m a baby girl mountain goat!”
Also…
Charis: “Mama, what would happen if we didn’t have taste bugs?”
Me: “You mean taste BUDS.”
Charis: “Yes, taste butts.” ?♀️?
9. Charis is also currently obsessed with constantly talking about bodily fluids (see also: pee, poop, spit and blood). It’s delightful. ?
10. I was sort of praying for Malick to become just a “slight” bit of a “screen baby” for this deployment, because about 2 weeks ago he could care less about anything TV related. Well, I’ve created a monster. We’ve watched Cars 3 no less than 12 times since my husband’s departure.
11. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has sent Blessing Box goodies. Seriously, it’s almost overwhelming! Every day I’m like, “Ok, I’m sure we are about done receiving packages” two or three more show up on our doorstep. I literally have 7 boxes from 7 different people to unpack and put in our Blessing totes!
12. God bless our Postal Worker for hauling all of those things to the door. Is tipping the mail person a thing? Perhaps I should make some cookies for him or something…
13. Brandon and I have gotten to talk a bit more lately– we still only get to Facetime maybe once or twice a week (so far) but we can occasionally communicate by text. The time zone difference and our schedules are challenging to work around.
14. A new class starts tomorrow: Intermediate statistics. And there is a major group project involved. #NOOOO#AnythingButThat#PrayForMe
15. Today’s closing thought: “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” ~2 Corinthians 9:8
Flat Daddy might be flat but the Franklin Mountains sure aren’t! Today one of my El Paso Besties (Megan Clayburn) and I totally conquered North Peak, the tallest mountain in EP. We did it in record time (4 hours… projected time was 6!), about 7 miles, 2500 feet of elevation gain and 18,000 steps. We were so impressed with God’s creation the entire way, and we managed NOT to meet Jesus, even though the wind was super intense and unexpected, especially as we scrambled and bear crawl-hugged the ridge line at points. While Flat Daddy was a great encourager for this challenging hike, I must admit he was something of a slacker. He insisted that I carry him on my back the entire time. PS: Notice that I had to hold on to Flat Daddy with both hands for the photo op. At the peak, the incredible wind speeds of probably more than 50 miles an hour could have quickly turned him from Flat Daddy to Fly Daddy (not to be confused with Fry Daddy).
