15 minutes

I shouldn't leave for the airport for another 15 minutes or I'll just get there and pace and then have to pay for parking, but that's how close he is. After a year of separation, a year of skyping and gchat and facebook messages that cut off midsentence, after a year of buying a house, moving to a new city, a year of triumphs and heartbreak and loneliness and growth, he'll be back.

I thought the last two weeks should be a constant cotton candy cloud of elation but they've been far more complex than I expected- joy, excitement, anxiety that we will have changed significantly, nervousness that he won't like the house, a million billion buzzing worries from not remembering how to cook for two to him suddenly being disappointed that my career hasn't taken off in his absence ..  and yet tonight I'm just excited. Thrilled. Overjoyed. Ready for the clutching in my chest to be released. Ready to cede half the bed, half the closet space, half the bathroom counter. So very ready to be together. Which means I've packed tissues to spare.

Two more minutes.... ok, I'll go pace.

Phone Fun vol. II

This is what a pretty typical Skype attempt looks like when you're talking to a servicemember in Afghanistan. I don't think we've yet had an uninterrupted conversation- the wind blows, it rains, one of our computers panic or hubs' neighbors all start Skyping or doing whatever causes the internet to crash. This particular conversation even started on another text chat site and went on for several more connections and disconnections- something like 13 mini-calls in all, and probably 30 minutes of actual conversation over the hour and a half of calling, dropping, waiting, calling again.

But in about a month, I'll just have to get used to having one conversation in person without interruptions. So ready.


Vocab of the day: 
Military: T&C= tracking and communication

Work soothes the soul

I'm in the middle of a brilliantly satisfying and beyond exhaustive (90+ hours/week) summer job working to help train new teachers. It's fantastic. Nothing like hard, meaningful work to keep the focus clear. Not to mention that in California, it seems that the sun always shines and the temperature is perfect. LOVE IT.

The one thing I could use less of is what seems to be a constant stream of "surprise homecoming videos" and jubilant, rambling daily posts on Facebook about each way you enjoy having your deployed spouse back. Listen friends, some of us are still waiting. I am really very very happy for you. And I will be happy for me when I'm there, but please consider your audience... like the folks who supported you when your person was far away.

Now back to the work- see what I mean? It's great to not be able to dwell.=) Hugs and happy from California!

Countdown: 187

MacGyver to the rescue

I'm throwing a housewarming party in 4 days. YIKES! Good incentive to get everything up and functioning... but I may not sleep much this week.

So what do you do when you find an awesome living room set at Goodwill for $50 and have an appointment in an hour? Not to mention, when you drive a sedan-style car and have neither blankets nor bungees but only disintegrating jumper cables with you? MacGyver to the rescue. That was probably the least safe 10 miles I've ever driven- the coffee table and end table in the car blocked all the mirrors and the end table in the trunk bounced perilously with each bump. But I got them back and in the house myself with no major damage to anyone or anything. Yay!

New phrase: deployment annoyment. If it's not trademarked, I call it.

Vocab of the day: 
Military: AAA = Assign Alternate Area
PNW: "tourists and transplants"= as can be identified by their use of umbrellas, while natives ignore the drizzle