Wants, needs, and The Stones.

Once again, the Marine Corps has reminded me that "you can't always get what you want". (Or was that The Rolling Stones? Either way, they were right.) We found out today we're not going where we thought we would be going next and our future is pretty uncertain. Not that it was ever certain because, really, in the military, when is it ever? It just seems less certain than it did yesterday. But, to keep myself from being too dramatic, I don't actually know that where we thought we would be going would be the very best thing ever. It was just nice to have an idea of what was next and now that the idea is gone, I'm a little apprehensive. It's the fear of the unknown. (You know?)

I'm sure that wherever we go next WILL be the best thing ever. (Hello, my name is Sally Sunshine and I'm always positive!) I certainly didn't want to live in Southern California, but I've grown to love it. (Honestly. It's 80 degrees the week before Thanksgiving. LOVE.) Which also reminds me that I have a lot to be thankful for, no matter where we live. I'm thankful for friends who make me feel like family, a family who I'm happy to call friends, and a God who is overseeing my future. (I may not know what's next, but HE does. And that makes it okay.)

You know what else I'm thankful for?

  That no matter where I go, I still have him.

And that makes it better than okay.

Let's not forget the rest of the song because Mick really said it best..."You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."

Happy Birthday, Marine Corps. 

You may not always give me what I want,

but you give me a man who looks good in uniform.

And who doesn't need that?

(Now please don't send us to Japan.)

I get the joy of rediscovering you.*

I've been getting a lot of grief lately from friends and family for not updating my blog. "People probably think the husband is still deployed," I've been scolded more than once. So, for those of you who don't know, HE'S HOME! HE'S HOME! HE'S HOME!

Can you feel the excitement?

We've been having a pretty great month of getting reacquainted. A month that has included a trip to Maui with our families, eating out a lot, going to the movies, and just remembering what it's like to be a couple. Our precious kitty is super excited to have him home again, too. This month also now includes going back to work and starting our "new old normal". (Complete with work trips for him that start off as "I'll only be gone for one night" and then turns to "Well, now it's two..." That's cool, Marine Corps. The husband and I were SO ready to spend some time apart anyway.) The "new old normal" which includes working all day, washing dishes, doing laundry, and fighting over the remote. Ahhh, domesticity!

Getting lei'd in Maui. 

(Classic joke.)

Mateo can't take his eyes off him.

Everyone asks me what's it like to have him back home. Is it weird? Do you still feel like you know each other? Is he different? Is your relationship different? Honestly, it feels like it always did. I feel so lucky to be with someone who still makes me laugh, still gives me hugs, and still listens to my crazy stories. Being apart didn't change that. We dated for so (soooo) long before he (finally!) proposed. Those years (and years) of being together when we didn't have to be (aka dating) made our relationship all the stronger. He had no choice but to deploy and I had no choice but to say goodbye. After eleven years together, I felt strength in the knowledge that he would come back to me and we would continue to be happy. His one year deployment was just a minor blip on our relationship radar. I would never hope for another deployment, but I'm not naive enough to think another won't happen. Anything is possible in this military life. Right now, I'm just thankful he's home.

So VERY thankful.  

*I've said it before and I'll say it again: I heart that song. 

BIG NEWS.

Wait for it...Are you ready?...My husband (you know, that guy who has been deployed for almost a year) is coming home. I mean, we knew that. There was never a doubt in our minds. (Right? Right.) But the big addition to that news? He's coming home NEXT WEEK. Ooo, that was good. Let's do it again...NEXT WEEK. (I could tell you when and where, but then I'd have to kill you. Or something like that.) When he left, I honestly thought it would be the worst year of my life. Granted, it was certainly not the best ever, but it was so much easier (and funner! ...more fun?) than I thought it would be. (Thank you, sweet Jesus!) I cannot even begin to thank my family and friends and coworkers and Facebook friends and kitty and every other person I met who offered me so much love and attention and support. I never could have made it through this year without them. (Without YOU!) I'm so thankful he's coming home, I'm not even annoyed about the piles of clothes that will inevitably be all over the floor. (...but ask me again next week.)

    Job well done, boys.

NOW COME HOME!

(My cute husband- front row, first on the left.)

Today is far from Childhood...I held her hand the tighter.

I haven't written anything in a long time, and for that, I apologize. We're getting down to the wire of this deployment (Less than three weeks left! O.M.G.) and I've been squeezing in as much fun as possible. (That's not to say I won't have fun when the husband does return!) My mom and sister came to visit for an entire week. We had such a good time at Disneyland where we saw saw the Mouse, at California Adventure where we saw the Cars, and at the La Brea Tar Pits where we saw the mammoths (who were extra woolly).

Nothing beats a California sunset with my mama and seester. 

My best friend also came to visit and I swear we were sixteen again. I forgot how truly awesome it is to be with someone who knows everything about you. There's no need for backstories or explanations because she already knows...everything. We laughed until we cried, we had seriously serious discussions, and we sang country music at the top of our lungs. Oh, and we got tattoos. Because that's how we roll.

OSU girls ready for the Timmy and Kenny concert.

I promise to write very soon about the husband's homecoming and my feelings (and freak outs) about it. But, my main reason for wanting to post is my big sister's birthday today. She's currently in Canada with her (Canadian) husband and having a great time. (At least, I'm guessing she is. Note to self: call sister.) I won't tell you her age, except to say she's eight years older than me. I have an older brother who taught me everything I know about beer and sports and being funny. But my sister? Oh, she taught me...

*Just because your little friends are into *NSync, Backstreet Boys, and New Kids on the Block (...fifteen years ago), doesn't mean you have to assault your ears with that drivel. (Although, I admit to loving me some JC Chasez.) It's okay to know every word to every Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Cowboy Junkies song. (Also, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Violent Femmes, and Todd Snider.)

*Reading isn't just for nerds. Read often, read everything, and read outside of your comfort zone. A story with an unhappy ending? Read it anyway. An epicly long poem from the 17th century? Read it anyway. A romance novel just for fun? Read it anyway. Because, as we both came to realize...

*When you're an English major (as we both were), reading is part of the gig. As is proper grammar, appropriate punctuation, correct spelling, and editing every paper to within an inch of its life. She's a big-time editor for a big-time publishing company and I'm so proud of her. She took our shared love of using that red pen (which we both learned from our mother) and is making a living out of it. Kudos!

*When I was a kid, I loved to raid her closet. She always had the coolest clothes from The Limited (Outback Red, anyone?) and Express. She taught me how to wear scarves, brooches, and bodysuits. (Oh, the 80s. You were a melting pot of craziness.)

*It's okay if you're not the best chef in the world, but knowing how to bake a cake always comes in handy. (Even if it isn't homemade because Rainbow Chip is your little sister's favorite cake ever. Just be sure to teach her to make it with milk instead of water. It's the little things.)

*Sometimes, nature isn't pretty. (That's an inside joke, but there are some people who know the story. It's a little gross, and yet hilarious. Ask me about it sometime.)

*There have been times in her life when circumstances haven't always gone the way they were expected to go. While I know they were upsetting, she always just kept on moving forward. During this deployment, I've had moments when I just wanted to quit and move home, but being a strong woman and dealing with whatever life throws at you, was always the better decision. Motto: keep calm and carry on.  

   Happy Birthday to my big seester!

I lurve you! 

Mocking boxes.

Do you want to see the two most dreaded phrases in the life of a Single Wife? (I mean, other than "deployment extended" and "R&R canceled"?)

Not even SOME assembly required.

I don't have a "team" right now, box.

And thanks for pointing that out.

Oh, right. My "team".

We got this, mama.

p.s. As adorable as my team member is, I'm still accepting help to build this stupid dresser. And the bed. And, oh yeah, the other dresser.



At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.*

I'm going to consider this a post contributed by a very special "guest blogger"- my husband. He posted this on his facebook in honor of Memorial Day and I felt it was more than worthy of a share. I'm so proud of him and so thankful to call him mine. I know this day is the "unofficial start of summer". I know you're having barbecues and laying out by the pool and enjoying your extra day off from work. But, as my husband states at the end of this post..."Just remember". (And I'll even add a "please" to that.) Just remember.

 

There is a memorial wall near my office here in Afghanistan where pictures document all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice while serving under the last three Regimental Combat Teams that have served here. It is a visual representation that things are much better than they were three years ago, but it also serves as a reminder of what we have paid to get here.

If you do not know someone to remember this Memorial Day, I ask you to Google two of my friends and take a moment in their remembrance. Captain Jesse Melton - he was a fantastic person, Marine, and a great friend who I had the honor to know while I was at a school for officers in the Marine Corps. He gave his life in 2008 in Afghanistan. Sergeant Kevin Balduf - he was a Marine's Marine who served with me in Afghanistan in 2004 and was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions that saved many soldiers. He gave his life in 2011 in Afghanistan, again as a man of action, and I'm certain he saved many lives that day as well.

It has been a long war; some have forgotten why we are here and others ask if it is worth the cost. I cannot answer that for everyone, but I wish to provide a glimpse of what is really happening here. I travelled through the poorest countryside of Afghanistan, the place where the Taliban began many years ago and resurged in 2007. That is where I saw an 8 year old girl who was dressed in traditionally Afghan garb, full of smiles, and was dancing on the side of the road as we passed by in our convoy. Some may not understand what that truly means, but she will be the unknowing beneficiary to the sacrifice Jesse and Kevin have made.

Enjoy your families, friends, food and the start of summer; just remember.

Semper Fi!
 http://mmanetcom.marineclub.com/Kelly2012

(Additional comments from a father of one of our 3/5 Marines.)

 

*This is a line from an ode called "Ode of Remembrance" taken from the poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon. Look it up.

Land of the free because of the brave.

Memorial Day weekend is coming up and I think it's fairly obvious how I feel about our troops and the sacrifices they make for our country. (If it hasn't been obvious then this has been a total blog FAIL.) I won't go on (...and on) about how this weekend is more than just getting an extra day off from work (not that retail closes down for anything) or having a barbecue with the family (not that picnics aren't awesome). It's an important reminder of those who have fought for our freedom and lost their lives in the battle. And to never forget that there are still those fighting and protecting and living far, far away from their families (and adorable kitties) in order to make this world a better place. I don't care who you vote for or how you feel about this war. (Well, I do, but let's not fight, okay?) But I absolutely care that you support the troops. I care a lot.

'cause, obviously, we love America at this house.

I probably spent more on this pillow than necessary.

(...but it's so pretty!)

My grandma made this bicentennial quilt, which is

handy because my husband was a bicentennial baby.

 

Our little patriotic corner.

 Does a Marine live here? I would say so.

Red, white, and blue kitty.

"...the emblem of the land I love.

The home of the free and the brave."