2 ways.

I can look at this deployment 2 ways...

1: My husband will be gone for a year. It will be emotionally hard on me. It's not fair. I will be lonely.

-OR-

2. My husband is leaving for a year, to fight for our country. It will be emotionally hard on me but a year doesn't last forever. It's not fair, but when I married him I signed up for this life too. I will be lonely but I have family and friends to help me through the hard times. 

I have always tried to look at the distance a different way. I think about the things I could accomplish in a year, like loosing weight! Things to keep myself busy. It doesn't mean I wont miss my husband, it doesn't mean I love him any less by not choosing to wait at the computer for countless hours hoping for a email. That's what my Blackberry is for :) 

I did the wait and the computer for countless hours, and when he jumps online to chat for hours. What good did it do me? Alot of frustration, from technical malfunctions...and 30 pounds, from not wanting to leave the computer.

Hubby and I did decide we wont do that this deployment because it literally weighed on us both! I would talk to him on IM on my phone while I was at work, and get frustrated with customers. I gained hella weight trying to eat fast so I could spend every moment I could with him. It also gave me an addiction to my cell phone. It was nice to talk to him almost every day, but when you run out of things to talk about for the day...it starts fights. 

Now I am not saying that no one should do this...again this is about us looking at our 2nd deployment differently then we did the 1st.

My husband would stay up for hours talking to me, meaning he wouldn't get enough sleep, and I have been lucky that Hubby doesn't go to bed until 10pm so he only gets 6 hours of sleep, almost everyday since we moved into our home. This time he deserves some well needed sleep. 

I know I will be lonely, but lucky the town I am from I have 2 girlfriends who's husbands are deployed. They understand and they will be there to help, as well as my co-workers who helped me with our last deployment.

I dropped Hubby off at work today, knowing I had to go to a "mandatory" lunch-in at the Battery for Battalion Pictures, and Family Pictures, and still bawled the whole way home, because I know how close we are, I know he will be safe, I know he is doing his job and I signed up for this when I signed that marriage certificate..but it doesnt mean I'll miss him any less. Its not even here and although I don't show him this right now, I already am going to miss so much about him. I am just glad we did a deployment before we got married, because now I know exactly what I got into.

So heres another picture of my hottie soldier!  I have to show him off even if no one else thinks he is a hottie! I think my husband is really amazing! He fits perfectly into my family! I love you solider boy!!!

OPSEC blood boiling!

Ok, so I know the exact important's, if not the basics of OPSEC. I understand what I can and cannot say. Not only that but I know better then to listen to rumors, especially so close to a deployment. But honestly...how dumb can people get???
I have seen so many peoples status's on FB say the countdown....Well I know for a fact that you don't know the actual date till 72 hours before...and why would you count it down? Maybe its just me, but I think that adds un-needed pressure. Not only are wives doing this but actual soliders!
Are you kidding me! I am sorry but my mother and my mother-in-law dont even know where Hubby's FOB is, I am trying to keep my mouth shut because I dont want someone to go off and blab and have them get hurt because I said something else I shouldnt of said. My mom and his mom will be called the day Hubby leaves to talk to him, and they will not know until that day. They know the window time and thats it. Other then that Hubby and I keep our mouths shut on it.
Yeah, I am still learning a lot of things, and yes I have been one to accidentally say something, but I always had another wife tell me that I shouldnt say that because of OPSEC. I have had friends post the actual dates and have conversations and things on it, and I got on there and said for them to knock it off, you have phones call each other!
I can't help it, it gets my blood boiling to know that people, who do know better that keep doing that stuff. Its annoying and so frustrating. I dont want things that totally could happen to my husband to actually happen!
So here I am...and I am just going to write what OPSEC means to me. Because I am sick of people not getting it through their heads.

OPSECT

OPSECT -  Operations Security.

We all know that you "Dont Ask, Dont Tell". When someone asks all you have to do (and I have done this many times) just say; 'I cannot tell you, all I can say is he is leaving, and that it will be sometime this year.'

Obviously you cannot keep everything a secret, as far as when the deployment gets closer, you need an outlet..but you do not post dates, and you do not share details. I have been very careful not to post where we are stationed at, until Hubby is gone.

Also if someone in higher command gets word that deployment dates, R&R dates, or Re-Deployment dates have been posted, they have been known to move up the dates, or even cancel them until further notice. 

Your best friends second cousin does not need to know when your husband is leaving. Keep it basic as to who knows what. Dont tell everyone! Yes people will catch wind that its coming, thats just how it works. My best friend does not know anything besides he is leaving. 

Also make your family aware of OPSEC, just because they think that one co-worker isn't a terrorist, doesn't mean they don't know someone who is. It doesn't matter, make them all aware that these dangers are real and have happened before. 

Its NATIONAL SECURITY that should be enough said for everyone.

Thats pretty much all I had to say on this. If you had any other words on OPSEC, I am always up for learning more. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

all images are from Google.

Happy Halloween!

Hubby and I are just waiting for our first 

trick-or-treaters!!! 

I had to post this of my cute nephew!!

He is such a chunk!! I love it!!!

right after I posted this we got our first trick-or-treaters.

Witch-Clowns and their dad was a Giant Chicken. :)

Date Night/Decision/Saw7

So thank you to those who wrote me on my last post. I did decide next time he starts acting like that I am going to make sure he talks to a wall! LOL. He did alot better the rest of the night, which I was thankful for.

DATE NIGHT!!!

So after it all got better we took off to Chili's which I was surprised to find that I liked something there! Original ribs! YUMMY. It had a way delicious sauce on it. I also ordered my first martini, Appletini!
After that Hubby and I took off to the theater to see SAW 7 in 3D, and if you dont know me...I love all the SAW movies. I own them all and they really dont gross me out too bad, so I was really excited to see this especially in 3D.
Now I had a blogger friend ask me to do a review on it....so this is me being blunty honest...if you dont wanna read it, I suggest you skip over the next paragraph. No worries I wont ruin the ending.

The whole movie felt like it was similar....only it was. Reminded me ALOT of another SAW movie. Like I said I am pretty into the franchise, and it just seemed way too familiar to me. Towards the end of the movie I started thinking "wow I can't wait to see if the ending is worth it"....well it was!!! It kinda left me bummed that it was the last SAW but it also ended it very good!! I would recommend it. Hopefully when I see it again it wont be as boring in the middle. Oh yes and the beginning is AMAZING.

So when we got home we turned on Freddy VS Jason, which actually bored me pretty good too, we didnt even finish it. But it such gave me a good Freddy nightmare! I woke up and grabbed onto Hubby and he freaked out! But thats ok it scared me to death! I love Halloween!!!
Anyways other then this stuff, this morning Hubby and I put up our last Halloween decorations outside. So heres what it looks like now! :)

 He wouldnt let me take our pictures in the theater so we did it at home.

Cute nerd!

 dont you love our totally wrong "X"

says: Happy Halloween

 I love my Frank! He is so cute.

We gave him a little friend.

We did have to throw away one pumpkin..

it looked terrible.

 The lights are Orange and Yellow...like candy corn :)