Goodbye February

The end of a month is such a nice milestone during a deployment. At least it is for me. It's funny, I really don't remember much about last time but I do remember being extremely excited to flip that page on the calendar and know another month was down.

Austin just left on Friday, but because that sounds depressing to think I'm only 4 days in, I like to think that he left November 29 when training started. Looking at it that way we are 3 months in, and 25% done. Sorry, I can't help but convert to percentages. It's who I am.

So, I will happily flip all of my calendars at the end of today (please don't make me admit how many I have) and look at March with optimism. 2011 hasn't been too terribly fun so far, but I think things are on the up and up. The person I mentioned with cancer will begin treatments soon, things look hopeful in that area. I got an unexpected bonus at work. The fitness schedule was renewed and has been confirmed so I won't in fact turn into a fat blob while Austin is away. And most of all, the final goodbye has been said which means all that we have left is to plan for the welcome home.

I've learned that there is a difference in joyfulness and happiness. I combined a sermon from church, some other tidbits I've been told, and personal experiences to get to this conclusion. Life is full of happy times, but life is also full of sad times. You can't mistake the two. The trick, I think, is to remain joyful and hopeful in the sad times. I don't have to be happy for the next 9 months, and I don't have to try to fake it when I'm not. But I can be hopeful and I can certainly be joyful in the fact that I have such an incredible man who is fighting for our freedom and will do everything in his power to come home to me in 9 short months.

9 months - think how fast William got here? 9 months is nothin. So I think with our sad goodbye, 2011 started looking up. With my special phone call yesterday, I already know it has. And I am extremely hopeful that it will continue in that direction