Great support

It's no secret that this has been the most trying time of the deployment. The past few weeks has proven my notion that the end is the exciting time to be wrong. Or at least it doesn't get exciting as early as I thought it would.

But I have great support, and thanks to that I have bounced back into my Rosie mood for the last stretch.

First, Brittany reminded me that if I look at all of my tasks/responsibilities it is way too daunting to even consider doing. But I can still just take things one at a time, and she took it upon herself to make a Christmas tree my #1. So...



It's a little bitty thing and it's not live, but I love it. We've always had live trees and I've always loved going to pick it out with Austin. For the last 5 it's never failed that the week when we've decided to get the tree it has been single digit temperatures, so why not go get my itty bitty baby tree in the same weather? Luckily target was a comfortable temperature :)

Next, my mom responded to my last blog post with a great idea. She suggested I have a jar where I deposit $1 or $5 or $10 every day from now until Austin gets home. Then, when he's home we can spend the money doing something fun and special. The bright side of this plan is that I either can be excited by the fact that I only deposit $10 twenty times, or I can be excited that we have a jackpot of $400 to spend. Both sides have their pros and cons, but the important thing is it would be a new daily motivator and reminder. Which is exactly what I need.

And last, austin was, as always, the greatest source of encouragement and motivation. He reminded me that when I've done the best this year I have kept my focus on the small victories and the things I have accomplished. Lately the focus has shifted. I know a lot of that roots from the expectation that he would already be home right now, and it's been hard for me to overlook that fact. But that has changed how I look at things. He suggested that rather than look at Melvin in the garage and think about how much I wish Austin had bought it with me, I should look at Melvin and be proud of the fact that I did it myself. I didn't settle for a 'similar' car to what I wanted, I didn't pay more than I had wanted to, and I did it on my own.

I've done a lot on my own, and I do have a lot to be proud of. But I couldn't have done it all without all of the support and encouragement I've had along the way. I finally feel like we are really closing in on the end, and I finally breathe easier because I know Austin will be home soon.

I guess it's true what they say that everything is better in the morning. Amazing what one day can change.

- manda