"Deployment" in Review: Months 1-3

So, when d.a.r.'s husband was deployed, she documented each month of the deployment by reviewing the things she had done/completed/accomplished in that month. I loved those posts - and meant to write them myself. But, um, I forgot. Until the other day. And then I thought, there's still time! I'll just catch up by summarizing the last 3 months. Good? Good. Oh, and I have deployment in quotations, because obviously ... he's gone, but he isn't gone. You know what I mean. Three months away from home ... and Matt is completing his tour of the southern states. With any "luck" (?), he will be jetting off to Kuwait in the next couple of weeks or so.

Anyway.

Month 1: January 17-February 17, 2010

-Matt left. It sucked. And then Jill (my MIL) and I went shopping and had a great meal at the Cheesecake Factory to try and cheer ourselves up. It didn't really work ... but yum.

-Had some excitement around the apartment. A leak one day, and then pee raining from the ceiling the next.

-Celebrated my 28th birthday on February 9, and enjoyed a great family dinner at my in-laws, complete with my MIL's special turtle cake. Yummy! Oh - and I had a snow day! On my birthday! What a wonderful birthday present!

-Had approximately 800 more snow days.

-Had a girl's night out with my friends Becky and Patty at our fave restaurant - had amazing food and cocktails to celebrate my birthday.

-Continued the big birthday celebration with an amazing weekend in Chicago with some of my BFFs - Lisa, Jenn, and Jenny. We had amazing food, cupcakes, and fun. Oh, and we saw a psychic. That was ... interesting!

Month 2: February 17-March 17

-Matt finally moved from Fort Benning, GA to Redstone Arsenal, AL. Finally!

-I met the lovely Lucy and her husband!!

-I took a weekend trip to Clarksville, TN to visit my friend Jenn and do some fun baby shopping.

-Noted the 4 year anniversary of our first date and the 2 year anniversary of our engagement!

Month 3: March 17-April 17

-I had spring break, and journeyed to Michigan and then Charlotte to see my sweet friend Anna and her new baby, Mae. We also got to see Cassie and Charlie!

-Matt received orders, finally, and went from Redstone Arsenal to Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

-My parents came for a weekend visit - we went to the Bloomington winter farmer's market, Nashville Indiana, and the Story Inn. And, of course, brunch at Farm!

-I discovered that my office has no ventilation, which was ... fun. Kind of. Okay, it wasn't.

-My bed broke and I had a mild breakdown. But then, I fixed it and all was well with the world.

-I found out that I get to go visit Matt!!!!!!! For a long weekend in beautiful Destin, Florida!!!!!

Well, I guess that basically sums up the last three months. I haven't blogged a lot about how much I miss Matt, or how difficult this separation has been - because to be honest, I know that it could be a thousand times worse. First of all, Matt has only been gone three months. And in the grand scheme of things, three months is nothing. Second, he has been stuck in Army purgatory and therefore I have been able to talk/text/email with him pretty regularly. And third, I get to go visit him! This week! After only three months. We are hopeful that Matt will still get to come home for R & R around August, which means that we will hopefully be able to see each other in another 4ish months. And after that, he should be home 3-4 months after that.

Most military spouses are separated from their loved ones for so, so much longer. Did this deployment get in the way of our lives? Absolutely. And yes, I miss Matt every day so much that it hurts. But I have a hard time not seeing the silver lining in this crappy cloud. We are so, so lucky.