Things I Don't Miss So Much...

In the interest of not being a total "Debbie Downer" with yesterday's post, I have also compiled a list of things that I don't miss that much when Tim is gone. As wonderful as my husband is and as much as I adore him, there's always a silver lining, right? So here's the ever so small one I've found.

1. There are no dirty clothes left on his side of the bed for me to find after I've done the laundry.

2. I can watch "One Tree Hill" and "The Hills" without being mocked. (Except now that I've written it on here I'm sure someone's going to mock me for that!)

3. I can eat cereal for dinner every night for a week and no one complains.

4. I don't have to share the computer or Facebook time.

5. The toilet stays cleaner longer.

6. There's no stubble in the bathroom sink. (Thanks for that one, Meredith!)

7. There's a lot less laundry and none of it smells like the boat.

8. It's much easier to workout, diet and lose weight when Tim's gone

9. The alarm doesn't go off at 5 am.

10. I can rearrange the budget to spend money on shoes instead of food. (See #3.)

Anything else that's an advantage that I've forgotten?

Things I Miss...

By no means is this list exhaustive, but these are a sampling of the things I miss when Tim is at sea, in no particular order.

1. Having someone to cook for

2. Having someone to laugh at all my jokes

3. Sleeping well (that doesn't happen when I sleep alone)

4. Praying with him

5. Someone else getting up in the middle of the night with crying little boys

6. The boat smell (I know it's horribly gross, but I guess that's just how much I love him...)

7. Who I am when I'm with him

8. The way he hugs me

9. His ringtone

10. Not having to finish my own sentences

11. The way the boys scream, "Daddy!" when he walks in the door

12. Foot rubs

13. Going to church as a family

14. The background noise of college football for 12+ hours on Saturdays

15. Spooning

16. His eternal optimism about OU and Cowboy football

17. Having someone to take care of me

18. His grin

Six Blessed Years

Then

I can hardly believe it's been six years since Tim and I married. I still remember so many details of that day. It was such a beautiful wedding and we had an amazing time dancing, laughing and celebrating with our friends at our reception. We had a beautiful honeymoon in San Antonio and headed to Virginia to buy our first dog (Lonestar), buy our first house and weather our first hurricane (Isabelle) - all in a week! Tim left for his first 6 month deployment and "real" life had begun for us. The honeymoon was definitely over!

I had no idea what I was getting into when I married Tim six years ago. I don't think anyone does when they get married. I had no idea how tough life could be in the Navy or simply how hard it is to love someone unselfishly day-in and day-out. But I also had no idea how much fun it would be to be married to my best friend. I couldn't have imagined the simple pleasure from a laugh exchanged over a glance because you know exactly what the other person is thinking. I didn't dream we could become so close over the bond of creating 2 little boys. And I can't even begin to comprehend all the plans the Lord has for us in the coming years of our marriage!

Thank you Tim for 6 beautiful years together and I pray for many more with you!

Now

Good luck hiding in THAT thing!

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now.  And since the Navy isn't exactly on my list of "Favorites" this afternoon I figured now would be a great time.  You might even say I'm borderline "crazy submarine lady."  (Better warn the children!)  

I'm not even sure I need to write much about this abomination that is the new working uniform.  The picture pretty much speaks for itself.  Digital "aqua-flage"?  Really?  Are we trying to hide on our enormous Aircraft Carriers?  Hey, bad guys!  Here's a HUGE ship in the middle of the ocean and you can't see anyone on board because we are all wearing aqua-flage!  Must be totally abandoned!  Right.   That's good plan.  Or maybe it's to hide guys who fall in the water?  Not sure that's such a good plan either.  Or it could be created just for a rousing game of hide-and-go-seek on the submarine because they don't have enough to do already.  

What I do know is that they cost a fortune.  Whoever secured that contract with the Navy is absolutely making a killing.  And since officers do not receive a uniform allowance the cost comes straight out of our living expenses.   Who doesn't want to spend $500 on super cool aqua-flage clothes and accessories?   I think I should get to go spend $500 on shoes now, don't you?  

To add insult to injury, the whole concept of new working uniforms was supported largely because they were supposed to look better, and thus have different regulations than the previous working uniforms.  But just as before, these uniforms are only authorized for work.  That means that Tim can't meet us out in town, can't stop for a gallon of milk on his way home and can't even get gas off-base while wearing it.  

So, let me get this straight?  They are ugly.  They cost us a great deal out of pocket.  And you still can only wear them to work and home.  Nice.  Sounds like a perfectly great use of your tax dollars and our paycheck for all the development and implementation.  Good one Navy!

Just in case you didn't get the full effect above.

25 Things...

If you are on Facebook (also known as the world's worst time waster) you know that a lot of people have been writing a note called "25 Things About Me" or some variation on that theme. It got me thinking that I'd like to write 25 things I love about my husband. After all it is Valentine's Day week and he just got back from sea. I've had over a month to think about and miss all these things about him. So here goes:

1. He laughs all the time.
2. He thinks I'm funny (see #1.)
3. He loves my cooking.
4. He has a giving spirit.
5. He loves playing with his little boys.
6. We could talk for hours about anything.
7. He believe marriage is forever.
8. He is passionate. (OU football, theology, Cowboys football)
9. He is a hard worker.
10. He makes friends easily.
11. He's handsome.
12. And looks great in jeans.
13. And looks great in his uniform.
14. We like the same tv shows. (Well, not The Bachelor, but most other things.)
15. He has godly character.
16. He teaches our children scripture.
17. He prays.
18. He takes good care of me.
19. He's a great kisser.
20. He makes cute babies and even cuter little boys. (Although they seem to turn out somewhat rotten so I might need to look into this one further.)
21. He loves my family.
22. He leads our family spiritually.
23. He disciplines our children in love.
24. He genuinely misses us when he's away at sea.
25. He's my best friend and loves me in spite of all my faults.

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you take the time to tell your spouse some of the reasons you love them this week.

Dinner In...

I mentioned that we aren't going to dine out for Valentine's Day this year. Tim just got home from sea and I wasn't expecting him home in time for celebrating. Since the holiday falls on a Saturday I imagine a call now to reserve a table would be met with a hardy chuckle on the other end of the phone line. And I want to do something special for Tim that I think he will really enjoy. No dressing up. No pressure. Just a romantic dinner in.

Our kids go to bed early and well. (I don't think I'd be a sane person if they didn't!) That means that we will have the television and house to ourselves around 7:30. My plan is to set up a picnic in the living room. I'll be serving Tim's favorite fondue. (Don't worry it's a very manly recipe that he always enjoys.) We'll have lots of bread and Lil' Smokies for dipping, along with some veggies. Then we'll watch our wedding video. I don't know if you have a wedding video, but we love ours. I recommend a videographer to all of our friends getting married. It costs a little extra, but we watch our video at least twice a year.

After the video we'll have chocolate fondue with fruit and angel food cake. It's the perfect plan for an evening in. We don't have to fork out money for the babysitter, drive to Jacksonville to find a nice restaurant or dress up. We can just be together and remember how it all started.

Having Valentine's dinner in works for me and is just one way I'm honoring my husband this week. Read more inspiring stories of loving our husbands at We are THAT family this week.

Love is in the air...

Dad's home! I mentioned it in my post yesterday, but Dad came home last Thursday. I intended to write about it earlier, but we had a whirlwind weekend. For a time we thought Tim was going to be changing boats and leaving again less than 48 hours after arriving home. Needless, to say there wasn't much time for blogging. The boys were thrilled though. This was the scene in Mark's room a couple of hours after he arrived home.

But thankfully he is indeed home for the next month or so until his first full patrol after he relieves and takes over his new job. We are looking forward to spending some time together as a family and as a couple.

I'll be posting several times this week about our Valentine's Day plans. We aren't going out this year because we don't have reservations or a sitter. I wasn't expecting Tim home so I didn't make any plans. And since the holiday falls on a Saturday this year that means we can eat dinner at 3:30 or 10:00 without reservations. (Or go somewhere and wait 3 hours!) No thanks! But more about that later. Today you can read all about our love story at Today's Housewife.

Sundays are Hard...

I think Sundays are the days I miss Tim the most. The other days of the week just sort of run together. Tim would be at work all day Monday - Friday anyway, but Sundays are our family day. We try really hard to protect it as a day for worship and time together. No work, no studying, no outside activities for the most part. So, these are the days that feel so empty when he's at sea. Everything we do on Sundays makes me painfully aware that he's gone.

I get up and get everyone ready for church - alone. I get the kids and bags into Sunday School and checked in - alone. I sit and wait for Sunday School to start - alone. I find a seat in the sanctuary - alone. I stand and smile during the fellowship song - alone. I come home, make lunch and put the kids down for a nap - alone. It's not that those things are that hard. (Well, maybe getting the kids and bags all into church in one trips is kinda hard!) But I can certainly manage. We have our routine and I know what works for getting it done. It's just that everything on Sundays is a constant reminder of how much I miss my partner.

And today is the worst day we've had. I didn't expect it, but Super Bowl Sunday makes me miss him more than I have during this patrol. I think it might be because it feels like holiday only it really isn't one. If Tim were gone over Christmas or Thanksgiving, people would be sympathetic and invite us over. They'd say things like, "I'm so sorry that your husband is gone today. Do you have plans? You shouldn't be alone today." And even though today isn't a holiday, it's a day that makes me miss him terribly. If Tim weren't at sea we'd be having a fun dinner together and watching the commercials, er, I mean the game. It's not a big deal, it just would be nice if people acknowledged that today might be tough.

But that's enough feeling sorry for myself. It's just one more day closer to Tim coming home - whenever that might be. And after throwing this pity party for myself, I made Mark Garrett and I Crazy Nachos. Actually, it was my version of them. But they were pretty good anyway. Good enough to impress a 3 year old at least. And I'm still going to watch the game. Life goes on, right? I guess I'm rooting for the Cardinals tonight. Who doesn't like a good underdog story? Plus, I think Kurt Warner is a stand up guy along with my brother-in-law from Arizona. So there it is. Go Cardinals!