DOM Check!!

Here is the moment we've all been waiting for!!!

1.5% left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you that know the basic percentages for a DOM, you know that there is practically no time left.  I've had to resort to Tylenol PM in order to get any sleep.  My mind is racing, my stomach is in knots, and I suddenly feel like there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done that I need to.

But none of that really matters does it?  Because DH is coming hoooome!!!!  It's amazes me that a year has come and gone, but it did.  I think I'm still in shock.  Could this deployment really be ending???  Believe it or not, it is.

Ah yes, the end is near :)

DOM Check!!

2 posts within 2 days?!  I know, it's hard to believe.  Almost as unbelievable as my DOM.

9% to go!!!!

We are in SINGLE DIGITS!!!!

Unbelievable right?  I never thought I'd see the day.  In fact, I never thought I'd see the day that May arrived, or June, or single digits, or July (but that has yet to be seen).

Well folks, there you have it.  Proof that the end does exist, or at least the homestretch.

DOM Check!!

**Drum roll**

300!!!!


300 days since DH officially left our home for an entirely too long deployment. 300 days since I've seen him walk through the front door after work. 300 days since I've had to wake up at 0500 (aka: way too early) to take him to work. 300 days since I've completely relaxed. 300 days that I've had to live alone, sleep alone, eat alone, and do everything without my other half.

I've waited for this moment for 300 days and I can't believe it's actually here.  This (besides homecoming) is the biggest milestone in the deployment.


Goodbye quarter mark, goodbye halfway mark, goodbye three-quarters mark.  Hello finish line!

Why, hello there May

A lot has happened in the past two weeks (when doesn't a lot happen in two weeks?)

DH and I tried to get him home on Emergency Leave for my surgery, but it was denied because my condition is not life threatening.  Yes it is disappointing, but what can ya do?

So I have rescheduled surgery for mid-September.  This will give DH plenty of time to come home and it should be during his block leave.  My back does hurt a lot still, but I can survive a few more months until he comes home for good.

Speaking of coming home for good…

We are in the home stretch of this deployment!  80% done!! W00t!!!  And no this is not my attempt at cheating on my DOM to convince myself that the end is closer than it really is.  DOM really does say 80%  =D

We only have X amount of months before he comes home.  And by X, I mean a very small single digit number.


I also finished my first year of college with a 3.26 GPA.  Not as good as I had hoped, but as long as I keep it above a 3.0, I should have no problem getting into Grad school.

So here it goes… The calendar for the remaining months of this deployment.

May:  Going home to watch the foals be born on my stepdad's farm.  This should be very exciting as there are still two more mares that are going to deliver babies in the next couple of months.

June:  Spend half of the time at my mom's and the second half at home.  The second half will be time for me to prepare myself for DH's homecoming.  Hair, nails, working out, etc.

July:  Last month of this deployment.  I will probably spend most of this time dancing, freaking out, smiling, and grocery shopping.

August:  Relaxing for the first time in 12 months.

September:  New Jersey, Vegas, and surgery.  A pretty exciting month =)


May has always been the epitome of the end for me.  It represents the final season of this deployment, the end of school, and the home stretch.  Everything after May seems minuscule in comparison to what I've already been through.

It still amazes me that it's May.  For months I dreamed of May.  In October I felt that May would never come.  Even in February I felt that May was just a distant goal that would never truly be accomplished.  Well here it is...

I made it.  WE made it.

Updates, Updates, Updates

Alright, it's only been two weeks since I last posted, but a lot has happened!

First, my friends got their husbands back from deployment.  Yay for them!  Homecoming was awesome and I was more excited than they were (seriously).  I can't wait until my homecoming.

I also finished all of my school work for the year! Woooo!!!  All I have to do is take 3 finals during this week and I'm free for 4 months!

I also had my appointment with my spine specialist for my re-evaluation after 6 weeks of physical therapy.  Since physical therapy didn't help at all, my doctor and I have decided to go along with surgery.  Surgery is scheduled for mid-May.  I have done my research and the surgery itself isn't too too bad.  I'm not scared now, but I'm sure I will be when I'm actually lying in the operating room.  That is, IF surgery happens right now.

IF is a big word.  I will go along with surgery if, and only if DH is allowed emergency leave to come home.  He won't be here for the actual surgery, sadly, but he will be here to help me post-operation.  IF he is allowed to come home.

The reason I say that I will only go along with surgery if DH is allowed emergency leave is because I am essentially helpless for the first week or two following surgery.  I'm sorry, but I do not want anyone besides my husband to have to bathe me. So if he is not allowed leave, I will simply have to reschedule for block leave once he's home for good.  This is not exactly ideal as I am in a lot of pain right now, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I am awaiting on the hospital to call me to confirm the surgery date, and the hospital is waiting on Tricare to confirm the date.  When I was waiting on confirmation for my wisdom teeth extraction, it took a matter of a few hours for them to get back to me.  It's been 4 days.

So I called Tricare.  Apparently they haven't received any of my paperwork.  Then I called the hospital and am waiting for them to return my phone call so I can figure out why on earth they haven't sent Tricare any of my paperwork yet.  Sigh…

Once I get the confirmation, I need to simply take my doctor's note (that he wrote up specifically for this purpose) to Rear D and have a message sent to DH's commander so that he can decide if he is going to allow my husband emergency leave for my surgery.

IF he is allowed emergency leave, I will get to see my husband VERY soon! Yayyy!!!!  If not, I'll still get to see my husband fairly soon.

I'm contemplating calling the hospital back.  It's only been 30 minutes, but it doesn't take that long to return someone's phone call =)

Aaaand DOM has recently hit 75% done =D

Ah yes, the wonderful world of the Army.  Can I checkout now?

Finally!

Finally another good day!

Today was fantastic.  The weather was perfect.  70 degrees, with a nice breeze.  I took Jack for a walk with Monica while she walked her little dog, Baby.  Afterwards, Jack and Baby played in her backyard and cracked us up with their crazy antics.

I've become very close to Monica and Lori and I finally feel like I have a best friend again.  I've had plenty of close friends, but it's been a long time since I've had that friend that makes me feel like I'm in High School again.  That kind of friend where you practically live at their house, and do everything together.  It's been a long time and I'm so happy that I have that again.

In 1.5 weeks my DOM will read 75% =O.  I know, I can't believe it either.  75%???  How can that be?  It's been a long time coming, but I'm just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Could this deployment REALLY be ending?!

In other less exciting news, I've been going to physical therapy a lot.  I'm getting a great workout while I'm there, but my back is starting to hurt worse.  I'm not quite sure if this is normal, or if I'm doing something wrong, but it's starting to discourage me.  I'm almost in as much pain as I was when DH left after R&R.  It was so bad that I had to go to the ER to get a prescription for Vicodin.  I hope it doesn't get that bad again.  Oh well, I have many more PT visits so hopefully it will only get better from here.

DH has been doing well too, surprisingly.  There's a part of me that expects him to be miserable all of the time, and I'm surprised when he's not.  I don't want him to be miserable, but I'm just surprised how much he can put up with and still be ok.

I've got a lot of homework to do tomorrow, but I'm not stressing over it.  Soon school will be over, and with that, the end of this deployment!

A Little Bit of Everything

Sorry blogger peepz.  I've been busy actually getting out of the house lol.

I started physical therapy.  It's been going really well.  I'm going 3x a week for a few weeks and then will change to 2x a week until I no longer need to go.  My physical therapist is really nice and she basically has me doing stretches and exercises the entire time.  Perfect.  I get a workout and fix my back all at once.  She's trying to help me build up the muscles around my back to help support it.  A lot of core and glute workouts.  The only thing I'm afraid of is.. My core and leg muscles are already strong so I'm afraid it's not going to make that much of an impact, but we'll see.  She also said that in a few weeks I'd most likely be able to get back to running =)

School has been going well.  It's spring break haha!

DH has been gone a lot for various reasons.  Thankfully I have my friends to keep me company and pass the time.  Next Tuesday I'm going shopping in Nashville for summer clothes and to replenish my supply of heels and tennis shoes since they were stolen from our storage unit.  I feel that I deserve this little shopping spree because I've done exceptionally well at saving during this deployment and taking a little break from saving $1000+/month won't hurt anything.

I also changed the return date on my DOM.  For those who know me, you know this is nothing new =P.  However, I don't really feel like I'm cheating because I simply changed the date to when DH will go to his transition FOB before he leaves Afghanistan completely.  I've said time and time again that this deployment will end for me when his quality of life has improved and he is safe.  I'm 90% sure that his quality of life will improve and he will be safer once he is at the transition FOB.  I may not see him for a little bit after the date I chose, but for now that's the date I'm aiming for.  I couldn't stand to see "40% left" on my DOM so I needed to change it.  Now I see "34% left" and I feel much better.

I'm also getting a little cold.  How could this happen? I've been taking my vitamin everyday =( .  Stupid hospitals and their germ-infested elevators… (I had to take a friend to the hospital about a week ago and the only thing I touched was the elevator).

I can't wait until the title of my post says, "He's Home!!"

DOM Check!

**Ahem**   DoM says…




200 Days!!!!  =D


Finally here!  Woot woot!!

It's a good day =)

DOM Check!

We are officially over 50% of the way done with this deployment!  We're on the downhill slope.  I feel like for so long we were crawling on this never-ending uphill slope to a moment in time I wasn't sure even existed, but we made it.  We're finally over the peak of this deployment. We've still got a long way to go but at least we're walking towards homecoming now.

The ride down is so much sweeter.

Hello 2011, Goodbye 2010

So I found out from two different sources that DH will be coming home a month early.  It was actually in writing that the date had moved up.  Yayyy!!!!  This is fantastic news.  I really hope it's true.

Sooo this means DOM has moved up from 41% to 45%.  In 2 weeks I'll be at 50%. Weeee!!!

I also received news that a bunch of guys are going to NY and Vegas with us for block leave.  The more the merrier!  I have a feeling this year is going to be great!

Bring it on 2011!!!

DOM Check!

The Donut of Misery says…

150 Days - 41% !!!  W00t!!

Soon I'll be at 200 days and on the downhill slope of this deployment! <3