Departure Ceremony For Iraq

Although I have had this flyer for two days now, I haven't posted it yet because I wanted to transfer it from a PDF file to a jpg of giff...OR SOMETHING EASY to navigate through on my blog.

Yeah, well, we're talking about ME working on this; thus the delay.   *eye roll*

And....HERE WE ARE!


TAH-DAHHHH!!!!!  

Pretty cool, huh?!

I didn't want to put "Just the facts, mam." on here, when they did such a great job on the COLOR and design of the flyer.

Besides, we need to enjoy the colors of life when they come by; be embraced by them and receive from them.
  

Information and description comes at us everyday in BLACK AND WHITE;  it's "the norm" and that's why we can look right at it and then forget it within 5 seconds.   

"Hey, when is Steve's Departure Ceremony?  Do you remember?  I bet I looked at that info a thousand times but I can't remember it."   

I know that I do that.   

In our busy, cram-it-in lives, it's easy to do.

I'm hoping that catching the imagery will help a bit.  

So this is my latest update.   I do know a bit more right now, but it's not nailed down enough yet, so I won't post that for a few more days.   

If anyone wants to come to this "official" Good-bye Ceremony, PLEASE RSVP the contact person on the flyer.   They need to know how many to prepare for.

Also, please feel free to send the link to my blog out to others who, for whatever reason, I have not gotten their email address.

See Y'all On The Next Blog!

Patti 

Well, It's Deployment Time Again

As some of you already know, my husband, Steve--also known as "Grizz", or "Bear" to many of you-- has gotten the "official call" for deployment to Iraq.  
 

"Going to __?____."    This is something that he and I deal with on a DAILY basis.   

For over a year now it has been, "I'm going to Afghanistan.  I'm not going to Afghanistan.  I'm going to Iraq.  I'm not going to Iraq.   I'm going to Afghanistan.  I'm not going..."   You get the idea.

This LAST round of Going/Not Going, he was told that although his Troop was going, the other 1st Sgt. would be going, but not him.   (You'd need a Program to follow WHY this was so.  I'm not going there.  I've lost my mind once in the midst of THAT ONE; not doing it again.)

 

Okay.   We both had settled into him NOT going anywhere but back to a full-time Teacher/Trainer position as 1st Sgt. to train-up those who would still be going to...wherever.   

Good deal!  We were happy about that, because working for the Indiana DOC is poverty-pay.   And I'm not kidding.

Plus, Steve had different "heads" trying to get him onto their "team".   Sometimes being excellent at more than a dozen things isn't a good thing.   But at least it meant that he would be going back full-time Guard MUCH earlier than expected.   

Or so we thought.    

First mistake:    thinking  l o g i c a l l y.   

LOGICAL THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING MILITARY....

...IS ALWAYS WRONG.    

A  L  W  A  Y  S.       NO exceptions.

 

But we bit anyway.   Annnnnnnd we got bit back.   

Immediately.  

We were out running a few errands and Steve was stuck to his Blackberry, as usual, taking care of 1st Sgt. biz.   THIS particular call was a call BEGGING him to PLEASE come a week early to help Teach a particular course.   

This being a no-brainer...his answer was "Yes, I'll be there.  Just get the Orders cut ASAP!"

All-righty then!  WE were happy.   WE were pleased to know that we would SOON be on Army pay and not DOC pay, as well as being back to FULL coverage on medical.  WE made plans.

WE were WRONG!

THE VERY NEXT MORNING...The Call CAME.   

($#*%!!!!!)

Oh friends...the story is not over.    The NEXT day...he was told that he was NOT going.   I don't have to make up stories...because...

...THIS IS OUR LIFE!!!

I'm not at liberty to tell you why he was told that (it involves another dear soldier who also was in the midst of being jerked around.)

THEN...(Ah-hah!  I can see that you're getting the hang of this.  You KNOW what's next, don't you?)

...THE NEXT DAY...he was told that the "other situation" had been taken care of and he WAS GOING TO IRAQ.   

OKIE-DOKIE...       

And people wonder WHY they don't hear from me for months/years at a time.   I'm usually locked away in a padded room somewhere.

So.   Where are we TODAY?   Getting ready for him to deploy at break-neck speed.   

 

Everyone else in the Brigade has been preparing since last Fall.   They have had TIME to work on the adjustments and to jump through the inevitable hoops that ALL military families have to jump through for every deployment.

WE get to do our adjustment and hoops at light speed.   If there's something faster than that, someone tell me, and I'll adjust my terminology; because, Lord knows that "light speed" still doesn't quite tell it like it is.

We've arrived at semi-acceptance--or--semi-denial, depending on how we feel at any given nanosecond.   

I realize that he's actually going this time.  (Number Four, for those who have kept count with us.)   

But I just cannot wrap my head around the time-line right now.   

Just can't.

Like I've told my best friend, "Until I see the freaking Orders in MY HAND...it's not real."

 

It's always the preparation and "Good-bye" that's the worse.   I can do the space-time separation standing on my head, whistling "Dixie", plucking a banjo, and playing castanets with my toes.   But, that's me.

So for everyone who might be all worried about me being "alone"...don't.   

I LOVE my Alone Time.   

Yes, I will miss my honey.   And if I lose sleep, it'll be from being in prayer for him but NOT from worrying about him. (More on this subject in other postings.) 

And THIS TIME, THIS deployment, I actually have an entire neighborhood who will be taking care of me.   

WOW.   This is a first.   A GOOD first.

Steve does have his Training and Deployment Schedule, and as soon as I can get him to actually write it down for me, I'll post it here for everyone.   

Likewise, when I get a physical mailing address in Iraq for him, I'll post that as well.  Because I am sure that you will want to send him goodies, won't you?

Well alrighty then!  You are up to speed with what's happening with The Deployment.

As I know more, I'll post it.   Also, for all of you ex-military folk, I'll post details about Steve's duties/command.   

Right now all I know is what he's told me, "I'll be herding cats."

THAT just about says it all.

From My Padded Room,

Patti

PS--I'm still waiting for those Orders... 

 

It's Been Almost A Year...and THIS IS ALL THE FURTHER I AM?!?

"I keep waiting for you to write your book(s)", says my beloved Grizz to me one day as I am trying to explain to him the way that I move within  MY creative process.      

So I continue to paint a picture for him as to why I can't just sit down and slam something out.  Or why, when I wrote for newspapers in Arizona, it use to take me hours just to get one column finished.    

His eyes glaze over.....

He says that he understands but then confirms to me that he really doesn't "get" the creative process.  "Why don't you keep little notebooks with you and around the house and car like you did in Arizona?   That will help, won't it?"   (His understanding means that he loves me, believes in me, and will just continue to wait.)




My eyes glaze over...

Thankfully, I have been confirmed over and over again by other writers, that what I do in the way of how I craft my columns and stories...IS NORMAL.   

NORRRRR-MAAAAL...    NOR-MAL.  NORMAL.  

 

Excuse me.   I've been told that the overuse of exclamation marks makes one sound ANGRY.   Especially those of or with Italian heritage.   Seriously.     

YA THINK?!?  

Okay.   So not only does my husband not "get it", but neither do most people.    

I secretly think that is how Critics are born.   They are "word and grammar smart" but don't get "how" it's done; therefore they're critical.   

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I began this blog almost a year ago.   And yes, this is all the further I have gotten.   
 
Lord knows that I wanted to write more than I have, but I don't juggle life in my particular fast lane very well while trying to get my thoughts out and down in an intelligible form while rocketing through life at a thousand miles an hour with my hair on fire!   Somehow I'm not good at that.  

(Excuse that exclamation mark up there.   I'm not angry.   Just exasperated.)

So here we are.  (I'm just assuming that there's someone else here besides my dogs.)   

Ready to launch into a new year of blogging.   And yes, I realize that the first month of the year is almost over. (Please feel free to refresh yourself with what I said a paragraph or so before.)

I already know that this year is going to be a WILD RIDE.   

And there will be many exclamation marks!!!! 

I'm ready to go.   Are you?

Putting More Giddy-Up In My Giddy-Up-Go,

Patti