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Over the last two weeks, I had the opportunity to lead a training team for a major corporation in Dubai.
As a presentation and communication skills trainer, I’ve led teams in lots of cities here in the states. But now I was taking a team of five people more than 7,800 miles away.
What if something went wrong?
As someone who has always had some sort of seasonal depression in the darker months, even before my diagnosis of Postpartum Depression after each daughter, February has always been one of my least favorite months.
This year, it’s month four of a deployment that will be somewhere between eight and 12 months long (it’s still anybody’s guess), and the end of my homebody tendencies because travel season starts back up for my job.
Life often changes with three little words.
“I love you.”
“Surprise! It’s twins!”
“Let’s cancel cable.”
Our life just went bum over teakettle when I told Big Sarge it was time to renew the lease. He looked at me and said three little words:
“Month-to-month.”
Looking over my calendar for the next few months, I have some exciting things planned. Our spouses’ club is hosting a huge fundraiser that will help raise money for community grants and non-profits in the area. We’ve been planning for months, and I can’t wait to see it executed for a good cause. My two workout besties and I have committed to a different hike each month, with our final hike being Rattlesnake Ridge (Google it…it’s unbelievable). I can’t wait to get to the top, take a ridiculous amount of selfies, then celebrate by gorging at our favorite taco truck.
With so many events, milestones, and general life stuff, it can be easy for me to forget the most important thing of all…
As the countdown slowly ticks away to homecoming, there’s a standard preparation you can expect.
For some reason, the perfect outfit seems to be at the top of the list. Over the years, and after attending more than 50 homecomings, I’ve seen some pretty epic outfits. The one that takes the cake is the spouse who dressed in an inflatable T-rex costume, one I didn’t see personally, but Google can help you witness it. Besides the outfit, there are the signs, the kids’ outfits (if applicable), getting the house cleaned up, and so much more.
Stepparenting in a military family often feels like Groundhog Day. Minus the witty remarks of Bill Murray, conversations are often repeated, mistakes are made, and sometimes the outcome can become a predictable routine. As Bill’s character, Phil states, “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?”
Let’s revisit the holidays.
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