deployment - Mission: Milspouse

How to Prepare for a Military Homecoming

by Retired Blogger | Feb 8, 2017 | Blog, Deployment, Experience, Military Life

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.

Deployment During the Holidays: Part 2

by Retired Blogger | Dec 22, 2016 | Blog, Deployment, Experience, Military Life

For us, the spouses, we have the option of being with friends and family, usually in a semi-familiar place for the holidays. We can choose what we want to do, what we want to cook and eat, what we want to buy, where we want to go. Unfortunately, our service members don’t get that luxury.

Deployment During the Holidays: Part 1

by Retired Blogger | Dec 21, 2016 | Blog, Deployment, Experience, Military Life

In the 13 years I've been with my service member, we've spent approximately six years of that time separated because of his military duty—whether it was for deployments, training, or simply hectic work schedules—and plenty of experience with deployment during the...

On the 10th Week of Deployment, Murphy Gave to Me…

by Retired Blogger | Dec 17, 2016 | Blog, Deployment, Experience, Military Life

left on Christmas Day.

My 6-year-old has had three Christmases where Daddy was either going or gone. I know we aren’t alone in that situation, but the logic of “other people are dealing with it too” is often lost on children when all they really want in front of the fireplace on Christmas morning is their deployed parent.

Home for the Holidays?

by Retired Blogger | Dec 8, 2016 | Blog, Deployment, Experience

Each year it seems like a difficult decision comes up: Do we go home for the holidays or not?

For some, this may be a topic that isn’t relevant. For others, it may be based on their current situation, i.e. deployment. Then there’s the other group.

This group, while the decision may still be discussed, will choose to spend the holidays their own way.

Walking the Line

by Retired Blogger | Nov 8, 2016 | Blog, Experience, Military Life

Have you ever heard a song that just sticks for some reason? One you didn’t think much about until someone drew your attention to it. That’s what happened the other day when the song “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash was mentioned as containing many parallels to military life. When it was first mentioned, I didn’t think much of it, but then I pulled up the lyrics to read through them. As military spouses, we’re walking the line every day.

2 Tips for Homecoming Bliss

by Retired Blogger | Oct 30, 2016 | Blog, Deployment, Experience

It takes me a grand total of 2.6 minutes to start dreaming of my husband’s sweet homecoming after he departs for a deployment, school, or extended time in the field. That isn’t an exaggeration. Less than three minutes after he leaves for a “trip,” I’m already plotting and planning for his return: what I’ll wear, where we’ll go to dinner, our first date night agenda, and the beer selection I’ll have waiting for him at home. I dream of those day dates at pumpkin patches, cooking experiments in our kitchen, and trips to the state park with our pups.

Maybe you can relate to this—I spend so much time dreaming about a picturesque reunion that I forget about reality.

What’s a Care Team?

by Retired Blogger | Oct 8, 2016 | Blog, Deployment, Experience, Military Life

There’s a little known team called the Care Team that few are familiar with. Why is this group so unknown? One big reason may be because of the purpose of their job. They provide care to a family after a casualty has occurred. Casualties, notifications, and other key words tend to make most people uncomfortable.

How to Soften the Blow

by Retired Blogger | Sep 30, 2016 | Blog, Experience, Household 6, Military Life

Day one of your spouse being away from home, no matter the amount of time they will be away, no matter the distance they will travel, is just sucky. After five years, several deployments, and many trainings that require saying, "See ya later!" to my partner, I've...