Deployment #1–he meets Billy Blanks–creator and founder of Tae Bo. October 2006
During Deployment #1, he has a run in with Chuck Norris. Not exactly a meet and greet, but close nonetheless.
Enter..Celebrity #3.
Flying through Kuwait just a short time ago… Matt Roloff from Little People Big World! What the HECK is he doing in Kuwait? Visiting troops I assume.
What is next for Rick Owen? How can he go from a D-lister to an A-lister? Who will be in town next? Stay tuned!
It really only takes a moment, a song, a reminder of some sort.
After the kids are in bed I just think about where you are sleeping, laying your head at night. I know you have no control over this, but having your address would make me feel so much better.
I can’t even write this without crying because I just feel so lost without you.
It’s so hard to be a married/single parent, but I do it.
A friend told me today, “you just amaze me Amy. The way you keep it all together.” It’s nice to know that some actually wonder how I do it, but on the other hand, you are the only one I’d do it for, and that’s the truth. I look at the kids and I think about how much they resemble you, when they look or turn a certain way. I know we are doing this for the right reasons, in the long run, but in the short run..we just plain miss you..
Ricky got his annual summer mohawk. Nate was convinced he would too, but when push came to shove, he couldn’t stand the sound of the clippers. He bailed out of that chair so fast.
A funny story from today. We went to go see Kung-Fu Panda. What a fabulous movie.
There was one scene where master tigress (I think that’s her name) went to battle the villian. They were battling on a rope bridge, suspended above the entire universe of course… Well, the ropes were cut and the battle continued on the falling ropes. Ricky says out loud, “I know what that’s called…It’s Hang-Fu!” Well, I just about died. That kid cracks me up. I laughed for a good 10 minutes. Mainly because, I thought about how you would have been laughing. These are the moments I miss.
Not to mention the computer problems I’ve been having. Ugh. I wish I could blame them on you, but I can’t 
I try my best to be a good, stable, well-adjusted mother in times of stress, overwhelming feelings of missing you, and of course, those times of sibling rivalry. I even hesitate, waiting for my partner, my friend, to jump in and say, “you better listen to what your mother is telling you.” It doesn’t come and it makes me miss you so much more than I did the minute before.
Ricky knows which buttons to push and Nate follows. Just trying to hang on and stay positive, through it all.
The guy came to cut the grass. Had to remind him, but he did come.
I had to take out the trash Thursday night and it sucked.
I loaded the dishwasher today and did some laundry.
I miss seeing your clothes in the laundry room.
I love you babe.
We really really miss you…
So, I did something really stupid the other day.
I left my lights on in my car.
I’ve got a really bad habit of putting my car lights on, even in the middle of the day, and leaving them on when I go home or walk into a store..Even the gym..I’ve been known to be paged at the gym for having my lights on.
So, the other day, Nate and I came home from running errands. I knew that we had to pick Ricky up at 3:30. We came home to chill. After a couple of hours at home, it was time to pick up Ricky. We head to the car. I realized that my alarm is not going off when I click the button (meanwhile, Nate is fighting me to hit the button because “he wants to do it!”) I get to the car and see that the switch for my lights was left on.
I pull out my handy-dandy battery charger. It’s similar to this one: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/601-2536106-0158567?asin=B00078WJUO&AFID=MSN&LNM=B00078WJUO|Wagan_Port_2Way_Jump_Starter&ref=tgt_adv_XPSD0500 Yeah, that would be the one that my dad bought me for my stupidity. So far, he’s gotten his money worth. I’ve probably used it a million times in 2 years.
So, I tell Nate to back up against the fence so that he’s out of the way.
I hook it up.
I start the car.
It worked.
Nate screams out over the loud humming of the engine, “MOM! You fixed it!” in a way only a military child could say it. He was so proud of me.
Tonight, I realized that there’s more than one meaning to “hanging it up.”
It could mean a lot of things.
“Hanging up” a bad habit
“Hanging up” a career direction
“Hanging up” a relationship gone bad
“Hanging up” a picture
“Hanging up” a hobby
“Hanging up” clothes.
I did all of our laundry today.
There was so much and I got really behind during all of our Iraq preparations. Quite honestly, everything went to pot once we made our decision for him to go.
As I took the last load out of the dryer, I realized..I have it..what every military wife has experienced at least once..
The last outfit they wore before they left.
Ugh. My heart sank. It was like, he was standing right in front of me.
It was the outfit he wore to church.
I was experiencing what I had experienced so many times over.
The kids were in the playroom.
It was ok to cry.
I hugged the clothes as if they were him.
I told myself, “I have to hang them up.”
I took the rest out of the dryer, walked into my living room, where my couch has become my folding table. I dropped the clothes and walked away to get the ones that had fallen. I sniffled as I walked, reminding myself that he wasn’t here to put his clothes away.
He’s in Kuwait now, or at least from what I heard at 1pm today. He logged onto gmail chat to let me know he was waiting in line for his Visa to be processed. They were on number 290. He was 344. Suddenly, he had to log off to pack up his laptop. It was almost his turn. I had enough time to scold him to get his butt to a hotel to get some rest before his military transport was to come. He said the usual, “nah, I’m fine.” I have a feeling he’s sleeping at the airport as we speak, still waiting for his flight. It’s 7am there now.
All I know now is that he was reporting to his contact person in Kuwait City.
I reinforced that he MUST call me at his next location, or at least send me an email.
So..that too..I must “hang up.” Hang up the emotions, hang up the worrying.
Well, my husband begins his journey today. He won’t arrive in Iraq until Tuesday at the earliest.
I’m going through emotions that I have only been through one other time. I feel like my heart is being ripped out. My love, my best friend, he’s leaving…That journey to Iraq is so long, in more ways than one.
I’m very emotional. I just want him to be comfortable, safe, and with the right people. I have faith in the Marines, probably more than I should, considering all I’ve been through with them. I do have faith in their abilities to keep my husband safe.
Please think of us today.
The kids think he’s there already, which is good. It’s just easier to explain that way, instead of saying he was in CL, NC for the past week for processing.
I miss him already.
How’s the song go…”see you…In September.”
Yes, we’ll see you in September.
Have a safe journey, my love.
Well, we did it…We started our second journey to Iraq and back.
Me and the kids dropped him off at the airport.
I was strong and didn’t show them how torn up I am inside.
We decided to stop and have ice cream for dinner, which seemed to cheer them up.
I have this emptiness inside.
I saw his slippers upstairs in the bedroom and I about lost it.
This is going to make me or break me and I will not fail.
I have to show my kids that I’m NOT weak.
I can do this.
In previous times apart, Rick has left his wedding band with me and taken his “Iraq wedding band.” A simple, gold band. Ever since boot camp, I have worn his around my neck and not taken it off since he’s gotten home. I know, a little high school-ish, but it makes me feel better. His band is worth about $5k and if he becomes a POW, I know morbid thinking, I don’t want those a-holes to have his jewels. Sorry, this is the way that I think, morbid or not, I have to think these things out.
Well, because we were double parked at the airport, I forgot to exchange with him and when I remembered we were already back on the highway. My stomach dropped. I was so upset. I called him and he was already passed security.
I’m lonely, the house is quiet, I miss him sitting on the recliner.
It’s funny though because I know, deep down, it’s ok.
I just have to remember why we did this.
I love our country and our freedoms and for this, I will sacrifice.
Love to all…..Here are some pictures from our goodbyes at the airport…
Rick left me a note on my desk. There’s a picture of that too…Our goal is weight loss for this trip!!
That is circa 1997.
Well, Thursday was Nate’s graduation from both of his preschools. He’s 3 and has really found a way into all of his teachers hearts. He just has that way about him, although, he plays VERY hard to get.
He was at storytime at Mrs Jane’s school and they were having story time. Their story had something to do with honor. (I didn’t get the whole story from the teacher.) So, she asked him, “Nate, what does the word HONOR mean to you.” Without hesitation, he said, “My Daddy.” When she told me, I cried. It was very emotional for me and it validated, to me, the fact that he “got it.” As Oprah would say, it was his “AH-HA” moment. Even at 3, he makes me smile and cry at the same time.
That night, we were driving, and this is what we saw!
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you…that’s a double rainbow!
It was amazing.
I took about 8 pictures of it because Rick and I hadn’t seen anything like it either. And, let me tell you, this picture is NOT retouched (cause I don’t know how to do that). This is an actual picture from my phone.
So, here I sit…Rick leaves tomorrow. I’m having lots of anxiety. We decided to take the kids to the airport. It’s an opportunity for me to show the kids that this is a good thing. We are not victims. It’s what we make of it and there is no way that I can show weakness. They have seen me weak and I can assure you…It wasn’t pretty.
Rick is spending some time with the kids tomorrow while I work for a couple of hours.
We are taking him to the airport at about 5pm.
All in all it’s really tough, but I keep reminding myself that this is NOT like the last time. We will see him about every 90 days (approximately). That, itself, makes this different than before. The kids really don’t seem to be affected, like they were the first time, and I’m convinced that it’s because of how we have changed our attitudes.
Here’s my breakdown of the advantages vs the disadvantages of him leaving:
Advantages:
-Less laundry
-less dishes
-more money
-less debt
-the ability to fall in love over the internet for the 3rd time (now who gets THAT kind of opportunity)
-technology is at it’s finest and I married one of the nerds (we hope to have skype or something of that nature to help us keep down the phone card bills.)
-having the whole bed to myself (well, this could be an advantage and a disadvantage)
-being able to fall asleep with the TV on (Rick hates having the TV on in bed)
-getting to send carepackages-I’ve become an expert
Disadvantages:
-Missing him
-missing him
-missing him some more
-the possibility of unrelaible phones AGAIN!
-the possibility of unreliable internet access…AGAIN!
-not knowing where he is going
-did I mention missing him?
I’m holding it together. Trying not to have nervous breakdowns, at least not in front of the kids.
Guess I should be grateful that I didn’t use up all that Ativan when Rick came home from Iraq last spring.
