Countdown.

backward count: a count in descending order before an event such as a rocket launch

...or seeing your boyfriend - whatever.

I remember the last time Dan was deploying. There was a countdown until pre-deployment training was over and all the home visits in between, countdown to the official leave date, which turned into a countdown for R&R, etc. The countdowns were endless. I love them. Crosssing off those dates and knowing you're one day closer to seeing your love is a wonderful feeling.

What do you count by? I usually count by dates but while reminiscing I was reminded that I sometimes counted by paydays. Please tell me I'm not alone. haha

While searching through countdown, tickers, and other deployment stuff, I came across this. I think it's beyond adorable! Obviously it's made with a chalkboard because you know that the date will change 123948 billion times before he actually arrives home.

Do you love countdowns as much as I do?

Whirlwind.

The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind for my mind. On Thursday night, while visiting with Dan's mom and her husband, Helmut, Dan informed us that he'd be leaving for pre-training sooner than I'd like to think about. He'll leave in approximately a month and be gone well into next year.

I'm sure if you are a spouse of someone in the military you've come across the emptional stages of deployment before. I found myself going to that old post I saw on a military girlfriend support board back in 2006 at the beginning of the last deployment. I'm a realist - I don't believe that the deployment won't happen, nor will the plane break down. He's leaving and I'll stand by him and be there to support him. I'm slowly working out of my angry phase and accepting that this is something he wants and needs to do before we move forward in our lives together.

Is there anything you actually like about deployments? I hate to admit that there are things I'm looking forward to such as going broke sending him unique care packages, getting three weeks of uninterupted time during his leave, and sending ridiculous amounts of e-mails. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be sitting with him in person but I'm focusing on the positives here!

With all of that, the actual deployment is far off and right now I'm going to focus on enjoying him before he leaves for training. Lately, I haven't felt like much of a military girlfriend but boy has that changed.