Catch up!

So, as promised, I said I would make an effort to catch you all up on whats gone on in this deployment so far. I figured the easiest way to do that is to give you some background and then list... so without further delay... here we go!

Background : Sgt. and I have been dating for a little while now. We are not from the same hometown, we met while he was stationed near my college. A wierd interesting fact about us is that although he and I are not from the same hometown, his family (to include aunts and uncles and cousins that he is VERY close to) and I ARE. So now that I'm out of college and living and working back in my hometown I am also near his family which has been a blessing in and of itself. They're great people. Hmm lets see... Sgt. and I are both conservitive, stubborn, and old fashioned. We're also both into cooking and reading. He's the very definition of a "southern man" or rather "southern gentleman" I should say... likes Jesus, BBQ, shooting guns, watching sports and opening doors for me. He LOVES his job as a soldier and if you asked him he'd tell you that he can't believe he actually gets paid for doing this. He's very dedicated to his platoon and humble about all of it. I was an elementary education major in college and now work at a private summer camp near my hometown. I love my job and enjoy every day I get to get up and go to "work" there. I live on my own in a tiny apartment (also known as the cabin) and am seriously considering getting a dog. I'm a very social person but these past few months being back in the small town atmosphere and living alone (really, closest neighbor is about a mile away) has made me appreciate personal reflection more. Most evenings I'm cooking dinner, watching a movie or reading.... which is a big change of pace from the highly populated and busy college city I used to live in. I'm loving every second of it. Ok... and now for the deployment background.

-Sgt. was stationed overseas before he actually deployed, therefore we have been apart longer than just the deployment.
-This is Sgt.'s second deployment although we were not dating during his first one.
- We have crossed a milestone already - we are officially (as of last month) closer to the next time we'll see each other than we are to the last time we saw each other! (R&R)
- He has obviously not taken R&R yet... per my last comment.
- He is deployed to a large city in Iraq... where most amenities can be found
- He lives in a CHU (trailer of sorts) which has internet access
- He has also acquired a cell phone (which still baffles me) and a "through the computer" phone so we have been able to talk fairly regularly these last couple months. (Thank the lord)
- Sgt. was interviewed and plastered all over AFN and a couple other websites I check for news on him and his guys. (I just like bragging about it)
- I have put up my own christmas lights, changed the lightbulbs, AND crawled underneath my car to bang on something all on my own since he's been gone (more adventures in living alone to come)
- I write actual letters a couple times a week, e-mail nearly daily (sometimes every other day) and send a care package atleast once a month (sometimes twice). He has written one actual letter :) haha, e-mails just as frequently and as I mentioned before calls every few days or when he can.
- I have had hmm... 3 major breakdowns (you know, those nights where you just cry and cry...) 1 really bad feeling and 1 (which lasted a couple days till I got to talk to him again) "are you sure he really cares?" thought since he's been deployed. I'm not much of a crier but there are the occasional sad songs or just plain ole bad days.
- I don't think being deployed is an excuse for being a crappy boyfriend and he knows this (he's FAR from it... but don't tell him I said that he might get a big head)
- I understand that sometimes he's just got stuff going on over there... stuff that has nothing to do with me, and stuff that he's just got to be focused on. During those times, sometimes he's not the sweet, reassuring and romantic boyfriend he usually is so I keep a journal of the very sweet and caring things he says to me (for the most part when I remember to write them down) so that I can remind myself "hey, he misses you too"
- I am an information addict. Which makes dating Sgt. hard because he can't always (usually can't) tell me what he's doing or why he's had a bad day.... to sort of tide myself over... I scour the news and internet for information on his unit. So far it's worked to my advantage.
- Missing him is not a question... the amount is undescribeable, the intensity unmatched... I told you I loved quotes so here's a pretty cheesy one for you. "The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected" - Nicholas Sparks
- Sgt. called on Saturday to tell me that he has decided he wants to make the military his career and then asked me how I felt about that. My response was "I'm proud of you darlin'. Congrats!" "thats it?" "yeah... what else did you expect?" "I don't know... " "haha, well honey, I half expected it, I'm not surprised at all and I'm happy for you, I know how much you love your job. This doesn't change anything, I'm not going anywhere." "ok then"

Well I suppose thats up to speed as much as I can think of right now! As I said before we're about a 1/3 of the way through the deployment and going strong :). We've been apart for much longer though... by the time he comes home we'll have spent over a year apart. It's really not so bad though... he's amazing, more than I could ever ask for in a man. I'm very proud of the job he does and the life he lives. I'm also counting down the days till he comes home to me!