One year apart

Yesterday marked one year since Ricky first left for this deployment.  To read back at how I was feeling about a year check this out.  As I look back on the year, I notice several things:

1. My love for Ricky has grown leaps and bounds. Being apart makes you have to work at your relationship in different ways.  Neither of us understand what the other is going through so we had to learn how to deal with that.  Communication is key when going through a deployment, and I have been very blessed to have a man that calls me whenever he can.  Who can't wait to call me just to catch up on what all is going on and tell me how much he loves and adores me.  Even from halfway around the world he sure knows how to make me feel special.

2.   I am a MUCH stronger person.  I honestly didn't know how I was going to get through this last year and I have become stronger and much more independent.

3.  Deployments are lonely.  I expected this a little, but I didn't really know what I was in for.  When you have a bad day or a good day and all you want to do is tell your best friend, but you can't call him....you just have to sit and wait for him to call.

4.  I don't ever want to have to do this again haha.  There is no telling if this will be our last one or not and I give a huge congratulations to those families that go through 3, 4, or more deployments.  I'm just not sure this girl has it in her.  If we do have another one, I'll make it through just like I did this one, but I don't want to have to find out.

I know there are many many more things I learned but these are at the top of my head.  We are in the final countdown and March could very well be the month I get him home for good :)