Next Chapter? Building a House!

So here we are 4 months after deployment. What’s going on? We’re planning to build a house! There have been so many changes going on in just 1 ½ years. Our current project is our “forever house.” A forever house is a house we plan to live in forever (or almost forever). We’re planning it based on our current needs and trying to foresee what our future needs will be too.

I’m also asking companies if they’d be willing to give us a military discount considering my husband was just deployed and given his full time job. We’re looking to do business with companies that support our troops and appreciate the sacrifices our soldiers and their families have made. I’ve had most furniture stores say they’d help us when we plan on buying our new dining room set. I’ve also had a few fireplace companies say they’d give us a discount on a fireplace and installation. Do you want to know the best deal so far? A free waterless urinal!! If I could see your face right now, you probably have a confused, weird look on it. A urinal? Yes, a urinal! 3 men and a woman…that’s our household. A urinal will not only help keep the toilet clean, but it will also reduce the amount of water used. Ever since our second son was born, I knew I wanted a urinal in our future house…and now we will!

Now we’ll continue the planning process of our house and hopefully more companies will step up and help us out in one way or another. I love it when people help people. It gives us a feeling of hope. It reminds us that there are good people and good companies out there. Let the fun and decisions begin!

A New Normal

My husband has been back for a few months now and we're getting into our "new" normal. People always talk about how they can't wait for the soldier to get home so things can go back to normal, but what they don't realize is that the old normal is gone. It left when your soldier left. Reintegration is tough. The person who was at home has a new schedule of how things get done. They've had the bed to themselves for a year and now they have to share again. Disciplining kids could be different. Your idea of how to spend money might be different. In a nutshell...life will be different. You might have a nice honeymoon period for a month or so when your soldier gets home and you'll think "This is great, why do people say reintegration is so hard?" The honeymoon period will wear off and real life will start again. A new normal will fall into place and that isn't a bad thing. It's actually a good thing because it means you're in a new groove and things are working for both of you, your kids, etc. You will not get back to the same "old" normal and that's ok. Life moves on and a "new" normal is born.