Tips for a Successful Re-Deployment

Joe has now been home for almost a month and it has been amazing to have it home. I wanted to share with you some tips for a successful re-deployment. I did my best to have everything ready and planned for his homecoming and of course there were some hiccups, but in my opinion everything went perfect.

1. Have the house stocked with your soldiers favorite food - Joe and I have very different tastes in food. So I made sure that the house was stocked with his favorite foods. It is easy to forget about this and it is a very nice touch to make sure that his favorites is waiting for him when he gets home. They travel for almost a day, so food in the house is a must.

2. Make the perfect Sign - I searched the internet looking for the perfect sign. I looked at everything from random google searches, Pinterest, to Instagram. I invited Mal over (her artistic talents are amazing) and we made the best sign ever! It even made the front page of the Ft. Carson paper. Having a sign is a great and easy way for your soldier to find you in the crowd.

3. Find a great outfit - It always shocks me that you go to re-deployments and no one is dressed up. Your soldier has been gone for 9months to a year, you would think you would want to look good for him. It's also a place that you might meet his boss and his co-workers. I searched a ton of websites looking for a dress and ended up going with a Loft dress that I found on clearance for less then $30. 

4. Bring someone with you to take pictures - I hired a photographer, but you can also just bring a friend to take some pictures! This is a special day and you will want to remember it. You can see some of the photos here. 

5. Let your soldier sleep - Joe traveled for over 24 hours and he was tired. This is normal. It's going to be tough to sit there as he sleeps but it will be worth it to give him some time to rest. I was able to adjust my schedule to work really early in the morning so that by the time the redeployment ceremony was over I was exhausted as well. 

Re-Deployment is a very exciting and stressful time. Be flexible and just go with the flow. 

Do you have any re-deployment tips?

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Re-Deployment Pictures are Here!

I am so happy that I have a few photos from the Re-Deployment from my fabulous Photographer Kristi Anne! I am so happy with the way the photos came out and I can't wait to have our outdoor shoot with her. Thank you Kristi for being apart of our re-deployment. Hope you enjoy the photos!

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Everything is Ready...Almost

It has been nearly 275 days since I said good bye to Joe. He will be home so soon and I have everything ready! Well, at least I thought I did. I  have the house all set up, I have some of his favorite food and drinks ready, I have a photographer for his homecoming, I had ordered the perfect dress, bought the perfect necklace to go with it, and made signs for his return.

Yesterday, I checked my tracking number for the dress that I purchased and paid extra for express 3 day shipping to find that it had been delivered! Hooray, everything is ready... I went outside in hopes of finding my package waiting for me and to my surprise there was nothing. I checked my mailbox, thinking that it might have gone through USPS, because sometimes UPS delivers via USPS, and there was nothing. I called the 800 number and got ahold of a local UPS rep that sent a message out to the driver. I was suppose to get a call back within an hour, but it took closer to 2 hours. The new rep that called me had said that the driver had gone home for the day, but he was very familiar with my house (I may buy one to many things online) and he left the package at my door. Still no new information. I asked that she leave a note asking the driver to stop by my house today. This morning I got a phone call giving me the same information. I am aware what the tracking information said online. Thanks. The only new thing was that this rep was even more rude then the last. The only semi customer friendly "person" I got from UPS was from their twitter account. It's very sad when your twitter account has more customer service skills then your actual customer service representatives.

So now, I am still sitting in my house waiting for the UPS man to arrive. I am hoping it as miss delivered to a near by neighbor and my dress will be here by the end of the day. If not, I will be on the hunt for a new "perfect dress".  Just when I thought I was ahead of the game, something like this happens. Thank you UPS for adding unneeded stress to Joe's upcoming homecoming. I guess if this is the worse part of his homecoming I am doing alright.

On a happier note, don't forget to enter to win a $125 gift card to Zappos! There is only 2 days left!!

Have you ever lost a package before? Did it get back to you?

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Disneyland - Care Package

I am so excited to finally have another care package post. I have been totally slacking in the care package department. When Joe first deployed, I was sending a care package once every two weeks. But, after the move and starting a new job, I think it has been almost a month. Hopefully, I will be able to get back to at least once every three weeks. I made sure to make this care package a good one. I have a bunch of really awesome things in my mind of what a great care package should be, but most of my ideas really take some time and planning. I knew from the moment that I got my Joe Doll, that I needed to take him to Disneyland! It is my favorite place in California and it gave me an excuse to take a picture with all of the characters (not that I needed one).

The finished box!

My main idea for this box as to go to the park and get as many signatures in an autograph book and get a picture with me, Joe Doll, and the character. It was so much fun and everyone was so thankful for what Joe is doing. My sister and I were able to get the book filled up by noon! Later this week I will share with you another secret of Disneyland and how I got to meet all of the characters. But for now, here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Back to the box,  I went to Michaels and found some really cute paper and stickers. I decided that I would put Disney quotes on the main flaps of the box and I even put some on the outside of the box (there were way to many good ones that I couldn't leave out). 

Inside of this box I put the following items:

• An autograph book with signatures and pictures
• Chocolate and caramel popcorn from the park
• Mickey Mouse rice crispy treat
• Chip and Dale Pretzels
• Mickey Mouse head shaped "gold fishes" (Joe loves Gold Fish)
• Candy from the Candy Shop at Disneyland (Joe's favorite, Candy Corn) 
• Cookies, Crackers, and all kinds of snacks
• More water enhancers, Mio
• More wipes 

The autograph book couldn't have came out any better. I loved that the characters where all very excited about the Joe Doll and some even left personalized "thank you" notes to him. 

This is one of my favorite boxes that I have done. Disneyland is my favorite place to go and I am so happy I was able to share that with Joe. We will be going to Disney World early January and I am planning on getting an autograph book there and getting pictures with all of the characters with me and the real Joe! 

Check out my other Boxes:

• Favorite Sports Team
• Oh the places we will go
• Honey, I Shrunk the Care Package
• Zombies are Coming
• 4th of July
• Hello Summer

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I'm so thankful it's Friday!

This week has been so hectic. I'm still trying to get adjusted to life in Colorado, I've been struggling with the deployment, and I have started work at my new job!

1. Last Saturday Kaitlyn was kind enough to have Mal and I over for a BBQ and to watch some football (all though not much football watching had happened.) it was so nice to be able to meet other military families. Also, it's amazing how we all have so much in common. I'm happy that I have been able to meet these lovely bloggers in real life! 

2. It was my first day of work. I'm am officially a Denver International Airport Operations Team Member! I'm so blessed to be able to find a job in my industry and near Joe. 

3. On Wednesday I went to my first City of Denver company picnic. I meet the Blue Bear, meet a bunch of co-workers, eat free food, and watch some planes land. 

4. I have been exploring the airport all week with training and I got to ride in one of our firetrucks. 

5. It's finally Friday, this week has been very tough. We are finally less then 100 days until Joe comes home, but this week it feels like he is never going to come home. I have been feeling extra lonely for some reason. It also doesn't help that this new schedule is messing with our communication schedule. I have been very spoiled and I get to talk to him at least 2 times a day for as long as I need to. But now, I'm lucky if I talk to him for 5 mins a day. Even though its been very tough, I'm very happy that Joe has been super supportive through all of this. I know that we are making the best decision for us. Last night I was able to Skype him for 30 mins and it reminded me that I have an amazing man by my side and he makes me so happy. So I woke up this morning happy as can be. 

Have a great weekend! 

H54F: I'm almost settled in!

This week has been filled with random men in my house.... but Joe is fully aware of all of them and none of them were my type. This week I had our household goods (Military speak for the movers with our stuff), a new bedroom set, internet and cable, washer and dryer, and I am patiently waiting for 2 new couches for our living room now to be delivered. That is a total of 11 random men in my house... kind of scary when I say it that way. Anyways, on with my H54F link up with Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth! 

1. After seeing our original house in shambles and almost crying about being homeless, Joe stepped up and called a few houses for me to view (I told him no one would answer a call from Afghanistan, but luckily the right person did). We finally found our house and I am a million times more happy with the location, neighbors, and the house. Thank you Joe for being so supportive, even if you are over 7,000 miles away. 

2. Speaking of Joe, he will be back in less then 100 days! I can't believe I am now in the double digits. This deployment has only made us stronger and I am looking forward to what our future has in store. I am so lucky to have such a caring, loving, kind, and supportive man by my side. I love you Joe. 

3. The movers arrived with our household goods. As I said above I had a ton of people come to deliver me stuff, but the movers with most of our things had to be the best. They were a little rough on the edges but were really respectful. 

4. I finally spilled the beans on what I think is my best Disneyland Secret ever. If you or someone you know is going to Disneyland anytime soon or even if you are just curious you should check it out. 

5. It is official, after a couple of big girl jobs, moving across the country a couple of times, and getting older... I am an adult. Look at our brand new washer and dryer to prove it. 

I had many other highlights this week, I am trying out a new gym and I had lunch with Kaitlyn from Wifessionals! We have so much in common, it is a little bit scary. I am looking forward to getting to know her more. I start work on Monday, so I only have this weekend to get my house together as much as possible.

What was your highlight of the week?

I hope you have a great weekend! 

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Hello Summer - Care Package

Another Care Package sent and received, means that I am two more weeks closer to seeing my soldier! I must admit, I try to think out side of the box when it comes to care packages, rather then just going with the normal holidays, for very selfish reasons. I am the worse person when it comes to shipping things. I can't seem to get anything in the mail at a reasonable time. So rather then meeting a deadline for a holiday, I just do random care packages. 

This time around I was very all over the place when it came to the theme. I really wanted to do a Hawaii themed box with all of the goodies that I brought home from my awesome trip to Hawaii in May (see I told you I am horrible at shipping things in a timely manor). But for some strange reason, I couldn't find any Hawaii themed scrapbook paper. You would have thought that all of the time off I had for my surgery that this package would have been amazing! But I must say, it was just mediocre.

.

For this package I sent all of my Hawaii stuff along with photos from my photo shoot! I think that was the saving grace, because Joe seemed to LOVE it!

I included the following:

• Photo book made with all of my photos from Hawaii - I made it with MixBook
• Photos in magnetic frames - his walls in his room are metal so they are perfect to hang up the photos
• Stephanie Doll - He was very excited to get this. You can get one of yourself or your soldier at www.daddydolls.com
• A Nike Running Watch - We are running our first full marathon in Jan 2014! So he needs to start paying more attention to how long his runs are. I was a bit nervous to send the watch (it is the highest price item that I have sent) but everything arrived safely!
• Mauna Loa Chocolate - This is from Hawaii and so yummy. I am sure that my days of sending chocolate are over. This batch got to him melted, but he ate it anyways. 
• Gourmet Pineapple Bits- Also from Hawaii
• Loofah Soap - From Hawaii, it has some stuff in it that repeals bugs.
• A hula girl for his desk- From Hawaii
• Ghirardelli Squares - Melted...
• Jif To Go- Chocolate dip, this looked so good. He loves chocolate, if you haven't been able to tell. I may be able to send this to him because it is suppose to be melted.
• Other snacks - Gold Fish, Graham Crackers, Gum, Chocolate!
• Baby Wipes- Sometimes I will send him things he needs. I am not completely sure what he uses the wipes for, but I have sent them a few times. 
• Air Fresheners - for his room and office.

Although this box had no real theme, I am happy with the result. It's always nice to send things he needs with the things I want to send to him.

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4th of July - Care Packages

I created the below post for my guest post on Mal Smiles! I just wanted to re-post it on my blog for anyone who needs a little bit of care package inspiration. :) I am sure most of you have already seen this!

xoxo,
Steph

Hi! I am Stephanie and I am a brand new blogger over at Living in the Moment! I am so excited to be a guest blogger for Mal. She was one of the first blogs that I really started to follow and I always enjoy reading about her day to day life. Mal and I have a few things in common. We both have men in the Army, we are both are fitness enthusiast, and we will both be moving to Colorado in the fall. I have really enjoyed getting to know her better and I can't wait to meet her in person!

On my blog you will find a variety of lifestyle topics, everything from health, fitness, family, and deployment. But one of my favorite things that I like to blog about are care packages. My soldier is currently deployed and I have really enjoyed making him themed care packages. I normally like to think outside of the box when it comes to the theme and not go with the traditional themes.

But, this time around I wanted to send 3 boxes, 1 for Joe and 2 for the soldiers that work in his office. I don't really  know much about his soldiers and I have only met them once.  So, I decided that it was safe/best to just stick with good old 4th of July themed boxes.

For these boxes I used the medium flat rate boxes, I normally use the large ones because they are less than $15 to ship and "if it fits, it ships". I prefer to used these flat rate boxes because they are free, they ship quickly (this batch took about a week), and they are easy to get. To decorate the boxes I always go to Michael or any other craft store and get scrapbook paper and stickers. As a rule of thumb I like to get 5 pages of paper per box, this will cover the entire inside of the box.


For these boxes, I filled them with a lot of snacks and fun little things to keep them entertained. I have found that the following snacks ship really well:

• Sun Flower Seeds, Beef Jerky, Pop Corn, Individual packed snacks (I send individual packed snacks because they are easy to pack and great for him to take on a mission or to work), Gum, Hard Candy (It is getting too hot to send Chocolate, but I have sent it in the cooler months and it has arrived fine), Drink Mix (Mio or Propel Single serve) 

The guys received their packages a day before the 4th and were thrilled to get them. Below you will find links to some of my other care packages that I have blogged about. Each one is filled with different ideas and tips. 

Zombie Theme / Honey I Shrunk the Care Package / Travel Theme / Syracuse Theme

Thanks Mal for letting me guest post and for being such a great Smile Sister. I have learned many things about blogging from you and am excited for what's ahead. I hope you will all stop by my blog and say hello! 

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My Joe Doll!

About a month ago, I decided that I wanted to find a way to take Joe with me where ever go. I came up with a few ideas and finally decided on how I would do this. I stumbled upon a website that creates dolls (pillows) for kids for when their dad is deployed, www.daddydolls.com. At first I thought that it was a bit strange to have a doll with Joe's picture on it. But then I just did it. Who says that only kids can have a daddy doll? This was one of the best things that I have bought.

Now, I can take Joe with me where ever I go. I just got my Joe Doll a few weeks ago and he has already been in the cockpit, been on a fire truck, been to Texas, been with me to get my surgery, and many more places. Here is a tiny sample of the places he has been!

I am also very excited that Joe's Steph Doll just arrived yesterday in the mail! I will be shipping her out to Afghanistan today! I can't wait to see what photo idea's Joe can come up with. 

I have a few more ideas about where my Joe Doll will go. Keep checking back to see where he pops up. I really wish I thought of this before he left! 

Do you have any cleaver ideas for deployments?

Am I crazy for having a doll that looks like my boyfriend?

Happy 4th of July! - Thank You!

4th of July is one of my favorite holidays and this year it is even more special for me. I am so very thankful for all of the men and women who protect our country. Most of the time, I spend the 4th of July with friends or family just having a great time, doing fun things. To be honest, I can't really say that I even thought about what people in the military are doing for us. I was always one of those people who just celebrated just to celebrate.

I want to take this time to thank the men and women that are in our military. Thank you for protecting our country. Thank you for all of the sacrifices that you and your family make on a daily bases. Thank you to the spouses and children who are often left to celebrate alone and who stand behind their serivce member. Stay strong! 

Thank you dad for serving our country. Although you served before I was born, I just want you to know that I am proud.

Thank you Joe for everything you do for me and for our country. It is people like you who give us the opportunity to celebrate this special day. While we are here having a drink and spending time with our families, you are in Afghanistan. I am sure it is hot and you have a ton of things to do. But please know that I am ALWAYS thinking about you. I can not wait until you are home safe with me.

Please have safe and Happy 4th of July.

We Are Finally 1/2 Done! - Deployment

It's official, we are over 1/2 way done with this deployment. Some days it feels like Joe has been gone forever and other days, I can't believe how quickly it has gone by. The anticipation leading up to the half way mark made the last few days drag. I feel like I told Joe "we are almost to the half way mark" a million times. But, it has come and it has past. Now the true countdown begins! We also have a more realistic date for homecoming! But, as some of you may know, that date will change. The Army gives you a date and it is very rare that they stick with it.  I guess it's just one of those things that I will have to get use to. I am a planner at heart, so that is one thing that I know I will continue to struggle with.

I can not wait to see that pie chart be filled with green. But at the same time, it makes me nervous. I have so much that I need to get done before he gets back. One big goal is to find a house in Colorado Springs, move, and set up the house for his homecoming. Although it feels like I have plenty of time, I know I will be rushing to get it done. 

Here is small list of things that I need to do/look forward to before Joe comes home:

• Bruno Mars Concert - End of July. I won tickets on the radio
• Get moving on my charter broker business
• Work on making my blog amazing
• Run the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon
• Go to the San Diego Zoo with my sisters
• Enjoy the beach while I can 
• Go to Disneyland as much as possible
• Visit my friend Nate in Houston
• Find a house in CO
• Move to CO

Do you have any other suggestions on what I should do while I am still living in LA?

Communication durning deployment

One of the toughest things to deal with during a deployment is not knowing when you will be talking to your soldier next. I am so happy that technology is where its at today and I am able to keep in touch with Joe almost everyday. It really varies based on what's going on with his job, but I am able to talk to him on the phone daily, email multiple times a day, skype a few times a week and he sends me cards weekly. When he has access to wifi, I can even receive texts from him on an app from his iPad.

 A lot of people are shocked that we keep in touch so much, but I believe that this is very important to any relationship and very important to me while he is deployed. Please remember that the amount of communication varies based on many things. Such as, where they are deployed (some FOBs don't have great internet or cell phone tower access), what their job is, and what their schedule is like.

We have been able to work out at least one night a week (morning for him) that we dedicate to "date night". Right  now our "date night" is every Thursday and Saturday night. The day of the week has changed a few times since the beginning and we have missed a few because something comes up, but it is always nice to have that to look forward to. "Date night" is the one night a week that I know we will Skype (unless of course the internet is down, but it has been really reliable where he is). We often share stories about our past, talk about our future,  or just send each other funny videos that we have seen on the internet. It's really nice because I don't feel rushed when talking to him and I know that he has set aside that time just for me. I know that I have been very lucky that Joe has had the flexibility that he has had and I do value the time that we spend talking.

Ways to keep in touch:

• Phone Calls - I would highly recommend that your soldier buy a cell phone when he gets there
• Skype/Google+- A must 
• Care Packages - To let him know you care
• Letters - It's always nice to receive a hand written note, they do take more time to get to them then a care package
• Emails- Since I have my email on my phone, Joe always emails me first see if I am free to call/Skype or I email him to see if he can call me
• Texts- There are many apps out there that allow texting, we just use  his iPad and do iMessage, the only problem is you need wifi

Deployment is what you make it

Even though my blog is called Living in the Moment, I am a planner at heart. I am always looking forward to what is coming. I named my blog Living in the Moment as a reminder that I really need to appreciate the things that are currently happening and just enjoy life. With the deployment it is very easy to get caught up in the countdown to homecoming and I do. I am always checking my app to see how much time I have left until Joe comes home and sometimes I am just looking for ways to make the time pass.

About 2 months ago, after working over 75 days in a row with no days off, I decided that I would enjoy the life that I currently have. I was missing valuable time with my parents and sisters. Instead I was going from one job to the next and working out all of the time(often doing 2 a days and seeing little to no results), coming home, taking a shower, and going to bed. I wasn't very happy with my current situation and I would just dwell on the fact that my relationship with Joe was at a stand still until he got home(at least that's how it felt). The first 2 months of the deployment felt like eternity. Everyone would tell me that "time would fly", but it didn't. I was miserable and it was taking a toll on our relationship. I would often get upset for the smallest of things and I knew that this was adding extra stress to an already stressful situation for Joe. I decided to make a change.

After talking to a friend of mine on the phone, I decided that I would go on 1 trip a month and make it a point to spend time with my family. This was the best thing I could have done. Now, instead of spending hours at the gym alone, I will go for a run with my sisters or take them on hikes. I have the best of both worlds. I also have been using my annual pass to Disneyland, there have been many weekday nights that my family will meet at the parks just for a few hours. I have kept up on my monthly trips, the first one was a trip to visit my friend Nikki in Vegas and the next one was a trip to visit my friend Amanda in Hawaii. This month I will be going on a trip to Austin to see my friend Brittany and next month is a family trip to Yosemite in our RV!

My relationship with Joe has also changed, in stead of talking about how much it sucks that he is not here or dwelling on how long it is going to be until he gets back, we talk about all of the things that I have been doing. He has also been able to get involved with a bunch of things in Afghanistan. He is the moral leader and plans activities for the soldiers. My care packages have been getting better and better, because I want to do them. We have begun to focus on our relationship and our future together. I haven't been upset over small things in  a while and I have been able to be his support.

It really has been an adjustment, but I am happier and healthier then I was in the beginning of this deployment. I wish I could tell you that I have stopped looking at my apps, but I haven't (we only have 150 more days as of today!!!) Deployments are tough and it is up to you to decided it you will enjoy the time you have or if you will just sit and wait. I have figured out how to enjoy the time that I have now and as a bonus, time really is starting to fly by.

Enjoy the little things in life

Every Sunday, Joe takes the time to write and send me a card. I think this is the cutest thing that he has done. It was his idea and has done it ever since the beginning of his deployment. I have received both cards and post cards. They are only a few lines long but they make my day. They always seem to appear when I need them most. He has sent them to my office and to my house. He writes about things that we didn't talk about over phone or email. I love it and hope he will continue to surprise me with the little things.

Zombies are Coming!! - Care Package

I am so excited for Joe to get this care package! I have been wanting to make it for a while now, but every time I go to make it I get another genius idea. I have a few more ideas brewing, however I decided to make this care package. I got the idea of sending a zombie themed package because Joe was reading World War Z. To be honest, I am not even sure if he liked the book. I was a bit nervous that this wasn't going to come out as planned. I have seen many zombie boxes on instagram and they don't look clean (which I guess could be the look that you can go for). I am very happy with the outcome of the box.

Inside of the box I included the following:

• Walking Dead Season 1
• 10 Zombie Movies
• The Zombie Survival Guide 
• Nerf Gun - To shoot Zombies
• Nerf Ammo 
• Zombie Targets - these were given to me from a shooting range 
• Zombie Repellent - Sunscreen
• Smelly Shoe Balls - To keep his shoes smelling good, Zombies can smell feet from miles away
• Gushers, Fruit Roll Ups, Fruit by the foot - I like to send him these sugary snacks because I don't eat them and they will not be in our house. Hopefully he enjoys them while it lasts.
• Popcorn- to eat while he watches the movies

I also included a little note addressed to him letting him know that Zombies are coming!! Hopefully he enjoys this care package as much as I enjoyed making it!