Last August, I wrote an article on how to “Deployment-Proof Your Family”. It was my first ever article as a freelance journalist for Patch.com. As an aspiring writer, the opportunity to write professionally was (and still is) totally awesome. I’ve been working on my Bachelor’s degree in Writing on and off since 2007.

I had no personal experience on deployment. My husband was only an E-2 at the time, and I hardly understood what it meant to be a military spouse. Google was my major resource for the article, combined with a couple words of wisdom from my husband’s buddy. In short, I didn’t know what I was talking about. (but thanks for reading?)

Yesterday when I got home from work, my husband showed me a stack of papers. One with his schedule for upcoming JRTC training and block leave, another about Power of Attorney, and a third about drawing up a Last Will and Testament.

Now it’s real.

Like most military spouses, I expected this day would come. Deployments are just a part of life around here… a sort of right-of-passage for our guys (and ladies). I’ve known for awhile now that my husband will be deploying; it is discussed at every FRG meeting, we talk about it often, and we have made plans for housing. But I guess a part of me won’t feel like he’s really going until I kiss him goodbye.

Seeing those papers was just so surreal. I knew I would have to face them eventually.. after all, I wrote an article telling other people how to prepare. But having to take my own advice was much harder than I imagined. My article made assigning Power of Attorney sound so mundane, so simple. Signing up for some life insurance? Piece of cake. Drawing up a will? Pshhh.. no problem.

But now it's my life. I’m the one granted POA. It’s my husband who has to decide at 26 years old if he wants to be cremated, buried, or donated for science.

And it’s all just way too morbid. Overwhelming. Scary.... Scary doesn’t even come close to how it feels.

I’m just a 24 year old girl who fell in love with a boy in a car. How did we get here?

I’m starting this blog to share my experience as I prepare for and endure my husband’s first deployment. I don’t know if anyone will be interested in reading, and I can’t promise that I’ll write every day. But what you can count on is 100% honesty with a little slice of humor. And hopefully a little positivity.

I won’t drag this on anymore, because I don’t want to lose your interest… this is only my first post!