5 Month Mark!

We've made it to the 5 month mark and it's seems like a million years have passed since I've seen Justin. It's going to be a glorious moment when we finally reunite again after being a part for a half a year...that seems so weird to think we will have been apart for a half a year, something we will never be able to get back. Justin is very anxious and says he wants to "just be home" each time we talk on the phone, I know it's been so hard for him to be away from his family. He said "Afghanistan isn't all that bad, but he just misses us so much," that makes me feel so loved! He is such a great guy...have I mentioned how much I love him???

Well Tristin is in Houston..he left a couple days ago, so I'm truly flying solo at the moment. It feels strange not having him home, but it's also such a nice thing for my sister-in-law to do, and it is giving me a break from parenthood for a little bit, I really appreciate all Leanne does for Tristin...she is an awesome auntie! She is making great memories that Tristin will remember for a life time, and I just think that is so neat! I remember being with my aunt Jackie a lot was I was younger and it was really fun...I will remember those memories for ever!

Well 1 more month and this will all come to an end and I cannot wait for my best friend to get home, I've missed him more than I would have ever imagined and I'm ready to get back to being a "normal" family again. I can't wait to see his face again, and to feel his touch and to know he is okay...it's been such a worry for me, but I'm glad things have gone so smoothly since his deployment, just praying his transition home will be easy!!!

Hurry up July 26th....I can't wait to see you!

Memorial Day Weekend!

For love of country they accepted death... ~James A. Garfield

Today we celebrate those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and for them I'm thankful!! Especially my hubby, thank you babe for all you do for Tristin and I, we love you very much!

I also had a great weekend with my family camping at Boardman. Justin says we don't camp we RV, but it's still a lot of fun. I got to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, sister-in-law and my 2 most favorite little people Madison and Ryder!! Saturday was beautiful it was a 100 degrees in the sun, so I worked on my tan, and got a little sunburn. Sunday we decorated our loved ones graves with beautiful flowers. I of course ate way too much junk had awesome campfires, and lots of laughs with my family....

Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
-- Brad Henry

I heart my family so much, thanks everyone for a great weekend!!

I Heart The Ocean

!

This is one of my favorite spots on the Oregon Coast, HayStack Rock....just wishing I was there now....I love the smell of the ocean, the crashing of the waves and the relaxation that the beach brings, maybe when Justin gets back in July I will wisk him away for a weekend on the beach....sounds like a good plan to me :-)

4 Months Down!

Justin and I have hit the 4 month mark, and poor Justin is running out of steam. He still has not had a day off in 4 months now, I don't know how many of us could actually work 12 hr days, 7 days a week in 10o + degree weather with 100% humidity??? He is a stronger person than me, I'm sure that I would have been shipped home already due to my complaining...lol....

Our savings account has really soared since Justin deployed and that was one of the main reasons he wanted to go, I appreciate all he does for our family but I don't know if all the money in the world is worth having your spouse gone for 6 months straight? Like I've said before, it's been a harder journey than I had anticipated, and the stress of having him in a war zone has really started to wear on me...I just pray every single day and I know that God is protecting him, but it's still very stressful!

Tristin and I continue to truck along as best we know, but we sure miss dad, we have been able to talk twice a day, and email of course so that has been our saving grace, but there sure isn't anything to replace a persons existence on a daily basis. It seems our routine is boring too....but there is only so much you can do in Pendleton....

This weekend Tristin and I are going camping with family, so that will be fun. Give us something to look forward to and pass the time. I'm excited to see some family members that I haven't seen in several months, and of course my 2 most favorite little people, it's going to be fun, whether it rains or not...most likely will be raining but I'm going to try and make the most of it!

2 more months, I Think I can, I KNOW I can!

Half Way Mark!

Well we've made it to the half-way mark, 3 months down 3 more to go. I'm pretty sure Justin is ready to come home and I'm definitely over ready for him to come home, I'm grateful for our daily phone calls, but it's just not the same as seeing him and being with him, I'm really missing him a lot! I knew this was going to be hard, but it's been hard than I anticipated...

The weather has tuned extremely HOT in Afghanistan, A couple days ago Justin said it was 112 degrees, I don't even know how a person can function in that kind of heat. Justin has also caught a head cold, and said he isn't drinking enough water and felt he was dehydrated, so he is trying to keep the water flowing! It's only going to get worse he said, last year's high was 142 degrees, I mean really??? I can't even imagine.

I wish our sun would come out and stay...we've had one good day with the sun shining, but it was short lived, now we are back to rain and dreary skies....I'm looking for a little pick me up, come on Sunny Skies smile down on me!!!!

Happy Spring!

A litte this and a little that!

Last weekend I was in Vegas, I can't believe it's already been a week since I was there, I went with my sister-in-law Leanne. We stayed at the Cosmopolitan and it was awesome, It is new and just opened in December of this year, it's very neat and trendy. It's where a lot of the locals hangout is what we were told, because it's has a lot of trendy bars inside! Our favorites were the Chandelier and Vesper's. We also ate at STK in the Cosmo., a very delicious steak house...we were told it was a popular place to spot celebrities, however; we didn't see any.... If you go to Vegas you gotta check out the Cosmopolitan you won't be disappointed I promise you!!!

Spring is definitely here, I'm really tired of the gray skies and rain, I'm ready for sunny days and HOT weather....Justin is still trekking along, we are almost the the half way mark, it seems like he just left some days and other days feel like he's been gone for a million years. The nights are hardest for me, I'm still having some issues sleeping but the last few nights have been better so maybe I'm starting to get used to being alone. Tristin isn't doing a spring sport so that has freed up a lot of my time, which I thought I would enjoy, however; not having anything to look forward to kinda makes my days seem so long. I've eliminated quite a few of my cleaning clients. I've been cleaning houses for over 2 yrs and I just feel like moving on and doing other things. My poor house has been neglected, I've got to buckle down one of these days and do some serious deep cleaning.....oh the joy that will be..lol....

Anyway things are still moving along in the Van'B household, I'm counting down the days until August and I can't wait to see my hubby again, I'm ready to have this time in our lives a distant memory....I'm ready for hubby to come home I really, really miss him!!!

Under Attack

(AGI) Kabul - Afghanistan: coalition forces killed 7 Talibans who had launched an attack against a military base in Jalalabad. The base was situated near the airport of the city of Jalalabad, in East Afghanistan. The attack occurred around midnight, when the rebels started shooting against the airport, obliging the coalition forces to open fire. The news was reported by the Chief of the Provincial Police of Nangarhar, Ali Shah Paktiawal. . .

Last night, Justin's base came under attack by the Taliban. Talk about taking my stress to a whole new level....holy crap, this is real people! Thankfully he is safe and I can't say much, but just wanted everyone that reads my blog to know that he is safe and okay. Please keep your prayers coming on our behalf....I'm pretty stressed out at this point and just keep thinking he can't get home soon enough....uuuugggghhhhh! 4 more months....talk about stress!!!!

Happy 40th!!!

This handsome guy turned 40 years old today, Happy Birthday Justin!!! I'm sad that you are all alone in Afghanistan but very proud of you for your sacrifices and service to our country! I don't think you look a day past 30, still young and handsome as ever, and I love you more today than the day I married you! Anyway Happy Birthday Babe, we will celebrate when you get home soon, I LOVE YOU and MISS YOU, HAPPY, HAPPY 40th Birthday!!!!!

Wifey <3

2 Month Mark!

Well Justin and I have made the 2 month mark finally. March seems to be dragging on, and the spring weather isn't helping matters much, all the wind and rain, is starting to wear on my nerves a little bit! The time is starting to wear on Justin too however; the continual work schedule with no days off, and the confinement of the base is starting to make Justin's fuse a little short! He's had a couple of days where I thought he might explode, due to being the only QASAS on base, and the unit of troops that are there currently will be leaving and a new unit is coming in, making his work a bit more challenging! He has his moments where I'm the one and only he VENTS too, and I just try to listen and be supportive of him, which is hard because half the time I have no idea what he is even talking about..lol....work stuff???

Next month I'm going to Vegas with my sister-in-law Leanne. She has to go for work, and she called and invited me to come along too, so I'm really looking forward to that little trip. Having something to look forward to, makes the time pass a little quicker also. I'm hoping for lots of Vegas sunshine, and warmer temps...just being in the sun will feel awesome! Keeping my fingers crossed that the sun will be shining!

Not much news to report, just chugging along, and counting down the days until August....seems so far away, but trying to stay positive. This has been a lot harder than I had expected, I'm not good at being alone, I really like being married, and feel lucky to have a guy like Justin to call my husband, he is just a great guy, and I love him soooo much! I hope that we won't have to go through this again anytime soon, I respect those people who like being alone, but I've come to the conclusion I'm not that person. 4 more months, hoping I can do it! Thanks to my family and friends for your continued support, prayers and kind words, it means a lot to me, I love ya all!

Stand Still......

Time feels like I'm at a stand still at the moment. 145 more days until I get to see Justin and I'm starting to feel like it's never going to get here. We haven't even gotten to the 2 month mark yet and it feels like a million years since I last seen him. As the days start to get longer, it feels like it's only longer until I see him again. I'm trying my best to stay as busy as I can in Pendleton, but it's not easy. The 4 walls in my house are starting to get on my nerves...not having a full time job, and a job where I don't interact with people only makes it alot harder. I think the time is going faster for Justin since he works 12 hrs shifts and then just basically goes to sleep and then starts his day all over again..and he has a lot of people to interact with throughout his workday, where as I do not. I'm trying to stay positive but today isn't a positive day for me. I also slipped going down the stairs and tweaked my neck and it's been hurting me for a couple of days now, not fun!

Also feel a bit terrible, I got into a little argument with Tristin this morning about being a responsible teenager and dropped him off at school after yelling at him most of the morning...doesn't make me feel like a very good mother, and I know I shouldn't do that, but I pretty much snapped, having to be the "mom and dad" makes this job harder than I had expected. Normally Justin is the one who does most of the discipline and now it's on my shoulders, and Tristin keeps saying "I've changed" yup I'm now you father too, hahahaha! Anyway August 1st can't get here soon enough, I knew this separation was going to be tough on all of us, but not this tough, I'm ready for this deployment to be in my past...and only just a memory!

Hello March 1st!

Well I've been looking forward to March 1st, just for the fact that Spring is just right around the corner! It has been a long winter and I'm excited to see the spring flowers start to bloom and of course I'm hoping for warmer weather too! I hope it doesn't rain all spring either, I really dislike the rain!! It's been a rough couple of weeks in the VanBlokland household, we are really missing Justin's presence and I really didn't realize how much he does affect our family unit. Tristin is having some struggles in school and I'm just flat not impressed with Pendleton High School administrators and teachers to be quite frank! I don't think Tristin has handled the transition from his dad being gone, and I don't think there is a support group for kids at school who have a parent that has deployed, I was told he was "put on a list of kids who's parents have deployed" but what does that mean? Do they check with the child and see how he/she is coping, NOPE......there is no support for these kids and I'm just really not impressed! I talk to him all the time about it, but I think he is tired of hearing me, it might be nice to have an outside perspective and someone other than me to talk to about it. He seems angry and depressed and I'm kind of worried about him, but I will continue to do the best I know how.

Justin is doing well. Not much to report on, he is keeping busy with work, and he did start working out this week, so that will be good for him, he is working out with one of the Army guys he works closely with. It doesn't appear that he is EVER going to get internet in his room, so skyping is out of the question, which is a bummer because I think that would be a great way for him to communicate with Tristin and maybe help ease some of his issues, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Thank you for keeping Justin in your daily prayers as he is adjusting to Army life and seems to be getting the jist of all the in's and out's of work...that is a relief for me to know that he is settled and doing pretty well under the circumstances.

Happy Spring, hoping some sunshine might brighten our mood in the Van'B household!!!

1 month down!

Well we've made it to the 1 month mark! This feels like a big accomplishment to me, because the first week Justin was gone, felt like an eternity and I did not feel very strong, and had an extremely hard time thinking I could get through the next 6 months without him, but now I can say we are going on 5 MONTHS, and I feel a lot better about how things are going. Justin is pretty much settled in, getting the hang of his new job, and we are pretty much on a regular calling schedule/routine, and Tristin and I are doing pretty well without dad, we miss him terribly, but have got our routine down fairly well without him.

I'm trying to stay pretty busy, and with the help of my very dear friend Robbin and my parents, they have been my life savers, keeping me occupied and I'm trying to enjoy each day the best I can. Tristin's basketball season has come to an end, and he has decided not to participate in any Spring sports, so we will have a break from sports for awhile. Not sure if this is a smart decision on his part, however; it's a welcome break for me!

Thanks to everyone's continued prayers on our behalf and all the nice comments on face-book from all of my friends, you guys help me get through each day and your supports means so much to me, I love each and everyone of you! 5 more months, here we come!

Loss

Today has been a hard day. I got a phone call from Justin this morning at about 1am our time, and of course when the phone rings that early in the morning and from my experiences, it's usually not good news. My heart started pounding especially since Justin is in Afghanistan of course my mind went straight to panic mode!! Justin's voice was shaky and he stated "I have bad news." My heart sank, and that is when he told me our dear friend Doc had passed away from a massive heart attack the night before. Justin met Doc while working at the Depot many years ago. They became very good friends and eventually became commuting partners to and from work. They also established a very close friendship bond and Justin sometimes thought of Doc as a "father figure." They enjoyed listening to the "oldies" station to and from work, and also established a relationship outside of work. Doc then decided since the Depot would eventually close at some point, he entered a new program in the government, and moved away and entered into the QASAS program, and a year later, Justin too joined him in Oklahoma and entered into the same program and they lived together for a few months before Doc was transferred to Hawthorne Nevada to do an internship as a new QASAS. A year later, we then were transfer to Hawthorne Nevada and Justin and he once again joined forces and worked together for about 9 months, before we were transferred back to Pendleton. In Hawthorne we all maintained a close friendship and then once we moved to Pendleton Doc was deployed to Iraq, and once he returned to Nevada, he and his wife Marna were transferred over seas to Germany, and that is where Doc passed away of a massive heart attack last night. We still don't know the details at this point, but are very saddened by this sudden loss, he was only 58 yrs old. Justin had just received an email from him about a week ago, stating things were going well for him in Germany and that he was glad Justin was safe and sound in Afghanistan. It is so hard to lose a loved one, and especially under the circumstances, Justin feels very much alone, and helpless. How do you grieve a loss of a loved one when you never get to say goodbye??

Also I received news last night that my uncle from California had lost his battle with prostrate cancer...it has been a rough go for our family when it comes to loss. Last year I lost my grandma Mary, my aunt Joan, my aunt Carolyn, and now my uncle Tom, and Doc....life just doesn't make sense to me right now...I know that all things happen for a reason, and God has a purpose for each and everyone of us but right now, I really don't want to hear those words from anyone...I do not understand and someday I'm sure I will, but for now, my grieve is great. Rest in Peace Tom and Doc, I'm sure we will meet again someday, until then, know you will be missed and were loved.

Time flies when your having fun!

Last Wednesday I met my sister-in-law in The Dalles to pick up these two little cuties! Madison is 3 yrs old now and Ryder is 2 , and boy did I have a good time with them. They are so busy I don't think I got a spare moment to do much expect play with them. I figured that since Justin is gone I would give their mommy and daddy a little break, and they could come spend 4 days with auntie. Man time sure does go fast when you are busy with toddlers, and it helped me a little to stop counting the days until Justin comes home...they took my mind off a lot of things and it was some good medicine to have them here for a few days! We didn't do much except play and we did get out one of the days, it was a sunny 50 degrees and went to the castle park and played on the swings, and Madison loved the sand pit....she dug and dug! They both have such different personalities, Madison is a spit-fire like her auntie and Ryder is just a little tender sweetheart, who likes to snuggle and laze around....and his little raspy voice is to die for...I just love these two to pieces!!! They are leaving this morning to go back to Portland, but I will cherish my time with them, they really love coming to Pendleton and I'm happy we can make so many memories with them, that hopefully they will remember for a lifetime! I will be a little lost without them today, but surely need a break, I don't know how their mommy and daddy keep up with them, they are busy, busy that's for sure, I'm glad I could give them a break!

On another note: Justin is feeling much better, I talked to him this morning and he is getting the hang of his job pretty well, he is extremely busy with work, and not much else to report on thus far...he works 12 hour days, leaving little time for anything else expect sleep! He is still working on getting his internet up and running in his room, however the IT guy is going on leave this next week so he isn't sure if it will be anytime soon?? I'm thankful that we get to talk to each other about twice a day, he usually calls me in the evenings from the MWR, and then I can call him at his office in the mornings when he is getting off work, it seems to be working out well, and makes me feel good that I can hear his voice twice a day! Would love to Skype him, and see his face, but that won't happen until his internet in his room gets set up, I really would love to see him, but I'm trying to be patient, which I'm horrible at, this is very hard for me, cause you all know I'm a LEO and I really like to control things, and I'm not able to control much right now with this situation so it's been a challenge, but I'm adjusting, hahaha! Please continue to keep Justin's safety in your daily prayers, we love you all!!!

Under the Weather

Not much new to report on from Afghanistan other than Justin is not feeling well at all. He said he woke up the other night with body-aches, chills, and a cough. I don't think there is anything much worse than being sick and away from home, he said he went to the PX and purchased some Advil for the aches and he said it seems to be helping and his cough is breaking up, so hopefully he won't get much worse...not sure about the doctors on base, I'm sure they are capable of taking care of the sick though. I'm sure his body is pretty wore down, with the time change and the 3 days of no sleep trying to get on a military flight to Afghanistan. I wish I could make him some chicken noodle soup and make him feel better, but there is not much I can do, feeling pretty helpless...

I'm waiting on Justin to get his internet hooked up so he can upload me some photos so I can share with you all, he has told me about some of the pictures he has taken, and I really can't wait to see them, and then share with all of you so I'm trying to be patient as well as he is too, it's quite a process to get internet in your room, so as soon as I get them I will post them..Please continue to keep Justin in your prayers, we appreciate it very much!!!!

Lobster..That's What's for Dinner!!!

Guess what Justin had for dinner at the Chow Hall in Afghanistan???? Yup you guessed it....LOBSTER!! Are you kidding me? Okay this is a funny story because before Justin left on his mission, he told me he really would like to eat at Red Lobster in Tri-Cities, but for those of you who don't know, I'm allergic to shell fish, so of course I curled my lip to that idea! Justin says whenever he thinks of Lobster "his mouth starts watering." So instead of Red Lobster we enjoyed a meal at the Olive Garden instead, however; after we were done eating he told me "his mouth was still watering for Lobster!" I did feel kinda bad, since I was thinking it was his last meal in the states for awhile, but not bad enough to agree on Lobster. So it was about the second night at the Chow Hall, that they served him Lobster, I mean really, who would think they would serve Lobster at the local Chow Hall?? Anyway he IM'ed my mom on FB and told her that he had lobster for dinner, then he called me and informed me he had lobster for dinner, I was shocked, I mean who would of thunk it??? Anyway he said it was delicious and overall said that the chow hall food is quite decent. So do you think that it was coincidence that he was offered Lobster for dinner??? He said he understands why you could gain a lot of weight eating "chow" food, since they offer a wide variety of dishes, that are pretty good I guess. He has been eating 3 small meals a day, and starting Monday he is going to head back to the gym and start working out. He gets up quite early, around 4am, this giving him time to head to the gym, shower, eat and then get to work.

On another note they will be showing the Superbowl today at 4am his time, he wasn't sure if it would be worth getting up to watch since there are so many troops wanting to watch, and a small TV area where it's being shown...He doesn't much care who wins, since his CHARGERS are out of it anyway, however he said he is rooting for the Packers, OHHH and I'm wondering what they will be cooking up for dinner tonight??

Life Line

You see this is my life line to Justin...a satellite phone in his office that allows for me to call him on a daily basis. I call a number and it connects me to an operator in New Jersey, and then she is able to connect us all the way to Afghanistan, isn't that just amazing, and it's a local US number so I don't have to pay those ridiculous International rates, it's just awesome! When I call him, he is usually getting off work, we have a 12.5 hour time zone difference, so my mornings are his nights and my nights are his mornings, so it does make it a little tricky to get a hold of one another, but we are doing fine on the calling times as of now! His work schedule is 12 hour days, 7 days a week....NO DAYS OFF, I couldn't handle it! His hours are 8am-8pm....leaving little time for anything thing else to do, but then again, what else is there to do on an Army Base in the middle of Afghanistan, it's not like he can go site seeing!!! He will never leave post unless he is with an escort and so basically in his 6 months time, he will never see the outside of the fence of his base....I can't imagine! He is working on getting an internet connection in his room, however the Afghans are running most of the internet there, so he is a little hesitant to give his computer over to them, which I can't blame him, so we'll see how that will all work out, he is still trying to figure it all out! I thankful for his safety and well being, he seems to be settling in well and adjusting to the time change, however after a 12 hour shift he is pretty spent, there is a lot of back work he is trying to fill, so he said he is going to be staying busy for a LONG time...I'll write more tomorrow about his meals at the chow hall...until then Chow!

My Journey for the next 6 months

So as most of you know, my husband has been deployed to Afghanistan for the next 6 months, and I've decided maybe this would be a good time for me to taking blogging back up, a way of sorts to kinda keep a journal to help keep family and friends in the loop, since he only has limited talk time and computer time, and usually it's Tristin and I he is calling. This has been a very difficult transition for Tristin and I since we are so used to having him home, and as all of you know Justin is my best friend. So this separation hasn't been an easy thing for me. This will be a way for me to deal with my feelings, a way to put my feelings into words, which is really hard for me. So don't blink too fast, you might miss out on something really interesting from Afghanistan, Justin is going to start taking pictures and hopefully once he gets his internet set up he will be able to send them to me and I can share them with all of you...he has told some funny stories and I will blog of those later, so hang tight, and enjoy this roller coaster ride with me, it will most likely be me telling you stories about my feelings, and how this journey has changed my perspective on life in general! Thanks for listening...