Dadalogue deployed: A long-overdue update

First off, an apology. I haven’t updated in a long while, and I’m sorry. I think I underestimated the rigors of deployment, even if my work keeps me “inside the wire.”

The days are long. Sleep comes easily. And, my wife will confirm, I am an 8-hour-a-night kind of guy. Any less and I’m cranky for the rest of the day.

Despite the long days, I enjoy being here. The work I’m doing is rewarding, and I’m finding that I can get things done more easily for my Marines in a deployed environment. I think everyone is more focused on the mission, so the unnecessary hassles stateside that come with getting gear or a simple signature are not present. Marines work best when they’re deployed.

Fortunately for me, even with the lack of updates here, I’ve been able to keep in touch with the Wife every few days. We’ve been able to chat on Skype and FaceTime. This morning we talked on the phone while Syracuse got beat by Ohio State. Being able to talk eased the pain of not seeing our team go to the Final 4. I even talked to Grace for a minute. My availability to talk usually coincides with her and Timothy’s nap times. Four a.m. though? Perfect.

Her conversation wasn’t much more than, “Hi Daddy. Bye Daddy. Babble babble. Syracuse, Timothy’s sleeping. Babble babble,” but it was great to hear her little voice.

My thoughts often wander back to my family and to how and what they’re doing. It makes me miss them more, but I think about the reunion (which seems so far away) and how sweet it’s going to be.

I know the Wife has been struggling a bit with the separation (she told me I could share this). There’s so much uncertainty from her end about my safety, and I’m just not around. Being separated from your soul mate for any amount of time really starts to wear on you mentally. My outlets right now for that are work and the gym. In a way, I can escape the reality of the situation. 

She’s living it every day. The kids still need constant attention, she feels guilty at times leaning on others to help out, and she wants me back to so I can fill that void. I think the biggest sacrifices are made by those who stay, not by us over here.

Yes, reunion will be a sweet, sweet day. In the meantime, we’ll keep doing our best to stay connected anyway we can.

Well, I’ll try to post more often. But remember, you are all still in my prayers. If you have requests, send them to dadalogue@gmail.com . I’ll add you to the list.