Why I love this deployment...

4 and a 1/2 months to go... December sometimes feel really close and sometimes it feels hopelessly far.
Some days I also think I am losing my mind. The approximate 6,700 miles between my husband and I is not all that much fun, as you may have imagined. We've always had distance in our relationship, but this is a whole new level of distance now that we are married. But, nonetheless, I am trying to stay positive (rather than like smash everything in sight out of frustration). I've been trying to think up reasons that I could possibly be thankful for this 6 month period of deployment. And here are a few (in no order but the one they come to me in):

1) here is what I know about distance. People like to say "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and I am not sure how I feel about that one. I am rather fond of my husband in all locations, and I particularly like him in the same location as me but...regardless. I do know that when we are in the same location, I so cherish my time with him. With all the varied distances we have worked with, all of them have made me unable to take him for granted. For that I am thankful. Before he left for Qatar we only had 8 days together and our "honeymoon" consisted of a LOT of military required paperwork. A lot of people have been like "oh that is so sad, you honeymooned in Washington and did paperwork...". But I love just being with JoJo, even if it means sitting in the finance office, or signing papers, or moving him out of his dorm. Time with JoJo is precious to me. For that I am very thankful.

2) Being apart for 6 months is a good way to save money and plan for starting out our new lives together. For that I am thankful. It is a little peculiar that we will not have lived with each other until about 7 months into our marriage, but we are generally pretty peculiar all around. People blessed our socks off with wedding gifts, and that money, along with a fair amount of extra coming off the deployment, has gone into savings. We are so excited to start our new home, and the money we are saving right now will be hugely helpful. God's favor is incredible!

3) As I have said, throughout our relationship JoJo and I have been apart and apartness leaves us with not much else to do "together" but TALK to each other. A lot of relationships I have observed have issues with communication. While we are no means experts at it, one of the strongest things between JoJo and I is our ability to communicate. I am very, very, very thankful for the strength in communication that long distance has taught us. Of course, communication can always be improved, but we are off to a decent start! JoJo and I both had a good laugh in one of our premarital counseling sessions (he skyped in) when the entire lesson was based on communication. One of the first questions was "how much time to the two of you spend just talking?" Uhm...all of it. We then progressed through 12 pages of questions/topics we should have been sure to discuss before marriage. And we had covered all of them. Before JoJo came into my life my longest phone conversation with any human being (girls included) was 12 minutes. But now I can talk for hours and hours with that man about anything. Prior to JoJo I also had no skype account, but now mine remains signed in at all hours *just in case* my airman calls.

4) Deployments mean you can do fun things like...learn how to make cookies that fit in pringle containers to keep them fresh and safe and then ship them half way across the world to celebrate a 23rd birthday. Care packages are a lot of fun! I love sending mail and I'm thankful I can find cute little ways to send love in a box.

5) Strength. Getting married and being separated for half a year is no easy task. There is probably a reason that must people do not do such things after their wedding. But our relationship has always be a bit unusual, but throughout it all we have seen God's faithfulness. Distance has taught us both a lot about trusting God and his plan for us. It has also built a lot of strength into our relationship, and for that I am hugely thankful. Our love is deployment strong. And our God is even stronger.

I could continue sitting here typing up reasons for gratefulness, but this post is getting a bit long. I think I may continue with this topic through the next couple months. God is faithful. 4 and a 1/2 more months. 4 and a 1/2 more months....

how many slaves work for you?

Slaves? Yes.

Maybe you don't realize (a lot of people don't) but a lot the food, clothing, toiletries, vehicles, technology, etc that we purchase here is America is made by an industry of slaves. People often don't realize what a huge injustice is being done in other parts of the world and they unknowningly support this injustice by what they purchase.

People love to shop in places where they can get a good deal, of want to buy a big name designer label...but have you ever thought about why the prices are low or where all those items come from? Some man, woman, or even child in another part of the world is being unfairly paid, or not even paid at all, so we Americans can get cheap goods. Take a look at the tag on your shirt or jeans and you might be surprised...

I try my best to buy fair trade, but it is SO hard because so many good we use are made through injustice. Buying things or from companies that are "fair trade" (meaning if they have employees in other countries they are being properly paid for their work) is a good, small way to fight injustice. Many, many companies have made an effort to ensure that their products and good are being made in a way that is just. People taking action against injustice have caused many companies (like Starbucks- their coffee is fair trade now, but wasn't a few years ago!) to rethink their products and make changes. Buying American made is also usually a good way to go. Thrifts stores are also a favorite!

For me, buying my wedding dress was a big deal. Most people immediately run to the big name stores (*cough cough David's Bridal cough cough) to buy a relatively cheap gown for their big day. But the reason that there can be a $500 gown sale is because those dresses are being mass produced in foreign countries by women who are not getting fair pay for their labor. I ended up buying my wedding dress used, from a thrift store though there were several I liked from David's. It was about 30 years old and originally almost all hand done in the USA. Knowing that someone didn't have to suffer in a sweat shop to have me look great on my wedding day ment a lot to me!

I just took a survey on a very eye opening website: http://slaveryfootprint.org/
My computer froze up when I got the step about items in my closet (no I don't own 50 pairs of jeans!), so the number I got isn't entirely accurate (48 slaves work for me, according to the survey), and I am sure no number is, but something like this can give you a pretty unsettling estimate of just what injustice you are supporting and where it is going on.

Check it out. And maybe take some time to rethink your purchasing habits.

Wedding Photos

More to come, along with a written recap of our wonderful and blessed day, but for now, some visual proof that I got myself an airman husband.

 

 *above photos thefted from my friends and family. Below photos were just a preview from our incredibly friend/wedding photography/my photography mentor Jeff Crandall and his wife Vicki.

Our wedding day was definitely worth waiting our whole lives for. It went off without a single problem and I couldn't be happier. All that chaos of planning a wedding in 70 days was well worth it (but I am glad I am only getting married once and that it will last forever, because goodgracious, there is no way I want to go through wedding planning again). God is so faithful. We are so blown away at how *perfect* it all went.

As I said, there will be more photos coming, and eventually I need to gather my thoughts and emotions and write up a recap of all that went/is going on. As of right now, my airman is about to land in the country of Qatar any minute and he will remain there for 6 months. During that time I will be home with my family, planning my big move at the end of 2012 from the east coast to the west. And sending lots and lots of care packages.

more to come on my current life soon. yup, I got married. yup, I'm a real, live military wife. yup, my husband is now deployed. but I am much to tired and emotionally drained to speak of that right now. but soon.

until then, a love otter:

http://kiddertheloveotter.blogspot.com

Busy month...

Sorry I haven't posted in a month...life is busy when you are trying to work, finish a school semester and plan a wedding (32 days!).

Just wanted to stop in a share a few photos. I have a new obsession with triptics. I've been making them during my digital photography class in CS5. I saw some work by David Hillard (google him!) and the obsession started.

3 recent triptics with my photos:

They are much cooler full screen, so click them!

The top one was the one into which I put the most effort. It was originally 4 different photos, 3 of which I combined into a panorama and then put JoJo in on the left side.Those photos were taken while we were at Pike's Place in Seattle.

The middle one shows different angles of a local technical school. I was going for a "new bauhaus" look (google that too).

The bottom one was a hand tangle of 6 of my siblings. The professor asked me if I had plagiarized by taking photos out of a unicef add. To which I responded, "no, my life is a unicef add." 

In other news, I am just trying to keep sane as the final details of this wedding come together. And speaking of finals, I have to take some of those in a week and a half. Last stretch before the finish line!

I am not normal...

Never have, never will be. No idea what normal is, but I know for certain that I am not it.

I got engaged in February to an Airman. In on May 26th I will marry that Airman. On June 3rd, that Airman husband I will have only just acquired will be leaving for 6 months for Qatar.

That is not normal. Tell me if I am wrong, but normal people generally get engaged, plan a wedding for a good couple months, have a big hoopla wedding, have a honeymoon and settle down together in their new home. I am almost sure that most people don't get married for 8 days and then not see each other for 6 months.

But military people do.

I realize I am getting myself into a whole new life style- a whole knew world- that can only be related to by the people in it. There are many women in my same position and same life style who do understand this life I am about to get myself into. But those aren't the women...or the people...I am currently surrounded by. a lot of people just don't...get it. Civilians can't quite wrap their minds around that which is the military...

As I find myself trying to explain to people that JoJo and I are getting married in 2 months, just before he deploys, I am getting a lot of varying responses. Many, many people have been incredibly wonderful and supportive. Several people just look sad for me. "oh you poor thing." And then there is the lot of people who just kind of go "may...this may?" "yes, he deploys in June..." "ohh...well...that's... nice..." and then they awkwardly laugh and don't make eye contact. It is slightly disheartening.

All throughout my long distance, complicated military relationship with JoJo there have been the people who have either just been bewildered by me, or tried to tell me why I shouldn't put myself through this. The ones who have said "Bella, you could have any guy, and there are lots of great guys in this state. Why put yourself through the long distance thing?" "why do you want to do this to yourself" or " Isn't the military stressful? Do you really want that life?"

Yes, there are many, many guys close by. But they aren't JoJo.
No, long distance isn't fun. It is actually physically painful to be separated from the one person you want to be with and yet you are unable to do anything about it. JoJo's been in the Air Force for 19 months and has lived in 4 different states in that time period. Out of the near 2 years he has been in, I have been in the same location and able to spend time with him a total of 38 days.
Yes, it is a little stressful. The military is a whole different way of life. For a person who loves details and planning in advance, the thought of living under "what the Air Force says, goes" stresses me out just a little.
Despite all that, yes. I want that life. No, not forever, but for now. Because I love JoJo. I know he was made for me by God. God put him in the military. So, therefore I was made for this. I would not trade him or this for anything.

I have no idea how I am going to handle this. The whole "military wife" thing is a concept I am still trying to wrap my mind around. No, a 6 month deployment to Qatar is not at all a big deal. There are much scarier places, and much longer time frames. I'll be home with my family until he returns. We'll be able to skype and call. We'll make do. But it sure won't be fun. Especially just after we get married. A lot so far hasn't been fun, but it has all been worth it.

Sure, the military does put a very...interesting...spin on life. But ultimately, what God says goes. We are both in his care, under his plan. Not the Air Force, not the military, not America. I have to keep reminding myself of that. I am trying to focus on the other positive aspects, like how strong this will make the two of us. How we will never be able to take each other for granted. And how I will be become bilingual (English, with military acronyms as a second language). And its an adventure like no other. God has been faithful thus far and he will get us through all this and everything after it. Failure never has been and never will be an option.

All that being said....Hua.

Wedding inspiration boards are my new addiction....

... just take a look. I've been making them all over the place. Style Me Pretty, The Knot, Once Wed, and Wedding Wire are all great sites to get wedding inspiration!

Couple boards from Style Me Pretty that I created:

Also, made a PINTREST account. People kept telling me it was a great place to get inspiration and I that I would love it because I am crafty.... I do not yet love it? Seems kinds sub-par to all the other wedding inspo sites I've been one. Kinda fun just to browse but...not my new favorite.
But any how...