As March sets in, I am praying that it will go by in slow motion. It's possible that as this deployment approaches, I just might be less prepared than ever before. There's 4 things about this deployment that make it a little bit more unpredictable and a tad bit more anxiety inducing: 1) He will be gone for a YEAR. a year is 5 more months than he's ever been gone before. 5 months is a LONG time.
2) He's going to Afghanistan. That's different. Neither one of us is completely sure what to expect.
3) I don't know any of the people he's deploying with! Well, that's a lie.. I think I know 2 people, but neither one of them has a wife. It's going to be weird when he tells stories about all these people and I will not be able to place names with faces.
4) I don't know what I should do with myself while he's gone!

But, #4 is old news.. so I digress.

Recently, I have been thinking about how great Mike is...

1. He lets me be me. He doesn't pass judgment on how I dress, what I say, how I want to spend my money, what I want to do with my time. I, on the other hand, give him a hard time about all of the above. I feel bad about it on a regular basis; because, he is so easygoing when it comes to me.

2. He's the life of the party. Sometimes I think my friends much prefer hanging out with him and me *together* rather than just me alone. Can I blame them? He's interesting and funny and a great conversationalist. When he's around, things are just more FUN.

3. He works hard at being the best husband he can be. At times it doesn't seem like he hears or acknowledges the things I say... he is generally defensive at first when I bring up issues. But, I have noticed, that he contemplates the things I mention and in his own way and in his own time he works to improve them.

4. He LOVES me. So freaking much. And it is so freaking great.

5. He's a homebody. Even though he's the life of the party (#2) he prefers spending quiet time at home alone with me more than anything else in the world.

I could go on, but I might bore you with my sentimentality... so I will quit while I'm ahead.

Suffice to say: he's the best; I love him, and I'm going to miss him like hell when he's gone.