Blessings

Before this deployment, I really wanted to focus on the positive and be thankful each day for what I could, but I really wasn't sure that could be a reality.  It's only been less than 2 weeks, but I already have seen so many blessings.

                                    First of all, I have been spoiled at how much we get to hear from Ben.  Most days, I at least get a text twice a day.  We've facedtimed multiple times and it's really helped the kids feel like they are still connected to him.  Alison even said the other day that deployment really wasn't that bad; she just missed daddy at dinner time but she gets a "daddy kiss" (aka hersey kiss) so that makes up for it.

Second, huge one, I have felt remarkably not-stressed.  The morning Ben left, I had a brief freak-out because I started to feel "stress belly" coming on.  I felt sick to my stomach every single day Ben was gone last deployment and the stress made me physically and emotionally not well.  I knew I wouldn't make it 6 months this way and when that feeling came back, I panicked.  Ben said right then that he would pray specifically that I didn't have stress belly and I haven't felt it once!

Also, I have seen or talked to someone from our church every single day this week.  Our church is really small, so that basically means that our entire church has reached out to me in one week.  We had dinner with one family on our first day of school, which was SO crazy nice to not have to worry about cooking.  Another morning, a family invited us over for lunch/play to break up the school day.  Laurel is one of the few people I know that teaches like I do and has kids my kids age and while we talked shop, the kids played.  I guess we got carried away talking because look what they did:           

Yes, that's a giant hole they dug in their yard.  Thankfully, they are totally cool with this happening and it's a "normal" occurrence.

Oh, AND nothing has broken or fallen apart yet!