Update: Mr. S is home and we begin a new journey

So very sorry. I honestly didn't think anyone was even reading this until I happened to log in one day and see that people were, in fact, interested in what I had to say. Now I feel crazy guilty for not updating y'all.

When I left off, Mr. S was still in Afghanistan, I had just begun working as a vet tech, and life was nutty.

Mr. S came home at the end of October. I can't believe I didn't tell y'all because I was practically jumping out of my skin with excitement. Everything has been great between us over the last year. I don't know why I ever thought it wouldn't be. Within a couple of hours of him getting home, it was like the deployment didn't even happen.

We've begun a new challenge though, we've been trying unsuccessfully to start a family. We knew this would be a struggle and had been trying for over a year when he deployed, but we've certainly kicked it up a knotch this last year. Due to my severe Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), I rarely if ever, ovulate on my own. We've completed over the last several years, 5 rounds of Clomid, 3 failed rounds of Follistim injectable meds, laparoscopic surgery, and are currently on our final round of Follistim. Eek!

I honestly think that infertility has been more of a challenge for our marriage than the deployment! Between the hormones, the frustration, the devastation, and the hope that we try to cling to, it's definitely been difficult. Thank goodness Mr. S puts up with me being crazy!

Our next step is IUI or IVF if this cycle doesn't work, so cross your fingers for us.

I hope to update y'all a bit more and keep this blog up, despite my lapse in writing, so bear with me and thanks for reading!

What is normal anymore?

I keep hearing people say that they can't wait for "things to return to normal" when the guys get home. It's left me confused and wondering what is normal anymore. We moved to a new post in September of last year, were informed of the impending deployment around Thanksgiving, and he was gone right after Christmas. It was such a whirlwind of moving, trying to get adjusted, then preparing for him to leave, and then he was gone. Well, now he's due to come home in only a couple months. Can you believe it?!?! It's shocking to me that this deployment is almost over. The days have been long, but the weeks certainly have been short.

Now, I'm left with a new challenge. I've managed to build a new life for myself here. We didn't really know many people when he left, so I've really established not only a new routine of being on my own, but I've surrounded myself with new people, started a new job, and both had a pet pass away and adopted a new kitten. Life has changed drastically from the "normal" of before he left. 

There never really was a normal though. It was always us getting ready for the move, getting settled, getting ready for him to leave, etc. There was never any routine that we had established before he left. There was no normal. So now I'm beginning to get a little nervous about Mr. S coming home. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to think that he'll be home safe and sound again. Despite that, I'm anxious that with no real "normal" to return to, it's going to be a challenge to readjust to being together.