Things that make an Enlisted Momma smile

There is just something very reassuring about seeing your loved ones smile and hearing their voice from thousands of miles away, that makes your heart melt. Being the Mommy to any child is a trying and worrisome job. It's just part of the job. But, you send that child off to fight a war that shaped the way we look at our world in a more suspicious and cautious way is harder than this Mommy thought.

Going into the Air Force was her decision. We supported her 100%! She wanted to see the world, make a difference, and earn a little college money (on her own).  Knowing that staying home, working a mundane job just wasn't what she wanted, she committed to the Air Force in December 2010, 5 months before her High School graduation. I was hesitant....concerned.....yet proud and encouraged that maybe our youth is proactive not reactive.  Never once did we try to talk her out of it. It wasn't the thing to do. We just prayed, and continue to do so for her night and day.

Chelsea was deployed in September and will be at her deployment location until March 2012. This will be the longest six months ever. We knew there was always going to be the potential to be deployed, but less than one year's duty was way sooner than we thought.

Since she has been gone, which has only been seven weeks, we have gotten very good at keeping in touch. There is no cell service where she is and using facebook and the internet are very good choices. Before she left our country we both got signed up for Skype, and let me just tell you, it is a godsend! Some days all we managed to get from her is, "long day, exhausted, going to bed, but I am fine", and I send something like, "Hope you have a superdedooper day!" She is 8 1/2 hours ahead, so the time difference sometimes interferes. But, on her day off....we catch up!

Nothing warms my heart or makes me feel better knowing she is a thousand miles away fighting in a war started by radical, judgmental, and, in my own words, crazy-loco-misguided-godless people, then seeing her video call pop up on my computer. Just seeing her face, that smile, her cheeks and eyes, hearing her voice as she tells me how her week has gone, all the boring and sometimes not so boring (to her) events of the days that have passed. It is pure heaven hearing my little chatter box go on and on!

We all know the joke about who invented the internet...right? Well, I guess I own Mr.Al Gore a humongous THANK YOU!!!! Without internet, we would go weeks waiting on letters and who knows exactly how often Chelsea could or would make time to run to the USO tent to call home. And, how weird would it be for her to be there at midnight...the time we are usually knee deep in conversation? I highly recommend anyone with family far away, enlisted or just separated due to life. Jump on board and load it to your computer and try it. Honestly, it's keeps me sane and reduces a lot of my worrying! I LOVE my LAPTOP, because it is my connection to my Airman Bennett far away and defending our country!