manic monday #2

Hello Monday,

It's good to see you again. I have a long list of things to do this week and I'm hoping that I can get them all done. Take a look:

• Get a new planner
• Start making tentative travel plans
• Update address book
• Order wedding prints
• Grocery shop
• Find spin class
• Order passport
• Talk to AFR recruiter
• Sell truck

Now, normally I am excited to see you each week. However, Sunday was a bit rude this time around. She completely disregarded my need for a good night's rest and kept me tossing and turning. Perhaps you could assist by doing me a couple of favors.

First of all, could you bring Motivation? I know you and he have a rocky past, but if you could make an exception just this once I would appreciate it. Secondly, do you think you could tell Negativity to ride the bus this morning instead of carpooling with you? He is ornery, and quite hard to wrangle in when I'm tired.

All My Love,

Sara Mac

the wait is over

Yes, I cried. Yes, It was hard. Yes, I miss him already. Yes, I wish he was still here (or at least on solid US soil). Yes, I have already emailed him TWICE today. Yes, the silence of no ringing phone or text message is deafening. However, I have felt those emotions three times in the past two weeks! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO Do I want to feel it again!

I heard this song today and it felt like I could have written it to who ever decides when they go and when they stay. The back and forth has been killing me! I said goodbye when he left "home", I said goodbye when he was supposed to meet his ship the first time, and I said goodbye this morning.

 Does anyone see why I might be silently praying that I wouldn't get a phone call this afternoon telling me he was staying for a few more days? Thankfully, that call didn't come and I have to think (which means pray) that Kev is safely aboard his ship. I hate it that he's gone but now that he is I can start looking forward to having him back!

After all:

 Tomorrow is just one more sleep away; and this is just a really long day.

Sara Mac

all in the name

I wanted the name of my blog, and it's meaning, to be one of the first posts I made. I have been writing and re-writing it since I started, trying to figure out how to detail my choice in less than 388 pages! Ok, maybe 388 is a slight exageration but you get the point. I was trying to find a name that would not only be pleasing to the eyes, ears, flow off the tounge but, really make a statement as to what this life I have begun means. I had a long list that included, to name a few, the following: A Navy Wife Life,  My Life as A Sailors Wife,  Life as a McConnell and my original favorite, McConnell - 2 "C"s, 2 "N"s, 2 "L"s. None of those names, however, really hit me with anything other than a name. What could describe, then,  my general outlook on life AND directly relate to the course my life has taken?

I'm MARRIED, my Husband is in the Navy (if you hadn't picked up on that yet), and my life is now dictated by "what is best" for the United States Government! What have I gotten myself into?? I do not yet know what it's like to be married, I do not yet know what it's like to love a sailor, and I do not, by any means, know what it's like to have my life's course in the hands of someone else let alone our government. Only certain things will help us hold it all together:

Hope & Love

Hope will do for the soul as an anchor will do for a ship. While the anchor has long been a symbol directly linked to the Navy as a sailor's last resort in rough waters, remaining strong and steady through a storm, it can also directly relate to our relationships. I believe Kevin and I have found an anchor in  one another; someone to help us remain calm through life's ups and downs.

Love then, if you can see where this is going, is the sail.  Originaly used in conjunction with wind as propulsion for the ships in our Navy, sails have now been replaced by nuclear reactors producing steam. So while my husband is literally responsible for his ship moving from one place to another, Love (the unconditional, love you at your worst kind) will be responsible for moving our relationship forward.

The life that both Kevin and I have chosen to live rests entirely, then, on Anchors & Sails.

Sara Mac

red, white, blue, and new

If you have been keeping up with my blog, which shouldn't be hard seeing as how I only have a total of 4 posts including this one, you know I had "HANG FLAG" on my to-do list!

Well. . .I bought a new Flag. . .

I got out Kevin's tools. . .

And I successfully installed the new addition to my home!

I even double checked with Kev to be sure I knew the proper American Flag Etiqutte! This list is long, so I have included on the 2 most relevant to my situation.

• Properly Illuminated if Flown at Night
• Taken In During Foul Weather

If you're interested in learning all the ins and outs of Flag Etiqutte, or ANYTHING about our Flag, you can find a great deal of information on the following website:

USA Flag Site

life starts now

So, here it is, the moment we have been waiting for. The moment when all communication, aside from a computer screen and a keyboard, will come to a stop. The moment when we will hear each other's voice the last time, for a long time, and see each other's face only when we close our eyes.

 

Not only am I new to my "Wife" status, being married to a military man adds other elements I'm not sure anyone can really prepare for. I'm both excited and nervous for the road ahead, and eager to learn the ropes as quickly as possible so I can keep up with the changes that are coming. This will be the first deployment, for both of us, and I'm ready to roll with the punches. Unfourtunatly, the first of anything in life creates a long list of unknowns.

Until Kevin actually meets the ship at sea he can't tell me how often the ship will port, how the mail system works, how often he will have the ability to email, or even what happens once they return. I can't know (for security purposes) where exactly he is, what exactly he's doing, or when exactly he will be wherever, he can't  exactly tell me, he is going. 

 Although I don't yet understand the ins and outs of Military Wife Life, I feel like I know what I signed up for and nowhere in the fine print did I see the word EASY. I know that from here on out nothing will ever be set in stone, plans are subject to change, and as soon as we make those plans we better be prepared to change them. I'm as "ok" with that as anyone can be I suppose. I am thankful to have a strong support system of family and friends, I believe in what my husband is doing, and I'm honored he chose me to be at his side.

This won't be an easy road for him either; he has his to-do list that can't be completed until he is safely aboard the ship. To anyone who knows him, Kev doesn't like to leave things half done. He's worried about leaving the States with some questions unanswered, that I will forget how much he loves me, or that helping him with his list will inconvienence me. I hope that I show him, and tell him, everyday that he doesn't need to be afraid. I know what we have, and I am ready to take this challenge head first knowing it will only make us stronger!

"I love you Kevin Jack, and I'm proud to be your Wife. I'll see you tomorrow, it's just gonna be a real long day."

Sara Mac

manic mondays

Gotta love Mondays; the representation of a new week and a clean slate!

 

Lately my new routine involves creating a list, every Sunday night, of items I need/want to get done during the week. Usually, the list is long, I'm adding things and crossing things off all week. . .until next Sunday when I do it again! It gives me a great feeling to wake up knowing I've made a plan of attack and, by the end of the week look down at my page and see how much I have accomplished.

 Some of the things on my list are simple and will only take 5 minutes and, some will probably remain on the list for a few weeks; either way it keeps me on track. Here are a few things on my list right now:

• Order a new passport
• Finish and file taxes
• Sell my truck
• Coordinate the delivery of my hubby's car
• Install my new Flag
• Hang world map/buy push pens to keep up with Hubby
• Send out thank-you cards
• Post new blog
• Talk to AFR recruiter about opportunities

The list goes on for a while, these are just a few things I need to check off! Kevin got me started on this whole list business and I love it. . .Thanks Babe!

Sara Mac

hi

I have wanted to do this for years, but never really had a "reason" I suppose. I can say, however, my reason NOT to blog has never been due to a lack of something to say; anyone who knows me well can testify to that. I'm kicking off this site as a way to keep in touch with family, friends, and anyone out there who feels a connection. my plan is to post often with news, and pictures, of the ins and outs of my life.

I don't claim to be a professional writer, nor do I even claim to be a good one. I do, however, believe in the power of words and the ability they have to ease, reassure, and heal. This will be a place for my words in the hope they will eventually do one, or all, of these things.

As I share this journey with family and friends my hope is that this will not only be an outlet for me but, become a place of comfort for others who have chosen the same path.

Sara Mac