I recently returned form a short-notice, short-duration deployment to the Caribbean Sea, Cuba, and Belize, just in time to spend the holiday’s at home. The deployment was actually pretty fun and different from what the Marines were used to. Of course the downside of being away from our families and loved ones was still present, but, at least we were home in time to spend Christmas and New Year’s.

Unfortunately things back home didn’t slow down and now we are staring down our next deployment, to Afghanistan, within the next 7 months. Coming off one deployment and jumping head first into preparations for the next one is not an easy task. Our pre-deployment training cycle is not going to be easy, since we have to be as prepared for our next deployment as possible, and it is going to be filled with numerous, physically and mentally demanding exercises, causing me to have to spend nights away from home training and preparing.

For me, I am trying to spend as much time with my wife as possible to make up for missed time over the last 3 months and to make sure we see as much of each other as possible before I leave again. While my time home is going to require me to be away from my wife, it is important that we make the most of the time we have with each other. We are trying to do as much as possible in the little time we have, taking trips and doing other fun activities, but most importantly remembering not to take each other for granted. There is nothing worse that being away, and having regrets over things that we didn’t (or did) do, should (or shouldn’t have) done, or could have done together.