I would be COMPLETELY lying if I said that I didn’t wish SO HARD on Sunday night that Jamie would call me and say “Hey! Bin Laden is dead! Guess who helped kill him? ME!” That would have just been the highlight of his LIFE… duh! Too bad he’s just a little 2LT who’s still learning the ropes of Afghanistan. Believe it or not, I actually knew about OBL’s death six hours before he did. I cracked up when I woke up in the middle of the night Monday morning to a voicemail from Jamie saying “Turn on the news! Big news, Erica!” Yes, hunny. I know. 🙂
If you’re interested in how Jamie’s doing, here’s an update. He’s thankfully doing GREAT! He’s working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. What else is there for him to do out there? Nothing. If he’s not at work, he’s in the gym or sleeping. I wish I could spill my guts with more details about where he is, what he’s doing, etc., but let’s get real. There’s NO TELLING who reads this thing, and the last thing I want to do is get Jamie in trouble for running my big mouth about his participation in this war IN WRITING. There is also SO much that he surely can’t tell me since he’s an Intelligence officer. People ask me if it drives me crazy that he can’t tell me things, but it really doesn’t. Let’s face it – I probably wouldn’t understand it anyway. 🙂
He was a little bit irritated last week when he found out that his R&R (two week break from deployment) will not be until DECEMBER. Yep, I officially will not see, hug, or kiss my husband for another seven months. woohoo. We were really hoping for October. I wasn’t THAT bummed though because when we have to say goodbye next time, it’ll only be for about six to eight weeks, and I can definitely manage that! 🙂
He works the noon-midnight shift, which is 2:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Central Time, which makes communication interesting, to say the least. He can use his work phone to call me about once a day, so we usually get to talk before I go to work for about 5-25 minutes. We tried to skype, but our connection was awful. We’ll try again at some point. We email a lot, which is really nice. If you are interested in emailing him, his email is JAMIE.DESPAIN10@GMAIL.COM
The most frustrating part of communication is feeling like my phone MUST be glued to my hands at all times. I really can’t stand running with my phone, but I know I’ll be so upset with myself if I miss his call. All of Jamie’s calls must go through Redstone Arsenal first, so it usually takes between two and ten minutes from the time he picks up the phone until the time it rings on my end. If I miss his call, I miss his call. I can’t call back. I can’t text. All I can do is email him and tell him to try again, but if he doesn’t see his email, then I might just miss my chance to talk to him that day. It’s frustrating, but I’m getting used to it.
Please include him in your prayers that this deployment goes by quickly and that he comes home to me safe and sound! That’s what I pray for every time, 15 times a day. I also know a number of girls who are in my position, so please keep their husbands in your prayers as well.
If you are interested in sending him a package or letter, here is his address:
2LT Jamie DeSpain
Task Force Palehorse
HHT, 7-17 Cavalry Regiment
APO AE 09355
Hope you are having a great week!
Erica
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo