Day 198: Retreat

I have this opportunity to attend a retreat that is just for families of deployed soldiers in our brigade. It is a weekend thing that will be held about 3 hours away from here at a really nice resort hotel. They offer childcare but it is more for the spouses to attend workshops and maybe make some support connections at the same time. I really want to go because I am sure it would be beneficial for me. I have been debating over whether or not I want to bring my kids with me, or let them stay with a friend for the weekend. On one hand, bringing the kids would give them and me a unique time to get away from the house and spend a weekend together. On the other hand, there really isn't that much for them to do there. It is too cold to spend time at their amazing pools and they don't have a lot of playgrounds around the hotel. We will be spending most of the day in the hotel, me at seminars and the kids at childcare. Plus, some "me time" might be insanely beneficial for me. So, I am torn. I hate choosing between time with my kids in a unique setting or a rare chance for a weekend by myself that I can use to just relax and breathe.

The best part of this whole thing is that I have the option. I have talked many times about how important it is to have a solid support system in place when your husband is deployed. Well, I can not stress that enough. Not only is it important to have close family and friends (near and far) that support you and will listen to you when you need to vent or just talk. It is also really important that you have friends you TRUST nearby to help you out. Sometimes it gets really stressful when you are spending 24 hours a day with children and do not have a live, adult person in the house to talk to or to hand over the kids to for just a few hours to get a little time to yourself. Everyone needs a break, sometime. That is where awesome, trustworthy friends come into play. I am lucky enough that I have a few sets of friends that are close enough to watch my kids for the weekend if I decide to go to this retreat alone. These friends are also just as willing to answer the phone when I call and say I need a break. They jump in their car, send my kids to their house with their husband, and whisk me off to have coffee and let me vent. Those are awesome friends. I can't say I have a lot of them, because I don't. I can say that I have the BEST of them. They really are the best friends I could ask to have close to me, especially for me just meeting most of them right before Ian deployed, and some after he already left. Granted, there are a few from previous duty stations and times in my life that would do that for me if they were close enough, but since they aren't, they are still there for me when I need to talk long distance.

I cannot say enough how grateful I am for my support system and I know I would not be doing as well during this deployment without them. You know who you are, near and far, and I say THANK YOU with all of my heart! Thank you for being amazingly supportive friends and family and for helping me take it one day at a time.