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You can find the Homecoming Vlog on YouTube!  330 days, 1 terrorist attack, and 1 global pandemic later… Lucas is finally home safe from his 11-month deployment in Afghanistan.
This past year has brought on a copious amount of trials and tribulations to not only Lucas and I, but many others in the world. As I’m writing this, I’m still uncertain on what things will look like in the next few months. Life has challenged Lucas and I in ways we never would have imagined. We knew the deployment wouldn’t be easy. I mean, when thrusted into a mandatory deployment, you can never fully prepare. You can take as many readiness classes as you want, you can receive all the therapeutic support you can get, but ultimately deployments -- especially first-time deployments -- are filled with the unknown. Now, take that amount of unknown and uncertainty, and add-on the amount of unknown and uncertainty that comes from a global pandemic on top of that. Yeah… it’s a lot. However, my parents have raised me to count my blessings. And truthfully, I think that’s the biggest reason why I was able to make it to the other side of this deployment happy, healthy, and stronger than ever. I’ve learned many lessons over the last few months. As I reflect on all that we’ve been through the past 330 days, I’d like to share about 11 outstanding lessons that we learned from Lucas’ 11 month-long deployment. This entry could potentially be a note to future Gen -- for when she might need to remember how strong she is. On the other hand, maybe you can relate to these lessons, or can learn how to search for these silver linings in your life too.
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Remembering the days when we were able to explore. Excited for the day when we all get to safely adventure again. I've shared photos, videos, and blog posts before - but I have yet to share any of my poetry publicly. Given the recent weeks, I mustered up the courage to share where my heart has been these days.
 Let’s face it… deployments are difficult. Even with utmost optimism, there will be pain points while your military partner is away. My fiance, Lucas, has been in Afghanistan for almost 10 months now. He was actually supposed to return home in two weeks, but given the global pandemic going on in the world right now, we were told this week that his homecoming will be delayed for an undetermined amount of weeks. Fear can creep up on you quickly when faced with uncertainty, but we’ve agreed to channel our nervous energy into positivity instead. I decided to start by creating this blog post (and YouTube video).
I wanted to share 5 fun ideas that helped encourage Lucas and I during his first military deployment. Although deployments aren’t fun, we found that these ideas helped brighten up our experience. Hopefully sharing these ideas can spark some joy into the deployments of others too!  In just the last month, I have had a handful of friends/family members ask me for advice on how to survive a military deployment, so I decided to create a blog post and video on the topic!
Based on what’s been working for Lucas and I, I’ll be sharing a survival guide consisting of 10 Tips on How to Cope While Your Partner is Away. Whether or not you’re currently going through a deployment, preparing for a deployment, or are just curious on how we’ve been handling Lucas’ first deployment, I hope you’re able to find some value from reading about our personal experience!  November 14-17, 2019
I Bought My Plane Tickets 3 Hours Before My Flight Across the Country… Here’s Why! To hear about an adventure consisting of: military love, Uber-recommended agendas, the National Aquarium, Baltimore crab cakes, a train ride, Washington D.C. monuments and museums, and SPONTANEITY AT ITS FINEST -- keep on reading! January 1, 2020
2020 Resolutions + Wedding Planning Goals! Happy 2020 everyone! I know New Year's Resolutions aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I personally find them effective as long as you’re realistic with your goals. Ever since I was young, I’ve always been a very goal-oriented person, so creating goals for myself at the beginning of the year has been a great way to keep myself accountable to my personal growth. If you’re looking for ideas on what goals to set for yourself this year -- keep on reading!  December 31, 2019
My 2019 in Numbers + Why I Was Unemployed for 6 Months! What an EXCITING year! :) Although cliche, I enjoy this time of year. Reflection has always been a significant part in how I honor my personal growth through accountability -- it’s almost therapeutic for me! If you can relate and are just as obsessed with numbers as I am -- keep on reading!  September 20-21, 2019
My Birthday Spent in Napa Valley, California! To hear about an adventure consisting of: my 24th birthday, a sunny weekend in the sunshine state, my high-volume/high energy Filipino family, an underground cave, the best grape juice, a gondola ride, and a castle -- keep on reading!  September 17-20, 2019
4 Days + 4 National Parks + 3 States = Part 1 of my Birthday Road Trip! To hear about an adventure consisting of: a road trip from Washington through Oregon to California, two awesome parents, a foggy day at Crater Lake, a rainy day at Redwood, a snowy day at Lassen Volcanic, and sunny days at Yosemite -- keep on reading! |
Storytelling by GenTravel diaries from personal trips and photo adventures. Archives
January 2021
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