Why didn't you tell me that our first deployment would make me do such strange things? Like, that I would start taking my phone to the bathroom with me? Or that I would strategically prop my phone up against my bathroom sink so I could see the screen light up when I'm in the shower -- just in case it rings?
Why didn't you tell me that my weekly grocery bills have decreased so dramatically that I could start a vacation fund with what I've been saving?
Why didn't you tell me I would start saying things like, "My husband has only been gone two months."
Why didn't you tell me I'd rather eat snacks for dinner than cook for one.
Why didn't you tell me my date nights would take place on FaceTime -- and they are technically morning dates for my spouse?
Why didn't you tell me that sometimes I would rather stay home alone with ice cream than see my civilian friends? No matter how supportive they try to be, truth be told they will never understand.
Why didn't you tell me I would have a countdown on my phone or that I would tear up whenever I hear the Star-Spangled Banner?
Why didn't you tell me that seeing soldiers whose names I don't know come home from deployment lifts me up to a place of pure joy?
Most of all, why didn't you tell me that I wouldn't trade this life for anything?
Kelly Leigh is a new Army wife now stationed at Fort Campbell, KY. She was raised with Navy ties but is now living in an Army world. When she is not spending time with her husband, she is either working, reading or playing chess.
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