10 Things On My Stay Busy List

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Right after I learned Mr. Hart would be deploying for a full year, I found a great coping mechanism I have used all my life: making a list. I started a list of things I wanted to do while he was deployed. Fun things, new adventures, projects I had been putting off. I created a great big master list that I could pick and choose from as my interests and energy allowed.

It was a great help to work on this list during pre-deployment to distract me from thinking about all the fears associated with what was to come. It also gave me things to look forward to in the year he would be gone. It's an absolute waste of your life to just sit and wait for him and be miserable! Make it an awesome year!

Here are 10 things from my list:

1) Take ukelele lessons. Mr. Hart bought me the most gorgeous ukelele a couple of years ago and I have not yet mastered it. There is a shop nearby that teaches lessons.

2. Plan a weekly outing with a friend. There is never enough time to get together with all the girlfriends, now I had a whole year to schedule something in with a variety of people.

3. Schedule in visits with my family and take a trip with my sisters. I have been lucky to see my family a lot this year. Hawaii with my sisters was great fun.

4. Make a list of books to read and read them. Quiet time in the evenings with a book is heavenly.

5. Connect with other military spouses and significant others. This has been a great help to keep the spirits up and feel that there are people around me who understand my life.

6. Deep clean the house. I've been doing projects each week. Things are looking good!

7. Watch a few TV series from start to finish on Netflix. I have watched Army Wives, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, some Alias and In Plain Sight and am looking for my next series adventure. This is a good time to enjoy those shows he mocks you for watching. (We won't even get started on the dumb stuff HE watches! wink wink).

8. Keep a journal. This is a history-making period for our family. I want a record of it.

9. Take trips to the many local museums. Great for inspiration and a great way to get to know different parts of your city. We've had some lovely days at beautiful museums and gardens. Such peaceful places to unwind and be inspired.

10. Plan weekend excursions. It's fun to take a Saturday and drive a couple of hours away and adventure around a new town. This year we've enjoy a lot of trips to the beach and to neighboring cities.

Those are just a few of the things I put on my list. I'm going to continue sharing ideas from this list over the coming weeks and months. It's always helpful to get ideas and inspirations about what you might put on your own list to keep you happy, busy and growing while your loved one is deployed, training or stationed far away.