One year ago today...

It was one year ago today that I stood up on stage and pinned my husband's police badge on his uniform.

Pinning my man

I don't think I could have been more proud considering the journey he went on to get to that point. I remember the Chief saying to me as I walked up on stage, "It's been a long road." I don't think I realized exactly what we were in for following that ceremony. This past year has been a huge learning experience. I don't write this post to complain or for sympathy because there have definitely been positives along with the negatives.
 

The biggest challenge was getting used to the schedule. I am still not used to going to church by myself. The first year we were married we had every evening and weekend together. Now, we only have every other weekend and only some evenings. Day and night shift rotate every 4 weeks. Because of that some plans have to be made a month or two in advance and we have to say no to some things to make sure we have our own time together.

2 week schedule that rotates

I've come to somewhat enjoy the time by myself (except for weekend night shifts). I don't have to worry about making dinner and sometimes find productive ways to fill the time (like this dresser I re-did). I also have to say I sleep much better when I have the bed all to myself  :-)

Another perk of night shift is Dan will walk Brizzie when he gets home so I don't have to worry about doing it before work. He has also stopped by Starbucks on his way home a few times to bring me a coffee to start my morning.

A lot of people ask me if I worry about him when he works. My answer is no. Most of that is the Lord and the other part is that Dan chooses not to tell me about the details of each shift. That really frustrated me until we had dinner with a retired officer and his wife from our church and she said she never worried because he didn't tell her anything either. After that conversation I realized it was a blessing and not something to be upset over.

One time I did get freaked out was when he was on night shift and I had been asleep for about an hour. All of a sudden he came flying through the door and ran upstairs. I came out and asked what the heck was going on and he said he had to grab some clothes because he was going undercover. Then he flew out the door. Of course my mind started racing and I let him know he better text me to give me a warning next time.

Typically his shifts last 12 hours but I'll frequently get a texts letting me know he'll be late because he's babysitting someone at the jail, dealing with a DWI, waiting at the hospital, etc. If a night shift goes over 12 hours then we'll go 24 hours without seeing each other. He also has training days and court days often so his days off are sometimes interrupted by those.

One night I was all excited because I tried a new Pioneer Woman recipe and couldn't wait for Dan to get home for dinner. When he finally did he wouldn't touch it and I was so upset. Then he explained he had just been to a suicide scene and didn't have an appetite.

Other things that go along with the job are missing birthdays/holidays/vacations because of when his shifts fall. He had to work last Christmas and wasn't able to take off for Memorial Day to come to Florida with me for my family's trip. Simple phone conversations present a challenge trying to talk over the radio and it's common to have it abruptly ended by "Gotta go."

Over all it has been a roller coaster of a year and a huge learning experience. I have gained a much deeper respect and appreciation for all servicemen and women for the work they do each day. I have learned that constant communication through texting, phone calls and stalking him on my police scanner app has helped keep me connected to what is going on. I am so proud of my husband for his character and what a hard worker he is. And who can resist a man in uniform?