You know your husband is deployed to Iraq when...

I borrowed this with permission from Kelly at The Patriette because I enjoyed reading it so much that I thought you should read it too.

You know your husband is deployed to Iraq when...

1. The toilet seat is always down.
2. The leftovers are still sitting in the fridge.
3. You only have one load of laundry to do - and it doesn't contain any PT clothes.
4. You sit up all night just in case he happens to log onto IM.
5. You find yourself carrying home a stack of those customs forms from the post office because you know you'll need them later.
6. You sleep with your cell phone because there's always a chance if you put it on the table on the other side of the room, you'll miss his phone call.
7. Keeping your legs shaved on a regular basis is no longer a top priority. (Sorry if that's TMI for some of you out there...)
8. You're already trying to decide what to wear on the day he comes home - and that's within five minutes of when he left.
9. Homecoming has nothing to do with football, parades, alumni, or dances.
10. You notice bumper stickers more often and wonder about the story of the person driving the car - do they have a friend or family member deployed with your husband? Hmmm. (I find that especially true when I see another blue star displayed somewhere.)
11. Every time you go to check the time, you do math in your head to figure out what time it is over there.
12. Each time you get to turn a new page on your calendar, a little voice says, "YES - another one down..."
13. Every unknown number that shows up on your phone inspires excitement (it could be him)!
14. Someone says "Iraq" (no matter what the context), it immediately becomes personal.
15. You can watch all your favorite tv shows - without having to follow the storylines between quarters, halves, innings, or periods.
16. Checking your email every hour becomes normal.
17. The folks at the post office recognize you and know your name.
18. A sandstorm in Iraq can ruin your whole day (or at least when they cause your phone call to be dropped).
19. You experience random moments of crying for no particular reason (of course in my case, that might be due to pregnancy as well).
20. And last but not least: The best birthday gift you can get is a phone call. And that's what I got today. Josh hasn't been able to call in 2 weeks thanks to his workload and a sandstorm, but he did manage to get through today - my birthday. We talked for a few minutes and we didn't have much to say, but it was a good way to start my day.

Thank you Kelly!