Special Delivery

My day was made yesterday as soon as I pulled into my driveway after work to find a package sitting outside of my door.  I actually squealed when I saw it (and my husband laughed at me on the phone last night when I mentioned the fact that I squealed).  Now, I have been very lucky that my husband has made sure to call or Skype me or send me a quick Facebook message all but one days he's been gone on this deployment thus far.  While it has been hard with him gone, the communication has made this whole thing a million times easier than it could be.  Even if it is just for a few minutes, just getting to hear his voice and having the ability to talk with him, laugh with him, or even cry to him is amazing!  However, there was just something extra special about receiving a package from him.  I think it kind of brings back memories of receiving letters from him while he was in basic, just knowing that I was receiving something that he had just touched.  It just kind of adds a little personal connection to make the distance seem like it isn't as much.

I had mentioned previously that I already knew I had something heading my way full of items hubby has purchased -- I just didn't think it would take nearly as long to receive it as it did.  All of the care packages I've sent out so far have each taken just 6 days to reach my husband, so I was a little surprised when the 6-10 day delivery window they had told my husband for the priority mailing shipment turned into 13 days (he started getting really nervous when last Friday came & went and it hadn't been delivered).  But it's okay because I still received it :)

The box more or less exploded open when I cut the packing tape, as hubby stuffed so many items inside of it.  And he actually ended up using the box that I used for sending him his first care package.  I was pretty impressed with the condition of the box having made it half-way across the world and back!

He got some traditional outfits for his 5- & 7-year old little sisters, a jewelry box for me, and some cross pendents for his aunts.

Hubby asked me if I wanted him to purchase me any traditional clothing, but I told him that I would rather he just get me things I would actually use or wear on a more regular basis, or nice decorations for the home.  So he's been busy purchasing accessories for me and in this box he included some jewelry & cashmere scarves :)

Blue Fire Opal earrings & necklace

Also included was an outfit that he bought for himself that he said will be useful when doing training exercises in the future, and a copy of GQ magazine that he picked up there because it has Mila Kunis on the cover and we have a thing going between us about how we both think she's hot.

Valentine's Day Care Package

Since we're currently in the middle of the largest span of time without seeing each other since basic (two-and-a-half months), I decided to put together a little care package for the hubby for Valentine's Day.  Basically, this is a trial run to help prep me for the day when he gets deployed and I am faced with putting on my creative thinking cap each month to give him little mood lifters and encouragement from home.

I started gathering items for this right after he left home to head back to AIT following Christmas leave.  It was at this time when I discovered how truly awesome the Target $1 Spot is.  I nabbed a small variety of candy from these bins, as well as a couple little toys for him.  Somehow over Christmas, we managed to get on the topic of a classic toy that most of our generation had as a child, the Slinky, and how much better the metal ones are at going down stairs than the plastic ones.  I of course found it very ironic that I then found junior sized versions of this iconic toy at the $1 Spot at Target.  I had a good little chuckle to myself when I saw them and then immediately picked up a metal one to include in the package.  Then right around the corner from the Slinky section was a bin full of Silly Putty, so I decided to nab one of them as well.

Other than these two little toys, I filled the rest of the box with lots of goodies -- tins of freshly baked brownies and white-chocolate macadamia nut cookies, chocolates, Skittles, Warheads, Moon-Pies, gum, and beef jerky -- and topped off with a cute little Valentine's Day card with a "hug from across the miles".

I went ahead and put the package in the mail on Tuesday, since U.S. Mail, as well as mail on post, can be a little unpredictable at times.  I wanted to be sure he definitely received it before Valentine's Day, and surprisingly all mail systems were quick and he received it on Thursday.  His favorite item out of everything in the box was the Slinky, followed by the Silly Putty and the beef jerky.  And apparently the box was man-handled a little bit during transit, as the tin full of macadamia nut cookies was all crumbled into bite size pieces.  But thankfully everything else arrived intact.