My husband has been in the Navy for 10 years (we've been together for 8 of them and married for 5). Time spent away is definitely hard! I also find it really motivating to work hard on my diet and exercise while he's gone though... it gives me something positive to focus on.
Brian was deployed from January to July of this year. He left 9 days after our daughter was born and I was really determind to get close to my goal weight by the time he returned. It was especially motivating because he had NO idea that I was working to lose weight. The look on his face at the homecoming was priceless (thankfully I had a photographer there to capture it.
) I'd be happy to share photos if you're interested, but don't want to hijack your thread! LOL
I try to stay really busy while he's gone so the time flies by faster... This is fairly easy now with a 2 year old and an 8 month old to take care of. Before we had kids, I used to throw myself into hobbies, work, etc. when he left.