2 Ways to go on a Deployment

If you have ever been on a deployment, especially a deployment at sea, you know that people either come back in shape or fatter than they have ever been. The reasons for this a are a little different for each.
First for the the fat. 1) You are completely thrown off your routine of working out and eating right (but lets be honest it shouldn't be that hard to get back on a routine. I mean especially if you are on a ship. When you are out there you do the same freaking thing every single day so it should be easy to get on a different schedule). 2) The food! On the ship they would have healthy choices (kinda!) but they would always be quick to offer up cookies, cheese cake, brownies, and on and on. Oh yeah don't forget about the weekly ice cream social for the whole crew (we had an officer on USS Churchill that would eat like 7 bowls of ice cream each week. No joke we all thought he was going to die). 3) Stress. Deployments are stressful. You start working some crazy hours, you forget to go topside for days at a time and begin to forget what the Sun looks like. Your home life is all messed up because you aren't there, so the stress piles up.
Now for the in shape. 1) You can finally get into a routine. For all the great things about being home one of the bad things is that there are 47 things pulling you in 47 different directions (I don't know why I typed 47). 2) No family! I know this is kinda the same thing as #1 but it is more helpful. I love my family and I always want to be with them, so if I'm not at work I am racing home to hang out with them. What suffers? The workout then its "lets go out to eat" and there goes the diet. When you are a deployment and you have some free time all there is to do is work out. 3) Sometimes the food is terrible!!!!!!!! It is really easy to lose weight when you don't eat the food. On the table in the Wardroom (where the officers eat and hang out) there is always hot sauce and Texas Pete because the food is so bland that you have to pour hot sauce on it so that it has some kind of taste.
On deployment I became close friends with LTjg Bryce Lee and he turned me on to a new eating plan and a new work out plan and I am going to share that with you here.
For my eating I follow what is called the Paleo Diet or the Caveman Diet. Basically the idea is that your diet should consist of Fruit, Veggies, alot of meat (all different kinds), and a few nuts and seeds. Your diet should stay away from sugars, carbs in large amounts, and grains. Yep that's right no grains, no whole wheat, no cereals, no pasta, no nothing. And I know what you are about to say and I have heard it all, but it is working for me.
For my workout I follow a Paleo Diet, Caveman Diet as well. What does this mean for a workout? Well it means that I walk everyday (the idea here is to stay active and get your blood flowing). Then about twice a week I sprint or specifically I do row intervals (for this I do a concentrated all out row interval. I do 20 sec flat out and then rest for 40 sec and I do this for 5 rotations) Yep my cardio is 10 minutes a week. For weights I do a twice a week workout where I have three exercises that I do on a slow 10 count for a minute and a half. Yes again, my weight workouts total about 15 minutes a week.
That is the way I took the in shape route on the deployment. The pics are before and after the deployment.

Taking the Blog Back

Ok so over the past 10 months my wife has decided to join with me on this blog and then decided to take over this blog, well I am taking it back! Just don't tell my wife.

In all seriousness Annie has done a great job keeping everyone informed and keeping everyone up to date on what is going on with us and Bella. But as we have looked at the most popular searches on this blog they usually revolve around some of the blogs I have posted on entering the Navy Chaplaincy and my initial thoughts, so I think I will do a little more.

I have been back from the deployment for three months now and things are going ok. I say ok because family life is great. It is such a joy to be with my wife and my daughter. To see Bella improve and to be a husband and father again. But as a Chaplain it is hard to be back.

When you are in the military you feel as if you are not "really" in until you deploy, but for a Chaplain being deployed doesn't make you feel like you are "really" in the military but it does make you feel like you are truly doing ministry. When I am here in Norfolk, VA I cover a few different ships. I go to a different ship each day visiting each ship once a week. In this setup I try to partner with the command as much as possible but in reality all I really do is put out fires. I don't mean literal fires but counseling fires. A Sailor will get into some kind of trouble and then I will get a call and the CMC or XO will say I think you need to talk to this Sailor. So I'll sit down with the Sailor that I don't know, who I have never spent any time with, and I will try to make a positive impact upon his/her life. This is a difficult thing to do and is at the heart of why (at this moment) I don't plan on making the Navy a career.

On the deployment I was able to impact the lives of my Sailors every single day. I covered two different ships over 7 months out to sea; USS Winston S. Churchill and USS Oscar Austin. I was able to spend about 3 1/2 months on each ship so I was able to invest in who the Sailors were as people and not just put out the random fire that would come up every once in a while. So as I love being home because I get to be with my family, I also miss the opportunity to really invest in the lives of my Sailors.

Above is a pic of me and couple of the helo pilots from USS Oscar Austin. When I was on USS Oscar Austin I found myself hanging out with the pilots alot. The only problem was that the pilots keep vampire hours. They will stay up until 3 or 4 am and till sleep until 10 or 11am.

Josh

On the brink of deployment: Ode to our friends:)

I have been "moved" as of late by an "un-named couple" who will be experiencing their first military deployment soon. I will not name names because this couple knows who they are (wink) and I know for certain they read this blog (they are professed blog stalkers and we are totally ok with it). The husband is one of Josh's very best friends, someone I consider a brother, and was the best man in our wedding, and the wife (who is gorgeous inside and out) has become very dear to me as not only a sister in Christ but, as a fellow military wife! They both are clearly loved by us, which is why their upcoming deployment feels so raw to us as well.

Since we just experienced our first deployment and have come out the other end with awesome battle wounds (one was from a curling iron), we feel for this couple so deeply and pray earnestly for them often. To be away from someone who essentially "completes you" for a year, is a long time. When I look at this couple...into the eyes of their hearts, I see the fear of the unknown and the anxiety of now. I remember being at this point and just actually wanting Josh to leave (which sounds weird) but, it was so hard to think of the reality of him leaving us and seemed easier to rip the band-aid off completely. I'm sure Josh was feeling the same way, wanting to serve his country and begin doing what he had trained for...

So, this is post is for "that nameless couple"... but can really apply to all couples. Christ works the same way, even when you have your spouse sitting next to you. Sufficiency is found in Christ alone, do not place to weight of your spiritual needs on your spouse because it is a weight too heavy for them to bear...

II Corinthians 12:9
And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

From a military wife....

Wife (you know who you are my dear)- You can do this. God created you for your husband. He brought you together in a divine manner and intended for this very circumstance to come to about. He will gird you with strength my friend, and surround you with the love of his Spirit (through family and friends). You will feel it at night when you wake thinking your husband is wrapped in your arms... and he's not. You will feel His presence when he captures your tears and remembers your sorrows. I promise to remind you often that you cannot find sufficiency in your husband, only in Christ. Your husband cannot take away the dull ache. He cannot fill the void of himself, only God fills voids. This is a fact. Love your husband blamelessly and without pride. Look forward to your "talks" when you get them and make every word count. When you don't talk, pray for him. Remember that you represent Christ on the "home front" and people will be looking to you to see Christ through the struggle (as they have already done thus far in your life, and you have succeeded my friend). I know you want your husband around my dear, I want him around for you. Remember, he will come home eventually... never question his love for you. Your love will be so fresh and vibrant when he returns...what a gift!

Husband (you know who you are too)- You can and are doing this. God created you for your wife. He brought you through the struggles of life, and rewarded you with the beautiful, godly woman you now call your own. He inclined your heart to the military and blessed you with strength, wisdom, compassion, and grace. You represent Christ in every moment, now and when you are away on the front lines. Remember who you represent. Remember who loves you and pray for them as they pray for you. Love your wife in her absence even more than you do now in her presence. Speak compassion at all times to her, especially when you are away:) When you go to sleep at night, let your last thoughts be of her, then of Christ. Know that she yearns for your return. Never question her love for you.

Here are a few promises to cling to:
1 Thessalonian 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer..

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

We love you both and KNOW God will give you BOTH the strength you need.

The Earls (and Bella-boo).