Since my husband's deployment started, I've become an expert at telling time. I know that sounds crazy since I'm a grown woman, but it's true. You see, the country in which my husband is on duty isn’t anywhere near this country. The time there is hours ahead of the time here. It's taken quite a bit of getting used to.

Right now, as I'm cuddled under the blankets typing this on my phone at 11:30 p.m. — wives with deployed husbands don't sleep much, FYI — he's already a few of hours into his busy morning.

Staying in touch with such a drastic time difference is difficult, to say the least. The kids are at school when their dad Skypes me to say goodnight. And he's just starting his long work day when I tuck the boys in at night. We've even set up a clock in the living room that tells "Daddy Time" so we can keep track.

I find myself counting all the time...

It's 10:30 a.m. here; that's 7 p.m. there. I wonder if he's eating dinner?

It's 5 p.m. here; that's 1:30 a.m. there. I hope he's getting a good night's sleep.

I look at the clock and I count ahead. I look at the clock and I think of him. I'm constantly telling time.

I just wish I could tell it to hurry up.

Tasha Lehman is a mother of three boys living in Vermont. Her husband, Matt, is a first lieutenant in the Vermont Air National Guard who recently headed overseas for his first deployment. The “Home Front: Diaries from a Vermont military family” series chronicles their journey. Read more about their story in February’s “Use Your Words” essay.