And I thought voting was going to be so easy. Now I'm not so sure. I went to the Voter's Assistance Web site, I printed the form, filled it out, mailed it in -- that was in June.

I even wrote a column about it. (Click here to read.) Boy, was I sure of myself.

Now, near the end of August, I'm just waiting by the mailbox, and no ballot has arrived from my state of residence.

Stars and Stripes has compiled a three part series called "Voting Abroad." Click here to read about a military spouse who has brought online absentee voting to European military installations.

Since my husband returned from deployment in April, I've been taking mental notes and planning a column about the readjustment process. Actually, this time around has been one of the easiest, but after every deployment, it takes time to get the whole family back in sync.

My husband told me he has already heard a few comments about the August 3 column "The Nitty Gritty."