Chocolate deployment

Well, my husband has officially been deployed 18 days today. While this isn't the LONGEST we've been apart, it's certainly the longest with limited contact. There are times I miss him so severely I don't seem to remember how to function, and then there are times I feel like I'm going to make it. I assume this is normal. I'm fortunate to have a very active life outside of him (though I'd obviously much rather INCLUDE him in all these activities). I have been busy getting my classroom set up for this upcoming school year. I can't believe it's the year 2009-2010. It's astounding how quickly time flies.
I, being a teacher, have created a visual "countdown", if I may call it that. I have put malted milkballs in one jar with a sad face, and then placed a jar with a happy face next to it. Each day that passes I put one milkball from the sad face jar to the happy face jar. When the happy jar is filled, the deployment is halfway over! I need this tangible evidence of progression, otherwise I might clinically go insane! I suppose I didn't entirely think it through, however, seeing as how the majority of my friends have young children who would LOVE to get their hands on an entire jar of chocolate. Needless to say, the jar has to be closely monitored when they're around (although I think to myself how much faster the deployment would seem to move if they ate just a few... I wish deployment days really worked like that! Ah, I don't want this day, so I'm just going to throw it in the jar and count it towards the progression of the deployment).
Well, my granddad is on his way over to install some shelves in my utility room.