Base Halloween Thing

Both of them were pretty thrilled to sit inside a firetruck. We also got to play some games and paint some pumpkins!

What is a Military Wife?

A Military wife can be tough to describe.

She is a Southern belle, a Northeastern Mets fan, a California 3rd generation recycler, a Pacific Islander.

She is short or tall, a tomboy, a fashion diva, a physician's assistant, a Republican, a Democrat.

A Military Wife is a career gal, a home-schooler, a scrap-booker, an accomplished cellist, an auto mechanic.

What IS a Military Wife?

WHAT is a Military Wife?

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique, but this they have in common.

They have THIS IN COMMON! Lots of moving---

moving

moving

moving far from home

moving two cars, three kids and one dog, all riding with HER of course

moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house

moving curtains that won't fit

moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours

moving away from friends moving toward new friends

moving her most important luggage; her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting-

waiting

waiting

waiting for housing

waiting for orders

waiting for deployment

waiting for reunion

waiting for phones calls

waiting for the new curtains to arrive

waiting for him to come home for dinner----AGAIN!

They call her 'military dependent', but she knows better she can-

balance a checkbook

handle the yard work

fix a noisy toilet.

She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.

She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move, all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.

Reinvents her career with every PCS.

Locates a house in the desert, the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home'.

She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty-

They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches and friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.

Their roots are short but flexible.

They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.

They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond.

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands. His commitment is unique.

He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit.

He's on-call for his country 24/7 but for you, he's the most...

Unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign: TDY, PCS, OPR, ACC, BDU

And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.

She is the long-distance link to keep them informed the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments-

She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia.

But she pulls herself together.

Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture.

And she goes.

She packs.

She moves.

She follows.

Why?

What for?

How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is because she has lost her heart.

It was stolen from her by a man who puts duty first, who longs to deploy, who salutes the flag, and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband, she will remain his Military wife.

Yep, Its That Time of Year Again...

Ok or at least that's what it feels like! I'm talking about moving! Daddy and I have moved about a zillion times since we've been together. Lets see... There was...

Pembroke Squares Apartments in Va. Bch
Mariner's Cove Apartments in Va. Bch
Saville Garden Way in Va. Bch.
Our house in Chesapeake
Here on base

And now we're in the middle of moving off base! Yeah so that's a move every year we've been together! This will be the 4th house that Jaycob has lived in and the 3rd for Abygail. I feel bad for my kids in a way. Yeah we're a military family but only one of these moves were because of being transferred by the Navy! Our needs and budget has continually changed so we've moved to accommodate our growing family and such! Like I said I feel bad, but ya know they don't remember all the other houses. Its not like we're making them switch schools every year... Right??

PS. I also have to blog all of last week, but I probably won't get to that until we move! Lots of back dating again!! {sigh}
Update: Guess there wasn't as much to blog as I thought... I'm all caught up!

First Media Exposure

Yay! I'm so excited!!

Remember I barely made a mention that we went to a family fun night?? Well , we were told there was a chance that Jaycob(and Kaylee and Maddy) might make the paper. We looked in last weekends paper and didn't see them or even an article to mark the event, so we just figured that was that!

Lo and behold!!! This week I open the paper to see this....

Jaycob and Kaylee getting into the moon bounce!

They were just holding on and bouncing!!

Maddy here really didn't want anything to do with these princesses. I think out of 3 of us taking pictures this is the best one!

Swingin' at Maddy's/ Aby's Bad Day

Today we went to Maddy's to play in the pool and just in general hang out and let the kids play! I forgot my camera so this is the only picture I have, courtesy of Aspen!


But I might add Abygail had a very bad day! First off we went to the doctor and she got 4 shots, one in each limb. She took it as well as can be expected, but she didn't like the nurse at all after that!!
Then we went here to Aspen's and she stepped on a bumble bee and got stung! Poor little bugger was not having a good day!

Ohhh and we went to a family fun night thing here on base. It was fun enough. The kids had fun just doing something different then the usual. For me it was not having to make dinner!

Trash Trucks and Jets

Another picture of Jaycob watching the trash truck in his jammies.

Today Abygail was really afraid of the jets flying over so we went for a walk to see if we could see them. We ended up finding a good spot to watch the jets fly over. Jaycob loved it!! Abygail still crawled up and stayed in my lap the whole time.

Memorial Day

Freedom Is Not Free

By LCDR Kelly

Strong I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Service man saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still,

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin.

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

Unseen & Unheard Heroes

Once again I copied this from some where, though I don't know the source. I have been in just about all of these situations and many more! Please remember not only the brave men that serve our country, but also the military spouses and families that support them!

I would like to recognize these often underestimated, unseen, and unheard heroes.

This is for the sad military wives, the angry military wives,and the strong military wives.

This is for the young women that are waking up at 6 a.m. every morning, laying out clothes and packing three lunches for those small precious children that they have been left alone to care for.

This is for the pregnant military wife wondering if her husband will make it home in time to watch their miracle happen.

This is for the childless military wife, living in a town or on a base alone where she is a complete stranger to her surroundings.

This is for the women that feel like a third leg when they go out with their friends and their husbands.

This is for the military wife that cancelled all her plans to wait by the phone, and even though the phone broke up and cut off every time you spoke to him you waited anyway.

This is a pledge to the women that cry themselves to sleep in an empty bed.

This is to recognize the woman that felt like she was dying inside when he said he had to go, but smiled for him anyway.

This is for those of you that are faithfully in that long line at the post office once a month, handling 2 large boxes and 2 small children like a pro.

This is for that woman that decided to remodel the house to pass time, and then realized that she had no idea what she was doing and sighed and wished she had a little help.

This is for all the lonely nights, all the one-person dinners, and all of the wondering thoughts because you haven't heard from him in days.

A toast to you for falling apart, and putting yourselves back together. Because a pay check isn't enough, a body pillow in your bed is no consolation, and a web cam can never compare.

This is for all of you no matter how easy or hard this was for you. Our Marines/soldiers/airmen/sailors/coasties are brave, they are heroes, but so are we.

So the next time someone tells you that they would never marry a military guy, don't bother explaining to them that you can't control who you fall in love with. Just think of this and nod your head, know that you are the stronger woman.

Hold your heads up high, hang that flag in your front yard, stick 100 magnets on your car, and then give yourself a pat on the back.

I AM A STRONG, PROUD MILITARY WIFE, BUT I DO MISS MY HUSBAND!

Edited to add: More along this line of thought. Tara over at Loving A Soldier. Living The Life has written a wonderful piece!!

Dirt Roads

I just read this over at Loving a Soldier. Living the Life. I thought it was interesting so I copied and pasted it here for you to read!

Dirt Roads

What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.

There's not a problem in America today; crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency... that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.

People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.

That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end there is a home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.

We wouldn't have nearly as much trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.

There was less crime in our streets before they were paved. Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape if they knew they'd be welcomed by five barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.

And there were no drive by shootings.

Our values were better when our roads were worse!

People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.

Dirt Roads taught patience.

Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk; you walked to the barn for your milk.

For your mail, you walked to the mail box.

What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out?

That was the best part, because then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.

At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.

Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.

At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini. At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out. Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend... at the end of a Dirt Road.

-Paul Harvey

You Might Be A Military Spouse If.....

Ok I know this don't have much to do with the kids. But I've been thinking about this type of stuff a lot lately! I have several friends whose husbands are overseas and I wish I could be there for them. I'm mighty thankful that we're pretty sure we personally won't have to deal with that type of long separation again.... I hope you guys get something out of this!!


You Might Be A Military Spouse If....

• If you know what an LES is and can read it.
• If you know "going to the commissary" means the same as "going to the grocery store".
• If you've ever stood way down the dairy section aisle of the commissary waiting to be checked out by a cashier.(This usually happens on paydays.)
• If you're broke by around the 12th and 27th of EVERY month.
• If you spend at least one day a week sleeping by yourself.
• If that one day a week is no big deal to you.If one week or one month away from your spouse is no big deal either.
• If you spend more time with your neighbors than your spouse or have ever felt "married" to one or more of your friends.
• If you've ever checked your email multiple times a day in hopes your spouse has written you and know how horrible email being "down" is.
• If the thought of another deployment makes you cringe.
• If you've ever stood helpless while your kids cry for Daddy (or Mommy), wishing you could tell them it wouldn't be long but knowing it's not true...and ended up crying with them.
• If "sleeping with another man" means letting your son sleep with you while Daddy's gone.
• If you've ever felt a twinge of jealousy seeing a couple enjoy each other's company in public somewhere while your spouse was gone.
• If, upon hearing of a military member's death, you cry for their spouse and children and want to hold your spouse a little tighter or email them if they aren't with you.
• If you've had your spouse's picture as the desktop background on your computer so you can feel like they're still with you.
• If you've ever talked to that picture, smiled at it, cried to it, and in some weird way felt better afterwards.
• If you've ever made a paper chain that was long enough to circle your entire living room (or more) and removed the links one by one down to the last when your spouse was finally coming home.
• If you've ever had to add (or remove) links to that chain because the arrival date changed.
• If you've ever cried tears of joy at a homecoming...but secretly ached inside knowing the happiness was short-lived and your spouse would be leaving again.
• If you've ever felt weird, or almost "wrong", sleeping with your spouse after a long separation (who is this stranger?).
• If you know most of your spouse's workmates by their last name only.
• If you have a power of attorney, USE it, and freak out when it expires.
• If you know that not everyone accepts a power of attorney, despite the fact it gives you permission to practically BE your spouse.
• If you've ever argued that fact with someone in person or over the phone and gotten nowhere.
• If you've ever informed your spouse of your baby's arrival by sending an AmCross.
• If you've spent almost all the holidays in any given year without your spouse.
• If you've ever avoided touching your spouse until they thoroughly showered off the mace-like product they had sprayed on them during training.
• If you accidentally got some on your hand anyway, didn't know it, and rubbed it in your eyes. (OUCH!)
• If you know what "leave" is and have looked forward to being able to use it.
• If you've ever reassured your spouse while they worried over making rank...telling them everything would be fine either way.
• If you've ever celebrated when they made it...but knew you'd have to wait months before seeing the pay raise.
• If you have perfected the military cut, even though you have had no previous hair cutting experience.
• If you own a sewing machine that's mainly used to sew patches on your spouse's uniforms, and you do it well.
• If you've ever stood quietly and proudly on the sidelines while your spouse was recognized for the work they'd done.

If anything on this list made you laugh, cry, or at least nod your head in agreement...you might be a military spouse!