Military Wife

Military Wife

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 deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
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 is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

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.
She 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.

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,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
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' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
EPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
ABU
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;
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,
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.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

Photos of us in Beverly Hills, CA

Oregon Ducks VS USC football game

October 4, 2008:

I bought Darrin his first Oregon Ducks football tickets for his birthday for the Oregon Ducks VS USC game in L.A.  So we headed out on Friday, Oct. 3rd and made a whole weekend out of it.  We checked out Beverly Hills and Hollywood, something I've always wanted to do.  We drove down Rodeo Drive where I spotted Vanessa Williams shopping with her daughter.  I swore I wasn't going to leave L.A. until I saw someone famous.  So we all got to go home because I saw someone famous.  LOL

Anyway, here are a few photos from the game.  The game was pretty exciting...well, for the first quarter and a half.  Then I think the Ducks pooped out.  They lost...44-10.  Yeah, that was painful.  You know, we had a blast and that's all that matters.  We can't wait for our next football game.

Wow, are you kidding me?

This is a photo taken of me at the end of January 2008!  This was right before I started Weight Watchers and Boot Camp.

(before)

This is what I look like now, July 2008.  I've lost a total of 27 lbs. since January.  I feel great!

(after)

And I still have a lot of work to do.

The kids at the beach

Reed LOVED the beach.  He enjoyed collecting sea shells.  Since we've been home, that's all he's been talking about.  Boy that kid has a great memory.

Reed and Rylie posing by the ocean.  We were in Lincoln City, Oregon

Rylie loved getting "chased" by the waves.  Yes, she did eventually get wet and that water was freezing.

A great photo of the kids.  This doesn't happen very often.

The three of us at a glass blowing place.  It was so pretty out there.

Dang!

Yesterday was a depressing day...  My computer crashed so I took it to the Apple store to see if they could fix it.  I told them all I wanted saved were my photos.  Unfortunately, they were able to save everything else.  Yes, all 20,000+ photos I had are all gone.  I'm so sad...

On a good note, some of those photos I saved on outside websites like Shutterfly and Snapfish.  But they want to charge me to get them back.  

After the whole episode, I went out and bought an external hard drive JUST for my computer.  If you have a ton of photos on your computer, I suggest you back them up somehow.  They can disappear within seconds.  

Save your LIFE!

I'm an Independent Consultant for Pampered Chef

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I'm really trying to get my name out there.  It's kinda hard because everyone already knows someone who sells PC stuff.  I'm hoping to find some friends who would like to host catalog shows or for those who live closer; cooking shows.  

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Thanks!