Thursday, February 18, 2010

Not Technically a Military Wife...but a Contractor's wife all the same!

I am stealing this from a friend who posted it on FB....But I liked it and wanted to share.

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

In 24 hours...


Life can change. Like the saying goes..."In the Blink of an Eye" my precious nephew went from whole, to not. Luke, my 7month old nephew, was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma yesterday. It was so bad that they had to remove the eye and he will eventually have a prosthesis. This is a very aggressive cancer tumor in the eye effecting children typically from 1-5, but Luke was an exception I guess. Please check your kiddos eyes. This might save their vision, or their life.

Retinoblastoma Eye Tumor


Sunday, February 14, 2010

Reading...REALLY?


Are we THAT old that we can READ and ENTIRE book ALL by ourself?? With tears in my eyes, I say YES! My wonderfully intelligent daughter (not bragging at all) read her first book tonight! She read it without Skye or I telling her ANY words. She sounded them ALL out by HERSELF! I am SO very proud of her! (daddy is too!)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Sunrise


This base is the first we've lived at that is near any type of water. Being that it's a Navy base, we live right near the Chesapeake Bay and the base is at the corner of the Patuxent River and the Bay. That being said... I Love living near the water. So far, geographically speaking, Maryland is my favorite place to live. Skye has to drive on the road that goes right by the bay and catches some of the coolest pictures...he always names then..."Good Morning, God" or something along those lines and I just love how he sees the picture. I wish I was there to take them with my nice camera, but the fact that he Stops what he's doing to get the picture means the world to me!! Here the one he took today...it's breath-taking!