It’s been a full-moon, thunderstorm kind of month around here.
If it can go wrong, it has. And normally all at the same time.
It’s also not just me. My fellow military spouses are experiencing some real low lows this spring, too.
Broken appliances. Speeding tickets. Family emergencies. Car accidents. Power outages. Sick kids. Migraines. Houses that seem to keep getting messier.
They are plaguing everyone.
As presidential candidates step forward in the coming months, state and local politicians will be preparing for elections too. Rather than following the races via media, participating as a campaign volunteer can be a great way to not only gain work skills, but also use your newfound expertise to secure a permanent position.
Happy Military Spouse Day!
We appreciate your service. Yes, you. Yes, your service.
The sacrifices that military spouses make are enormous. You give up stability, careers, time with family, time with friends and time with our spouse. All too often, you give up your spouse entirely in the greatest of sacrifices.
You are the machine that keeps the nation’s warriors ready to protect and fight.
And today, the nation thanks you.
I wake up to a few text messages every morning.
“Want coffee? I’m hitting Dunkin’ Donuts before I see you at school.”
One message often reads, “Going to the store. Need anything?”
And sometimes, I’ll get the ever-necessary, “The kids are driving me crazy. Wanna make pizzas and watch movies at my house tonight? Better than being alone.”
Last week, I had a fellow military spouse invite me over for a playdate and give me her own bed to nap in while she watched the kids and popped popcorn, knowing I was pregnant, tired, and over deployment that week.
Editor's note: Friday is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. We count down with a blog each day from our own dedicated staff members as they recount why they love this crazy life.
A few weeks ago, I asked my co-family readiness group leader (who happens to be a man) what his favorite thing about being an Army spouse is.
His answer was a long drink of coffee and giving me the slow blink.
Editor's note: Friday is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. We count down with a blog each day from our own dedicated staff members as they recount why they love this crazy life.
I sat down at my computer a few days ago to tell you why I love being a military spouse. I wrote something about the opportunities this life has given me, and the people I have met and the friends I have made.
And then, I threw it out.
Last fall Christine Gold moved to Colorado from Georgia at the very beginning of her third trimester for a Navy PCS with her husband and their first-born daughter.
“It sucked,” she joked. “Being huge, tired, having to pee always. Especially with the altitude; it was so hard on my body.”
She struggled to find a healthcare provider that met her needs, and she didn’t want to waffle between providers and not receive the frequent medical checks and appointments she and her baby needed at the end of pregnancy.
A little known milestone passed by last month.
Female soldiers are participating in the Army’s storied Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. On day one, 19 enrolled. After 10 days, eight remained – a success rate that is equal to the men.
Observers are at the school to make sure the women receive no special treatment. They are indistinguishable from the men in the course due to their buzzed hair, a requirement for attendance.
I believe in the brave deployment face.
Smiles. Grin and bare it. Just keep plugging.
It’s not so bad, I tell people.
And then I attend a wedding.
I really love weddings.
Except when I attend them alone, my husband deployed underwater like he invariably is.
People don’t know what to do with me at weddings.
I get a lot of looks of pity, especially if my children are with me. When the unavoidable couples dance comes up, I get foisted off onto some table of widowed grandmothers, who pat my hand and tell me it’s all right.
By Tiffany Shedd
Spring has sprung. Flowers are blooming everywhere. The air is filled with the sound of mowers, and, the dreaded pollen. It’s time of new beginnings. But what about those new beginnings you started way back in the dark, cold days of January? Those New Year’s resolutions? How are those going? I, for one, will admit it. We have experienced some setbacks.
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