Did you Hear the News?!

We're moving back to the United States!!!

Sometime this fall, we'll be South Carolina bound. I am just freaking ecstatic!

While I love Japan, 3 years is enough. 

Here are the things I'm most excited for:

Not having to ask this question! Though in Japanese it looks something like this: 

英語が話せますか？ - Sounds something like - Eigo ga Wakarimaska?

 Target!!! With real shopping carts and fitting rooms, ahhh.

 A real grocery store. One that doesn't close at 6pm on weekend and is open every day of the week! 

(I realize there will be no Meijer where I'm headed, but I'm sure I'll find the equivalent =) )

&& My family will be just a 13 hour drive away! Road Trips woop woop!

That being said, there are still millions of things I'd like to do and see here in Okinawa before we leave. Guess I should start my bucket list now! 

Anyone going to be in my neck of the woods? 

How I Met Your Father.

My husband re-enlisted in the United Sates Marine Corps this week, and I could not be more proud. I am so proud to be standing beside such a dedicated, loyal, caring and well respected man. 

He's something = )

The truth is though, I can't believe we're already here.

At this point. 

Married, two kids, re-enlisting, PCSing soon.

Seriously.. when did that happen?

Seems like just yesterday we were strangers falling in love. 

Okay, so maybe this isn't exactly how I'll explain it to my kids one day, 

but here's how it all began....

I was 18, just twelve days after my high school graduation when I left my own military training.  I was off to Basic Training for the United States Air Force in Texas. I signed my life away the summer before my senior year. Turns out it wouldn't be my whole life =) I was scared, nervous, excited. 

I survived. and Honestly I would love to share stories from my boot camp experience but so much of it is blurred by the sleepness nights and endless marching that I don't remember much. I have a few short memories, but for the most part, those weeks remain a fuzzy haze. 

(P.S. I can't tell you how many of my friends probably don't even know that. But, here's proof.)

Tom and I at Tech School

After Basic, I moved right across the street.. literally - for more training.  I was lucky in that a few friends of mine from basic would be in my tech school. Tom, was one of the first people I met when I got to Basic on that first night and she quickly became my wingman in tech school. 

She's a character. Borderline crazy, but awesome nonetheless. We did everything together. 

(I should probably dedicate a few posts to some of those crazy stories later.) Anyway, like normal 18year old girls that just spent the last two months with 60 other woman 24/7... we we're a little boy crazy. Just a little. 

Tom's brother was a Marine at the time, and I can't tell you how many times she told me that we needed to find the Marines on base. Though it was an Air Force base, she swore there had to be some somewhere. I wasn't so sure.. and how do you find them anyway?

Turns out, they just find you. And you really can't miss them. It's the hair... or something?

We went bowling one night and a few guys ended up taking the lane next to us. (My husband has since told me that they actually requested that lane in hopes of getting lucky with the girls occupying the other half. Sly move.. sly move.) I don't remember my husband much from that night, other than him telling me he was from Michigan - being from Ohio, I obviously got excited about someone being close to home, but I had never heard of his town so that quickly faded. 

Tom ended up hitting it off with one of the guys, got his number, made plans, started talking... you know the drill. I was less enthused. But they made plans for a weekend and she was trying to get me to go with her (we couldn't go anywhere alone). She was meeting up with this guy and his roommate downtown for a date and since the other guy "thought I was cute" I needed to go.. she says. 

What other guy? (There were a few the night we went bowling) 

.. The one from Michigan... 

No thank you, he's too short. (Apparently the only other thing I remembered about him from that night),  and so she told him.

He said I should go %&#(*% myself.  Sweet, isn't he?

But Tom couldn't find anyone to go and I couldn't let her go alone, so we went. 

And we split almost immediately after meeting up with the guys. 

My night was slightly awkward. 

The only picture I have of us in Texas:

it's awkward, I know... but it sums up so much.

Until he took me on a boat ride and used his sweet talk.

Don't let my husband fool you now with his harsh words and bad ass attitude... he's a total softy.

Always has been. 

And the rest is really history. We hit it off and kept talking, seeing each other every weekend until he left to his new duty station in CA. Granted, that was only a month later. I stayed in Texas for two more months after that and went back to Ohio where I was a part of a National Guard unit and started college.  

Lucky for us, our home towns are only about 2 hours apart. So between me going to CA to see him and him coming home on leave, we were able to see each other about every 2-3 months. Now that we're married and he's stuck with me forever it's REALLY great that our hometowns are so close.. I could not imagine trying to visit family if we were from further states.

First visit...

It worked. And after I got out of the military (the only thing keeping me in Ohio), I got a job at a summer camp and moved to California. 

My husband proposed that summer, we got married a month later and in just over a year we moved to Japan and had our first baby. How crazy. And now we have two. 

Just nuts.

It still blows my mind to think about the way that everything in my life has aligned so perfectly to bring me to here and now. And how completely happy I am with that, even though I know 6 years I would have called myself insane. 

To feel important.

 

 

Lately, I have been having those days.Those days where nothing goes right, the kids are screaming, the house is a wreck, and my husband won't be home for another few hours.And most of the time, while I'm juggling five or six tasks at hand and trying keep my sanity and composure intact, I can't help but feel small.

 

And unimportant.

And that although I have many things to do, they're not important.

 

And then I think, if only..

 

If only I could finish college.

If only I had stayed in the military.

If only I could find a job that wasn't bottom of the ladder.

If only...

 

Because then I might feel important. And then my husband will know that I am important.

That what I do matters. That I am making a difference.

 

I feel that way sometimes. And sometimes I desperately say things fishing for some kind of verbal confirmation that my thoughts are wrong. That I shouldn't think if only, because what I do IS important.

 

My husband is most often caught in direct fire of those desperate pleas and being the ever so stubborn and quick man that he is, he often catches on to the fact that I'm looking for him to tell me something and of course then refuses. Because he's stubborn.

 

And I get mad, because I know he does this and damnit, can he just tell me I'm important?

But the truth is, even though there are moments where I feel small, overwhelmed and as if my daily tasks do not matter, I know that is false.

I am a Mother and a Wife. I work full time. I go to school and I have my own business. I am a military spouse. I am expected to move every few years and start all over. And I do. I am resiliant. I have my days, but they make me stronger. Because there's never been a day that I haven't made it through. With everything that has been thrown at me, no matter how overwhelmed I have become,  or how negative my thoughts have been, I have not given up. I am here, still mothering and still married. Still working, still going to school. Still moving.

 

I am important. & whatever I do, matters.

To someone.

 

My children need me.

It is important that I feed them, change them.

Nuture them, and teach them.

I make a difference to them.

Within them.

& For them.

They need me.

 

My husband, stubborn as he may be, needs me.

It is important that I stay strong and resiliant.

He is a Marine, and that's his job.

But I am his wife, and he needs me.

He needs me to be patient, and to listen.

To hear his fears and join in his excitement.

To say, "We can do this!"

He needs me to take care of things while he is away.

To raise our children as they should be.

I make a difference to him.

He needs me.

 

And I know that those are true, even on days when I feel otherwise.

 

 

 

Please know, that even when your child is naked, screaming, and running rampant while you attempt to cook and clean with the other on your hip...

 what you are doing is not worthless.

 You are not worthless.

 You do matter.

And what you are doing matters.

 

Because you are a woman.

You are a mother.

You are a wife.

And whether you're just one of those, or all three, you are important.

And whatever we do...

...big or small.

It matters.

To someone.

 

 

 

The Fight Continues

 

The military is something very near and dear to my heart.

 

Since I was little I knew it was something I wanted to do. I had to do. I enlisted in the Air National Guard in 2006 and sadly wasn't able to accomplish all that I had wanted to due to various health complications. I was honorably discharged in April of 2009.

 

 

 

But while I was in Texas for training in 2007, something wonderful happened.

 I met a Marine. (a handsome one too...)

 

 

So when I was no longer obligated to the military, I picked up and moved cross-country to be closer to his duty station in San Diego. And here we are, 5 years, 3 anniversarys, 2 moves, and 2 babies later.

 

When I married my husband, I knew what I was getting into. He's a United States Marine. The military is not just a job, it's a way of life. And so, when I said "I DO," it was not just to my husband, but to the Marine Corps as well.

 

Since then, I have grown a love/hate relationship with the Marine Corps, but it is still something very dear to heart, (we're married afterall.)

 

 

That being said, I was honored when Angie from The Fight Continues asked me to help get the word out about their cause.

 

So what exactly is their cause?
 

Veterans' day is quickly approaching on Sunday November 11th (the day after the Marine Corps' Birthday!) and this year marks the first Veterans' Day following the end of the Iraq War.

 

The Fight Continues has started a Veteran Service Project in which they plan to read the names of all fallen veterans from any conflict in the history of the United States.

 

 That's A LOT of names.

 

Their hope is to have over 600 reading locations across the country reading approximately 1,750 names per site.

 

Who are They?

 

The Fight Continues was founded by James Sperry and Eric Calley, both USMC, Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans.

 

 

James Sperry
James Sperry is a United States Marine with two Purple Hearts and fought in the Battle of Fallujah. He lost over 20 friends to the Global War on Terrorism. He has experienced all the lows from Combat injuries and now has moved on to help rebuild America with this generation of war veterans.
 

 

Eric R Calley

 

David A MacArthur II "Moose"

 

Brandon Blackstone

 

These men are Heroes.
You don't know them. You've never met them.
But they fought for you. They sacrificed for you.

 

And today, they want to Honor those who sacrificed for them, those who sacrificed before them.

 

Please help these heroes honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

 



 

With less than a month to go, hundreds of locations are still needed. Some of their confirmed locations include local schools and colleges, VFW, American Legion and even simple gatherings at local parks. The Fight Continues has plenty of information about some of their confirmed locations if you would like to get some ideas!

 

You may also view a map of their locations here. 

 

There is still time to help!

 

If you are interested in hosting a reading location or can help in any way, please contact Angie

angie@the-fight-continues.com

 

 

 

 

 

Yes to the Dress : USMC Ball 2012

Along with what seems like a million other things, the Marine Corps ball is right around the corner. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the ball, it’s held every year to celebrate the Marine Corps’ birthday, this year being the 237^th. Marines wear their jaw-dropping blues and the ladies get to wear fancy dresses and feel pretty =).

Being overseas, the selection of dresses (especially ones that will fit!) is pretty slim. Since, I’m going to order online, I think I ought to order soon, just in case the shipping takes forever. I’m also going to order the dress a size or too bigger to play it safe. Then once it’s here, I’ll try it on and take it in to get altered.

So here’s the fun part. I’ve been looking and looking! And I’ve narrowed it down to five dresses. I found all of them on this website that was recommended to me by a friend. They’re all pretty different in style, which I think makes it so much harder to choose.

I like the mermaid effect of this dress. And the red! Though I’ve never been much of a red person, I’ve always wanted to be! I also like the extra coverage on top. I have to keep reminding myself that I’ll be nursing around ball season, so I’ll be extra loaded!



I love, love, love this color. I think whatever dress I get, it just may end up being this color. That’s another great thing about this site, all dresses come in most colors and they’re made upon order. I’m not a big fan of the strapless, mostly because it acknowledges all that armpit fat (and this baby has certainly given me some excess along with my boobs!), but I do like the way the bottom falls.

I like the coverage up top on this one and the cut in the middle. Keep in mind I’ll only be 6 weeks post-baby when I but any of these bad-boys on, so anything that’ll hide the post-baby flub is a winner in my book! I would definitely have to order another color with this one!

So I know I said I wasn’t a fan of the strapless and this is pretty close to strapless, but I really love the style of this dress! The tummy coverage is wonderful and I like the over the shoulder deal. I could do blue too... or yellow/gold.

This one is different and I like it that way. I really like the material and the cinched waist with lots of coverage up top (I’m really self-conscious about my armpits.. it’s weird, I know). I’m just not sure what color this would look best in.

Those are my top 5, in no particular order. Let me know what you think, a girl can’t decide by herself ya know!

I’ll probably order it sometime in September, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated on which one is THE one!  

 And after that it’s onto hair, make-up, shoes, jewelry... oh so many decisions for one night!