AN ARMY WIFES LIFE

Dirty Little Secret

2011-01-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

Why does it always seem so hard to get back into the swing of things after taking time off from work. I swear I have been dragging for the last two weeks and it doesn't seem to be letting up. SFC is on his way to the commissary right now to stock up on a variety of fruits to help me jump start my mornings. I refuse to partake in the energy drinks...they are horrible for your heart.

On to the real reason for this post...I have a dirty little secret...more like a dirty little addiction. Let me preface this with the fact that I am a pretty accomplished individual. I am very conservative in many views and do not put myself out there in for lack of better words in saucy ways. I am addicted to Jersey Shore!! I know, I know...but I love the show. It just has that something that keeps me coming back for more. I love JWow and Snookie...what a duo and Pauly and Vinnie get me rolling too. the others I don't care for that much but those four keep me laughing. I saw a Barbara Walters special a few weeks ago and the cast was being interviewed and all seem to be very successful in what they do. In the same turn they also seem to be so carefree. Maybe I like it so much because it reminds me about a time gone by a time with out many responsibilities and where time didn't seem so precious.

As I sit here and reminisce about those times I wonder how we even made it to where we are today. There was a great group of us. Some with who I am still very close with others that I haven't spoken to in years...funny how distance and time can separate so much. Some that have passed on to a better place...that have left a void...a huge void. Imagine standing on one side of the grand canyon and reaching for them only to never be able to get to them. A few that have managed to ruin their lives by decisions that they have made and a few that just seem to have disappeared over the years. We have all come so far...a banker, a teacher, an urban planner, a nurse that works at Johns Hopkins, ones in the Air Force, the other was in the Army, most of us got married...some more than once, some are still single, some became parents, aunts, uncles, some lost spouses, some lost children, one adopted, two became angels themselves, some lost parents, some realized that the path they were taking was not the one they wanted and did a 180 to find happiness, some stayed on the path they were on and succeeded...some failed, some travelled the world, some haven't left the state they were born in, oh what a life we lead. I wonder what would happen if we could go back and visit our former selves...what advice would you give to your younger self?

Heat.....Please!!

2011-01-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned this week has been really hard in the being wide eyed and bushy tailed department...I am tired!!! A few of my co-workers are tired as well. I guess I will blame it on coming back to work after having 10 days off for Christmas. It doesn't help that it's 60 degrees in the office...has been all week. It feels like the airconditioning is blowing. Maintenance people have been here since Monday and it only seems to be getting worse. I am sitting here with three layers of clothing a scarf and my gloves on....brrrr

Suck It!

2011-01-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life seems grand and let's face it sometimes it just purely pisses you off. I am not a fan of the pity party people or the gossip bunch that concentrate on the negative however I am human and certain things get to me.

I was blog hopping yesterday and came across the blog of a 28 year old Army Wife that just plain old pissed me off. I will preface the rest of this post with the fact that I know that everyone has the right to their own opinion and that people will have different takes on certain situations....I can respect that. This lady had the audacity to state that all of the senior wives that were at her base only concentrated on having a bunch of kids, dinner on the table and drinking wine at the FRG meetings....really. How dare you categorize people and put them down for who they are. Firstly I have been in this game all my life. I am an Army Brat and an Army Wife and never ever have I seen anyone or taken part in drinking wine at an FRG meeting. Secondly until you walk a mile in anothers shoes DO NOT judge them for how many children they have or their ability to have or not to have dinner on the table. Every family is different and is made up of habits and tools that make it work. I have many friends that are stay at home Moms and I was a stay at home Mom for three years when the boys were babies.and let me tell you the job isn't a cake walk. Every job whether it be one at work or one within the home has it's own set of hurdles...we as spouses learn to work with them the best we can. It's hard enough being an Army Wife the last thing we need is one of our own belittling us for the choices that we make.

OK...getting that out made me feel a little better. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that all military spouse are angels and are perfect, I'm just saying that we all have our struggles and we all have made choices to live our lives a certain way. Opposition from the outside is a normal occurrence however opposition in your own back yard just SUCKS!

Sleepy

2011-01-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

This is how I feel. If there was a dwarf named exhausted it would fit me better. I have no idea why I feel like this. I got to bed at a relatively decent hour and woke up at 5:30 like I do every Monday through Friday. I had to blast my music and sing along on my morning commute just to keep my eyes open. I would like to say that I am going to go home and go to bed but D2 has a basketball game tonight so no rest for the weary!!

Rest in Peace

2011-01-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

While we were in Illinois I had the pleasure of working at the elementary school that the boys attended. I worked in the front office and forged some really good friendships. I am sad to say that today I learned that one of the reading specialist, a cancer survivor and former nun, lost her husband over the Christmas break. When he would call the school and his name would flash on the caller ID we would race to get to the phone first...he was always a joy, always brought a smile when the day was hard, and always brightened the day when it was gloomy. Chris and Jim had been married for 18 years and when she would speak about him it was as if she was a young teenage girl swooning over her new boyfriend. My heart goes out to her and her family. May god hold them in his arms and comfort them through this hard time.

2011

2011-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that the Christmas holidays are over. How time flys when you are having fun!!

We started off the holidays with my parents driving up from GA. We were so excited and waited patiently as they made their way. The boys absolutely adore their Grandma and Grandpa and I feel so lucky that my parents adore them as well. They stayed a day and promptly whisked the boys off to PA to visit with their Great Granny and Uncle M. They had a blast to say the least. Got spoiled rotten...just as kids should.

SFC and I took full advantage of our few days alone. We shopped and shopped and shopped...you get the pic right. I would like to say that we snoozed in bed until noon and drank hot cocoa by the fire but reality is that we both had to work. I was up and out of the house by 630AM and even worked late a night or two. All in all though it was nice to have a few days to just be together one on one. The one nice bit was not having to worry about what time we got home. We ventured out to Richmond and ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...YUM...and shopped till we dropped at the mall.

My parents and the boys got back on the 23rd and the Christmas preparations were in full swing. Presents were wrapped and placed under the tree, the turkey was marinated and placed in the fridge, side dishes were prepared a day ahead and so were the desserts. We woke up Christmas morning and enjoyed a morning full of opening gifts and laughing. I don't know which was better the gifts or the laughter...OK I liked them both but the laughter was priceless.

I tried to keep the fact that this would be the last Christmas that SFC would spend with the boys and I before 2012 out of my mind but it just kept creeping up in my mind. In all the years and all the deployments I feel utterly igged out by this one. Maybe because I hate the fact that he will be gone for 365+ days. I'm not a whiner...really I'm not but for some reason this deployment looms like a dark cloud over me.

My parents left on the 27th to go back to GA. It was sad to see them go. How I wish that we all lived closer. The four of us decided it would be better to pack away the Christmas decorations so that they would not be a looming TO DO item staring at us everyday until New Years...well OK not the four of us I decided it and the other three had no option but to help. It took about an hour to wrap everything up and place the tree back in the box and store it all in the garage. After a quick vacuum the house was back to normal. Again the thoughts of having to do all this next year without SFC was trying to poke it's ugly head into my mind again.

We headed down to GA on the 30th so we would be able to ring in the new year with the family. My SIL is still in her pity me mode and decided not to come over at all. She likes to twist and turn prior events where she was in the wrong to her own liking in an attempt to get the please feel sorry for me vote. One has to know that you don't treat others children like dirt and get away with it. You got put in your place and now you have to grow up and move on without making those same mistakes. She doesn't get that...in fact her immaturity is down right ridiculous and just about everyone sees through it. Enough about her!! My brother did bring C1 and C2 and rang in the new year at my parents house. The boys totally adore their Uncle and their cousins so I am glad that we all had the chance to spend some quality time together. I felt heartbroken for my brother my blog is not the place to air out his troubles...I will just say that I pray he finds happiness in all that he wants and does.

SFC and I decided to drive back on the 1st due to the fact that I-95 would be a hot mess the Sunday before work and school would resume for most of the country. It was sad leaving but I was ready to get home to get the laundry done and prepare for my first day back at work. The drive was uneventful and the boys and SFC were glad to be back to have one more night to battle each other on the XBOX.

My hopes are that 2011 will be a wonderful year for all. For kindness and understanding to be felt by all and for grace and love to spread like a wildfire through your lives. I pray that 2011 goes fast and that SFC gets through this deployment with ease and speed.

Snow Day Again...Really?

2011-01-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

Last night I was sitting in the barber shop watching my boys get their haircuts when my cell starts to buzz...oh boy here we go it's the school with the message that every child waits to hear...it has been decided that tomorrow will be a snow day...really as I look out of the window the sky is clear, the roads are damned near perfect and there is not a drop if anything cold and wet outside. The boys squeel with glee as they hear the news and even the barber starts to reminise about days of younger years where snow days were the days that as kids we could really get into some stuff...I on the other hand am dumbfounded with the call to cancel school for a snow day without a drop of the white stuff....this post was started a couple of weeks ago...it's been a crazy holiday season.

And It Starts...

2010-12-15T05:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening when SFC. S came home we bundled up and trekked down to SAMS Club. He had to get "supplies" to keep him happy while in Afghanistan. We walked around the store and he swiftly gathered mouthwash, razors, candy, tylenol, and a host of other necessities so it can travel in the conex and be there waiting for him when he gets there. I tried to keep a brave face but it's so much easier said than done. I'm pissed, pissed that once again he will be away in the face of danger and we will be left at home to deal with the everyday happenings of life.

Now I know that I signed up for all of this and I know that whining doesn't make it better....for the most part I don't but to tell you the truth I am really mad this time. I can't put a real pinpoint on what it is that is making me so angry but it is. There I feel better just getting it out not bottling it up...now I'm going to have to suck it up and drive on.

In other news DJR who broke his collar bone at school last Tuesday has his one week follow up with the Orthopaedic doctor at 9:30. SFC. S is taking him to the appt. I am praying that everything is healing properly...that incident is a whole new post in itself...lets just say that I sprouted a few more sparkly hairs that day.

Where Do I Start

2010-12-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

I used to blog a lot....well mostly a little but sometimes a lot. I don't know exactly when it happened but blogging became more tedious than enjoyable so I basically just stopped...FULL STOP. I thought briefly about blogging again but with the invention of facebook....who needs a blog...right? WRONG.

So here I am again staring at a blank page and wondering to myself where do I start, what do I do...the only thing that I do know is that I need to write. I love to write...it's just plain soothing for my soul!

I am a daughter. I love my parents!! My Mother and Father are still together and are a huge part of my life. I would have never have gotten as far as I have without them.

I am a sister. I have one younger brother A who is married to C whom together have two little munchkins C2 and C3. My brother and I get along great my SIL and I not so much. I love my nephews C2 and C3 as much as I love my kids...thank God they have my brother to show them the way.

I am a wife. I have been married for 5231 days to my soldier husband...yup a little over 14 years. I thought I knew it all at the ripe age of 20...whats that saying...if i only knew then what I know now. Over the years we have had our ups and downs. Has it been easy....not in the least bit....but he is the person that I have chosen to walk the path of life with. Do I love him...YES...have we learned to communicate...YES...and that is what marriage is all about...and not strangling him when he ticks me off!

I am a MOM! I love being a Mom...more than anything in the world. I have two boys DJR and D. They are shinning spots in a world that is at times scary and unknowing. They are my stability and my joy. DJR is 13....yup 13 I never would have thought that time would fly so darned fast but it did. He is a bright, loving young gentleman who loves to joke and make people laugh. He has a way with the girls...not liking that so much...but he has that smile and personality that everyone can love. He is my helper and is finely tuned into me...so much so that he knows when I need a hug or a hot cup of tea. D is my little spitfire that loves to cuddle. He and I, I and him...two peas in the pod are we. Our tempers, our love of shopping, our passion for anything that we are interested in. I look at him and see the I am the baby of the family syndrome....but oh he fills it so well. The love they have for each other is amazing. Don't get me wrong they can argue but for the most part they are each others best friends and biggest supporters.

I am also a Government employee. For the past 14 years I have had many jobs...lets see...a hospital registrar, a secretary at a car detailing place, relocation specialist for Army Community Service (ACS), family member employment specialist, clerk, secretary, secretary II, Program assistant for the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), a clerk at an elementary school, and now a secretary for the Defense Logistics Agency. I have also volunteered as a family readiness group (FRG) leader, FRG treasurer, team Mom for numerous sports and helper in my kids schools. I have learned oh so much and am thankful for every bit of education that these positions have given me.

I am a student. Lets see I am 35 years old...I graduated high school at 17 went to college and proceeded to be stupid and party way too much....way, way, way too much!! A couple of years ago I realized that my education is important as I watch my children grow and took the plunge and enrolled full time in college. I am now a Junior and am part of the National Honor Society and have learned that knowledge is not just power it's peace of mind. I am enjoying it and look forward to graduating in the next couple of years.

I have also lived all over the world. Sri Lanka, Pennsylvania, Texas, Germany, Georgia, Germany (again), North Carolina, Illinois and now Virginia. I love the fact that I have lived all over the world and that I have travelled extensively and embraced so many different cultures. When we retire I would love to live in the big city but for now am content on the suburbs...and yes I have a minivan!

My husband has a little less than four years left in the Army before he retires. He is about to deploy to Afghanistan in the new year and will be away for a whole year. After a marriage of deployments we are hoping that this will be the last deployment of his career. He hasn't deployed in five years and to be honest I am not sure how I am going to handle it. My boys are much older, I work 30 minutes away from my home and after a really rough spot we are just getting back on track as a couple.

Oh and how can I forget my cat...the daughter that I never had. I deck her out in pink sparkly collars and spoil her to pieces. As weird as it may sound she is my friend...my companion of sorts that listens to everything without butting in!

Some may think that when you wear these hats you need to fit neatly into a role...for some this may be true...for me though...I need to spread my wings, take flight and soar.