Gone is Gone

I recently sat around a table with some amazing military spouses. These men and women from across the country opened my eyes to the challenges facing so many of you out there. But what really struck a chord with me was we shared one common thread: our partners, at one time, were away when something bad happened.

This something bad could have been a flat tire, or it could have been the loss of a relative.  It didn't matter, because to each of us, at that one moment in time, we couldn't reach over to the one person who could make it better: our partner.

I Am Not Worthy - A Journey in Self Sabotage

Today, was one of those days I didn't feel worthy.  I have been blessed in recent months to have some remarkable opportunities come my way.  I've hustled, worked hard, and put myself out there to receive such things.

But today was different. Today, I made myself vulnerable in a different way.  I didn't think I was worthy.  I didn't think I was ready to receive such an incredible opportunity - the next step in my career.  Instead of being my own cheerleader, I became my own critic.

6 Reasons I am Thankful for Being a Mil-Spouse

We take so many things for granted in our life, and as a mil-spouse, I often forget the good things that come with being a part of the military community.  Too often, its easy to get in the rut of complaining about the things going wrong that we forget to say what we are thankful for.

Here is my list of what I appreciate:

5 Ways to Stay Connected When You Are No Longer Connected to a Base

Being a geo-bachelor spouse means you disconnect from a base.  Your spouse no longer is attached to your closest base.  You haven't quite made it to their attached base, so you haven't had a chance to meet the new spouses.

The same thing happened to me when my husband was stationed in Korea for a year and I chose to move back home to pursue a degree.  I disconnected from my previous base, but I hadn't moved to our follow-on either.

So how do you stay connected to the military world when you are no longer connected to a base?

that time... she read seven books in seven days

When your daughter is grounded from all electronics, she is bound to resort to one of two options: sit and stare at her wall for hours or read books. I got lucky that Avery wasn't about to be bored. But a new responsibility has fallen on me during her recent incarceration: shuttling her to the library every week to refresh the stacks of books.

Since I have such a voracious reader, I thought I would put together a nice mother-approved reading list that still is "cool" enough for a middle schooler.  Here are our recent "picks."