Proud To Be A Navy Girl

image via Armed Forces Gear

I'm starting to realize we have a real Navy girl on our hands here. It's been building for a while and certainly during Daddy's deployment it was happening but it's so cute to see our little one's continually growing devotion to the Navy.

First before deployment we were given a couple of teddy bears in camo. We named one Army and the other Navy since Daddy's served in both. Then came John Paul Jones, as we named him, the Navy eagle stuffed animal per request at Christmas. After Christmas it was a new pink camo backpack for school and green camo pajama pants.

Then of course Daddy brought her home some good gear from deployment including a Kalishnakitty tee shirt.  -- Which she is forbidden from ever wearing outside the house and particularly to school -- can you even imagine ---yikes! Trust me I've played that scenario out in my head numerous times, the call from the principal, her teacher, who is a real NUTJOB, would be catatonic!

Tangent Alert: I'm totally counting down the days until the end of the year so I can stop biting my tongue about this teacher in front of our kiddo - of course I'm still never going to say anything much to her about it, but at least this woman won't be a part of our daily lives.

It has taken massive amounts of discipline on my part to mask my intense dislike of her. (And I'm a super easy-going, "give everyone the benefit of the doubt" kind of gal!) It's been a long year since our first encounter when I realized we'd drawn the short straw for this year. But only recently has our kiddo begun to complain about her unfair practices and how psycho she seems. It's like menopause gone off the rails with that woman. Six weeks & counting!

It's kind of humorous actually that my one unhappy loon of a grade school teacher was in the same grade our kiddo is this year. Same menopausal age, same soulless, smile-less gray face, same "everything bothers me" attitude. I've reflected back on that a lot this year to remind myself that "this too shall pass" and that we all get a crummy teacher now and again.

Anyway, back to our Navy girl, last week we were on base and as a thank you for a big errand we ran for Daddy, he told her she could get one thing. Well since they took out the kid's department at the NEX (WHY?!) there really wasn't much of anything for her to get. But she gladly begged to get a Navy sweatshirt. Navy blue with pink camo letters. It's nearly impossible to get this girl to wear a jacket or sweater but guess what she's been wearing non-stop since the weekend. I'm going to have to peel it off of her for a washing eventually.

I love that she thinks the Navy is so cool. I love that she thinks it's so awesome that she has a "Navy Dad." I'm a little envious of the simplicity of her world and how she is able to live outside the bounds of all the ridiculous and often infuriating politics: from Washington, D.C. right down to Daddy's unit, and just appreciate the idea of the honor of military service.

I want to do all I can to help her build a foundation on that. She comes from a multi-generation military family, who take the honor seriously, and I want to instill that in her. I doubt she'll ever choose to serve in the military, but you never know, she may end up a loyal military wife someday so teaching her everything I can about that can't hurt.

Since my mother-in-law, who was a milspouse for 30-plus years, passed away before I met her son, I'm especially glad for all I've learned from all of you other military spouses. You've been a blessing and a godsend and have gotten me through a lot of separations, helped me figure out services, acronyms and so, so much more. Thank you for your examples! You and our little girl are an awesome reminder that I'm a Navy Girl too and to stand tall with pride that we have the honor of being a military family.

Forgetting Afghanistan

image via AP/Rahmat Gul

A year ago right now my husband was in Afghanistan and we were Skyping or talking to him on the phone from there several times a week. Checking the newswires for stories about anything going on there was a twice daily event, once in the morning and once before going to bed. Because of the twelve hour time difference, if there was any big daytime event happening there the news generally broke between ten and eleven at night our time. Not the best time of day to read scary news!

Now a year later, Afghanistan and news of the war there has slipped away from our daily conversations and my husband and I are not so up on what is happening there. Sometimes I read or hear things and have mixed emotions about telling him about them, knowing he may know the people and places vividly. I envisioned that we would stay as passionate about our commitment to awareness and those still serving there and suffering there, but in reality, life takes over and our energies have to go elsewhere.

That comes with mixed emotions and a little bit of perhaps poorly placed guilt. We cannot possibly continue to live in the heightened state of awareness and anxiety which we lived in while he was deployed. But it feels a little traitorous to move on with life and not agonize and pray every day for the safety of those deployed there and their families just like we did for our own service member and our own family. We've done war zone deployment, we know intimately how hard it is. Moving on and forward with our lives with those thoughts is difficult. How dare I not feel just as worried sick about others as I was about my own.

But somehow that is not possible and perhaps there is a time and a place, a season for everything. Maybe my season is not to agonize over Afghanistan and our deployed there right now. Their families perhaps have taken our spots in that realm. Maybe right now we are taking the spots of others who have moved on from reintegration, post deployment stress and all the transitions and uncertainty that come with that which we are currently experiencing. That is enough for our plates right now, I will say that.

Perhaps my place in all this now is to keep praying for our deployed service members and the people of Afghanistan and to keep praying for my family, all families and our country too. We served and learned great lessons and at times suffered greatly through our deployment. I know many others have before us. There is a kinship there and even if we are not all at the same heightened state of awareness and involvement. I do believe with all my heart, that we are all as one in the place of love and best wishes for our service members, their families and the freedom seeking people of Afghanistan.

We are here for you and for each other in whatever phase we may be, to bless with whatever experiences we may have to offer that may be helpful. We have not forgotten our deployed and their families, yet out of necessity we have moved to new phases. But we are always with you in spirit and in any other way we can step up to serve and offer a watchful, caring eye. I prayed for you today.

The Death Benefits/Gov't Shutdown Firestorm

image via nbc news

America I am so proud of you. You seriously rattled some cages yesterday when you learned that death benefits were not being paid to our service members who have been killed in action since the government shutdown began. I read yesterday that there are seventeen service members who have died since the government shutdown began October 1. That is seventeen families who are in one of the worst moments of their lives for whom our government has just made life more of a living hell than it already was.

I am outraged by this as the wife of a man who just returned from the war zone not long ago. I let my fury be heard yesterday in every way I could and passed the word to others to speak up. I also forwarded many more messages by others who were equally outraged. This was also all over the media yesterday as well.

By mid-afternoon word was circulating that efforts were being made to rectify this situation in congress and beyond. It's good to see the people who work for us get the direction from their bosses (us!) and take immediate action with some fear of reprisal. This is how America is supposed to work. The people tell their representatives what they want and those people scramble to make it happen.

We are so far from that reality in this country today that it is shocking. So I cheer today to see American government function as it was meant to, as a voice and representation of the people, rather than an ego trip for a few hundred people who now conduct most of their business outside the regulating eye of the citizens they represent.

Let's keep speaking up, let's keep roaring when necessary. Our "representatives" need to hear us and listen to us more. It appears they need loud, stern voices to take us seriously. Let this be a warning to our government that We Are The People. Lawmakers and bureaucrats in D.C. I am NOT proud of you, in fact I'm so disgusted by your game playing and manipulation in place of the best interests of this country and our citizens.

I want to give a big shoutout to the Fisher House Foundation and everyone who has stepped forward to contribute funds to take care of these families. This situation is so shameful and should not be happening. To see American citizens step up and take action independently is a testament to the uselessness of big government. It is a reminder that the power and efficacy to serve and care for one another is usually at the grassroots level. Nice work America. I am proud of you today!

Memorial Day: My Heart Is Tender

image via

On this Memorial Day Weekend I want to offer my condolences to the families of those lost in recent months in Afghanistan and wherever our service members have lost their lives. As a military family we feel each death personally. We know that for every death there is a family getting the knock on the door and two visitors with devastating news.

This year I am particularly sensitive to these sweet families as I enjoy the blessings of having my husband back in the States and soon home from a one-year-deployment. I know that there are families who have not received that amazing blessing and have gone through the immense suffering that comes with losing a loved one.

I offer these families my love and prayers. I pray God will greatly bless and reward those who have died in the fight for freedom, to protect our country and our lives. I think it was not until I had my husband back in my eyesight and arm's reach that I realized how easily I could have lost him. There have been several deadly incidences in the exact area he was serving since he left. That has struck me very hard this week.

So this weekend amidst whatever fun plans you have, I hope you will take a few moments to show your respects to those who have lost their lives defending freedom around the world. I have asked my husband if we can visit the nearby national cemetary this weekend sometime so that I can pay my respects to the great troops who now watch over and protect us from above. God bless them and their families.