Thursday, June 21, 2012

Military Spouse Tag Survey

If you're a military spouse, then TAG! You're it. :)
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1. How did you and your spouse meet? 
We met at Wal-Mart, he worked there at the time.

2. How old were you when you two met?
  I was 17 and he was 20.

3. How long have you been together? 
  "Together" for over three years, but we'll be married for 3 years this August!

4. Where are you and your spouse originally from? 
He's from Virginia and I'm from California, but I lived in NC when I met him (of course!)

5. How did you feel about him joining the military?
I was excited and pretty much his #1 support throughout the whole beginning of it. We both wanted a more interesting lifestyle with more opportunities and we definitely got that!


6. Where did your spouse go to boot camp/basic training
He went to boot camp at MCRD: Parris Island.
7. Has your spouse ever been deployed?
  Not yet, but we'll find out if that changes next month and if he'll deploy with some of his unit next year. He always tells me he doesn't want to be a "boot" forever, so he wants to go.


8. Ever been to his promotion ceremony? 
  No, but I do want to go at some point.
  
9. How long have you been a military wife? 
  Since May 2011.

10. Did you marry him before or after he joined? 
Before he joined.

11. How did your husband propose? 
We both had it all planned out, which some would call unromantic, but it worked for us! It was on top one of the "famous" mountains in our hometown area, we both read letters to each other and then out came the ring. And a little old lady saw the whole thing so she offered to take our camera and take our picture!

12. Where did you get married? 
  At our church.

13. How old were you two when you got married? 
I was 18 and he was 20...we didn't waste any time! ;)

14. Did he wear his uniform on your wedding day? 
No, didn't have one at that point!

15. Where are you and your spouse currently stationed? 
We currently live in Jacksonville, NC. He's stationed at Camp Lejeune.

16. Do you live on base? 
  No, we live in an apartment about six miles from base.

17. How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation? 
About a year and a half, when he left for boot camp.

18. What is your favorite base so far? 
  So far we've only been at this one, but we both like it for the most part.

19. Do you think your spouse looks good in his uniform? 
Of course.

20. Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life? 
I don't think it's more advanced.. it's just different. You can't compare the two. 

21. Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent? 
  Yes, the benefits are great.  Basically anything I want to do on base is free which is awesome!

22. Do you have a lot of military wife friends? 
  I have two who I would even call close...we're all completely different people but we're in this military thing together so we get along great.

23. What is the hardest part of the military life?  
Things changing constantly really bothers me, but I'm getting used to it.

24. Do you own military wife stuff?
Yes, I only have one thing that actually says "Marine wife" though. I have some USMC shirts and stickers.

25. Do you support your spouse as a member of the military? 
Of course, what kind of spouse would I be if I didn't?

 "way back" at MCT graduation in October of 2011. This is one of my favorite pictures of us.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

help!

I'm trying to get help making my blog look a little better. I've done all I know how to do and I feel it needs more sprucing up. If anyone can recommend a good blog designer with a big variety of templates, I'd really appreciate it! I had thought I found a lady a few days ago but it turns out she's on hiatus until who knows when. TIA!

Let's Be Real: flaws.

I'm going to be starting a new series on this little blog called Let's Be Real. It will be published every Wednesday, or so I hope. It will cover a wide variety of topics, basically just to get me back into writing regularly!

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Let's Be Real Week 1: flaws.

This post was inspired by another blog I follow. She felt the need to type out all of her flaws because people kept sending her anonymous comments about how she's a fake, a liar, and a hypocrite. I won't link to the blog here because I don't feel like she'd want that, but if you follow any of the same blogs I do you might have seen it.

So here are mine.

  • I have zero patience. It's really something I'm trying to work on (getting to the age where people want kids and all that), but it's hard for me! I believe I used to be a patient person (I don't know, you'll have to ask my mom) at one point, but it just went down the drain for one reason or another. I try to remember Ecclesiastes 7:8 when dealing with this: "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."
  • I very rarely think before I speak. I've always just labeled myself as "blunt" or that I "say the things everyone else is thinking," but I really don't want to do that. Granted, at times what I say IS called for, but I don't think Jesus would blurt out every little thought that came to his mind, so I need to try not to either! Words can be a double edged sword and I don't want to annihilate everyone with it. 
  • This is going to be a hard one to admit, but guess I should put it out there. Since becoming involved in the military lifestyle, I've taken on the mouth of a sailor! Maybe not that bad, but...well, if you ask my husband I DO have a sailor mouth. It got so bad at one point that he made me a swear jar and I had to put in a dollar every time he heard me. That got so bad that I ran out of $1s and started getting change out of his pockets to pay up. It's just really hard when everyone around you swears like crazy, I do admit that. My husband had a problem with this too but now I very rarely hear him murmur anything more than a "crap" or something equally harmless.
  • This might not seem like a flaw to you all, but it is to me. I have literally no motivation to exercise. It WILL catch up with me one day so that's basically what keeps me going. I can tough out a Jillian Michaels DVD  a few days a week and walk the dog on a brisk walk every day, but that's it. I always feel like I can do more and that I NEED to do more. I just don't like working out alone or in a new place where I don't know anyone; that's why I still haven't made my way to the yoga class on base or to the gym.
  • I'm very, very critical of how I look. I probably have the lowest self esteem of anyone I know. I'm the kind of person who needs to hear that I look good, or that I'm beautiful, or pretty, constantly or else I lose whatever esteem I had. I critique everything about my body, my teeth, the way my clothes fit, etc. Good thing I don't own a scale because I'd be having an issue with that too (I can honestly say though, I do like my body and I KNOW I'm not heavy or anything). When I don't hear those words every day (my love language is VERY MUCH 'words of affirmation') it brings me down. I'm also very wrapped up in how others see me, which definitely goes along with being critical about myself.
Um, I think that's all I'm going to write for now. I probably have upset someone or whatever. Oh well. Hopefully my mom won't read that part about swearing, she'll have a cow! But if she does: MOM, I AM working on it. I won't swear when you're here.  ;-)
And just because, a makeup free photo from a few days ago. I figured it belonged here :)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Little update.

I just realized I never posted a few pictures from my 21st birthday. It wasn't as "crazy" as I expected it would be and that's totally okay with me! On Friday night (the 8th) B and I went to his friend's house for a get-together with a bunch of people from his unit. Basically everyone was drunk already when we got there around 8pm, but they all insisted on taking a "birthday shot" with me once it reached midnight and was OFFICIALLY my birthday. We counted down the minutes until twelve, and then down the hatch it went: a shot of strong brandy. I don't even know the name of it; it started with a C and all I know is it burned going down! Wasn't bad though.

I'll spare you all the details of what happened with two of the guys after that...let's just say they drank WAY too much that night and the shot did them in.

Anyway, next morning. We got home around 2am so we were exhausted, but we woke up early to go to IHOP with everyone from the night before. There were so many of us they had to split us up among three tables which kind of sucked but it was still fun. Someone had told the waitress it was my birthday, so at 10am I was surrounded my singing employees and a little sundae. I don't really like all that attention, but it was fun. This is where our motto of the day began; YOLO.

I really hate that phrase, I think it's so ridiculous. But what the heck, it was my birthday and we were going to have FUN!

We all headed off to the beach (little Sadie too) and made a day of it. Got a little too much sun, so we came home super tired and all plans for going out to celebrate that night kinda fell through. B and I crashed around nine and slept for a solid twelve hours!

One "family" picture:


 Excuse my "shorts tan." I'm trying to get rid of that unsightly-ness.

I have more pictures but I don't want to put them on this blog because there's alcohol and cigarettes in them; that's what happens when you're with a ton of Marines...I don't usually associate myself with those two things (let alone go to a "real" party) so off they blog they'll stay.

I love how in the above picture our dog is just totally lovin' life. She hates the water but LOVES the sand and digging big holes. Kinda adorable.

Forgot to mention all of us bought neon YOLO glasses and wore them the whole day. Again not something I'd do normally, but...you only live once! ;-)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

lately.

I am the worst blogger ever!

I am alive though, I just mostly stay on facebook and Twitter now. I say this every time, I know, but I still read all my usual mil-blogs. Mine just never seems to get updated!

Want a few pictures?


 My little sister and I out celebrating both of our birthdays. Her's is June 4th, mine's the 9th (helloooo 21!)

Five month old Sadie. She's a tornado, let me tell you. The only thing she's REALLY good at is sleeping in her crate at night and being quiet and not peeing/pooping in it. Housebreaking for her has gone backwards. She refuses to go outside for me, only for my husband. She's obsessed with him. Sadie will literally attack him with kisses and jump all over him when he walks through the door, but she doesn't do that with me like, EVER! But that's okay. I'd rather not have doggy slobber all over my clothes and face.

Anyway. My 21st is on Saturday. I did something sort of mean and took my birth date off of Facebook just to see how many of my "friends" actually know it's my birthday. Ssshh, don't tell my secret! :-P As far as I know, I'm not doing anything overly ridiculous on Saturday, my husband and I will probably just chill at home with some Jack and/or vodka lemonade. Sounds good, yes? I also am hoping to get a tattoo when my mom comes to visit (she wants one too!) as a present to myself. YOLO, right? (totally kidding. I hate that phrase SO MUCH.)

Now for some crappy cell phone pics:

What's this?! A pic of B? This was from Monopoly/Pictionary night at our house. He was mad because his team was losing. That's what he gets for picking to be on my friend's team rather than mine! ;-)

See, told you she's in love with him. He goes out to light the grill and she almost has a panic attack.

Relaxing in the sun.

Aaaand that's about it for now. On Sunday B and I (and some of his friends) are trying out a new church. I guess it's about time since, you know, I haven't been to church once since moving here in January. Bad me!