Did I miss something along the way?

   As a military spouse, I meet a lot of different people every day- people from all colorful walks of life...people, whom I wouldn’t normally have anything to do with- as in get a chance to meet, and the only common denominator in it all, is the military...And naturally, which goes with the territory- not all of us are going to have the same opinion/beliefs/thoughts on topics such as parenting, government, marriage, religion, LIFE.

     So for me, a rather opinionated female!, it’s a must to try and stay indifferent to the many opinions everyone seems to have on what the military is to them...Whether its just a job, one you neither love nor hate, but steady employment that offers the means for one to provide for themselves and their loved ones...Or more than simply a job for them, but a career they are passionate about {as it is for my husband}...Or rather just a steeping stone to bigger and better things in life...Whatever your station in society may be, who am I to judge the reason or rhyme as to why you‘ve decided to enlist in the service...That’s none of my business or anyone else’s for that matter...However, one certain opinion I have an issue with, and will always speak out against- is when you have a service member OR his wife, OR both!, bad mouthing the very thing that is allowing them to L I V E !
   

    The Navy is putting food on our table, a roof over our head, and providing our daughters with the best medical care that is available to them...My youngest daughter was in the NICU for 4 months, not to mention the cost of after care once she was released, and that added up to well over 3 million dollars! I was on strict bedrest in the hospital for 6 weeks before I had Elizabeth, who was a twin, and the cost of that stay was no small amount I tell you! Everything was approved, no cost was spared in the quest to save my daughter's life, who was given a 2% chance of living after being born 17 weeks too early. I saw firsthand the added stress and grief couples were facing because their insurance carriers would only cover so much after an extended period of time. How can you ever put a price on the life of ones child? And because of that, not having to have any of those fears or worries, I developed a greater sense of appreciation for the Navy and all the benefits our family has been rewarded due to my husband’s service.       

    So when I witness spouses bad mouthing the military, I find that my normal rule of indifference is no longer one I can AND will adhere to, and something must be said to address this ignorance. 

    

    Okay, we get it. You aren’t fond of the Navy, or the military as a whole, and that’s allowable!....but the level of disrespect one shows when speaking ill against the military, WHEN they are a military spouse, is unimaginable to me!
    Now, I am a rare classification of spouse, this I truly know. I have an intense love for all things Navy and the Country for which it proudly serves! I am very patriotic, and I love the fact that my husband is serving his country. I actually had plans to join the Navy myself out of high school...but I met a certain Sailor, handsome in his dress blues- and the rest as we say, is history! I have now been happily married to that Sailor for almost 10 years, and one thing that will always remain the same, is the pride and honor I feel at the privilege of being able to call myself his wife...a Navy wife.

    So I ask- did I miss something along the way? Something vital, that would explain why some wives truly find it a right of passage to act in such a manner? I must have, because other wise this is just ridiculous!

    I too have done the deployments, the workups, the fast cruises, the random underway periods...My husband has missed the anniversaries, the birthdays, the Holidays, the significant firsts of our daughters...SO WHAT? Its part of being a military spouse...Yes its tough, its not for the weak spirited, so if you cant cut it as a military spouse- do us all a favor and bow out gracefully,  OR put your big girl panties on and keep your ridiculous dimwitted opinions to yourself. 

    So in conclusion to my rambling- I’m truly perplexed with the backwards thought processes of some of these wives now a days- hypocritical and ignorant are just the beginning of what I want to say, but instead I will settle for ranting here in my lil’ ol’ blog! 

Eleanor......

Eleanor Roosevelt: A woman of inspiration- of infinite wisdom and insight..An educated, kind hearted woman of grace and integrity. A role model any woman would be proud to call her own….as do I.

Quotes of the late great Mrs. Roosevelt…..

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
 

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.

A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.

Never be bored, and you will never be boring.

Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Neither here nor there....

 

ღ "Love the world and yourself in it, 

move through it as though it offers no resistance, 

as though the world is your natural element." ღ 

- the Time Traveler's Wife

 

 

My Savvy Style...

 

Ummm excuse me for a moment please!

 

A micro preemie is defined as a baby that is under 1 3/4 pounds and is generally born before 26 weeks gestation, but most medical professionals prefer to loosen this up to include any baby under 3 pounds, or under 29 weeks gestation. Otherwise- NOT a micro preemie...Yes, this information can be easily obtained by researching the term micro preemie....so EDUCATE yourself please! And stop complaining, AND whining, and suck it up! Your life is a walk in THE park compared to what families of actual micro preemies endure!   

Yes, your child was born 6 weeks early- and of course that's still early and complications can always arise when any baby is born premature!, BUT your child was in the hospital for what, a freakin' week? TRY 4 MONTHS!....6 weeks- that was how long I had to wait JUST to hold my baby! I am so sick of these women crying on their facebook statuses because life is SO hard on them...well walk a day in my shoes during the 130 plus days my baby was in the NICU, and than come and say something to me! Otherwise kindly shut your mouth already! T H A N K Y O U!

 

Just sayin'.......

  

   
With the right pair of heels, a girl can do anything..She’s sexy, she’s confident, she’s invincible….

c l a r i t y

I've done a lot of learning in recent months - the kind of learning that can only come from the hardships combined with the rapturous moments that life brings. A metamorphosis is taking place deep inside my soul, in a place even I can't seem to locate. Sure, I'm still the same girl in that I fight with my hubby about random frivolous issues sometimes, I still hate being told what I need to do, and I still get disappointed when I don't get what I want- but it's as though I've had an electric jolt of serenity, or contentment, or happiness surge through my soul like a lightning bolt...the crazy part is that it hasn't worn off. It's like a current that comes in daily doses, something I've needed for years - years in which I thought I could never possibly find the kind of happiness that was self-sustaining. But it's here, I found it in the rainy gloom infamously known as the Northwest it seems. And as if to prevent it from suddenly detaching itself and floating away, I've decided to write about some things I've realized. You may have heard these things before and know what they are, but do you TRULY know, or just comprehend their possibility in a generalized sense? * First, your life should never have to happen as if a play is being acted out before your eyes. You don't truly live until you feel as though your soul is somehow connected to every person you come into contact with, and you feel their humanity through every word and every interactive form of communication you have. People MAKE life. * You know you are truly in love when you're sitting alone in your car, maybe you've got the radio playing...and their face pops into your head, and you just BEAM from ear to ear, and you can let your head fall back and just laugh...laugh like a child, basking in the moment for as long as it takes for you to think to yourself, "Life is so incredibly beautiful, I don't want to waste another second of it." * Your life is only worth as much as you do with it. Are you one of those people who has a hard time accepting compliments? Before you shun a kind word offered on your behalf, evaluate to yourself how much you would trust the person giving it with your life. If you don't believe the compliment to be true, but you know the person complimenting you would be truly worthy of taking your life in their hands, it's time that you do some serious thinking about why you don't believe what they're saying. They care about you...they would know how wonderful you are. And you should believe them, not just accept what they tell you out of courtesy. * Ultimately, life is about you. You were not put on this earth for any other purpose than your happiness and your success at whatever you choose to do. Not that those things won't involve certain amounts of their opposites along the way, but it's the destination that really counts. If you don't believe in yourself enough to pursue the people who really put you on top of the world, thinking you don't deserve them, then it's time to take a step back and push to earn their love, their trust, their praises. Because it's the people you look at as amazing, incredible, beautiful, that you should ultimately strive to have fellowship with. And if you choose to keep them at the wayside in favor of those whose lives are on an easier-to-reach level just for the sake of laziness or fear, then you are, in actuality, much lower on the scale than you thought yourself to be. PUSH yourself to become worthy of those whom you put on a pedestal, and you will BECOME worthy of being on that pedestal with them. Anything less is unacceptable. The justification here is that those who belong on those lower pedestals are the ones who could not fathom the idea of progressive states of spiritual enlightenment and destiny. Their lives are mediocre and they have no problem with that. Reaching that top rung on the beautiful ladder of life will always be so hard to accomplish, and yet, there is no sweeter taste in life than that of success in something you KNEW would make you eternally happy and satisfied. And once you know this how could you possibly settle for anything less? Find that person who makes your soul soar, and strive all your life to be worthy of their love. If there is one thing I would EVER exalt you to do, it would be this. * Know your divine origin and destiny. Never doubt your unique heritage, and your privileged status in this world. Seek to be worthy of what you have and you will, in turn, receive even more than you could ever imagine. Faith in the goodness of the world, of people, of nature, of God, that is what gets you through untouched by evil and darkness. In the end, I think most of us would much rather be bathed in light than cloaked in darkness. * Please, always remember, that those whose affections you seek in the most honorable ways, will always see you for what's inside. And if what they see is ugly, a person filled with unhappiness, they'll most likely move on. So if you're like me, and you want to surround yourself with people that are noble and beautiful and good, then BE noble and beautiful and good. Don't ever let those who don't understand their purpose in life make you forget yours.

When all else fails.....

I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight
I feel charming
Oh so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real
See the pretty girl in that mirror there?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running
And dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy

A wife unlike any other!

    A Navy Wife is no ordinary woman. Operating for months at a time without the companionship or assistance of her husband, she routinely overcomes challenges that would give the average person a nervous breakdown. 

    Part Doctor, part Teacher and part Handyman, she can lavish loving care on a sick toddler, help a teenager with his Algebra homework, and track down a faulty circuit breaker - all while holding down a full time job.

    With thirty minutes notice, she can serve breakfast, lunch, or dinner to fourteen hungry Sailors, and still somehow balance her family’s meager grocery budget.

    
    She can press a set of dress whites to inspection standards, tie a perfect square knot in a military neckerchief, and pack a seabag in the cold hours before dawn. 

    For months at a time, she must settle for letters instead of kisses, emails in place of hugs, and long-distance phone calls in lieu of her husband’s touch. 

    
     She manages a smile when her Sailor is at sea for the second Anniversary in a row, and accepts the fact that there’s a one-in-three chance that he will have to stand Duty on her Birthday.  She has learned to stand on a pier and wave goodbye without tears, even when her heart is breaking.

    To her children, she is Chauffeur, Umpire, Psychologist, Spiritual Advisor, Financial Consultant, part-time Father, Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, and the Easter Bunny.  To her husband, she is Friend, Lover, Partner, Confidant, and Soul-Mate.

    She is a patriot.  She is the sort of citizen that all of us should be, but so few of us are.  She lives with sacrifice, because she believes in the rights and ideals that her husband defends.  Although she wears no uniform, she is a part of that defense - a vital link in the chain of Freedom.  Although she wears no medals and will reap no glory on the field of battle, she is a hero in the truest sense of the word.  She is a Navy Wife.

Where you lead I shall follow.

Whatever road or path we may travel, 

to whichever threshold WE need to cross, 

to any door we arrive at, 

I know you’re the one I’m meant to be with. 

A Mothers Love

You'll never really know, my dear,
Just how much you mean to me,
A mother's love, buried so deep,
That only my heart can see.

When I sit and really stare at you,
All I can do is grin,
Somewhere down deep inside,
I see myself within.

I'd never change a thing in you,
I thank God that your so fine,
Even when your at your worst,
I'm so proud that you are mine.

I know that I'm not perfect,
It's the best that I can do,
But everyday, I thank the lord,
For a daughter as special as you.