Namaste

I think i'm becoming one of those "crunchy" people.  I do yoga outside, I go hiking in the desert, I even make my own granola for God's sake!  

But for real, i'm feeling really good.  I'm cooking constantly which is good in lots of ways, cooking itself is one of my favorite things to do, and we are saving money and eating healthy stuff! I'm also walking a ton, with the dog around the neighborhood and in Joshua Tree National Park (take that love-handles!).  And i'm getting back into yoga, which is probably my favorite way to exercise.  It's also amazing what not working for a month can do for your sanity.  I am so much more calm, although my husband may argue that.  I've worn nothing but flip flops and sneakers, so my feet have been way happy, and I haven't used an alarm clock in months!  

So all of this has made me realize how important it is to take care of yourself and find time to do what relaxes you, centers you, and makes you more like the person you actually enjoy being.  It can be terrible and boring and lonely to live in a place where you don't know anyone and are very limited in your opportunities.  But i'm trying to be positive and find my inner calm, or whatever...Namaste friends.

Military Wife Myth Buster

I am a military wife. 

I am also a normal person.  I am not a stereotype. 

For those of you that share the military wife title, I have the utmost respect for you and I hope you find this at least entertaining.  For those that are not, well here's how I honestly feel about it. Take it as you will.

Joining the military community is, without putting to fine a point on it, weird.  After being a normal human for 23 years, I got married and became a military wife.  Then I started going through my initiation process.  I had to learn a new language, filled with lots of acronyms that not even my husband remembers what they all stand for.  I had to learn how to navigate a military base at no more than 25 mph.  And I had to learn to help repair and maintain all sorts of uniforms.

And then I had to make friends.  Now don't get me wrong, I have met some really wonderful people over the past few years.  But really, making friends with military wives is like taking women from Minnesota, California, Tennessee and New York and telling them they need to be best friends because their husbands are blonde and named John.  We are all so different, just like civilian wives (imagine that!) our husbands just happen to work for the same company.   We come from all over the country, a huge range of ages, different levels of education, and just different places in our lives in general.  

It blows my mind that people who meet me are surprised when I tell them that I am married to a marine.  They then say things like "But you have a degree", and "You're so mature and have so much going for you".  Um seriously?  The stereotype that all members of the military and their wives, are young, poor, have 5 kids and are uneducated is outrageous! Do some people choose the military instead of college because they can't afford it or don't have the grades? Sure. Do some people get married at 19 or 20 to a person they've never lived in the same town with? Sure. Do some young families have kids? Absolutely.  But i'll let you in on a little secret.  I have met some of these women and their families, and they are kind and generous and loyal.  Part two of the secret...civilians do that stuff too, and they aren't always so nice. 

So yes, we are "older" for Mark's rank and his time in service, I have a college degree, and we don't have any kids (yet) but does that make me less of a military wife because I don't fit into some sad stereotype? There are all sorts of people everywhere you go, and sometimes the people you thought you had absolutely nothing in common with, become your closest friends.  The last few years have definitely been an eye opening experience for me, and has made me a more accepting, less judgmental person.  And if there is anything I can impart to anyone, it's that military wives are in fact, people.  We are resourceful,  supportive, and fiercely loyal.  We are women who want to be appreciated for who we are, not stereotyped because of what our husbands do.