Why am I SUCH a Marine's wife??

I've been thinking a lot about this lately.  The fact that my husband is a Marine is one of the least remarkable details about me as a person.  It's certainly important and something I'm proud of, but it's not my most defining characteristic by any means.  So, why is it that when communicating online this seems to be of the utmost importance?

I think I've figured it out.

I seek out other Marines' loved ones because I don't have good contacts with them in the real world right now.  We are settled into an urban area with no Marine Corps presence to speak of.  Around here when I speak of my husband's EAS or give "AMOI" as his job description or complain about the lack of a commissary, I might as well be speaking a foreign language.   Not one person in my immediate environment has been through a deployment or has any concept of what a drill instructor does. 

So, online, I seek out the friends that I'm missing here.  The ones who "get" this portion of our life. 

But, in the meantime, I'm still an enthusiastic UNC Tarheels basketball fan.  I'm still an avid coffee drinker and Ikea shopper.  I still have my favorite books and TV series.  I make jewelry.  I've got my college studies, part-time job, family and home.  So I suppose it's OK for me to be a big old "Marine Wife" online.  Because I've got that, too.  ;)

A good excuse. Really.

Honestly, I can't believe how long it's been since I've written. I can't believe the world is still turning and people are just carrying on with their lives when something is so clearly missing?! Lol.

I do, however, have an excellent excuse for my bloglessness. My family has been on a kamikaze road trip since the 12th of June. We're talking a Suburban loaded to the maximum and carrying two adults, a 9 year old and a 13 month old. Minnesota to Texas, Texas to Kentucky, Kentucky to North Carolina and now North Carolina to South Carolina. We won't even be home until next Wednesday! A crazy, crazy plan... but we've been visiting family and we are having a BLAST! We'll be at Myrtle Beach, SC this afternoon and will be there until Sunday morning. Good stuff!

Also good stuff is the fact that I sold 3 pieces of jewelry while on the road.... without even trying! ;) And the usmcwives.com forum is growing by the day. We're up to about 1700 posts and chatting like crazy. It's fantastic. I'm not enjoying the spam we've been getting and I'm still working on that issue-- but at least it's only a pain for me and not for the members. New accounts now require approval... that way we don't log on in the morning to find Euro smut awaiting. Eew.

As it turns out, typing while riding is making me carsick. That won't do. So I'm out. But I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of Juiy weekend... to include being grateful for everyone who has ever secured our freedom!

Confessions of a woman with a crooked life.

I've been so content lately I'm almost waiting for something bad to happen!

Random Monday thoughts:

• Our friend and neighbor, Barry, is putting in our back splash. The one part of the kitchen that has remained undone for the past many months. It looks beautimus and he's almost done. Too bad we discovered that our cabinets were hung slightly off kilter and there is a half inch discrepancy between the ends (on just one wall, anyway). This will require some optical illusion adjustments with the tile work but Barry is a master. :)

• We have been working to put a Pergo like flooring down on the first floor. We're not done yet but it's gorgeous. I love it. And my husband has been working his fingers to the bone.

• I'm annoyed the my PC is out of commission again because I really wanted to work on my temporary tattoos and window clings today. The printer is hooked up to MY computer, of course, so (being that I'm too lazy to switch it to the old man's side) that means I can't do it until my PC is fixed. Don't get me started on THAT topic.

• My daughter has been ridiculously cute lately. And I discovered this morning that she's gotten two new teeth on the top... I don't even know when that happened!!

• My son has been very much trying our patience. I'm sure it's a phase but I'm ready for it to END. In the meantime I'm considering Buddhism. It worked for Tina Turner?!

• Usmcwives is coming along just fine and dandy. This is pleasing me TREMENDOUSLY as I've been so timid and nervous about it.

• I haven't had time to design any new jewelry in DAYS. I'm having withdrawals. Maybe I'll have time for some this afternoon.

• Today is going great so far for a Monday! :)

Freedom to enjoy the Smiths.

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend and that the meaning of the holiday wasn't lost. For the third consecutive year we went to our local horse racetrack with my husband's ROTC color guard to participate in their Memorial Day ceremony. This is always a pleasure as they give us the VIP treatment (valet parking, free food and drinks in the clubhouse, etc). But as has been the case each time, the 82 year old WWII veteran who runs the ceremony brought me to tears with his short poem in tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I managed to hold it together for that, but when they played Taps I lost it. I don't think I'll ever be able to get through that song again in my life without breaking down. Several years ago I attended a funeral service for my friend's husband who was killed in action near the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This was the single most somber experience of my life to date, compounded by the fact that she gave the eulogy herself. The follow up of that with Taps and the 21 Gun Salute will echo in my memory forever. So, yes, I lost it when they played Taps yesterday. My son grabbed my arm and said, "It's OK, Mom. It's OK." I couldn't find the words to tell him that, in fact, it's not really OK. The average American doesn't seem to even understand that Veterans Day honors all veterans but Memorial Day honors our fallen heroes. Nonetheless, to paraphrase that colorful, seasoned 82 year old veteran, we shouldn't focus on the sadness of their deaths but we should rejoice and be thankful that they lived. And there is no better time than RIGHT NOW to thank our veterans for their dedicated service to our country-- no matter who you are or what your political beliefs may be.

On a brighter note and in celebration of our wonderful freedom of choice:

One of my very favorite celebrity couples is Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. How can you not just adore both of them?

I've been a fan of Will's since all the way back in the DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince days. Oh, yes. He's jazzy, jazzy...his name is Jeff..... Talk about a sidekick who fell out of the limelight. But I digress.

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was fine, although nowhere near his best work. We all loved the Men In Black movies and Independence Day, I Robot and all of those blockbusters. I personally enjoyed Enemy of the State a lot (possibly because it was the brief return of the Cosby Show's Lisa Bonet and also had Regina King, Gene Hackman, John Voight, Barry Pepper, Scott Caan, Jason Lee, Gabriel Byrne, Jamie Kennedy and Tom Sizemore among others!!). But this past weekend we sat down and took in I Am Legend. I thought perhaps he would never surpass the genius he showed in the film The Pursuit of Happiness which co-starred his son, Jaden. To date, that was one of the most compelling performances I have ever seen. For heaven sake.... I lost it during the infamous bathroom scene. But along comes "I Am Legend." He flew mostly solo for this film. He interacted with himself, his dog, lab rats and mannequins. The movie freaked me out and if you've seen it, you understand why. But his performance was, in a word, breathtaking. He deserves any available recognition.

Jada Pinkett Smith is also one of my absolute favorite people to watch onscreen. I loved her as the snarky little sidekick in A Low Down Dirty Shame and she's been a treasure in dozens of other films. The best of the best, though, and one of my all-time favorite films was Kingdom Come. For the love of all that is holy, if you haven't seen this movie you simply MUST get it and watch it NOW. The cast includes too many to mention. Cedric The Entertainer, Whoopi Goldberg, L.L. Cool J., Toni Braxton, Anthony Anderson and Loretta Devine are just a few. But Jada's portrayal of Charisse Slocumb was one of the funniest performances of her career. I find myself right this moment being aggravated by the fact that I don't have this on DVD. I need to rectify that.... Incidentally, I also really loved the track "Try Me" from this movie's soundtrack. It's fantastic.

At any rate, between these two, their body of work is astounding. We need good entertainment as much as we need anything these days, and I submit that this family has done WAY more than their fair share to contribute. I'm completely OK with them being gazillionaires as a result. And I root for their success unconditionally.

For my GIRLS.

I'm a huge fan of Maya Angelou. You might recognize this poem from the movie "Poetic Justice." For reasons I won't elaborate on, it crossed my mind last night. There's something captivating about it. Speaking for myself, I feel inspired when reading it, even if I'm sitting hunched over my keyboard, unshowered, wearing a t-shirt and sweats. In all of our forms.... we are WOMAN.

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Confessions of a lightweight.

More random thoughts:

• I use the term lightweight for two reasons, the first of which is that we just had a monster yard sale this weekend and got rid of a ton of needless stuff. We made a decent profit and got to schmooze with our neighbors. I feel our feng shui improving already!

• The second and perhaps even cooler reason is that I can now officially wear my girly summer clothes. After having to essentially skip over last summer due to baby girl having just been born AND my horrid ankle injury healing (rendering me both unable to wear cute clothes AND unable to wear cute shoes: a fate worse than death!) .... I can now wear all of my favorite stuff. I'm somewhere between a size 6 and size 8 which is just about right. A workout wouldn't kill me... but at least my clothes fit!

• My daughter is walking. I know this is to be expected since she just had her first birthday, but still I object. It doesn't seem like this should be happening yet.

• I am uber excited about the new jewelry I'm making AND the honest feedback I am getting. It's a great feeling to be learning and improving on an almost daily basis.... and to have your existence affirmed by positive reinforcement. We all need that sometimes.

• It turns out that not all of our neighbors are a-holes after all! We met quite a few more this weekend during the yard sale. Some very nice peeps on our block. There's hope!

• I continue to dominate at Parking Wars on Facebook. I've grown very weary of all of the time consuming applications but this one is a treasure. And I totally cheat. But I freely admit that and I am WINNING. Haters abound!

• Jill and I are going to some sort of killer food buying place this afternoon. I can't recall the name but it's a deal where you can buy certain things (whatever they happen to have) at ridiculously low prices. I'm on that like Jared's on Subway, people. Don't say you didn't know.

Confessions of a happy woman.

In my customary random fashion.....

I'm excited about a lot of things right now:

• Starting school soon (finally!)
• My daughter's 1st birthday next week (already!)
• Spring arriving in the midwest (I'm told this will happen SOON!)
• The cool jewelry I'm making (some of which I don't want to sell! ... and I even made my own jewelry for the ball the other night).
• The feedback I'm getting about the web site.
• Going to visit my family in a couple of months.

I am the busiest person I've ever met who didn't work outside the home. This is a new experience for me (doing the stay-at-home-mom thing) and it's surreal. I'm surprised that I love it. I've always been a busy sort and I guess it helps that I'm busier now than when I went into the office.

I'm forming some very fun new friendships.

I'm originally from NC and I miss it a lot. I don't necessarily want to live there but I'd like to visit more.

I'm bummed that UNC didn't win the NCAA basketball tourney, but happy that "Psycho T" Tyler Hansbrough is coming back next year. To put this in perspective, I'm from central NC and college basketball is life. This is because of the UNC/Duke rivalry. I am a "bad" Tarheel because I actually like Duke, too. The only time I don't want them to win is when they are playing my 'heels. We got our new puppy the same day that UNC played in the Sweet 16. I said that if UNC won, I'd name the dog accordingly. So I have a little female puppy who will walk through life with the name Tyler Hansbrough __________. Hey, it's better than "Dean Smith" -- only the greatest coach of all time. But I decided to stick with the currently relevant.

I'm divorced and remarried. That's weird in a way, and yet, not. I guess divorce isn't something anyone dreams of doing when they grow up. And, yet, when you're happy with your life it's hard to see that as a focal point. My first husband was a Marine, also. This would seem to lend a Jerry Springer-esque quality to the situation. But, sadly, even my scandal lacks scandal. Two people marry VERY young. They make their way through life and do the best they can. Ultimately in my case, the "best we could" meant parting ways. It's tough to do that when there is/are child(ren) involved. And I certainly don't make light of wedding vows. There just came a point where the best way for us to honor each other was to part ways. And when everyone ends up being so much happier, it's hard to argue with the choice. My husband, ________ (psych! You thought I was going to put his name! ) is the greatest. My life now is more perfect than I could ever have imagined. Well, except for it continuing to snow here.... because that's just obnoxious!

Over the past few years I have begun to love the music my parents listened to when I was a kid. The stuff I couldn't stand. I'm talking Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, James Taylor, and even oldies like Jackie Wilson (oh yes, love me some "Lonely Teardrops!"). The other day I was at the craft store and "Carolina In My Mind" was on. I was singing like a fool and catching dirty looks from the patrons. Not sure if it was my enthusiasm about that particular song-- which was genuine, as James Taylor is a fellow Tarheel and he was singing about my home-- of if it was my atrocious singing voice. Whatever. I was the one smiling.

I still also like music that probably shouldn't suit someone of my demographic category. I always enjoy Ludacris, Outkast, old country stuff by Willie Nelson, Motown oldies and even the newer stuff where they use that "screw" technique of sampling something and slowing it way down..... My dad would be perplexed. And that amuses me. If I said "let me see your grill" he'd take me out to the garage....

I love my kids. I even love SOME of my friends' kids. But usually other people's kids get on my nerves. I know--- that's bad.

My mother was just here for a visit. That was great except I only got to see her for about 5 minutes because we had so much going on. That needs to be rectified.

My only living grandparent, Grandma J, is about to turn 95. She's a total bada$$. They don't make them like that anymore.

I *really* want a laptop. So I can do my work downstairs sometimes (our office is upstairs). Are you reading this, baby?