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Check out the recently updated and vastly improved web site for recruiting Marine Officers!

MarineOfficer.com

Gunners, range officers merge into single MOS

Gunners, range officers merge into single MOS - Marine Corps Times

The Corps will merge the military occupational specialties for Marine gunners and range officers, addressing a gunners shortage and putting nearly all weapons training under the control of a single MOS.

The merger of the two warrant officer communities was approved April 28 by Commandant Gen. James Conway and will be outlined during a June 20 meeting at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., officials said. It means Marine gunners will take over management of rifle ranges, while existing range officers will be forced to either become gunners or find another MOS, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeffrey Eby, a gunner at Marine Corps headquarters overseeing the merger. It also will streamline oversight of Marine marksmanship, which was handled in part by both MOSs.

“There is some emotion tied to this, but it’s specifically because you had two professional MOSs both performing the same job,” Eby said.

As of February, there were 70 gunners and 32 range officers in the Corps. About 12 current range officers who do not have an infantry background will not be eligible to become gunners, but officials will find other assignments for those Marines in billets held by their current ranks, Eby said.

While both MOSs have handled weapons training in the past, there are many differences between the two assignments. Range officers typically handle the initial instruction of marksmanship training programs for small arms and infantry crew-served weapons on Marine bases in the U.S., and develop training doctrine and techniques. Gunners advise infantry commanders on weapons tactics, oversee combat marksmanship and frequently deploy with infantry units.

“What you ended up with is two guys trying to do the same thing from different perspectives,” Eby said. “If you streamline that effort by having one guy oversee it from cradle to grave, you eliminate all conflicts.”

There are other benefits to the merger, Eby said. First, moving gunners back and forth from range assignments to combat will allow them to integrate lessons learned on deployment into range training, a struggle for some range officers who never deployed. It also will increase dwell time for gunners and allow them to ensure that range training on items ranging from optics to communications gear does not hamper combat performance.

The Marine Corps Ground Board has asked for a study to determine which units without a gunner may need one, officials said. The Corps also approved assigning gunners in 2009 and 2010 to Reserve infantry battalions: 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 4th Reconnaissance Battalion.

*Rolling Thunder XXII – May 24, 2009*

Dear Friends,

My father (a USAF veteran) will be leading a group of 30 or so members of his Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapter from our home town in NC up to Washington DC on Memorial Day weekend to participate in Rolling Thunder XXII. As they state on their web site, this is not a parade but a demonstration. I'm very proud of my father for his participation and very happy to announce that I just made arrangements to be in attendance!

I have discussed this with some of you in conversation but it has come to my attention that there are many people who are not familiar with the Rolling Thunder organization and what it does. Because their mission is so important, I hope you'll take a few moments to read about them and their valuable efforts so that you can discuss them any time the issue of our American POW/MIA is raised. Rolling Thunder has made significant strides for these heroes... the least we can do is appreciate what they do and support them in words if not deeds or funds. The issue of our POW/MIA is one that is often overlooked and I submit to you that this is unacceptable. What if it was YOUR Marine who didn't come home?

From the Rolling Thunder Web Site- FACT SHEET:

Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans, and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for POWs and MIAs of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.” The name Rolling Thunder is derived from the constant bombing of North Vietnam in 1965 and was given the name, "Operation Rolling Thunder." No officers or members of Rolling Thunder, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.

Click here for more information about Rolling Thunder.

Camp Lejeune: Wounded Warriors break ground on new barracks

Wounded Warriors break ground on new barracks - Jacksonville Daily News

Marines and sailors broke ground Friday on a place where wounded warriors will be able to heal, mentally and physically.

The new Wounded Warriors barracks, which is scheduled to take about 18 months to build, will include 100 two-man rooms, living area and kitchenette, fitness, physical therapy and counseling space.

The rooms are designed to accommodate two wheelchair-bound Marines without collisions, said Lt. Col. Thomas Siebenthal, commander of Wounded Warriors Battalion-East.

Camp Lejeune's wounded warriors are currently housed in a 1940s-era building across base from the Naval Hospital. The new facility is just steps away from the hospital.

"It's convenient," said Cpl. Bobby Joseph, a Marine who was injured by a roadside bomb while on foot patrol in Iraq in November 2006. "It is a pain in the butt to get transportation (from the current location to the hospital)."

The barracks is definitely needed, Joseph said.

"This is the best idea I've ever seen," he said. "It's the best thing they've done."

The concept for the wounded warriors barracks came about after Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell and then-Gunnery Sgt. Ken Barnes were wounded in Iraq in 2004. The two, who were both with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, realized as they were recovering that part of the healing process involved interacting with and bonding with other injured Marines.

"How do you get that shared experience when you're all by yourself?" Gen. James Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps said, explaining the concept behind the barracks.

Amos previously served as commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force, and created the Wounded Warrior Support Section in 2005 in a renovated barracks at Camp Lejeune.

"This is probably the greatest day I've had all year long," Amos said Friday. "It's not the culmination, it's just the beginning."

Col. Gregory Boyle, commander of the Wounded Warriors Regiment, said the barracks and other facilities being built on the site - including a Warrior Hope and Care Center and a Fisher House for families of the wounded - will help the Marines "get back to that ‘new normal.'"

"These Marines made a commitment to our country. We owe a commitment to them," he said.

AP News: Marines helicopter crashes in Calif.; 2 killed

Thoughts and prayers going out to these Marines’ families.

AP: Marines helicopter crashes in Calif.; 2 killed

ALPINE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in California say a Marine Corps helicopter has crashed in a remote area of San Diego County, killing both people on board.

California Forestry Department Captain Daryll Pina says the Cobra attack helicopter crashed late Tuesday in the Cleveland National Forest.

Pina said Defense Department investigators were at the scene Wednesday morning.

Officials at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar said it was a Super Cobra helicopter from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The Marine Corps confirmed that both pilots were killed.

Pina said the crash started a one- to two-acre fire but the flames quickly burned out.

Freedom Calls Foundation

Please read and pass this on. Good information for our service members and their families!

Freedom Calls Foundation

Working closely with corporate contributors, individuals, and the military the Foundation has deployed its first wireless VOIP telephone and video conferencing services in an Army Camp located in the Sunni Triangle. The Foundation's network offers 50 soft-phones and 20 hard-phones, 6 video conferencing stations, 10 video email stations, and 50 computers with email and internet access. As a result the more than 10,000 soldiers in the camp will be able to communicate with their families and loved ones at home on a regular basis free of charge.
The Foundation's network offers soldiers more than 8,000 miles away the opportunity to participate in milestone family events such as births, birthdays, weddings and school graduations. The Foundation's network will soon include installations at military hospitals here in the United States, to enable soldiers to interact with their newborn children and loved ones who have become ill; And, installations at Family Readiness Centers, to enable families and loved ones (who do not have broadband connections at home) to video conference with soldiers.

Future deployments overseas will encompass as many as 200 additional locations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations where our overseas troops lack regular communication with their families and loved ones at home. With your support, we hope to deploy 1-2 camps per month in the coming months.

History of the U.S. Marines

What a great assembly of Marine Corps history from TellTheMarines. Thank you and OOHRAH!

History of The US Marines.

I'm too sexy for my Mac.

As I sit here typing this on my PC, I realize that the exact opposite is true. My old man (clearly on a bid for sainthood) gave me my Mother's Day gift early. A very shiny, very smart, very over-my-head MacBook. He actually gave it to me on Friday and I've been poking around with it ever since. I still haven't figured out how to integrate my hotmail, yahoo and private emails into it yet, although I think I'm a step closer now that I've installed Microsoft Office for Mac which includes the mail application Entourage. I have a vague sense that I will figure this all out eventually but I'm so excited that it's making me impatient.

I have, of course, already installed Firefox. This was one of the top priorities. And I'm sure that eventually I'll get used to using the mouse. On the few occasions that I have used laptops in the past I have struggled with this because it is foreign. I hope that practice will make perfect.

Excuse the Carrie Bradshaw-esque phraseology, but I can't help but wonder: Do we really need 148 GB hard drives? Will I ever actually utilize so much storage space? Still, it's cool to know that I could if I chose. And also nifty that my new laptop has the same amount or more memory than my trusty PC. Good job, baby!

At any rate, we had my daughter's first birthday party today. She had a great time. I feel hungover, though, and I didn't consume any alcohol. Is that normal??

And I've been blogless for a couple of days now as I've been extra busy, but I really wanted to say to all of the military spouses yesterday:

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

*Yes, this is an actual day. And it's one that should count.

I feel duly appreciated and I hope you all do, too.

Rock on and rock hard, ladies.

Angst in the female form.

My better half told me that yesterday's blog entry was angsty and not at all like me. I took that as a compliment. And I'm glad to say I think he's right. I'm usually a very upbeat, easy going kind of girl. I just detest injustice, even at the smallest level. My blood pressure was up and it was therapeutic for me to vent. And I wouldn't be much of a human being if I weren't capable of frustration, would I? Usually I never let 'em see me sweat (but opt for finger gestures instead). So it's back to that now as I have calmed down. And sanity-- in my own insane form-- prevails.

Speaking of insanity, my little girl has morphed into some sort of villainess (which spell check is telling me isn't a word-- but I don't accept that ruling!). She's perfecting the drama queen act and it's becoming very annoying. I think I'd rather hear fingernails on a chalkboard than listen to her newly acquired screaming skills. Its seems for right now that she's just experimenting. So I hope that my expert parenting skills prevail... although I'm not sure how much effect my own mimic-tantrum had with her yesterday. It did puzzle her enough to get her to stop for a moment, though. The silence was welcome. It's worth mentioning that's it's not for want of something that she's recreating the infamous horror movie shriek. She's merely doing it sporadically because she's figured out that she can. So I'm trying my best to make sure she knows that while she can do it, the juice isn't worth the squeeze because no one is interested. In the meantime I am searching for an affordable but slobber proof pair of earplugs.

The princess will be one year old on Friday. Time just flies.

Speaking of flying, I'm off to get her presents before I forget to do that, too.

If I hadn't just uploaded this design yesterday and wasn't too cheap to pay for expedited shipping, I might order this for her:

As it is, though, I'm off to get her a little throne chair since she has fallen in love with the neighbor kids' Sponge Bob mini-recliner. I hope I can find something more her style, though. Although, she does like tools....

Do Cheaters Always Win?

Have you ever felt like the people who don't play be the rules... rule the world? That you and your good intentions will always be in line behind the people who have the audacity to think they deserve to be in front of you, even if you got there first? Just because they are bolder in their self-centeredness? That's how I feel today.

I have played by the rules at something and lost. I'm not saying I played well or perfectly. Just that I did so with integrity and good intentions. And I lost because I wasn't selfish enough. I wasn't brazen enough and didn't stand up for myself. And that, my dear friends, just sucks. Because as kids we're taught to do unto others as we'd have done to us. The golden rule and manners. Honesty and good character. Well, most of us are taught that even if we do come from dysfunctional families. But I suppose I might be wrong in my assumption that everyone falls into that category. Why am I saying "might?" I most certainly am wrong. Or-- maybe it's not that the selfish winners of the world weren't taught better. Maybe it's that somewhere along the way they learned that nice guys finish last. I've made it through several decades of life without managing to get that through my thick skull.

Actually, I don't think I want to. I think I'd rather pass on any ill-gotten gains. I think I'll stay at the back of the line where I belong. There have been a couple of occasions in my life where I have compromised my value system and it just wasn't the right thing to do. And it's not who I am. So I may be the last one out of the store with my purchases.... but I'd like to think I will enjoy them more in the end because I am who I am. And someone-- if not the person in front of me-- loves me. And I deserve that as much as anyone.

Update at 1:33 PM CST: I was so motivated by my angst earlier that I got off my behind and made the Home Skillet portion of the shop. Take that, meanies!!

Hootie Who?

OK, if you try to say that you didn't just love Hootie and the Blowfish back in the day, you're just wrong.  Granted, "Let Her Cry" got way too much air time, but aside from that, this was good stuff.  I think they're still kicking somewhere and I need to research that..... 

Those of us who really liked the band know that Darius Rucker is not, nor has he ever been "Hootie."  And the band isn't "Blowfish."  They derived their name based on schoolmates-- one of whom wore glasses.....

Anyway, imagine my surprise yesterday as I was getting my fake bake on in the tanning bed:  I was listening to whatever country station they had on at the time.  I miss out sometimes on the newest music because I usually listen to The Pulse on Sirius.  Anyway, a decent if not too memorable song came on and then at the end the DJ informed listeners that this was Darius Rucker's new track, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It."  Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?  OK, I go blind.

Sure enough.  Darius has gone country and his new album is coming out in the fall.

  What's next?  Kid Rock doing opera?? 

It's all good, though.  We shouldn't box people in.  And I kind of like Darius so I hope he does well.

Incidentally, cheers to me for now having 10 sales on Etsy.  Don't worry, I won't forget the little people. 

Wearing your biography?

A few random thoughts today.

First, I'm very proud of my husband for his hard work on the "stuff" for work over this past weekend. He's the man.

Next, I really enjoyed the formal event we went to on Saturday, even if I was the ONLY Marine's wife there. This was an all-branches event (my first of its kind) so the Marines were the minority, anyway. But I had the added pressure of knowing that I was our only spouse representation so I really had to behave myself! At any rate, over the course of the evening I engaged in some interesting conversations about the various uniforms for each branch of service. I love this type of information. I find it interesting that there isn't more.... well... uniformity. Across the branches, that is. For their uniforms. They are all so different. And some similar-looking items mean completely different things. I haven't done research on this yet because today's to-do list is long and I don't want to get distracted. But, I gathered from one of the soldiers present that the horizontal lines on the left sleeve of one of their uniforms are indicative of the number of one's deployments. Whereas the ones on the right are for years of service (1 "hash mark" for each 4 years, just like the Marines have on both sides). Combining that with the various ribbons, metals, insignia and even (in some cases) lapel colors, an informed person could interpret a soldier's entire military resume' just by looking at his uniform. That's nifty. It's also a lot more specific than in the case of Marines. I didn't get to examine or learn more about the Air Force uniforms, unfortunately. And the Navy's, as I understand them to date, are more general in terms of markings (like the Marines). That's good considering that the Navy has already complicated things quite enough with all of their different titles. For enlisted ranks, they don't just use the rank as their title (like Marines do). Nope. They all have different titles depending on their MOSs. I worked in a Navy facility for 3 years and I still never got it all worked out.

While the soldiers were walking around in their biographies, I wondered if the same held true for some of their dates. I'm going to have to go old school here for a minute, ladies, and offer some suggestions.

-Try to wear formal attire to formal events. Ask yourself "Is it conceivable that I could wear Keds with this?" If so, then don't wear it to a formal function.

-Try NOT to be "that guy's" wife/girlfriend. You know the one. Her dress is 4 sizes too small or it's see-through. If she were half as cute as she thought she was, she'd be America's Next Top Model.

-Go ahead and look hot! It's OK if the others glare at you-- that's a COMPLIMENT. Just make sure you're doing it tastefully. Your guy will appreciate it.

-Don't wear horribly uncomfortable dresses or shoes-- it's just not worth it at the end because you'll spend valuable time adjusting or going to the ladies' to check yourself over. You'll most likely miss the most fun of the evening-- that one silly thing or notable conversation. Then you'll have to live with the shame.

I know I'm getting old. But I was tastefully dressed and yet still got a few choice dirty looks from the other ladies so that tells me that mama hasn't completely lost her game yet. Sweet!

Why do we do that to each other, anyway?! It's so animal kingdom.

Meanwhile, I have finally mananged to get some stuff in the Etsy store (yay!) and I have a new addition to Semper Troops. I think I'm going to order the postcards.

Foiled!

So, I was none too happy yesterday when, for the first time ever, Mapquest let me down. One of the previously mentioned work functions of my husband's that I had to attend was a retirement ceremony for a Senior Chief that my old man works with. I had to drive out seperately as I didn't want to wait an extra hour while the husband was doing the pre-ceremonial work. It was a relatively good distance from where we live and I allowed plenty of time to get there. I had my trusty Mapquest directions prepared.

Mind you, I pride myself on being an EXCELLENT navigator. I have a good sense of direction, I can find things easily, I know that (aside from the Jersey turnpike and a few other ill-planned highways) exit numbers correspond with mileage. Odd numbered highways generally run north/south while even numbered ones run east/west. I've got game when it comes to navigation.

So there I am-- 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony. Knowing I must be within mere feet of the destination. All the roads have corresponded with my directions. I have driven the appropriate distance. And yet.... there is nothing in the spot where the building should be. It couldn't be Mapquest-- I must have done something wrong?! And, yet, I hadn't. To make a long story less-long: I eventually found the place and was able to partake in the after-ceremony festivities but I did NOT get to see the ceremony itself.

Mapquest had me turn left about half a mile from where the building was sitting-- right on a main road. It had me drive through a neighborhood and end up on another segment of the sidestreet that that place was located on. I only ended up finding it once I gave up and went searching for a service station (to relieve myself of the large cup of coffee I drank on the way!).

Oh, Mapquest....

It hurts. It hurts deeply.

As a sub-topic I think it's worth mentioning that this was my first time hanging out at a VFW. I highly recommend it! Good times, even better people. I do not, however, recommend doing as I did. Try to refrain from engaging in shot-taking and carousing with retired soldiers and sailors at 2:00 in the afternoon. Especially the ones who grew up in Brooklyn! If you are anything like me, I assure you... you CAN'T hang and probably shouldn't try! =)

(Cammie) green with envy.

So, over the next two days I'll be attending several of my husband's work functions. One of which requires formalwear which means:

(1) I have to "formally" primp myself, which isn't my usual custom.
(2) I'll get to see my husband in his dress blues (with the white pants!) which is relatively great.(3) I'm going to be exhausted afterward.

But speaking of Marines in their dress uniforms.... isn't that a site to behold? Especially in large quantities? And I'm saying this from any observer's point of view, not that of an enamored wife. They are striking. And while it's clear to me that I am not, myself, a Marine and it is also fully understood within my mind that I never had any desire to be one, I am a bit envious of them at formal gatherings. I wish I had found some sort of life calling that afforded me the opportunity to wear such an ensemble and celebrate such comraderie (minus, of course, the stringent requirements of dedication and sacrifice!). I've seen Marines at formal events interact in a most brotherly (or sisterly, for the ladies) fashion with complete strangers. They may share nothing but that title, but that's enough to unify them. It's remarkable. And I am in awe.

So while I don't look forward to my tight schedule over the next couple of days, I am pleased to know I will get to see a group of Marines mingling with one another. Doing that Marine grunty thing they do when certain remarks are made during speeches or ceremony. Buying each other drinks and ribbing each other in a good natured fashion. I will stand by and take it all in.

Hateful little witch!

I've been good to her for 4 years now. I certainly could have been better: her personal hygeine leaves something to be desired and I've uprooted her about 5 times. I've taken away some of her prized possessions and replaced them with newer ones that she's still getting used to.

But right now I'm wondering just who the little snot thinks she is??!

Not my dog. Not my daughter. My computer.

Today she refuses to play on my team. As of yet it is undetermined whether her problem is hardware or software in nature. I don't know if she's come down with something or if she's actually physically injured. The only thing I know for sure is she sure ain't workin'.

So, being the improvisational genius that I am, I've moved over to my husband's side of the office. I suppose I might be able to deal with his annoying trackball mouse (eew!) if it weren't for the fact that his keyboard is broken and the whole top row (numbers and all important symbols like "@") is out of commission. I had a heck of a time signing in here using my email address! Had to copy and paste that bad boy just to get it entered. And, of course, I moved my keyboard over here and now I'm in business. But, like I needed THAT on top of my brokenhearted sense of betrayal?

The above remarks are not intended to make my old man look bad. Not at all. In fact, I'll be getting him a new keyboard right away (not mouse, though: he's freakishly attached to his!). No, my guy is invaluable to me. And no doubt when he gets home today he will comfort me and soothe the pain. He'll most likely even get the computer fixed-- as much as that will irritate me because I can usually handle it myself! But, no. He's the shoo shoo. All day every day.

Check it out- this is a closeup of his campaign cover, or "smokey bear hat" if you don't know better - that I took this morning (the reason why is another topic entirely).

Man. I can just hear him calling cadence. I think he misses it. I will refrain from closing this love fest of remarks with a link to his bio online. He can remain a man of mystery. But a man who has work to do in the office! ;)

No, she (and she and she) didn't!

So I'm only partially making good on my plan to throw out some buzz about hard charging military spouses. This is only due to the fact that as a hard charger, myself, I am pressed for time today! Thanks to my naughty children, the arrival of my new postage scale (yippee!), a list of phone calls to return and two foolish hours spent tweaking the store layout, I have about 10 minutes for blogging today.

This short list of mil-divas was blatantly snatched from MilSpouse.com. They were mentioned among the 2007 Who's Who of Military Spouses. You go, ladies!!

• Tanya Biank: (Army Wife) Author of Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage (basis for the Lifetime TV series “Army Wives”
• Jacey Eckhart: (Navy Wife) Author, The Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman’s Guide to Raising a Military Family; narrator of award-winning deployment CD “These Boots”
• Sue Hoppin: (Air Force Wife) Deputy Director for Spouse Outreach Benefits Information Department, Military Officers Association of America
• Roxanne Reed: (Marine Corps Wife) Chief Executive Officer, All Fired Up Candle Company® and Jane Wayne Gear.®
  

Way to go, ladies!

Marine spouses, hear this: Roxanne was the only one listed from our specific ranks. We need to do something about this!!! True, they were mostly army wives and the army is much larger, but hasn't the USMC always done more with less? Why should the Corps' "better half" be any different?

Hump day.

Since it's hump day I'm moving back into the Ooh Rah and patriotic material. Here are 2 goodies:

Carlos Mencia's message to terrorists. (And they think THEY'RE crazy?!).

Then there's this other deal I saw on the Marines' MySpace page. I used my own user name for the below, but that is not intended to make light of things. This is customizable within certain limits (name and key phrases) and would be something nice for a poolee or potential recruit (or even someone who's already on active duty) to send out to family or friends who may not fully grasp what motivates them to be Marines. Call me sentimental, but I dig it. Incidentally, I'm also impressed with the strides the USMC has made lately to move into the next era of communication and advertising, despite the cumbersome bureaucracy that must be associated with these efforts.

Since I can't seem to embed the one I created, here is a link to the application:

Create Your Own Pledge

Oh looky, a blog!

I honestly don't know how to begin. I'm about 3 or 4 years behind the times, apparently. Anyway, why am I here?

What I would ultimately like to do is keep myself busy with new projects (that are already underway) and connect with some other military family members. My husband is on active duty but currently is assigned to a billet that has taken us away from any installation and plopped us into civilian life. Don't get me wrong-- I'm certainly not complaining! Not only do we get the perks of civilian life like no deployments, making friends with all different types of "locals" and even living in a great area. On top of that, if you're a military wife, right about now you're thinking my old man must be either a recruiter or on I & I duty. It's actually neither of those. He does work a lot and get those crazy night and weekend phone calls but he is rarely out of town at all. So, basically right now we have it made. And I would never look a gift horse in the mouth. The thing is, though, that I miss being in the thick of things with other Marine wives and the resources that are available to us (when we go to the trouble to find and use them). I'm glad that I can TRULY pick my friends here of my own volition and don't have to form associations by default because my husband works with so-and-so's husband. At the same time, if you're married to an active duty service member you will know what I mean when I say that only other military wives GET certain things. When I tell my close girlfriend here that we can't hang out on a Thursday night because the old man has a PFT or a hump the next morning, it doesn't quite register. No offense to her-- she's been busy living a relatively normal life for years now and would never have needed to know about such things. And she certainly can grasp them when explained. There's something about the having to explain, though, that makes a girl miss her "sisters." And of course I am still in touch with many of my friends from over the years but these are, of course, long distance relationships.

What I'm getting at here is that I am truly enjoying our life right now. I wouldn't dare complain, especially given the remote possibility that some dear sister whose husband is deployed for the umpteenth time (and I HAVE been there, by the way) might read this and think what a presumptuous witch I am. No, no complaints. I just miss some aspects of what we might describe as "our" life. I miss my girls. I miss the commissary (as shocked as I am to ever be having that thought!). I miss cadence and ooh rah and yellow ribbons. I miss feeling it. It would be a stretch to say that I'd rather be feeling it than be where I am. But being a greedy little snot, I hope to find a way to have my cake and maybe eat a little slice of it, too, by reaching out to some other ladies online. There's something comforting about talking to women who are familiar with the terms "Comrats" and "BAH." Are you ladies out there? And, if so, do you have room for one more? I promise I don't bite!

At the top of my page is a link to a CafePress store I started recently. I want to be clear in saying that while it would be fun to sell something, I frankly don't expect much to come of it and am mainly doing that for fun and another outlet. I'm new at this whole thing and just want to have fun with it. I'm going to have some handmade items for sell on Etsy.com soon, too. And in all honesty I will be humbled and shocked if I sell anything! But these little projects are giving me an outlet making me feel as though I still have some sort of connection to "our" life. I just want anyone who might read this to know, I won't spam you and I'm not a salesperson. I'm just a chick who's feeling a little out of her element and decided to tinker around with some things that might make me feel a little bit more connected. If you do happen to look at any of my stuff and just tell me that it's cute (certainly without buying anything) I won't be mad at ya, though. Or tell me what sucks about it, too. I think I want to prove to myself that I still rate bragging rights!

If you're reading this, thanks for bothering. I'm sure you have better things to do. And if you're reading this and your husband or wife is deployed, BIG THANKS for THAT. I'm a big old sap and I wish I could say something or reach out in some way to every single one of you. There's a silly little Marine wife out here who appreciates you and your service members more than you know.