Marines

You told me you were deploying today. I wasn't that surprised. It comes with the job. You were due. We were due. It was time. We’ve been so fortunate for the several years without one, though time away was...

Unless you've been living under a rock (pun totally intended), you've probably heard about or seen The Kindness Rocks Project (or one of its MANY offshoots) in action.  The concept is simple -- brighten someone's day by painting rocks, hiding them...

In early May I had the opportunity to attend a conference called Homefront Rising, in Washington D.C. Homefront Rising is a one-day non-partisan leadership boot camp for military spouses. It focuses on running for office, advocacy and teaching military spouses to...

It's that time of year again. We know it well.  It starts around mid-May and goes through late summer. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Season. My Facebook Newsfeed is flooded with posts and pictures of my military friends who...

Most people hear the word “retirement” and think of something that happens later in life. Generally, it is a time where one stops working and lives off of a company pension, retirement plan, or savings. It evokes images of...

I consider myself a well-seasoned military spouse. My salt and pepper roots are not just owed to genetics but also in part to having spent more than a decade married to a military man. From moving year after year...

If you or your family need anything at all, we will be there.  If you are married or related to the military, you have heard this line more than a few times. Over the years, I have often felt that this...

Here is a little known military life truth:  Making friends and keeping them is no easy task. We all know how it feels to be the "new" person, trying to make and establish connections while adjusting to life in...

It was my most difficult goodbye. We spent a month leaving jobs and schools; friends and people who had became family; favorite places and foods. I ate more currywurst und pommes and drank more espresso doppio and Hefeweizen than...

It's that time of year again: beautiful formal gowns, perfectly manicured nails, and men in immaculate dress uniforms. Ball season only comes around once a year, and, for me, it is something I look forward to all year.  This year...

Since our arrival in Japan, the base installation has offered an Emergency Preparedness class almost every month focusing on NEO (noncombatant evacuation operations). I put off taking this class for over half a year, thinking this would never affect...

Won any awards lately?  Any big promotions on the horizon?  Eh, me either girl, you’re in good company here.  It turns out we're not the only ones who struggle with feeling invisible, and with a moniker like the silent...