Military Spouse Tag Survey

If you're a military spouse, then TAG! You're it. :)

 - - - - - - - - - 

1. How did you and your spouse meet? 

We met at Wal-Mart, he worked there at the time.

2. How old were you when you two met?

  I was 17 and he was 20.

3. How long have you been together? 

  "Together" for over three years, but we'll be married for 3 years this August!

4. Where are you and your spouse originally from? 

He's from Virginia and I'm from California, but I lived in NC when I met him (of course!)

5. How did you feel about him joining the military?

I was excited and pretty much his #1 support throughout the whole beginning of it. We both wanted a more interesting lifestyle with more opportunities and we definitely got that!

6. Where did your spouse go to boot camp/basic training? 

He went to boot camp at MCRD: Parris Island.

7. Has your spouse ever been deployed?

  Not yet, but we'll find out if that changes next month and if he'll deploy with some of his unit next year. He always tells me he doesn't want to be a "boot" forever, so he wants to go.

8. Ever been to his promotion ceremony? 

  No, but I do want to go at some point.

  

9. How long have you been a military wife? 

  Since May 2011.

10. Did you marry him before or after he joined? 

Before he joined.

11. How did your husband propose? 
We both had it all planned out, which some would call unromantic, but it worked for us! It was on top one of the "famous" mountains in our hometown area, we both read letters to each other and then out came the ring. And a little old lady saw the whole thing so she offered to take our camera and take our picture!

12. Where did you get married? 

  At our church.

13. How old were you two when you got married? 

I was 18 and he was 20...we didn't waste any time! ;)

14. Did he wear his uniform on your wedding day? 

No, didn't have one at that point!

15. Where are you and your spouse currently stationed? 

We currently live in Jacksonville, NC. He's stationed at Camp Lejeune.

16. Do you live on base? 

  No, we live in an apartment about six miles from base.

17. How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation? 

About a year and a half, when he left for boot camp.

18. What is your favorite base so far? 

  So far we've only been at this one, but we both like it for the most part.

19. Do you think your spouse looks good in his uniform? 

Of course.

20. Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life? 

I don't think it's more advanced.. it's just different. You can't compare the two. 

21. Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent? 

  Yes, the benefits are great.  Basically anything I want to do on base is free which is awesome!

22. Do you have a lot of military wife friends? 

  I have two who I would even call close...we're all completely different people but we're in this military thing together so we get along great.

23. What is the hardest part of the military life?  

Things changing constantly really bothers me, but I'm getting used to it.

24. Do you own military wife stuff?

Yes, I only have one thing that actually says "Marine wife" though. I have some USMC shirts and stickers.

25. Do you support your spouse as a member of the military? 

Of course, what kind of spouse would I be if I didn't?

 "way back" at MCT graduation in October of 2011. This is one of my favorite pictures of us.

help!

I'm trying to get help making my blog look a little better. I've done all I know how to do and I feel it needs more sprucing up. If anyone can recommend a good blog designer with a big variety of templates, I'd really appreciate it! I had thought I found a lady a few days ago but it turns out she's on hiatus until who knows when. TIA!

Let's Be Real: flaws.

I'm going to be starting a new series on this little blog called Let's Be Real. It will be published every Wednesday, or so I hope. It will cover a wide variety of topics, basically just to get me back into writing regularly!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Let's Be Real Week 1: flaws.

This post was inspired by another blog I follow. She felt the need to type out all of her flaws because people kept sending her anonymous comments about how she's a fake, a liar, and a hypocrite. I won't link to the blog here because I don't feel like she'd want that, but if you follow any of the same blogs I do you might have seen it.

So here are mine.

• I have zero patience. It's really something I'm trying to work on (getting to the age where people want kids and all that), but it's hard for me! I believe I used to be a patient person (I don't know, you'll have to ask my mom) at one point, but it just went down the drain for one reason or another. I try to remember Ecclesiastes 7:8 when dealing with this: "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."
• I very rarely think before I speak. I've always just labeled myself as "blunt" or that I "say the things everyone else is thinking," but I really don't want to do that. Granted, at times what I say IS called for, but I don't think Jesus would blurt out every little thought that came to his mind, so I need to try not to either! Words can be a double edged sword and I don't want to annihilate everyone with it. 
• This is going to be a hard one to admit, but guess I should put it out there. Since becoming involved in the military lifestyle, I've taken on the mouth of a sailor! Maybe not that bad, but...well, if you ask my husband I DO have a sailor mouth. It got so bad at one point that he made me a swear jar and I had to put in a dollar every time he heard me. That got so bad that I ran out of $1s and started getting change out of his pockets to pay up. It's just really hard when everyone around you swears like crazy, I do admit that. My husband had a problem with this too but now I very rarely hear him murmur anything more than a "crap" or something equally harmless.
• This might not seem like a flaw to you all, but it is to me. I have literally no motivation to exercise. It WILL catch up with me one day so that's basically what keeps me going. I can tough out a Jillian Michaels DVD  a few days a week and walk the dog on a brisk walk every day, but that's it. I always feel like I can do more and that I NEED to do more. I just don't like working out alone or in a new place where I don't know anyone; that's why I still haven't made my way to the yoga class on base or to the gym.
• I'm very, very critical of how I look. I probably have the lowest self esteem of anyone I know. I'm the kind of person who needs to hear that I look good, or that I'm beautiful, or pretty, constantly or else I lose whatever esteem I had. I critique everything about my body, my teeth, the way my clothes fit, etc. Good thing I don't own a scale because I'd be having an issue with that too (I can honestly say though, I do like my body and I KNOW I'm not heavy or anything). When I don't hear those words every day (my love language is VERY MUCH 'words of affirmation') it brings me down. I'm also very wrapped up in how others see me, which definitely goes along with being critical about myself.

Um, I think that's all I'm going to write for now. I probably have upset someone or whatever. Oh well. Hopefully my mom won't read that part about swearing, she'll have a cow! But if she does: MOM, I AM working on it. I won't swear when you're here.  ;-)

And just because, a makeup free photo from a few days ago. I figured it belonged here :)