Veterans Day

I certainly hope today was a Thankful Veteran's Day for the people of this great nation!  I hope that through my blog I make it clear often just how grateful I am to those who have served and continue to serve our great country!  I say that not just because my husband is one of them, or because most of my friends spouses serve, or that my brother served, or my grandfather served but because I am pretty confident that I (and we) have it "made in the shade here" the grand old USA!!!  I fear the thought of a place where men and women no longer proudly and honorably choose to serve our country, yet are forced to do so unwillingly.  Whenever I get the comment "you knew what you were getting into", I immediately think of how much more selfish this country would be if people did not serve because "they knew what they were getting into".  Simply put...somebody has to do it and if someone doesn't chose to do it, then what????  So with that....THANK YOU to all who have and still do serve!  Me and my family sleep safe at night because you have chosen to stand the watch and sacrifice it all protecting this great nation!

(Thanks babe)

Thanks for the pic Tom

Thanks for the pic Andy

On a more personal level, I would be completely remiss if I did not say a huge Thank You to my fellow military spouses.  It is often a thankless job that no one can really understand except us.  When our spouses leave, everyone else's life goes on.  Ours, on the other hand, hangs in the breeze waiting for the littlest bit of communication!  Counting down the months, weeks, and days before we can hug our guy again!  People often only think of goodbyes and homecomings but rarely think of the months in between.  While pier side kisses and tears of excitement make for great pictures, the real story is how we handle the months with out our other half!  What they miss, what we miss, and more importantly what our children miss!

This past weekend I attended the baby shower of a wonderful Navy wife friend.  It is always such a great time to sit and "talk the talk" with people who really get it.  It is often a great reminder that although our husbands may be in and out, working long hours, or gone for the next 8-10 months we each get our chance to hold each other up or be the one being held!  While they serve abroad, we are serving at home (sometimes not as gracefully as we hope)!  Not an easy thing for others to understand but I am so thankful to be surrounded by so many who do!  Our "gripes" are a little different than most women but it is such a gift to have you ladies to "gripe" with!  I have met some of my best girlfriends through the secret sisterhood of being a Navy Wife and I find great pride in the friendships that we have built and the things I have learned from you ladies!

Some of our friends along the way...