Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Life lessons

Sometimes you learn lessons the hard way. Like being pressured into feeling the way other people think you should feel. "You were wronged by that person- doesn't that bother you?" or "You don't have to pretend to be someone's friend when they aren't your friend. They've shown that they're not your friend." Yeah, it's not good to let people walk over you- but if something doesn't bother you- don't force it to bother you because other people think it should bother you!

Don't let people sway you to feel the way THEY think you should feel.

That's a lesson I learned- the hard way.

Be true to yourself. I should have been!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Socializing as a military wife

One thing I have learned as a military wife is that it is important to socialize....with a lot of different ladies. Don't just stick with one lady that you met and really like. You never know when that friend will move or if she'll one day go insane-o on you and quit talking to you or decide she has found better friends. As our closest friends are all about to leave for new duty stations, I continually think to myself that I am SO glad that I fought the urge to just do something with the same couples and not branch out to other people I've met. If I had not branched out, I would be left friendless and alone at this base as all my friends are leaving.

It's important to stay connected with a lot of people. Now, you need to be best friends with everyone, but I think it's a good idea to rotate who you have lunch or coffee with during the week. Or invite a new couple to dinner on Friday night. Mix it up! Don't keep doing things with the same people. I'm not saying stop doing things with your close friends all-together, but branch out a little bit and do a little bit with everyone.

You'll be glad you did!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Do you like her????

This is a question I hear a lot. If there is a new girl, and someone finds out I know her or knew her at a past duty station, they'll ask me if I like her.... I guess they are wanting to know if they should give her a chance. As a military spouse, I meet new military spouses weekly. I'm lucky, I know! I have so many friends and acquaintances. There is always something to do and someone to do something with! Well, you know the old saying,  within a blessing often comes a curse. The curse of meeting so many people and constantly being around a LARGE group of women is you get....... can you guess?? GOSSIP. Is that what you guessed? If you're a woman, I bet you did! Well, this is something I TRY hard to stay away from. You NEVER know if that girl being gossiped about is one day going to be your close friend. Or your neighbor. In Guam. Or Korea. Or Japan. Or Italy. When you're by yourself and don't know anyone and need and DESPERATELY want a friend. Don't mess up what could be a good relationship because you want to spread your OH SO wonderful opinion on something you noticed within 5 seconds of knowing her. Word and actions can be misinterpreted. If someone that you don't know very well does something to offend you, give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you misinterpreted something or they said something they didn't realize came across a certain way. If one of your friends doesn't like the new girl....there is a large group of people, NOT EVERYONE is going to get along. If one of your friends doesn't like her, that doesn't mean you shouldn't like her. My husband is always telling me, "STAY OUT OF THE GOSSIP!" The main reason, he's a very religious person. And he is one of those guys that practices what he preaches...which is one of the reasons I love him so much and am a better person being with him. The other reason he tells me to stay away from gossip is because it leads to.....can you guess again? DRAMA. My husband HATES drama.


I was at a party recently (a food tasting party), and the leader who was telling us about the food said to us, "don't yucky someone's yummy." Meaning, if you don't like it, don't tell the other person because THEY might LOVE IT. When someone asks me "do you like her?" I try to remember this. I might not care for the person, but they might end up LOVING her. So I shouldn't unload my great opinions on why I don't "like" her. So, if I don't like someone and I'm asked that, I bring up something I DO like.


It's something I TRY to do, and I struggle with....so I'm pretty much preaching to myself here.


GOSSIP. GO. AWAY.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Let the diet begin....AGAIN!

I'm no longer one of those people that is naturally skinny. When I got married I was skinny, and it was never hard to stay that way. After a few years of marriage, I just kept packing on the pounds. Now my weight is a CONSTANT STRUGGLE! I feel like all I have to do is LOOK at the cookie, piece of cake, or milk shake that my HUSBAND is eating/drinking...and I gain the weight. All he has to do is walk to his car and POOF!...All the weight is gone.


What annoys me is there is more pressure for a woman to be skinny and in shape than a man. However, men lose weight SO.MUCH.FASTER. than we do. I've never been labeled "obese" but a few years ago, I was labeled "overweight." So, I went on a diet. And I lost weight. And now, I've gained some of it back (not all of it, but some of it). I said last night to my husband, "I'M FAT AGAIN!!!!!! ALREADY! I FEEL LIKE I JUST LOST MY WEIGHT!" He assured me that I wasn't fat (he's a good husband, right??) and it just takes a lot of work to keep weight off. Not for him... he loses weight by changing the channel on the TV. He also "forgets" to eat lunch. (who forgets to eat, by the way??...I guess that's my problem...I remember things!). My mom always told me never to trust a skinny cook. Too bad I'm not a cook. :)


SO, as of today, I'm back on my diet to lose those 15 pounds I've gained back. I know if I don't lose these 15, they'll turn into 30...40...50...etc. etc.! So, wish me luck!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Friendships and Coffee


Today I met a dear friend for coffee. After a few hours of chatting (amazing how fast time flies when you're talking to a good friend) and I was on my way home I started thinking how very rich I am in friends. The life my husband and I have chosen for ourselves can sometimes be a difficult one. But wherever we go we have found instant family in our military friends. My military friends are now scattered in all different parts of the world and  it's sometimes strange to think had my husband chosen an "easier" profession, I would not have met some of the amazing ladies in my life today. The cool thing about the military is you meet people from all different backgrounds with different experiences and views on life. You learn from their experiences and grow in all aspects of your life. I think that is so cool.

Of course, you do occasionally meet those "crazies." I've met my share, trust me. As I said, you meet people from different backgrounds and different experiences-- so it's bound to happen! But you just forget about it and MOVE ON! Focus on those ladies that you know "are in your corner" and love YOU for who YOU are...

Why don't you call a good friend and ask them to meet you for coffee. You'll be glad you did. It's so refreshing.

Pretty, pretty!

I found this website that I love, called Thrifty Decor Chick She has a post about CROWN MOLDING! Thifty Decor Chick shows you how to DO IT YOURSELF! I've always wanted to put crown molding in our house. I think it makes a house look so CLEAN. When I look through magazines to get ideas for my dream house one day, all of my favorite rooms have crown molding. So that website will come in handy for me….one day. In the meantime, I will just practice making it. I will probably wait until I can get help from my husband, because I don’t want to chop my fingers off. He will probably end up doing it all himself and I will just bring him a nice glass of sweet tea and then we’ll tell people I helped…by keeping him hydrated. 

Monday, January 3, 2011

Looking for a cool gift for a photographer friend??

It is often very hard for military spouses to have a long lasting career with the same company. It is true that if you aren't picky you CAN and WILL find a job....eventually. When my husband was first in the military, I remember a more experienced military wife telling me that she had a job at every duty station- at one she was a day care worker, another a secretary, another a bookkeeper, another a receptionist, another a social worker. Her resume was diversified! For some people this is great. For those military spouses that long to be a career woman (or man), it can be a very frustrating lifestyle. Yes, I have met those rare spouses that have worked for the same company for 10 years since they allow them to work from home, but the overwhelming majority have to look for new jobs at every new duty station. Because of this, many choose professions they can take with them- they are their own boss. Out of all my military friends, there is a high percentage of photographers! Which brings me to the point of this post….. I found this cool mug on THIS BLOG 

To view the actual post, click  HERE


To buy the mug, click HERE


Now I just have to decide to buy by this mug for... or maybe just keep it for myself!

Yes, to get to the point of my post I did ramble....my friends tell me I can never stay on topic. Maybe they are right.