Among other definitions, I am someone who has fallen head over heels for a Marine infantry officer. I am a portrait photographer, chocolate addict, wine lover, sometimes writer, dog lover, and oh yeah, a military spouse too.
This blog was started as a personal outlet while the aforementioned Marine was deployed to Iraq very early in our dating relationship. I decided to continue posting periodically after he made it safely home. Three months into our marriage he returned to Iraq for another tour, and I continued to write. After he returned home we encountered two PCS moves in 7 months and another year long trip to Iraq for him, so I figured I'd just keep blogging and hang on for this crazy ride!
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I did a little mini photo shoot for a friend with her rapidly growing pup. I haven't sized but one or two, but I fell in love with this shot and had to share.
You can't see it but there's a treat in her hand and she was trying so hard to get the pup to look at her. Right as I started snapping, he looked away, hence the exasperated look on her face. 
I think it completely illustrates the mix of joy and frustration that is having a puppy.
The spotted one is a ball fanatic, but being as hot as it is here, he needs periodically soaked with the hose if he plays outside. He tries to drink it at the same time, which made for some hilarious photos! 
I think I may say "I love you" too much. And yet, I can't seem to say it often enough to convey the depth of emotions I feel when it comes to my husband.
The 19th was our first wedding anniversary. 
Aside from car shopping, we had a wonderful evening together. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner, sparkling wine, and even better company. I don't know how I drew the lucky number, but I'm so grateful to have found him. I couldn't ask for a more perfect partner, really. Even when we are silent but near one another, there is an almost palpable love between us. He understands me, often better than I understand myself. I tell him all the time that he must have been made just for me.
I fall a little more in love with him every single day. I hope he understands the full meaning each time I say those mere words to him.
We went to an air show last Sunday with my father, who was in from out of town. The heat index was over 100 degrees. 
It was a ton of fun, but we were all completely wiped out at the end of the day. I took several hundred photos thanks to the continuous shooting feature, but thought I'd share some of my favorites.
Enjoy!
I am so mad for my friend K right now. The last thing you need when a spouse deploys is added stress, and she certainly has her share of that right this moment.
Her husband bought a new Jeep shortly before he deployed (oops) and now the finance company is giving them problems. They want to re-negotiate the contract and put her on the title/loan because her husband is deployed.
Yes, you read that right. 
They aren't honoring the signed contract because of his occupation as a Marine and his current status as a deployed Marine. They told her that if he died in Afghanistan, they would have trouble getting their money and would have a better chance of it if she were on the loan. 
They already took the car home, transferred the tags, even set up the allotments. Now the company wants to renege on their end of the contract because he chose to serve his country.
I tracked down the company President's email address. 
She talked to the legal department on base. Her husband has mailed a letter addressing it and threatening legal action if the contract is not upheld. I'm urging her to contact the company President to discuss his company's blatant discrimination and its possible ramifications when the newspapers and other avenues are notified of the deplorable way they are conducting business.
Any other suggestions are welcome. Updates will be posted as I have them.
Update: She took the Jeep back because Westlake Financial wouldn't budge. Now the old Jeep's check engine light is on, to add another flame to the fire. 
Update #2: She did indeed write the president of Westlake and apparently touched a nerve. He replied and asked her not to do anything, that he was looking into the matter and would get back with her on Monday. The dealership received a call stating they'd honor the contract, on top of that. She'd already taken the Jeep back by this point, so she told the dealership that she had no intention of doing business with them after all of this. I hope the person who made that decision is in some serious trouble when the president of the company gets hold of them.
At least that's what it looked like when I looked in the mirror the past two mornings.
We went to an air show on Sunday and were in the 100 degree heat for most of the day. I was slathering sunscreen and addicted to my SPF 15 lip balm, but my lips still managed to burn. In the mornings, they look as if someone injected collagen into them and hurt like the dickens. I have family in town hanging out at the beach but I'm going to have to figure out a way to stay out of the sun for a few days, apparently.
I'm off to find some pure aloe or vitamin E and put that on my lips, size some more photos from the air show to share, and then head to the beach house the fam rented. No more sun for me. 
Once again, Val over at Dig Your Toes In has hit the nail on the head for me.
And in the larger sense, we all need that. We’re all fighting our own battles day in and day out. Some are huge, some aren’t so big. But we’re not always going to be able to paste on a smile and trudge through the sewage with smiles on our faces. Sometimes, we’re going to need to crumple up and cry. We ALL need permission to simply be where we are. To feel what we feel. And to know that our problems are not always a direct result of our lack of positivity in a given moment.
We are where we are, and sometimes that’s where we need to be.
While it's nothing like the battle her post referenced, I used to get so very frustrated when I was having a 'deployment day' or needed to not have company at the house and people just didn't understand. They told me to cheer up, think positive, and even said I was backing out on them because I really couldn't handle [self-invited] company and had the nerve to say so. I often wished I had a switch to just think positive and turn off the negative, but apparently I missed that option in the manual. I had more good days than bad but when I was having some bad days, I needed to just deal with them, in my own way.
I needed to be where I was and find my own way to the next step on my own path. Next time I think I'll hand out Val's post before he leaves. Maybe with some highlighted passages. 
I finally got some photos sorted and into an album for you all!
http://photobucket.com/shewhowaits-europe
Use the albums to the left to navigate. There are lots of photos - beware.
The spotted one is finally a water pup. He and the husband have lots of fun at the beach.
