Frustrations of an Army Girlfriend...

You know... I love my man with all my heart and there is nothing I can't handle. But I must take a moment to vent. I am an Army girlfriend. Let me just tell you how hard it can be to handle a man that is away. It is soooo difficult. There is a strain on the relationship because for that time being its hard to actually have the "relationship." As a army girlfriend you are put in a hard position. Your man expects you to understand what he is going through and to be positive 24/7. They are always tired, low, and stressed. They look forward to hearing their woman's voice as much as they can because it gives them a sense of being at home. But the last thing they need is to here negative things come from there life. After all, they are constantly surrounded by negative during the day. You learn that they don't mean to take their stress and irritability out on you but they just do. The hardest part is taking it all in and then just smiling and shrugging it off. You have to learn that your relationship issues must be put on hold because there is never a good time to show any negative sides. If you are reading this and have just gotten into a relationship with someone in the military know that I am no expert. But I am learning. Its a difficult process but in time you start to understand a little more. The army comes first wether you like it or not. Thats just the way it is. But remember you have a choice. If you really love the man and want to spend your life with him then you will never give up. Just continue to love, nurture, pray, and be positive. Believe me, I'm preaching to myself. I definitly don't have the hang of this at all yet but I'm learning and I'm also learning that I am not the only one. There are a million other army girlfriends/ wives/ and mothers that have or are still learning how to deal with this. I can't wait until February... then finally our relationship can be a real relationship once again. Even though its hard... I wouldn't change a thing. I love him

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

WARD SENDS: Military Spouse Appreciation Day

By General William E. Ward, commander,

U.S. Africa Command Print STUTTGART, Germany, May 8, 2009 — The 8th of May is "Military Spouse Appreciation Day," a special day for all spouses here at U.S. Africa Command. Our spouses are very important members of the Team, whether residing in Stuttgart, Molesworth, Tampa, on the continent, or elsewhere. This is an opportune time to thank our spouses for all the support they provide that helps our Team accomplish the mission.

This day gives us a chance to reflect upon the situation our spouses face: frequent moves, family separations, and uncertainty in the face of current and potential global crises and thank them. Finding jobs, overcoming language and cultural barriers, and distance from family and friends add to the complexity of the situation. At times spouses are required to assume the role of both parents when their sponsors are called to duty, and they are expected to be strong in the face of the dangers many of their loved ones may confront.

Still, they persevere and thrive. Our spouses contribute greatly to our communities, leading and participating in social and cultural activities, volunteering as coaches, tutors, tour guides, and being members of various civic associations, to name just a few of their many roles. Their enthusiasm and joy reflects positively upon all of us and helps to improve the quality of life in military communities around the world.

So to all of our spouses, I thank you for all you do every day of the year. I am in awe of your accomplishments. You overcome obstacles and make a difference in our communities. I salute you as true patriots and I speak for all of us at United States Africa Command in saying that you have our sincere appreciation on this special day and every day.

Everyone hears of the Army Wife,
Her trials, sacrifices, and devoted life.
She is strong, she is brave, and she is loving indeed,
Standing by her man in his time of need.

But what of others in a similar situation,
Who have made being an army girlfriend their main occupations?
We suffer many of the same trials and many of the same fears
Without the security of future years.

Will there be peace or will there be war?
I try to be hopeful but it’s hard to ignore.
The world seems to be falling apart
When to a soldier you have given your heart.

My love runs too deep to escape from it now.
I hope to be together somewhere, somehow,
When his duty is over and our life can begin.
I wonder if it will happen but don’t question when.

The many heartbreaks and times that I weep
When he makes promises the Army can't keep.
But we've have learned so much together and come so far.
Others warn me not to fall in love but I'm already there.

His job is ever-changing and takes him far away.
I think of him always and pray every day–
For his safety, his courage, and his love for you
That he may remain steadfast, loyal, and ever true.

Nothing is sure and nothing is set in stone…
Except that he will leave again and you will be alone,
Holding tightly to your dreams of a future together
When you will at last be able to say the word “forever.”

Tears have become anything but a stranger.
They fall freely in sadness, loneliness, and anger.
But he will never know because you will never tell.
You’ve learned to hide your misery only too well.

Only eight months... That doesn’t sound like so long.
The letters and phone calls keep your love going strong,
Even when they are few and far between,
In them, his love for me can clearly be seen.

So I'll keep my chin up and a smile on my face.
He is protecting our freedom and keeping us safe.
His heart is strong and his love is true
And I wont ever forget that he is missing me too.

Attitude....

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, then circumstances, than failures,than successes, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 25% what happens to me and 75% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.

Remember Me For Who I Am...

This is the most inspirational message I have ever read on someone’s MySpace page! I just wanted to share this with everyone and really think about it! Think about how you carry yourself everyday; remember you’re not the only one in this small little world!!! Don’t always just think about yourself; Think about others and how they feel and what they are going through. Don’t just shrug off what someone says to you if they REALLY MEAN IT, obviously it’s important to them and they aren’t just joking around! People live in different ways and hold onto different values. Be respectful when someone says they are hurt and be kind everyday to one another. I’m so sick of going out with my friends and meeting new people who could care less about anyone’s feelings but their own. So really take a good look at this message below its wonderful. And its sort of what I follow, I don’t just live for myself and no one else, and no one is going to change my mind about the way I feel about something and what I want in my life.. Especially when it comes to relationships!! I Love You Adrian Sorry I just had to throw that in there! Love ya'll

~~Micha’el~~

I am strong because I believe in myself. I know who I am and what I can do. It doesn't matter what I look like, where I live, or who my friends are. What matters is the confidence that I carry within. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught. You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you can not fool all the people all of the time. Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone! Never take someone for granted, hold every person close to your heart, because you might wake up one day, and realize that you have lost a diamond, while you were too busy collecting stones! We call a person who has lost his father, an orphan, a man who has lost his wife, a widower. But that man who has known the immense pain of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more, He who loses faith, loses all. Contrary to what the cynics say, distance is not for the fearful, it is for the bold. It's for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It's for those knowing a good thing when they see it, even if they don't see it nearly enough! Friendship often ends in love, but love in friendship - Never! Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that...you can't shake hands with a clenched fist! Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.

Life is but a brief moment. People desire so many things and waste their days in vain. Some yearn for gold, others for power, yet others for glory and a higher status. But when death's moment nears and they look back at their lives they've lived, they realize they've been happy only during those moments when they've loved. You've got to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you've got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from mistakes, but never regret.nIt is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience - If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

The longer I live the more I believe you do have to give if you want to receive. There's a time to listen, a time to talk and you might have to crawl even after you walk! I had sure things blow up in my face, seen the long shot win the race, been knocked down by the slamming door, picked myself up and came back for more! It's not how many times you get knocked down, but its how many times you get back up. Never give in, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force, never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Forgive your enemies, but never, never forget their names. You show me a good loser, you show me nothing but a loser! A man isn't finished when he is beaten, he is finished when he quits!

The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything! In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing! Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. Regrets are inevitable, but grudges are a choice! Nothing in life is to be feared, It is to be understood. All men are timid on entering any fight. Whether it is the first or the last fight, all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let their timidity get the better of their manhood. You gain strength and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things you cannot do! Impossible is not a fact, its merely an opinion.

God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars. Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. You must experience and accept the extremes. Because if the contrast is lost, you lose appreciation; and when you lose appreciation, you lose the value of everything. I’ve learned that things change, people change, and it doesn't mean you forget the past or try to cover it up. It simply means that you move on and treasure the memories. Letting go doesn't mean giving up... it means accepting that some things weren't meant to be. The windows of my soul are made of one-way glass, so don't bother looking into my eyes...if there's something you want to know just ask! I fear no one, but respect everyone!

IT IS BETTER TO BE HATED FOR WHAT YOU ARE THAN TO BE LOVED FOR WHAT YOU ARE NOT

Smile, He Loves me...

Another morning and here I sit at working thinking about all that Adrian and i talked about last night. We got to talk for 2 hours.. LOL.. you don't know how excited I was for that.. and how much I needed it.

Sometimes in life we think too much into things. I need to quit doing that. I've always been one to worry about the small things...but i need to get over that.

I wont go into detail, but I will say that I can't allow my insecurities to come between Adrian and myself. Today is a new day, and I look forward to what tomorrow holds.

I'll blog some more later,

Stay Blessed,

Day 22

This has been a very long weekend.

It started off as usual, on Friday’s I work until about 6 p.m. When I got off of work, I did the usual running around with the kids and we went to dinner. (It makes a huge difference in your eating habits when you know that you’re not the only one watching your weight, others are watching also.) But I then did a few errands and came home to lay around until it was time for me to call Adrian… ahh, what a conversation we had. Sometimes I wonder why I bring certain conversation topics up… I have to learn to prepare myself for anything that might come with certain topics... LOL
So we had the normally GREAT conversation, and then said our goodbyes. Have you ever had to say good-bye to someone that you REALLY didn’t want to? I hated it. Something was just a little different about this one. Ill pray on it…

Saturday morning I had the greatest surprise.. Adrian called me to give me my wake up… (Can you say Cheshire smile..LOL) he has a way to bring a silly smile even at 5 in the a.m., our morning conversations are usually a lot calmer…so it’s always good to hear from him in the morning… LOL
Saturday afternoon I spent at Jalen’s ball-game. LOL... I still don’t know why a parent would put herself/himself through this year after year. I arrived about 2pm. The game started approximately an hour later they sang the National Anthem. So here we are, first game of the season and I’m already bored. LOL. It’s just not the same. When Jalen played in the minor leagues the kids rallied and the adults actually got into it. Now the parents sit in their cars the whole time and the kids are grumbling about how much longer.. (mind you they are on the field playing as they say this..)
About 10 minutes after 6 we finally were able to pull out of the ball park. We won the game, 12-1. Good job fella’s. Hopefully the rest of the season goes as well.

I decided to stop by my friend’s house to visit for a while, knowing before I got there that she and I would argue about something... LOL. It wouldn’t be our friendship if we didn’t. So on this already long day we decided to cook a few things on the grille. She actually had her brother in law cook and the teased me about being an anorexic or bulimic. LOL. Now if you know me at all, you’ll know that I am far from either. But let the joke begin. No biggie. As the evening progressed, I realized just how close it was for me to call Adrian. So I helped them clean up and told them of my plans. Jalen decided to stay with her boys so that he wouldn’t have to go with me on Sunday to Sign Corp.

I got home and I had missed 13 calls... LOL... all from the same young man looking for my son that wasn’t home. Geez, I never get phone calls. I got in the shower and called my favorite guy. We didn’t talk long because in my opinion, the conversation just didn’t flow. I know that he has a lot on his mind, so I try not to bring the small things up. But I wish that he would talk to me about things that are on his mind. It seems that we only discuss things that are relevant to me. He did however bring up the fact that he changed his MySpace page around… I was flattered… that’s another subject. Well we knew that Sunday would be very busy for me, so I hated saying those dreaded words… but all good things come to an end. I intentionally went straight to bed so that I wouldn’t cry myself to sleep. (We all know that I’m way to emotional)

Well finally Sunday rolls around and I’m up and moving at 5 a.m. (Am I crazy) and driving to Indianapolis at 6 am.. (Eyes still barely open...LOL) It was already a long weekend and I still had another 15 hours to go. I have a really good friend that helps bring a smile when she see’s that I’m not having a GREAT day. Actually I showed up at Sign Corp in tears.. it just wasn’t a great one.. I don’t know why… I just know that I wasn’t feeling it. I actually even told her that I didn’t want to go. She wasn’t going for it, and I appreciate that. I needed it. Sign Corp is important to me... And I would have regretted going later. We arrived in good timing, and we performed terrifically. (Not my opinion, others from the Church said so..LOL) I was impressed with the friendliness of the church members. If I lived in that area, I could see myself attending more often. So we packed everything back up and headed to a friends home for a picnic of sorts to pass some of the time away between performances. Once everyone ate, and the kids got dirty, we loaded everyone back into their respective vehicles and headed back to Logansport. Geez, we still had another 4 hours to go before I would be headed home. The Logansport performance went well… and the kids actually listened to me for a change. I can see Aubrey warming up to me a lot more.. (God is soo good). She and I spoke the whole time…I even think that she might like me... LOL
We finally got to head home about 7:45 p.m. I still had to go pick the kids up and get them settled for school today.
To end the evening, I called Adrian just to tell him that my day went really well, but as usual I woke him up. He doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I do. So I’ll try to figure out a different time to call him. Our conversation was very short… actually it was only 5 minutes in length. He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk, and instead of hold him on the phone I wished him a good morning, and told him to stay safe. I let him go so that he could get his day started and I could get some rest. Never the less, I didn’t go to sleep right away, actually I didn’t go to sleep until about 2:45. (Well that’s that last time I looked at the clock). There is just something going on and I cant quite figure it out…)
So here we are today, and the students are just being awful. I just keep telling myself that there are only 18 days left until school is out.. So I can handle it. We will see…

Stay Blessed….