O-69... I am SO Immature

I went to BINGO with some sorority homies the other night. A good time was had by all. Little Miss Thang came with me and enjoyed lots of attentions. When they called O-69 I laughed. Loudly. The next times that they called it, I giggled. My maturity amazes me. I did not win a single thing but I did have a fun time. Winning would have made it more fun, but I digress. Lots of money was made for Children's Miracle Network, our national philanthropy, so I guess everyone is a winner.
I made lasagna for dinner tonight and the family liked it. Success.
I have not heard from the hubby since Saturday. Fail.

This post was short and sweet and I am tired and going to bed. Please don't hate me for lack of commenting, bloggy friends, I'm doing my best. If blogger would work better on my phone I'd be all over that, but I only get a few minutes a day for computer time while Poops is sleeping and I'm not using that time to do some other task... I promise I still love you all and do read your posts in my few minutes online, even if I don't comment :)

This Dog Really Annoys Me (And Other Random Unrelated Events)

*I started this post... yesterday? But was too lazy to add the pics and finish, so here it is a lil bit later*

I'm sitting on the couch here at my parents house and my dad's dog, George, is just whining. He won't stop. It's driving me damn near insane. He does this often. He just wants to play, but I do not want to play with you, I want you to shut up. Hence the title of this post, but not the purpose. If he weren't so cute I'd be angry... haha

The last few days have been delightfully busy, thank God, the only thing that seems to make the days not crawl is constantly moving.

Before New Years, I met up with 3 of my sisters for lunch. We had a wonderful time talking and catching up. The three of them are in grad school (well one's in med school!) right now, so it was really awesome hearing about all goings-on of their lives, how different grad school is from undergrad, talking about the changes in my life, and just generally catching up to speed in the happenings of the last month or so since we've seen each other. I love having the kinds of friends that you don't have to see or speak to every day but you still know they're you're friends and when you get back together everything is the same.

The day before yesterday, one of my college friends headed up here to good ol' Harford County (a short but still substantial hike from the greater Baltimore area) to take some maternity photos for me. She is starting up a photography business and wanted some volunteers to do photo shoots free of cost, so of course I happily obliged. We took some really cool "moto" ones, where I was in his camis with the American flag behind me, some with a sheet wrapped around, and some in regular clothes. I'm very very excited to see how they turned out, they looked pretty awesome on her camera, so I'm hoping they look even more awesome in full size. Then we enjoyed lunch together at Panera Bread (I looove Panera Bread) and talked about grown up things like mortgages and married life. So weird, the paths our lives take and the difference a year or two can really make. Feel free to check out her photography (HERE) and if you like what you see and are in the MD area, give her a ring and help her start up her business! *She also said people in the MD area who want photos done she is still doing them free of charge until the spring, so hit that up!*

*Seeing that I wrote this post before she sent me the pics, I can now share one with you. There are a whooole bunch, and I will share more but you're getting only one for now*

Mom and I have been spending a lot of (ok probably even more than a lot, more like too much) time playing Mario Bros Wii. This is just a random side note, as I'm sitting here waiting for the Ravens game to be over so we can get back to business and beat this game! We've had such a great time together since I've been home (who am I kidding, we always have a great time together) and it's cool to be able to just hang out and play games with your momma.

Today after church I went and met another one of my beautiful sisters (and one of my best friends), Shannon, since it had been far too long since I'd seen her. We enjoyed some lunch at the mall and lots of girl talk and more catching up (I love coming home and getting to catch up with all my good friends). Shannon is in law school (my friends are all so motivated, I love it and am so proud of them) so I got to hear more about school after graduation (and wonder if I'll ever head back myself), I think it's so neat hearing people talk about the differences and similarities between undergrad and their graduate studies and I am very proud of all of them for the hard work they put in. We also talked about military stuff (her hubby's a Coastie), married life, and other grown-up things as well as the always lovely gossip. Then we hit up Victoria's Secret for always appreciated SEMI-ANNUAL SALE! We both walked out with bags, I with a night shirt and lotion, Shan with some lip balm and other cosmetics and I think maybe a bra. They had really good deals on bras. I have to say, no offense to any of my other friends, but Shannon is definitely one of my top shopping partners. Had I not had to be home for dinner at 5 (and her hubby wandering around the mall while we were at the girly store) we probably would have shopped for hours.

And I don't know what else I was originally going to include in this post, as this is where I left off, So we'll just leave it at that. I'm headed back on the train tomorrow to get back home and wait for lil miss thang to decide she's ready to come out and play. Hope you're all enjoying your first full week of 2010.

2009 Recap and Reflection (It has to be done)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so cliche I know I know. But I mean come on, you either reflect or you write resolutions. And I'm not one for sticking to promises I make on NYE (typically these promises are made in a semi- to very- drunken stupor and consist of not drinking as much next time, hence no need for them this year!!) so I'm going to go with the former and reflect upon my 2009. An interesting and semi-eventful year in the life of Mrs. P.

JANUARY
Mr. P and I rang in the New Year at my parents house in MD. In December, I trekked down to his new duty station of Camp Lejeune NC to rescue him for Christmas and by the grace of God he actually had a nice chunk of block leave, something we're not all too familiar with as of late. So I got him for like a solid 2 weeks. The typically 7 hour drive took more about 11 and I got a speeding ticket but it was well worth it. If I could go pick him up from Afghanistan right now and bring him home for New Years I so would. Our New Years Eve this January consisted of him being the DD for once, a trip to our (at the time) new friends Jackie and Rob's and then hanging out in the clubhouse boozing. I got a little more than tipsy and acted like a douche and broke a beer bottle - total party foul. But all in all we had a decent night and enjoyed each other's company. It's going to be a very different NYE this year. January also brought a surprise visit to NC in the later part of the month, where I drove down and surprised him with a weekend trip. He's pretty hard to surprise, too. I can't think of anything else monumental in January. He was my fiancee, I was planning our wedding (ok my mom was, I was just saying "yes" or "no" to things) and we were separated. I worked at the Child Development Center on the Army base and from what I recall that's about all I really did. Oh and we also got our engagement photos done, which turned out beautifully.

FEBRUARY
February brought our first Valentine's Day together and Mr. P. did not dissapoint. I'm really hard to surprise, but he managed it with a trip to one of my favorite places, Ocean City Maryland. We spent a long weekend in a condo and I taught Mr. P how to pick crabs for the first time. He said it was good but not worth the work and I questioned the stability of our relationship (just kidding, he enjoyed the experience enough that it was ok with me that he's too lazy for crabs. bah-ha-ha). We enjoyed OC during off season, got some old timey photos done, went to Assateague Island and saw the ponies, and just had a lovey dovey weekend. He also surprised me with my Tiffany's necklace, the Elsa Perreti open heart. Love it, never take it off. After that weekend, I don't remember seeing much of each other, he headed back to NC. I still lived at home, we were still engaged, I was still planning (helping to plan) the wedding, and working at the CDC.
Wedding planning also brought with it bridal shows, which were a lot of fun.

MARCH
I don't remember much of March so I'm assuming it wasn't eventful, just a continuation of wedding plans. I don't even have any St. Patty's Day pics, so I can only assume I didn't do anything. Which is weird, I love St. Patty's Day... Oh look, thanks to facebook I have an idea of something I did in March... More going out. The pics from this night are prob from Jan or Feb but were posted in March, so it counts

Oh, oh more March. That's right, I lived at home and went out. A lot.


APRIL
I think during March/April Mr. P was in Fort AP Hill, VA for training. I know he came home the last weekend of April because we went down to my college and enjoyed some partying and had an incident on the side of I-95 that may or may not have lead to the conception of our daughter (according to the doctor it did not -she wasn't conceived until our honeymoon- but, I mean, it could have). This was also the month of my fantastic bachelorette party, in which we took a limo into Federal Hill (Man I love Fed Hill and wish I could be partying out there tonight) and I got good and slammed and enjoyed time with my best friends. I also enjoyed a magic show and a bar simultaneously (basically the best idea ever)

My bridal shower was also during this month, in which family and friends all got together to celebrate the idea that I was getting married soon. It was also all about me (and kinda about him) which I enjoy.
I also enjoyed frequent going out during this month.
April was basically a month of finalizing wedding plans and enjoying my last few minutes of "singledom" before the big day.

MAY
This was the "big month" for me. The month in which my life changed for.ev.er (think 'The Sandlot' when you read that). Definitely good change, but lots and lots of change.
First, I got married to my soul mate. Probably the single best day of my life. My wedding was perfect, I had so much fun, looked like a princess and it was all about me (well us, but I was ok with sharing), what could there be not to love? Of course I have a million and one pictures from that day so I'll just share a couple...

Ok I'm going to stop there with one ceremony, one reception, and one after party pic or else I'll be going through them all day, overloading you with wedding photos (that you can just as easily see if you go through the thousands - I'm not exaggerating - of pics of me on facebook) and will never make it back to December. So, anyway, May. We got married and had a grand ol' time doing it. (And I'm still so freaking in love!!!) and then we honeymooned, at Onslow Beach in Jacksonville, NC. Ok, so it may not have been an ideal honeymoon location, but we thought he'd have to work (by the time they said he could have leave it was too late to plan anything huge) and we wanted to be together. So we rented a cabin on the beach, partied, loved, found out we were pregnant, and found a house to rent. Yes, all in one week!

Then, I quit my job and moved to NC to be with my husband. Word was that he was deploying in August, so we wanted as much time together and for him to see the progression of my pregnancy as much as possible before leaving. And in case you didn't know... moving sucks.
JUNE
After we got all married, pregnant, moved and settled, June brought a sigh of relief and took off the pressure from the chaos that was May. This didn't last long, though, as my hormones were starting to kick in and I was a total d-bag mess. Mr. P got ready for a training mission to California and I prepared for my first month alone. Little did I know I'd be too sick to stay by myself. I spent the month in and out of the hospital, miserable from pregnancy and ended up in MD with my parents. It wasn't a fun MD trip, I felt like doodoo, wanted my husband, and wanted very badly to not feel poopie anymore. This pattern continued into July, until Mr. P came home.

JULY
July brought one of my best friends getting married. On July 25, 2009 my good friend and sorority sister Shannon married her high school sweetheart, so we trekked up to MD to witness this joyous occasion. We had a great time, but unlike the months before I wasn't partying (pregnant) and Mr. P was instead. I still had fun though.

AUGUST
Both July and August brought very hot months to Eastern NC, where the P family and friends enjoyed LOTS of beach time. I had finally started making friends and meeting people in Jacksonville so I was becoming more human again. Mr. P and I are huge beach bums, so we spent all of our spare time at the nearby beaches.
My parents came down for their first NC visit and we had a great time. We also found out in August that our little peanut is a GIRL and with this news began to prepare accordingly.

SEPTEMBER
I don't really know of anything monumental that happened in September. My life began to get a routine as I made more friends and started volunteering in the Battalion Family Readiness Office. Oh, I got my first non-family visitors to our house in NC. My bestest, Justin, came and saw us for a long weekend with his girlfriend at the time and we took our first trip to Myrtle Beach. At the end of the month, two of my sisters Shan and Theresa came and spent a long weekend with us as well. It was nice having little pieces of home in NC.
OCTOBER
October brought with it the stresses of pre-deployment. Deployment rumors were running rampant and we never knew where he'd be when. It was rough. I worked in the BN as much as possible to help during this time. I also worked (and quit soon thereafter) in the CDC during October. It definitely wasn't a fun month, just a busy one. I don't remember much of it, as it seemed to fly by. Also, I'm getting lazy with photos as I started blogging before these months and there are photos already on. I'm kind of over this whole post actually, maybe it was a bad idea! I'm sure there was fun stuff in October too, but I just don't have too many fond memories of this month!

NOVEMBER
November followed October's footsteps as far as the stress of predeployment. Mr. P and I continued to prepare for little baby P's arrival and set up her nursery (somewhat) which I am very glad he was here to partake in. We went to MD for Thanksgiving and my mom threw me a surprise baby shower, which was a HUGE success. I enjoyed time well spent with friends I hadn't seen in months and getting fabulous gifts for my daughter. While this time it wasn't all about me, it was all about her, it was still just as good! The end of November also brought with it the sad news that my husband would indeed be leaving, and leaving very soon...

DECEMBER
Clearly, I'm getting lazy here. I even thought of not even posting for December, since anyone who's been reading at all knows what's up in December. Basically, I had to say a sad "See ya later" to my love, as he headed off to war. We began our first deployment. I also turned 23, a non-fun age. In happy news, I got closer than ever to my "NC gals" or "Marine Wife Friends" and am learning the true meaning of friendship, regardless of distance, from both these women and my good friends pre-military. My NC gals threw another shower for me (and my friend Cait) and baby girl got some more fabulous gifts, although Lori has not put up pictures from this yet so I still can't share them - bad Lori! Oh and we bought our house, and (I just found this out from the realtor a couple days ago) the construction company broke ground on our house this week! Christmas came and went and I anxiously awaited January, which will FINALLY be here tomorrow, so I can seriously get ready for Miss Thang to be here. In a few days, I can say I successfully survived a month of deployment, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

If you hung on through all that, well mad props to you, you deserve some homemade cookies! All in all, it was a great and very eventful year, and I have so much to be thankful for.

Here's to a wonderful 2010, a fresh start, and so much to look forward to already. I'm already excited for (and dreading writing) next year's recap!

Hope you all have a faboosh New Years Eve, be safe, and if you're drinking, have one for those of us who can not indulge this year!!

What a Hiatus (Oops, Neglect of Blogging)

Yeah, I've been on a slight hiatus. First there was the whole Thanksgiving thing, which was FANTASTIC and I even cooked some this year!! I made sweet potato casserole and cranberry salad a la Mr. P's mom. I wanted to make sure he got some of his home traditions at Thanksgiving in Maryland.

Then there was the whole surprise baby shower thing! My mom planned a killer surprise baby shower and I got to enjoy time with some of my closest friends ALL AT ONCE while celebrating my beautiful daughter and getting lots of awesome gifts!!

Phi Mus at the shower

Then after that we headed back home and Mr. P's mom, step dad, sister, and our brand new nephew came to visit. They just left this morning at around 5am, actually, so we had a nice long week with them. We had a great time, I felt kinda bad because I was doing a lot of running around and getting things done in between visiting, but Mr. P is very happy that he got to see his family before a possible deployment.

Mr. P also got a promotion! We're very very excited about this, we've been anticipating it for a while (ok, since July). He is now Cpl (Corporal) P instead of LCpl (Lance Corporal) P. He is at NCO status, which means he's got more responsibility and a little more respect, which is pretty great. I am soooo proud of him (us, I mean, I did nag the crap out of him to get his stuff done...) and I even got to pin on one of his chevrons at the promotion ceremony.

Pinning on his Cpl chevrons

Now we are just getting ready for our first deployment. It's a very stressful time. We actually have an idea of when this will happen, but of course I can't share it with you. I'm just trying to get all the stuff we need to get done totally done before it is here. Honestly, I have been a bit of a mess but being 8 months preggo and preparing to send the love of my life to war, well I believe it's to be expected and still think I'm doing a hell of a job. I mean, I haven't even thrown up once even though I've thought about it! I guess I just thought it would never come, never be official. We'd heard so many rumors and had so many "We'll be gone by xxx" that by now it had just come to be normal to just disregard it until there was something official... now that we've got official, well, it's still hard to believe and even harder to accept.

So there is a quick recap on why I have been missing lately. Please don't think I don't love you all by not commenting, life is just really chaotic for now, and I will be back to full time blogging world as soon as I can...

Hope you all have a phenomenal weekend.

Manic? Monday (A Reason To Look Forward)

Because Mondays are usually kind of stressful, I have chosen to steal this positive way to look at Mondays from the lovely Heather at Live.Love.Laugh. Such a good way to get over having a case of the Mondays. So now I present to you...


Why I love the week of October 5, 2009:

• My husband will be in training but will be able to come home each day (I was really worried he'd have to stay out there which is no fun) and it may be early days.
• Fall weather is finally starting to creep into the depths of North Carolina. And while it is still warm enough to wear flip flops and short sleeves, I got to wear long pants without sweating today. Woo hoo!
• I will be 6 months pregnant on Wednesday. 24 whole weeks I've been at this baby growing stuff! Only 4 short weeks from entering into the third and final trimester!
• I created and am adhering to a meal plan! We made it Saturday and bought all of our groceries on Sunday. It helped us save so much money and we shopped in complete meals so I won't have to run back to WalMart every single day.
• I will be getting my flu shot some time this week. I went today but was confused and given the wrong instructions so did not get it, but I found out they are there all week. I've never gotten a flu shot in my life, but it's the best for baby girl so it's what I'm doing.
  
• Tomorrow night is the Meet the Spouses night with the Batallion CO. Maybe, just maybe, we'll be given a clue as to what is going on within the unit. If not, I get to see some of my favoritest Marine Wives tomorrow, to say the least!
• And last but not least, TWO of my favoritest (yes, I know favoritest is a made-up word and yes, I know I used it twice, there's no other word to use there though, really!) Phi Mu ladies are coming to visit me this very weekend!!!!! I'm sooo excited! Shan W and my little Theresa are making the trek down here to the (not-so) dirty south. I am really really REALLY excited for them to visit, and know we will have a blast (and I am determined to have the best time ever without going over budget, wish me luck!) They were planning a surprise but they (thankfully) let me know so I can prepare. Which, thank God they did, because we had a lazy weekend and the house was a disaster (and now I have time and a reason to clean, woo hoo!)

I am actually pretty freakin' stoked about this coming week. I'm just sayin'...

Just Go Already (The PRE Part of PreDeployment)

My husband's unit still doesn't have a date to hit the road and go do some damage abroad. For many people reading this, the thought is relief and joy that they're still here. This, unfortunately, is not the case for many Marine wives...

While yes, we love our husbands home and hate the fact that they go, the reality of the matter is, is that they will go eventually. So when the rumors start going around and the preparations start picking up (are we leaving soon or just keeping everyone on their toes?!) it's hard not to feel that little bit of "I just want it OVER with."

The faster they get out of here, the closer it will be to them coming home.

Sometimes being yanked around (we're going in --- scratch that, now we're going in ---, now we're not going til ---) is rough. We had a "set date" in August, and as you can tell, we haven't left yet, and now we hear a different story just about every week. I know this is in partial due to OpSec (Operational Security), that giving them too many details could lead to the details leaked and therefore put our troops in more danger than they need to be, but it's so hard not knowing. Unfortunately because of OpSec, once we have a date, I won't even be allowed to share it either, or how long until they come home.

It's like all the anxiety of the "upcoming" deployment (upcoming used very lightly, as in no idea how near it really is but knowing it will inevitably get here - remember reality of the matter) has been weighing on us for months. When the rumors start flying, my anxiety levels rise - I begin to think of all the things we need to get done before deployment. Including both serious things that have to be done (Will, Living will, "What do you want to do with my body God forbid something happens to me?" Powers of Attorney...) and those that are not crucial but before a deployment feel like the world will end if they aren't done (Cleaning out the baby's room, making "daddy" tapes, seeing family...) And of course, this being our first deployment (not only together but ever) we're still not sure exactly what to expect (How much notice will we be given? Will be get a predeployment leave? How much contact will we have with each other?) Being around other Marine wives makes it a bit easier, my friends assure me that they've survived through it and I will too, and they give me a little bit of background of what their deployments were like, but it's hard too because every deployment is different and they can't tell me exactly what will happen.

Go with the flow, Go with the flow.
I have got to make that my new mantra. I can do this. And we will be fine. No matter when the time comes, we will get through it!
So for now I'm left to list making and trying not to procrastinate, so when that time comes, we will be ready!

One of my favorite things about living near a deploying base (the Army base I lived near at home was a schooling base and therefore deployments from that base weren't all too common) is the homecomings.
I know it's a bit blurry, but those are WELCOME HOME banners that hang on the fences outside of base.
I love looking at them and sharing in a little bit of someone's excitement about a homecoming. Last week, a few units came home all at once and so the fences were FULL of banners, and some people just got SO creative. Some are pretty risque and funny too, I love those ones ;o)

I already get thinking ahead to what Mr. P's WELCOME HOME banner will say. Thinking of making it reminds me of the sorority days, making big/little tee shirts

My littles, Katy and Theresa, in the shirts I made them.

The backs of mine and Theresa's shirts, I wish I had a shot of the back of Katy's too!

So funny the talents I learned in college and how they are coming handy in "real" life. Haha.But I am sure that I'll have one of the bestest banners out there upon hubs' arrival home ;o) (See, thinking about him coming home makes thinking of him leaving that much easier!)

Fancy Footwork (Dress Shopping)

Back in my college/sorority days, one of the most exciting times of the year was formal time. One time a year to get really dressed-up, not club or bar dressed-up, or even cocktail dressed-up but princess formal dressed-up. I remember buying a dress to be both really fun and really stressful... it had to be the perfect combination of sexy, classy, and flattering. Color choices and patterns were very important, as well as dress dance-ability... could you move in it? As Marine Corps Birthday Ball season is quickly approaching, some of my friends and I decided to choose today as our dress shopping day. Along with all of the other factors of picking out a dress, this year I had one more major element to factor in to my dress choosing... pregnancy.

Pregnancy makes picking out a dress very interesting. Considering the ball is on Oct 30, I have a little over a month of growth to consider. How much is my belly going to grow in that month? (5 to 6 months is quite a jump!) How much are my boobs going to grow? Is anywhere else going to grow? As well as, if I give it room to grow, what happens if I don't? Will I have time for alterations? How much is too much to alter? Added to the sexy, classy, and flattering combination and choosing a dress for the pregnant woman can lead to a stressful, although fun, day.

We started at David's Bridal and tried on a number of dresses. Most of these were of the empire-waisted variety... snugger up top and left to do whatever at the bottom. As I didn't feel any of them were "The Dress" but did like one, we continued our search. At Camille La Vie, I tried on my "yellow dress" that I'd found a few weeks ago, but it was quickly vitoed by my friends, and looking in the mirror I must admit, yellow does not fit the "flattering" part of the combination with an ever expanding... body unit. I continued my search, trying on empire-waists, stretchy fabrics, basically any variety that may work with "the bump." Finally, after a long hard search I found it, a very classy number in Navy blue with an illusion halter made of a stretchy material that can move with me and also a size up (just in case). It will probably need some alterations as the top is a bit loose, but it fits nicely besides that, is very comfortable, fits the dress searching criteria and will definitely serve it's purpose. It's not "The Dress," I still see that one as my royal blue one from my last formal (that I was definitely going to wear to my first USMC Ball... until I got pregnant) but it is beautiful and will look very nice next to my husband in his Blues.
That would be it, except in Navy Blue, from Camille La Vie.

While we're on the subject of dresses, let's take a minute to look back through my closet, of some of my favorite formal dresses.
First and foremost, my wedding dress. My perfect wedding dress, a big fancy princess dress. Yours may be different, but this was it for me.

My first Phi Mu formal. I tried to get a better picture of the actual dress, but facebook is being a ding dong tonight and that's the only pic I have of it anywhere else (maybe I shouldn't rely so much on one website). It went a little past my knees and had a pretty brooch and some rouching in the middle.


My second Phi Mu formal, a light purple Grecian inspired number (from CMart for $40!), that's my friend Shannon and me.

The "Little Black Dress" from a TKE (Fraternity) formal I attended. This is all the Phi Mus who attended that formal, I'm the 3rd one from the left.

And "The Dress," my royal blue halter gown that I wore to my last Phi Mu formal. This is one of my fave dresses (besides my prom dress which I don't have a picture uploaded of and my wedding gown, duh). This pic is me being a ham laying across my sorority sisters, I adore this dress and it WILL make a comeback. :o)

So there ya have it, a small collection of my formal gowns, not including cocktail dresses or anything pre-college. I love getting dressed up and the memories that come from the events of going down a dress-shopping memory lane!

Training Day (Everyone Needs a Network)

Today I had my training to become a Family Readiness Assistant. Let me elaborate first, on Family Readiness and how important it is to a wife as any kind of military spouse.
When I first moved to Camp Lejeune (to be known here on out as CL), I was extremely lonely. I had my husband, a good friend I had made on a prior trip, Jess, and husband's friend's wife (who has become much more than that as we've gotten to know each other), Tamara. While both these ladies are fantastic (and Jess took care of my very sick newly pregnant self) I still ended up staying in the house moping for the majority of my first few months. I would call them on the phone or swing by their houses and that was about the extent of my social network. Neither of them were in hubby's unit, so while they could give me their tips and personal insights of being a Marine wife, they couldn't tell me what was going on with us, what exactly I was expected to do, or anything specific to us. They could both relate to the long days and late nights, or the nights where he doesn't come home at all. Jess has already survied a deployment and Tamara is preparing for her first, but has survived lots of seperation from her hubs before moving to CL. We have a lot in common just being Marine spouses and we have great times together, but I was still missing that network that I was used to, having come from an area where when I needed advice all I needed to do was walk down the hall to my mom or whenever I needed a sister I could drive 45 minutes at the most and several ladies would be there (one of the perks of being a sister of Phi Mu the second largest "Fraternity for Women" in the nation). I needed some kind of network where I could get busy. Preferrably a network that would somehow make me closer to hubs.

When Tamara started talking about events that were going on in the battalion for the families that would help spouses to meet friends and network, I started to wonder - is there something within hubs' batallion for me? Upon asking hubby this, I began to feel at a loss, there was no way I'd find a way to connect with his unit without feeling totally awkward (aka wife dates and large family days - sooo awkward to meet people that way!) That's when I noticed the card hubby had inadvertantly stuck on our fridge - the number for the FRO - Family Readiness Officer. I shot her an email, and within an hour, I was on the phone with someone from his battalion who could totally help me out. Finally, my existence at CL and as a Marine Spouse had been recognized! I was invited to come to the BN (battalion) the next day to meet the FRO, collect my Battle Book (a binder filled with sheets with blanks to fill in of all pertinent info - the if I had to leave and only had a second to grab my whole life what would I need book), and join her and her assistants on a tour around the base. I had an awesome time! I got to chat with girls from the BN about events, what was going on on base, and events the battalion family readiness team had to offer lonely spouses like myself. It was great. I asked how these girls got to come hang out in the office because it seemed like something I might be interested in - helping other wives (spouses) who don't have a clue what's going on and feel disconnected. I know that feeling and it sucks, what could I do to help out? I was invited to a Family Readiness Team Assistants meeting where I learned lots of goings on in the battalion and once again got to do one of my favorite things - chat! I decided that being a family readiness assistant was definitely a job I wanted to volunteer for.

Today was the training for the job. I learned lots of valuable information that will not only help me as an assistant but as a Marine spouse. I learned about TONS of resources that are available to us as Marines spouses, many I didn't even know about!! And then we got a sweet little graduation ceremony where I got an awesome certificate, that looks like a real Marine Corps certificate and I might just hang on the wall with hubby's certificates

Holding my cert. infront of hubby's, think it goes?

So while I'm not looking for sisters to replace my sisters or my family, it is good finding a sisterhood within the Marine Corps. Whether it be Tamara and Jess, my first CL Marine Wife friends, or Maggie my childhood friend who is now a Marine Wife, Maria (the wife who was there when our car got hit and who is basically pretty awesome - more on that story and Maria later), or the battalion network, it's nice to have people who understand. And of course all my oldest friends are always only a phone call away. It feels good to be unlonely and back to my social butterfly self again.