Who's Who | A Military Spouse Appreciation Day Link-Up

At the suggestion of my friend, Casey, I'm participating in a Military Spouse Appreciation Day Link-Up hosted by Jen (Marathons & Dog Tags) and Amanda (Somewhere Over the Camo). This is my first link up with them and I hope, now that I'm getting back into the swing of blogging, that I'll make some new blogging buddies!

Lets get started! First of all, Happy MSAD! << I totally made up that acronym, but this relates to the military and what better way to kick it off than to make up a new one to add to the, already lengthy, alphabet soup catalog!

The Butcher Board

So far, within our 5 years of military life together, we've been blessed enough to meet so many talented artists from all over the place! Whether it was Manami, Kacey's Kitchen, or Fun Flying Four... we keep making friends with some serious skill.

Chad, the craftsman behind The Butcher Board, is no exception!

Happy 2017!

Hey! Look... I'm blogging! Trust me, it's just as shocking to me as it is to you. Life has been a whirlwind of learning to keep a small child alive and keep tabs on a husband who was floating around on the other side of the world.

Good news is Caroline is doing well and the husband is home! Hooray! So lets recap...

Happy 4th of July!

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis 

Happy 4th of July!

Life Lately

Life around here has been going by very, very quickly! With Mark gearing up for a deployment and Caroline growing like a weed, things are cruising by. Yesterday, we saw a newborn baby and couldn't believe how much our little lady has grown in such a short period of time. It's crazy!

Onslow Beach

Here at Camp Lejeune, there are beach accommodations for those with on-base access. Last weekend, my friend Chris and her family came down from Virginia, giving me the chance to scope out the scene of Onslow Beach.

A Guest Post | Preservation of the Original Kentucky "Alexander Guards" Flag

Greetings Blog followers! My name is Matt O’Driscoll (Mark’s eldest brother) and I volunteered to blog this month, while they are busy preparing for the newest ‘O'. 

I am a Civil War reenactor and Captain of a company representing a confederate company from the state of Kentucky. We raised money to conserve the original company flag of the unit we represent, the 1^st Regiment Kentucky Volunteers, Company E – the “Alexander Guards”.

Moving Update

I am happy to report that Mark and I have, mostly, settled into our new house! It's been a crazy few weeks, which included Mark leaving for a training exercise, but we're chugging along. The house is coming together great, mostly because Mark has worked his butt off to get it all put together just the way that I want it. He's sweet like that.

Mark's MCCC Graduation

After 6 short (or long, depending on who you ask) months, Mark graduated from MCCC, Maneuver Captains Career Course this past week.

"The resident course is 22 weeks long and takes place in a small group setting. The POI is flexible and adapts to the needs of the Commander in the field. One such way we do that is by surveying current Battalion and BCT Commanders. For example, it was identified, because of the current ARFORGEN Cycle, that training management was a shortfall in the PME of captains coming to BCTs. As a result, a basis of understanding of training management is now taught in the course. The curricula forces on all types of operations that a company commander may be forced to operate in, from combined arms maneuver to wide area security missions" - MCCC Website

New Years Resolutions by SpouseLink

"This post was provided by SpouseLink. SpouseLink is a free website for Military Spouses that was created to support, inform and inspire users with a variety of content–anything from pop culture to important Military information. SpouseLink.org was created by AAFMAA, a non-profit, membership association that supports the American Armed Forces community with affordable insurance and widow survivor assistance services."

So, the ball has dropped and it is officially 2016. The holiday season is in our rear view mirror. Can you believe it? The decade is more than half way over, meaning this could be the sixth year in a row you’ve made the same old resolutions.

Make 2016 the year you stick with your resolutions for longer than a few weeks. It’s pretty easy to set lofty goals and fall short when there is no game plan for tackling them.

Humphries Holiday: Auto Europe Car Rental

After a lot of research, my sister and I decided that renting a car would be the most efficient (both cost and accessibility) way for us, as a family, to see everything that we wanted to see during our two week Europe Adventure. So, that led us to Auto Europe!

The Set Table

During our last month in Okinawa, we had a really packed schedule and I was grasping at straws to make things a little bit easier on us. Something that I had been interested in for a while was The Set Table, a cook-it-yourself meal service, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Except I was wrong, I should have been ordering meals through this service long before our last month!

Life Lately

Life lately has been packed full of moving prep, the NIOSC Semper Fi Fund Charity Event, and trying to hang out with friends that are leaving soon. I haven't really had a chance to think about the amount of us that are leaving and how much I'm going to miss them. That changed after having a fantastic time with a group of fun women over the past few days!

PCS Season: Scheduling Your Shipments from Okinawa to the USA

Below, you'll find my personal experience and findings throughout the PCS-ing process. If you've had a different experience please feel free to leave a comment below.

Now that we have Maylee squared away and ready to fly, it's time to schedule our shipments. We have the luxury of time, which many people don't get and for that I am grateful. Actually, it's a blessing and a curse... let me explain.

PCS Season: Flying our Dog from Okinawa to the USA

Mark and I have an official flight. Tickets and everything! We are flying commercial, which I'm coming to learn may be much more pleasant than the AMC flight. However, when we got the news, I knew it was going to be a little more difficult to get Maylee's arrangements in order.

Below, you'll find my personal experience and findings throughout the process. If you've had a different experience please feel free to leave a comment below.

PCS Season: Transfer Data Sheet

The last two weeks, for us, have been saturated with this Transfer Data Sheet. Mark has been super busy at work, making it difficult for anything to get done outside of working, sleeping, and eating... maybe a little bit of House of Cards, too. Thankfully, the form is done! It's approved!

PCS Season: Smooth Move

Mark and I had our "Smooth Move" class earlier this week. I prepared by writing down some specific questions that we had and I'm really happy that I did. Had I not, I'm not sure we would have gotten any information for us, specifically. The class wasn't very helpful, a lot of "call this person if you have questions about this... contact that person for info about that..."

What I'm doing about PCS Season

At my birthday party, Mark gave me a card and inside were our new orders. We're moving! We have a tentative date and it's happening this summer. Craziness! So, what am I doing right now? Well, I'm dying a slow death of uncertainty stopping to smell the roses (or lilies in this case) and taking what steps I can towards a seamless move.

Armed Forces Day | Giveaway!

Today is Armed Forces Day and what better way to acknowledge our Armed Forces than a patriotic giveaway! I got together with a few, local vendors here in Okinawa and they were just as excited to get involved as I was to have them. Without further adieu...

Winner will get all three prizes!

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

"Our military spouses embody ideals we cherish: strength, loyalty, and commitment. They stand beside those who stand behind our flag, giving their all and making tremendous sacrifices. They shoulder the burdens of countless moves and stressful deployments, and they uphold their end of the bargain. On Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we celebrate the force behind the force and show these homefront heroes the full support of a grateful Nation." 

- President Obama (source)