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“Got any Valentine’s Day plans?”
That simple question can evoke a range of reactions from women all over world, but to a milspouse with a loved one downrange, you may want to take a step back when asking.
Unfortunately, like New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day is often greeted with unrealistic expectations. If you have a love in your life, it is a day of plans and giddiness. If you are without your love, let’s just call you the Grinch That Stole Valentine’s Day.
But you don’t have to be!
Don’t let the title fool you, my husband isn’t really invisible. But I’m going to be completely honest here—it sure feels like it at so many points in this military life.
He’s a true superhero. He jets off right in the middle of a toddler meltdown to save the world. Who could be mad at that? People swoon over superheroes.
So why, at times, have I felt as though I spend more time with the bagger at Kroger than my own husband?
I never thought I’d find myself more than 8,000 miles away and caught up in 13 hours of time zone difference when it was time to say goodbye.
Truthfully, I never thought it’d be time to say goodbye… because I loved you. So, I didn’t say goodbye. I said all I needed to say.
In a video message—slightly longer than three minutes in length.
I told you I wanted to talk to you, and visit, and that I was still here. I was just really far away. I said to let me know if you wanted me to call you and when. I told you I was fine and going through my normal “I can’t believe we just moved again…” funk—and threw in a cuss word (I don’t know about everyone else, but I only cuss around people I love and trust). I told you I was so glad to know you had so many people showing up to offer love and support, and I told you I hoped that wherever you were was nice—a good place.
Here are the top stories for Feb. 3, 2020, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:
• New Rates for BAH, BAS and Basic Pay Released
• Military spouses can now receive up to $1,000 in reimbursement
• A Peek into the Army’s Only 24/7 Childcare Center
• Are You Feeling Down? It could be Seasonal Affective Disorder
• The National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center Needs Your Help!
‘Tis the season of love.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means it is the perfect time to tell you about Juliet. Yeah, that Juliet. You know, Romeo’s gal? The one that committed double suicide with her young lover because her parents didn’t approve.
Eek…. I guess that escalated quickly, so let’s scratch the ending and focus on the loving part, shall we?
One of the really neat things about being stationed in Europe is that you can find the lesser-known things. When you come for a 10-day trip from the United States, you tend to want to capitalize on your time and your money, so you stick to the really big and cool places: Rome, Venice, Milan, anywhere in Tuscany.
Living here, however, you get this incredible opportunity to spend a day in some of the lesser known cities and pay a fun visit to Verona.
I tend to write a lot about leadership. Maybe it’s because it’s in my DNA? Or maybe because I’m extremely fascinated by the intricacies of effective and non-effective leadership. But, my gut tells me that it is because I am genuinely invested in the growth and development of leaders, especially among our military spouse network.
About half of the family programs that I’ve been exposed to in the Army for the past 15 years have been volunteer-led. ACS (Army Community Service), Soldier and Family Programs, and a slew of other beautiful resources the Army provides are on the chopping block as they are not being used.
One organization that I’ve always been actively involved in is the Soldier and Family Readiness Group, now known as SFRGs, but formerly referred to as Family Readiness Groups, or FRGs.
Mission: Milspouse is a
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