The Man In Our Lives

     Of course, Mr. Awesome is the apple of my eye, and as much as I want to think that I am the only female in his life, I do have to share. :-). 

 Our Anniversary Weekend In Washington DC






Mr. Awesome and Mini-Me On Their Way To A Daddy & Daughter Date

 

Mr. Awesome and Niece On Their Way To "Uncle & Niece Date"

 

     Of course we cant forget momma, who held Mr. Awesome's heart before any of us came along.  However, I don't have a picture of just the two of them. 

 

Career, Family, or Both??

     In a world where there is the attitude that a woman can "have it all", I feel like a bit of a dinosaur.   Yes,  I once believed the "have it all" hype during a certain time in my life, but quickly realized that the God-given design for womanhood was different than the worldly definition.  Sure cooperate careers are nice, but are the overtime hours worth the time that you miss with your spouse?  Is being a woman who "has it all" leaving you with enough time to teach your children the ways of God?  Does being a single woman who "has it all" mean that you are properly prepared to be a helpmate?  As much as I feel fulfilled and productive in my career, my ministry as a wife is far more important to me.  I know that my place in the lives of my Bonus daughter and niece also has such a high calling that there is not enough money to be made to buy all of the material "stuff" that they could desire while leaving them with nothing more than a materialistic pacifier. 

    A lot of times at work, I get questioned as to why I only work part time.  Some of the times, I don't feel up to explaining, but other times I use it as an opportunity for enlightenment.  For me, I would much rather have more time at home to do those things that are important for a Christain home life.  I want to have more time to serve my husband and to be there for my bonus daughter and niece. Yes, it sounds old fashioned and like a notion that is against the American dream, but I know that in the end, what I do for my family will matter more. Yes, the money that I have been blessed to make outside the home is nice, but what does it matter if I see my co-workers more than my family? What does it matter if my family gets less of my talents than those that I share no relationship with? At the end of my explanation, I usually get a blank stare and then I hear, "Wow, I wish that I could do that."

Military Wife Life

     I did not grow up in a military family, never had anyone in my family that was in the military, nor did I have neighbors who were in the military.  So my only real experience came from watching those who were in JROTC in high school or ROTC in college as well as listening to the stories of a friend who was married to a Sailor.  Outside of that, I never thought much of it.  I knew that the service men and women as well as their families made sacrifices, but I did not realize how much.  I remember seeing those stories on the news about the Sailor in uniform marching away from his family for months at a time as the family stayed behind trying to live as "normal" of a life as anyone else.  I can honestly say that although I had some sympathy, I did not have much because in my mind I reasoned that this was the life that they chose in the first place.

     Never did I imagine that I would fall in love with a man in uniform and become a part of a community that I once took for granted.  I must say that my perspective on a lot of things has changed since joining the military community.  Although my comfort zone is with that of the "Civilian world", I have a much greater appreciation of the things that we often take for granted in this society of ours.  Recently, an opportunity has fallen into my lap that allows me to have a closer walk with Mr. Awesome's command and hep serve the other Military families.  Just the short time in this role has opened my eyes even more to the great sacrifices of the service members and their families.  Although we have not experienced deployment as a married couple yet, I have experienced it when we were courting and I can say that it was quite a sacrifice then.  Therefore I can only imagine the sacrifices of the families who do it on a regular basis.  Yes, I love my career in Healthcare , but can't help but to think that we may not have the freedom to even practice medicine without the sacrifices of these men and women. To these men, women, their families, and those that support those in uniform, I salute you.