Always a New Start By Katie Anderson

You may not know this about me but I served in the Navy. Just the other day someone had commented on a photo in my Navy Album that was from a friends going away party. Later that day I was chatting online with a friend from the Navy. I knew a friend of ours, whom is in the Marines with my Husband was leaving to head to a new duty station. While chatting online I saw my friends post on Facebook of her dropping her husband off at the airport, and she will be leaving here tomorrow. It got me thinking about my time in service and as a marine wife and I'll admit I starting getting a little emotional because with this lifestlye we make some pretty amazing friends... So I wrote this poem below to channel my feelings on living in the military lifestyle.

Always a New Start
By Katie Anderson

The Military life is something that many others cannot do
We leave our familiar surroundings and head to something new.

We’ll make strong bonds with new friends, and be the best friend we can be.
And in that time some find love, settle down, and start a family.

New people come along and soon the circle grows
Teaching each other about the military life and what we must know.

The newness of this place has quickly drifted away
And we soon forget that this too will change someday.

The friendships grow fast, making ties that will never end.
And these people have become like family; they are more than just a friend.

We support each other’s goals; believe in each other’s dreams
We laugh, we cry, stand side by side, cheering on each other’s kids’ team.

The time for change comes and sometimes we don’t want to understand
When someone comes walking up, with orders in their hand.

You got to see them graduate, get married, and watch their babies grow
Never did you think that soon you would have to see them go.

It’s never goodbye, always ‘see you later’, when the time comes to depart.
Knowing that everyone here has made a huge impact on our heart.

The Military life is something that many others cannot do
We leave our familiar surroundings and head to something new.

Why do they never come visit?

I don't know what bothers me more... the fact that we have invited family to come visit us here and they haven't... or the fact that they go visit another family member 7 hours away that has been gone for 2 and a half months that is working outta state, when we visit once a year, maybe twice.  In the 3 years of living here we have invited both sides of our family to come and visit us, the only people that have come here is our parents. I understand that our siblings have kids... and they say they don't want to travel that far with them and that it's expensive to travel here (like we don't know that part of it). So does that mean when we start a family we don't come visit either? Or are we still going go down and visiting our family cause we want to? Mind you the expense has come from our side only ummm 7 times... but we want to see them so we save. They obviously could save to go to a baseball thing, or visit another sibiling for a weekend... well save for a weeks visit here. Thats what we do, and we stay for 2 to 3 weeks, and still have to pay all the bills with our regular paychecks! We plan ahead of time to say visit at Christmas, and making sure we come with gifts for everyone. It's not cheap, and the drive is long... but if me and my husband can make it fun, I'm sure they could too. I don't know it just puts things into perspective. Is it favortism for one over another? Is it seeing or doing things with one side of the family more important than another? Its just fustrating, seriously! Now you might just think I am ranting but it's like this with all military members. All of the friends I have made here, I have met their parents, but not one sibiling. I have only seen pictures of their sibilings on Facebook when my friends go home on leave and vice versa... Just make me wonder... Why do they always want us to come home? Why do they always want us to come visit? Why do they always say they miss us? Why do they never come visit?

Big let down

Last week Nathan and I we all excited... in hops that the reason I was really late was do to a pregnancy, turns out nope! I had a blood test to confirm it was a negative so now it's back to the Doctors Office to get all labs done and figure out what is really going on with the body of mine!

See it all on Facebook

People give themselves away on facebook all the time... especially family! I love that I can get online and see that our family members are missing our other family members... and constantly let them know they are missed. Well they let everyone know except for my husband and I. Now granted I know it goes both ways, but still it erks my erves when I see "I miss you" from a sister to a brother, but not from the same sister to my husband, who is her brother as well. I guess outta sight outta mind is always true reguardless if we like it or not... but wait he's outta sight too?

Facebook Announcements

I just don't know anymore. It bothers me that family members feel it nessassary to post big important news on Facebook and expect us to find out on there what is going on in their life. Not saying I am a social whore, cause I have 200 + friends, but not everything shows up on my news feed. I am certainly not a Facebook stalker either, randomly clicking on friends and family's pages to get the lastest 411. I feel that if we are family a phone call should be given when important, exciting, life changing events are taking place like , Getting engaged, Getting Pregnant, Finding out the Sex of a Baby, or serious illiness. Has our society just made it so that we post things out there in the social media world in hopes that it reaches to everyone, what happened to picking up the phone and calling saying guess what.....

Resolutions

Every New Year Everyone seems to make resolutions, and by the end of January it seems those resolutions are given up on. This year I am making a resolution... to not quit or give up on my resolutions... Anyone who knows me, knows I have always struggled with my weight my whole life, and every time Nathan is gone, I lose it when he gets back from deployment I gain it. Well not this year... he is home and I am sticking to it. I am not on a diet... I am not trying to become "skinny" My resolution is to get more healthy... meaning exercise and eating right. By doing this I am hoping to get off the medications that I am currently on, and setting myself up for a better pregnancy.

It's not to lose weight, because I have no intention of gaining it back, it's to have a better lifestyle over all. I will cut my Dr Peppers, eat healthily, Natural products, and reduce the processed foods. I will exercise daily... tho I know it will be work... but in the end It will be totally worth it. I will be setting my lifestyle up, and maintain it thru a pregnancy and be able to show my children the healthy way to eat and workout! So here we go... day !

Oh and I started today because I wanted to get settled in after driving back from Texas, tho people at home said why not start on the 1st, umm because there really isn't a healthy way to eat on the road, not to mention how do you work out when you are sitting on your butt for 19 hours!