I know you've had one too...

Ever had an, "I hate the Marine Corps" day? I feel like recently I'm having an, "I hate the Marine Corps" life and I hate that. So, today I've decided that I'm going to think about all the things I like about the Marine Corps and what it has to offer us. So here it goes a list of 5 things I ♥ about the MC

1. Our paycheck. Come on who doesn't like a paycheck! The MC has provided for us for the past 7 years. Without the steady paycheck we wouldn't have our beautiful house, food on our table, or cars in our garage.
2. A chance to see the country. Yes PCS moves are a pain, but honestly Andrew and I probably never would have left our home town if it weren't for the MC. We have gotten to see Cali, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, live in Texas, NY, and NC. All of our various duty stations have allowed us to have unique experiences that we may not have had in Louisiana.
3. The amenities on base. Yes, base traffic is a pain, but free access to several gyms and free personal trainers NICE! Also, the commissary, PX and all the other shops on base are all tax free. Onslow beach is amazing it's wonderful to have a beach so close by. I really could go on for days about what base offers.
4. Healthcare. While tricare can be a pain and they don't always have wonderful customer service they usually do come through and pay our medical bills. There's also our wonderful dental insurance.
   
5. The friends. Not many people have jobs where your co-workers and co-workers families become a second family to you. If it weren't for the MC I wouldn't have nearly as many friends as I do now. All the ladies who I've met through our duty stations and online through support networks are amazing. It's always nice to have friends who are dealing with the same issues as us. Especially since sometimes our friends back home just don't understand things like how we feel during deployments or how I think it's normal for my husband to be gone weeks, months, and sometimes a year or more at a time.

So there you have it. 5 things I love about the MC. I will now return to our previously scheduled programing of hating the MC.

The waiting game.

I hate playing this game as I am sure all of you also hate playing this game. I am currently sitting in my house WAITING for the TMO guy to come and look at all the stuff we have that TMO so kindly broke for us. I hope he shows up on time because guess what I HAVE THINGS TO DO! I know that it may sound crazy for me to have a life that is not waiting for delivery men, installation men, and appraisers, but I do. Now nice TMO guy I would appreciate you showing up on time. Thanks!

I can't tell you how many times I have sat down to write this post then just deleted what was written and walked away. Words can not explain what I feel for my friend whose love was KIA in Afghanistan this past week. I cannot imagine the pain that she must be going through yet I wish I could take on the burden for her even if just for a moment. I know that there is a great community of Marine significant others who stand behind her along with her other friends and family as she welcomes her Marine home and lays him to rest. I just wish we could do more for her. I wish that tragedies such as these weren't part of our reality as Marine spouses, fiances, girlfriends, etc. With a deployment lurking in our forseeable future I wish I had the certainty that every service member everywhere would arrive home alive. For now though all I can do is cherish every moment that my husband is home with me and wait for this deployment (which hasn't even started) to come to an end.