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My Inspiration, the Veteran in my life
Veterans Day, a day to honor and thank veterans, has come and gone. However, the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate a veteran should never be passed. As an Army National Guard wife I swell with pride whenever my husband wears his uniform to serve our country. When I remember deployment and months that I have been without him I shed a tear but then think to myself we did it! When I think about how his very basic need to serve has driven him to do just that, and to do that with honor, I remember the many qualities that attracted me to him so many years ago. But my pride in my husband stems much further back…
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Universities that Support our Veterans
I read a recent article about two universities that ‘get it’. Rutgers University and the University of Arizona; The Lumina Foundation highlighted them in their recent magazine, you can read more here: Lumina Foundation Features Two Colleges for Their Work Serving Student Veterans; America Needs More Vets with Degrees to Meet Attainment Needs Just think, only three years ago Rutgers didn’t have any type of Veterans Program and now they are receiving national recognition. It goes to show you don’t have to jump through hoops to make it happen you just need to make a plan and stick to it! I love support like this for our Veterans and I certainly…
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“Welcome to Stagecoach”
A quick introduction to our MilitaryAvenue guest blogger. Mike Liguori is a Marine veteran and we are excited to share his coverage for MilitaryAvenue of Stagecoach. He is doing tweets, Facebook posts and blogs for us during this fun event! Be sure to follow along on some great stories about the performers and military supporters at “Stagecoach”. Today was quite the day for me. I barely have been able to sleep due to the overwhelming excitement of covering the Stagecoach Country Music Festival. You think after not getting the consistency of a good night’s sleep I would be dead tired today. Well folks, you are wrong. I am actually…
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Tutor.com for Military Families
My poor blessed children. When I was a child I wanted to be a teacher. The need to teach is somehow still ingrained in my bones. Now the need to teach and the need to see my children succeed are intertwined. We finished up Spring Break last week and much to their groans and moans we did 30 minutes of reading and 30 minutes of education… EVERY DAY of break. “BUT MOM we are on vacation”“BUT MOM we would rather be playing”“BUT MOM …” Didn’t matter. For us education was either time spent on some workbooks I had stored in the closet, time on educational website I had approved, or doing some creative…
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Impact of the Sequestration
A Compilation of Articles about the Sequestrationand the impact on Military Families From the Department of Defense & other relevant news sources: Carter Reassures Defense Industry Amid Budget UncertaintyMarch 12, 2013 – Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter pledged today that the Pentagon will not allow a $46 billion cut in spending and uncertainty over future funding to keep it from focusing on challenges facing the nation even though the current fiscal situation will lead to “perverse, unsafe and wasteful consequences.” (continued) Sequestration Pinch Includes Tuition Assistance SuspensionMarch 12, 2013 – Though budget woes led the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force to suspend their tuition assistance programs and the Navy…
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Being an Only Child … for moments in time
I’m not an only child. I am the oldest of three. Neither are my boys. There are four boys from 19 years old to 2 years old. They are my heart walking around outside of my body. And I’m laughing (with her of course) at a very dear friend who just found out they are pregnant with Baby 2 and are worried that older brother is going to be jealous. Ah life is about to change (all for the better) for them! You know that opportunity though when you get time with just Mom or Dad? It is priceless. So walk with me down memory lane. I was a junior in…
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Distance Learning for Military Spouses and Veterans
Are you looking at a master’s degree or graduate certification in any of these three areas: family and community services, family financial planning or youth development? Checkout this announcement from the Department of Defense. DOD, USDA Partner in ‘Win-win’ Distance Learning Program These areas (Family & Community Support, Family Financial Planning and Youth Development) definitely need attention in the military community. I would love to see more support for our military family as a whole. Barbara Thompson, director of DOD’s office for family policy, children and youth, agrees “Those are three areas that we find critical to support the military family community,” she said. “So the goal is not only will our service members, spouses and…
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Finances and the Heart
We all have demons in our lives. I mean in the real sense, not the scary fictional movie kind. Some of Satan’s army nips at our friendships, mauls at our self-worth, whisper about our inabilities. Some challenge things that we know, claw at our most trusted relationships, sneer at our self-esteem. When it comes to tearing a man down we don’t do it all on our own! This all was running through my mind this morning as we sat in church. The sermon was on money, trust, priorities. Let me tell you about this demon in my life. He scratches at my happiness, bites (with big gruesome teeth) at my marriage, makes…
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Military Discounts Around Town
Hubs and I had a wonderful weekend in Annapolis a few weeks ago with college friends. We laughed, chatted, caught up, got to know spouses, ate, ate and ate. We did a lot of eating. We even got to dress up like adults for a wedding Friday evening. Life was good! You know you are in a militarytown when there is a USAAFinancial CenterWe also toured the town, just hubs and I. I had never been on the Naval Academy and knew it was steeped in military pride. Since we were within walking distance from our hotel we strolled the campus. It was still Christmas Break so it was pretty quiet, but there…
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Life is an adventure not a race
How often do you take the road less travelled? Driving home from a weekend with college friends. A trip across state lines, many state lines. Time with just hubs as my boys were at home with Grandpa and Grandma. Ahead of us was Breezewood, PA and hubs was already grumbling about that “gosh awful” interchange. (I just might have edited that grumbling to make it more family friendly.) A last minute decision between the two of us and we found ourselves driving the passes of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains instead. It was white, pristine, beautiful, a lovely change of pace. The Cumberland valley was wind swept, quiet, peaceful. The countryside…
