|
| Just A Fun Little "Life Blows" MomentIt's official: The husband was tasked this afternoon for his next deployment. We know where, when, and for how long.
It's been one hell of a day.
Oy vey.
| | |
| Jon & Kate Plus Eight ExploitationsTonight, when Alexis Gosselin so innocently told her dad, "Daddy, I don't want you to leave anymore," my heart positively broke in half.
For those of you who don't have 81 episodes of Jon and Kate Plus Eight recorded onto your DVR, let me recap.
This past March my mom and sister drove up for a week-long visit, and it is a tradition after the days activities to channel flip at night-- this is how I am exposed to new and random television shows... so yes, I blame my mother for hooking me on this now-train-wreck of a show. I began taping it with a vengeance, and can proudly name all eight kids just by seeing them. I have my favorites, Leah and Aiden, and think Mady needs a good spank on the butt every now and then.
As I watched the reruns (since their last season ended almost immediately after I discovered it), I began noticing quite a difference between the earlier episodes and the most recent ones. The beginning episodes were exactly what the show was supposed to be about: how a couple handles the stress, and the major job it must be to handle eight tiny children. The later episodes were... not so stressed. Lots of vacations, which, obviously, were free, since having eight kids and supposedly only one bread-winner could not possibly finance a trip to Hawaii, or a trip to Disney World, or a skiing trip.
I sort of brushed this off though, thinking, well, it's good that they're able to provide these types of experiences for their kids that they probably would have been able to do if they had only had one or two children. So sure, that's great, go have fun. Then Kate's constant yelling began grating my nerves, and Jon's obnoxious attitude started getting to me, and I then began noticing that these poor children were lacking quite a bit of attention, which is possibly the reason for Mady's outbursts in the first place. I realize that giving the adequate attention needed to eight kids would be extremely hard, but they were ignored more than necessary. The feel good "I love you" moments were passed on way too often, and very little eye-contact was made with the kids unless it was for punishment reasons.
Then... came the tabloids. Jon's cheating on Kate, Kate's cheating on Jon, Aunt Jodi and Kevin sold them down the river to save the kids, divorce is possibly on the horizon, etc... and oh yeah, the season five premiere is tonight. WHAT?!
Tonight's premiere was awkward, uncomfortable, and a sad picture of a once very-much-in-love couple who turned in their marriage for free stuff, fake tans, and money. Oh, and yes, the kids. The kids were turned in as well, the minute the cash started rolling in, I imagine.
As Jon and Kate answered interview questions about their future marital status with open-ended responses that were chock full of subtle hints that divorce is most likely imminent, I was left thinking, and you're going to continue the show? Are you insane? These precious children who as of now are completely oblivious (for the most part, although Alexis has certainly noticed that her daddy is missing) are going to go through life with their parents divorce entirely recorded for the world to see, and you can certainly see the ramifications this will have on them later in life. I expect either one therapist or eight therapists individually will be making a lot of money in twenty years or so off of these kids.
Sure, they have all the right clothes, toys, a big house, and whatever else money can buy, but you can't buy memories and you can't buy a normal childhood.
I will not be watching the show any longer, and I sincerely hope that Jon and Kate pull their heads out of their bottoms, pull the plug on the cameras and work out their marital issues the correct way whether they divorce or not--- in private.
(And by the way, hello, again!)
| | |
| No More 'Shattered Dreams'Every three years at my old high school, the administration, and really, the town as a whole puts on a program called "Shattered Dreams". It's a simulation of a drunk driving accident that takes place on the school grounds. Prominent students are chosen by their teachers to act as drunk driving victims, are made up with fake injuries, and are placed in a mangled mess of metal to give the effect of a drunk driving accident. A simulated arrest is made, "bodies" are taken away in body bags, "critically injured" students are taken to the local hospital, care flight is called in, parents come and see their child "brain dead" in the hospital ER... it's a very powerful and impacting program. This year my sister filmed and edited the video, and this is the labor of all her hard work. Think long and hard about yourself, your friends, your siblings... make good choices, and don't become a part of someone else's "Shattered Dreams". Here is the video Enjoy, and please recommend. | | |
| Food for thoughtI'm not a calorie-counter... as a matter of fact, I don't count calories, fat grams, trans-fat grams, cholesterol, sugar, or carbohydrates. My job is to eat food, not analyze it; of course, that's probably the reason I only take profile pics from the neck up, but hey, at least my taste-buds are happy, right?
I've noticed lately that there are certain edible items that my kitchen is never without:
- Flavor Blasted Goldfish: X-Tra Cheddar: I actually hate the regular kind of goldfish since there's hardly enough cheese flavor to notice it's there, but the Flavor Blasted kind is sinfully full of cheesey goodness. I like to eat a few and then lick the excess cheese powder from my fingers. Not only is it a culinary delight, but it's incredibly sexy to watch; my husband positively drools at the sound of my slurping.
- Chips and hot sauce: Being a thoroughly Texan girl living in a rural town in Oklahoma with a severe lack of mexican restaurants, the only thing that gets me through between visits back home is my supply of tortilla chips and hot sauce. I actually warm the hot sauce up in the microwave to give it a more restaurant-type taste.
- Yellow squash: I can make a whole meal out of sauteed squash seasoned with Lowry's Black Pepper. This is one of my husband's favorite side dishes when I make baked chicken. This is, of course, seasonal, but the military grocery store I shop at is normally pretty good about having it on hand.
- Honey mustard: I will eat honey mustard on practically anything-- pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, french fries, sandwiches, carrots, chicken. It's absolutely the best condiment besides ketchup.
- Fiber One granola bars: These help me give the illusion that I eat healthily, and they also do well to fill me up in the morning and get me through two hours of work and two classes before I have time to get home for lunch during the week.
- Chef Boyardee Ravioli: One can of this is absolutely perfect for a quick lunch between classes and it's cheap to buy. It's more filling than a can of soup but not as heavy as a full fledged meal-- quick, easy, and light.
What foods do you keep your kitchen stocked with?
| | |
| Life decisions"Thank you for your service as well, it must be hard to be the spouse of a military member."
I hear this all the time from strangers who see my husband in uniform, thank him, and then turn to me and tell me this. It's weird to have people thanking you for getting married.
As a military spouse, I don't think I do anything particularly special. I love my husband, I pay the bills and continue on with my life when he's deployed and I give the house an extra scrub down when he returns-- much like any spouse would do if their husband was off on extended business trips for Corporate America.
The hardest thing, for me, is not the deployments. My husband is an Airman, his job is fairly safe, and when he deploys, he is confined to an Air Base, fueling up aircraft. Could things happen? Yes. Do I worry about him when he's gone? Of course, don't be silly, but for the most part, I have faith that he is one of the most safe places he could possibly be, which is next to those planes. Planes cost billions of dollars, and they would not risk losing so many at once-- men are easier to replace than machinery, as sad as that is.
No, the hardest thing for me, is living my life. The life that I dreamed about having, the goals I wanted to accomplish and the people I wanted to accomplish them around. I still haven't come to grips with the fact that the Air Force controls us, and until he's out, it's always going to be about him. What is better for his career, where the Air Force needs him to go next, how long they need him to be away from me. I find it extremely difficult to not throw my head back and scream, "WHAT ABOUT ME? WHAT ABOUT MY LIFE? WHAT ABOUT WHAT I WANT?!"
I have to remember, this is my life. This is it. I love him, I chose it, I have to deal with everything it brings. So what if I can't climb the corporate ladder because of constant moving? I chose it. So what if my kids won't be able to see their grandparents on a regular basis, and TRULY know them? I chose it. I chose him.
We are at a precipice, and I need to decide if losing him is worth it to see all of my goals accomplished, except with someone else by my side.
Will I ever find someone so loving? Who can comfort me like no one else can? Who has all the fantastic qualities of a great husband and a future-father to our kids? Who told me last night that he just wants me to be happy and if that means leaving him then he won't stop me? Will I ever find that again? How often does that come along in someone's life?
I'm 22-years-old and I'm being selfish. My husband is the epitome of a military man; he makes his way up the ranks faster than most guys in his shop, he goes above and beyond what is expected of him at work, he dedicates his time to community service projects on his off time... I can't ask him to give this up. He could make this a great career and do extremely well-- much better than society will allow him to do on the outside since it can't seem to let things go. I can't make him choose between me and the Air Force, and he doesn't want me to have to choose between him or being close to family and culminating a career.
How do say goodbye when all you want to do is cling to the hand that is wishing you farewell?
| | |
|
True
Premium