Thanksgiving!

Hey, again!

Thanksgiving Day and everyone is far away!  

Oh, well, we'd like to go to one of our homes, but it gets expensive to visit family as often as we'd like.  I understand that this is not just a military phenomenon, but all the same, it's part of my husband's service.  

All of our vacation money, no, all of our extra money goes toward family visits every year.  We want to visit them, we long to see them, but this year we've taken a pause to visit our dear friends across the globe instead, but not until Spring.   

So, instead of sharing a Thanksgiving feast in my old home, or his old home with family this year, we are staying in our rented home with just us.  We'll cook our own meal, and I'll miss the meal shared with cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents, taking walks around my grandmother's land, enjoying time by her REAL fireplace, and doing various things with all the family that, prior to marrying into the military, I had done every Thanksgiving of my life.  

I am utterly happy to have a family of my own, and sharing time with my husband and children cooking and eating a Thanksgiving meal together will be priceless.  -But, do you ever wish you could have it all?  

There's something special in sharing thanks with your entire family.  Sharing in the meal preparation is part of the fun, too.  Heck, I even like doing the dishes together.  :)  

The unusual dishes that come from my aunts, like the banana caramel pie, and cranberry-whippedcream-jello-cherry salad, and the little olive tray my uncle always brings are difficult to recreate when the meal is made by 2 people for a family of 5.  We won't have pecan pie, either, because there is no way we can eat 2 pies (that and the pumpkin) among ourselves.  

I guess after the meal, we'll go for a bike ride, or watch a movie, but it won't be the same.  (But, we'll enjoy it.)

So, as a sacrifice given as a military spouse, I will miss my extended family this year.  I love you guys!  I'll be taking my nap about an hour later, in our time zone!  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

C.M.

Saturday and Sunday?

Hi,

Gosh, I know it's been a while, but I haven't had much to say recently, as I've not been terribly concerned about anything other than my kids.  Man, life can get busy with kids, can't it?  

I do have a little complaint, though: Once the military has you, they have you.  

My husband is off working all day today, Saturday, without any reimbursement.  Standard.  Last weekend he had to work on Sunday.  So it's not enough that his hours are long during the 5 day work week, but he also has to go to work on the weekends.  Nice.  

However, on the bright side, we have been using some of the leave that my husband has never taken, and we've had a few extra days together as a result.  We can't do a vacation at this point, but at least time with him gives me a break from being totally responsible for the kids.  They can wear me out, precious, though, they are.  I think he still has in excess of 50 days of leave.  

Long vacations are harder to come by than the here-and-there days off.  

Thanks again for listening.  

C.M.