Yesterday I talked about my Dad and a possible deployment. I mentioned that I was happy that he wasn't going away in a few months; happy that he'd be home. But I also mentioned that I felt guilty for feeling that way. One, because he wanted to go and still wants to go. Two, because so many other military families have Dads and Moms deployed. Today I feel even more guilty.
I'm a big fan of the blog Big Blueberry Eyes. I've been a reader for more than a year and a half now. The family behind the blog is phenomenal. When I started reading, the military Dad in the family was deployed. I've continued to read - the Dad came home, a new baby was born, the family PCSed. And then today I read that Big Blueberry Eyes' Dad left again. For a year.
You should read the post about the family's goodbye. It made me cry - maybe because I know all too well what the family's little ones are going through. What Mom is going through, after all I've seen my Mom do it before.
The Mom behind this blog is incredible. Incredibly brave. Incredibly strong. So positive when it seems like she has more reasons not to be. I'm a huge fan of her strength, her outlook on life, her warm and loving heart. She loves being a military wife and stands proudly next to her husband. Today I send her warm wishes, positive thoughts and hugs. Best of luck to Big Blueberry Eyes' family over the next year. Let the countdown begin.
Showing posts with label military family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military family. Show all posts
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Base Housing - Living on the Outside
Anyone who's ever driven onto a military base will tell you one thing about all of the buildings - they look the same. Same colors. Same shapes. No flair. All uniform, including the base housing.
As a military brat, I've lived in a lot of base housing throughout the years. My favorite has to be the house my family lived in on Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA. It was old-school Southern style with hard wood floors and beautiful windows. Completely unlike regular military housing.
The runner up for me has to be the tower I lived in while my family was station at Yokota AFB in Japan. The building was on rollers and could withstand the sways that the earthquake tremors would bring to it, keeping its residents safe. That building protected my family many a time, and I would be thankful for it every time I woke up on the floor (instead of my bed) after a shake in the middle of the night. I awoke knowing it kept my family safe.
When you live on base you live next to other military members. You don't have any neighbors that are unfamiliar or come from different walks of life. Everyone is the same. Each morning they all wake up and put on a uniform and go defend our nation.
With that said, my family has chosen to live off base a few times in my father's career. The option to be able to pick a place that you actually want to live has always been an appeal to my Mom and it's always exciting to live next to non-military families.
As I've mentioned before, my folks are stationed in the great sunny state of Florida. Their off base housing allowance is decent and with all three kids out of the house my parents decided to rent a townhouse in a sweet community in Tampa Bay. I visit as often as I can and I have to say that it is one of the coolest casas my parents have ever had - the location, the community, the water!
As if living off base isn't a treat enough, my parents community is quite popular with the celebrity crowd. Several members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team live there, and a famous author who shall remain nameless.
With Tampa being the host city for the Super Bowl this year, other celebrities have set their sights on the community as well. For a few months now a hip-hop mogul has been interested in hosting his Super Bowl bash at the community's club. And just this week the famous American Idol superstar who is in charge of belting out the National Anthem at the big game temporarily moved in across the street from my folks.
Each time I get a celebrity update from my parents, I have to laugh. We're just a military family. And this would never happen on base. My parents really have the most interesting neighbors and the best part of it is, they don't even care.
As a military brat, I've lived in a lot of base housing throughout the years. My favorite has to be the house my family lived in on Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA. It was old-school Southern style with hard wood floors and beautiful windows. Completely unlike regular military housing.
The runner up for me has to be the tower I lived in while my family was station at Yokota AFB in Japan. The building was on rollers and could withstand the sways that the earthquake tremors would bring to it, keeping its residents safe. That building protected my family many a time, and I would be thankful for it every time I woke up on the floor (instead of my bed) after a shake in the middle of the night. I awoke knowing it kept my family safe.
When you live on base you live next to other military members. You don't have any neighbors that are unfamiliar or come from different walks of life. Everyone is the same. Each morning they all wake up and put on a uniform and go defend our nation.
With that said, my family has chosen to live off base a few times in my father's career. The option to be able to pick a place that you actually want to live has always been an appeal to my Mom and it's always exciting to live next to non-military families.
As I've mentioned before, my folks are stationed in the great sunny state of Florida. Their off base housing allowance is decent and with all three kids out of the house my parents decided to rent a townhouse in a sweet community in Tampa Bay. I visit as often as I can and I have to say that it is one of the coolest casas my parents have ever had - the location, the community, the water!
As if living off base isn't a treat enough, my parents community is quite popular with the celebrity crowd. Several members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team live there, and a famous author who shall remain nameless.
With Tampa being the host city for the Super Bowl this year, other celebrities have set their sights on the community as well. For a few months now a hip-hop mogul has been interested in hosting his Super Bowl bash at the community's club. And just this week the famous American Idol superstar who is in charge of belting out the National Anthem at the big game temporarily moved in across the street from my folks.
Each time I get a celebrity update from my parents, I have to laugh. We're just a military family. And this would never happen on base. My parents really have the most interesting neighbors and the best part of it is, they don't even care.
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