Semper Ag: Just a Veteran....

I read a friend's blog today and saw a pretty funny Terminal Lance comic strip.

*Terminal Lance is a Marine based comic strip that pokes fun at the Marine Corps...not for the easily offended*

Both the blog and comic strip referenced veterans and transitioning out of the Marine Corps.

If y'all remember my blog postings from my last year as a Marine, you know how ready I was to get out.

I was "so over" the Marine Corps, and I just wanted to get out, be a stay at home mom, and be a housewife.

It was all fine and dandy for the first year or so, but then I realized that although I'm a freaking amazing wife (insert sarcastic laugh here), and an equally FANTASTIC mother (insert another sarcastic laugh here), I realized that I'm the type of girl that needed a little more purpose outside of the home.

I'm just gonna add, I am NOT knocking on stay at home moms and housewives...it's a thankless job, and my hat's off to any woman who chooses that lifestyle.

Which is why I decided that two years was a long enough "break" outside of the Marine Corps, and decided to use my veterans' benefits to get my edjumacation.

Aaaannddd.....I finally feel purposeful....well purposeful to me.

I didn't quite get the fulfillment I was looking for as a stay at home mom and a housewife.

My transition out of the Marine Corps was tough on me mentally.

My ego was bruised really.

I went from being a Staff Sergeant of Marines to sitting at home with my kids waiting on my husband to get home from work.

I missed the crude and inappropriate conversations I had with Marines.

I missed being able to just yell at someone when they pissed me off (turns out you can't really give your 3 year old an "ass chewing" when they piss you off).

I was honestly pretty jealous of my husband that he got to live the life that I lived for ten years while I sat at home deciding on what new vegetable I was going to pureé to feed my son.

Marines have a lot of pride....let's be real...we all have big egos.

Even the humblest of Marines has an ego bigger than the average civilian.

I think it's our ego that makes it a rough transition into civilian life.

Marines are held to such an incredibly high standard, that when civilians fail to meet that standard, we tend to lose our minds a little bit.

"Why the hell are civilians so damn lazy?"

"Why are civilians so easily offended?!"

"Why do THEY drag their feet when they walk?!?!"

It's not that civilians are just plain "nasty" individuals ("nasty" is a term within the Marine Corps that we call civilians....lol....sorry y'all..).

But civilians aren't faced with the daunting job of protecting someone's life....let's face it...every single job in the Marine Corps is to support our infantry Marines, and every single Marine that performs those jobs to help our infantry guys "get the job done" must be done without mistake or hesitation.

One mistake can be life or death.

That's a lot of pressure!

I know for me, as a veteran, I tend to get angry easily at the littlest things.

I have a hard time keeping my big mouth shut when civilians talk bad about America and/or the military.

I cursed out a guy at my daughter's preschool field meet for laughing and talking during the National Anthem....and you bet your ass that whole bleacher section heard me.

I have a hard time taking the average college kid seriously.

I have a hard time taking some civilians seriously....to include my own family (mom, dad, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins).

"They"....just don't get it, and never will because "they" never served.

The whole "we support the troops" stickers sometimes bother me....because that little yellow ribbon sticker on your car doesn't mean crap if you haven't done anything to support the troops...like volunteering your time or your money to the thousands of organizations out there for troops....

And I really do picture throat punching someone sometimes in my head while they are talking to me (Right, Nicole?).

I'm actually an optimist.

I see life as the "glass is half full", and for the most part (as long as your mouth is shut during the National Anthem), I'm pretty tolerant of people that are not up to "Marine Corps standards".

There's no point to this post really...

It's just a rant.

Just some things I thought about today....

And just because this is my blog, and I don't feel like a post is complete without any photos...

Saturday was my late mother in law's (Sandy...or mum as we called her) birthday!

She's actually a leap year baby, but we celebrate on the 28th.

Her favorite food was Chinese food, so on Saturday, our family went out to have lunch at a Chinese food place.

We also released yellow balloons into the sky with messages written to her!

Mother and son selfies....

Pinterest inspired entry way!

I had a 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby and scored this awesome gigantic mirror!!

I took a bubble bath this weekend with a glass of wine while Nick did dishes and watched the kids.

It was divine...

Asian mom dream.....

Kids at the piano.

I have no words....

I found this photo while looking through my computer.

It put a smile on my face.

This was a photo from my maternity session when I was pregnant with Mattis.

A lot of people have complained about women wearing their husband's cammies for photos like this, but I just smile and say, "I actually earned these cammies, so I can wear them if I please."