Reasons why I "dislike" the PNW...

1. The weather, I talk about it all the time.  It is soul sucking and it is no wonder the suicide rate is so high here.  I am not saying that to be funny.  Vitamin D defeciency causes depression. I know, first hand, that the lack of sun will make you feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Whoever said "It can't rain all the time.", never lived here.  ;-)
2. Passive aggressive behavior.  Say what you mean, people!!!  Or better yet, say nothing! I am so tired of people protecting peoples' feelings through dishonesty.  Also, not everyone deserves a trophy, There I said it!  Sucking still happens here even if you're too pretentious to see it.
3. I am far away from my siblings and parents.  The closest portion of my family is 2,480 miles away.
4. I have spent all of my time here broke. The economy busted right after we bought our home in an area we don't want to live in.  It may be self-induced but it fucking sucks. 
5. The drivers, this goes with #2.  The left lane is for passing, the middle for the speed limit and the right for people going slower or exiting.  They all drive the reverse of this so getting anywhere is infuriating. 
6. No Dunkin' Donuts.  And while I love the gourmet donut shops, they are all too far away for me to actually visit them with any type of frequency. 
7. Getting dressed requires a wardrobe consisting of far too many layers.
8. It's so damp no matter how "warm" it is you still feel cold.
9. I can't go to every roller derby bout!  There are so many on the I-5 corridor and I can never choose, or can't go. see #4.
10. Vagabonds, thieves, and schemers.  They're everywhere, but seriously don't tell me you're out of gas, AGAIN, in the exact same place you were 3 weeks ago.  Not buying it or giving you any money for it.

Reasons to "like" the PNW...

1. The weather.  It's mild and passive aggressive just like it's people.  Spring is beautiful and summer is too.
2. The outdoors.  Not my personal cup of  tea but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't always on the look out for a bald eagle or a beaver.  Fact.
3. ROLLER DERBY! OMG! There is so much of it!!  You can drive 30 minutes in any direction and find a top 10 team.
4. Apple and Berry farms.  Because who doesn't like fresh fruit and visiting a farm.
5. coffee shops.  I personally don't care much for coffee but walk a block in any direction and you'll find a coffee shop.
6. Thrift stores.  Rich people can be charitable with their really nice, expensive things.  This means better stuff to find while thrifting.
7. I need to come up with 10? 
8. Cultured people who don't stare at me for being tattooed.  They get that we don't all fit in a uniform.  I appreciate not being oogled and judged.
9. There's volcanoes and that's pretty exotic and interesting.
10. Indoor waterparks.  Because let's be honest how often would they really be open if they were outdoor?

Over the last 2 years, I have learned a lot, grown a lot, and made some of my best friends.  The PNW and the Army are responsible for that.  I am a cynical whiner but I would be remiss if I didn't say that this place will grow on you.  This will be another difficult place to leave.  Change is inevitable and you should never make your heart so tight and hard that you can't let what little light you'll see in the Northwest get in there.
Cheers! 

The "Priviledged" Life Of An Army Spouse

My name is Betsy.  I have been a military spouse for almost 5 years now.  Since then we have been to 3 duty stations, going on 4 this summer,  had 2 beautiful children, and spent only about half of that time in the same country.  I hear a lot of stereotypes about military spouses.  One is that Officer's wives are "priviledged" or "snobby" or the always lovely, "gold digger", or any other number of colorful adjectives.  My husband has been in the Army 9 years, when we met he was an e4,  I made more money than he did.  Now, I'm a stay-at-home Mom of 2, with no income to speak of, and get judged by that daily.  Which brings me to the first point of my blog for the day, SAHMs aren't always priviledged to do so.  My husband has spent the better part of 5 years deployed.  It was out of need that I stayed home to begin with.  Who is going to watch my child til 10:00 at night?!  Not my husband, he was in Iraq.  Not my parents, they live too far away.  The Army gives you the oppurtunity to stay at home but also leaves you crippled by the need to.  Now, before everyone jumps my shit, I know there are organizations in place to help spouses and dependants.  But have you been there?  These places are undermanned and over capacity.  And forget about it if your kid has a food allergy!!  Countless forms, doctors visits, even permission slips to take photos of your kids so no one gives them peanuts, in a peanut free environment.  Oy vay!! 

But the point is, when you're a sahm and Army spouse, there is no understudy.  No one will cover your shift.  If you need to do anything or go anywhere you better call FAR in advance or have a few very good friends on standby, because that hair appointment will not happen otherwise.    You are essentially a single mom without the convenience of a support system.  Not that you don't have friends willing to trade or day cares... but single moms have family.  People they love and trust always waiting to take their kids for them.  Army wives have each other but chances are those wives are in the same boat as you.   

This all stems from our latest PCS orders... I have one family there that I am truly comfortable with and who have really taken us in as family.  Other than that, I will be over 3000 miles away from my family and friends.  Another downside to the life I chose.  I know I chose this life, I love my husband, I love our children but I'd be lying if I said I always love this lifestyle.  We are constantly adapting, changing schedules, sacrificing, and most of the time I take these changes in stride and keep going.  But I'm human.  I lose sight of what's important. 

I can't ignore the fact that it is in my DNA to want a family, a community, a church, something that is constant.  Change is the only constant in our lives, in all of our lives, and GOD, he continues to try and chisel away at my stubbornness.  He continuously calls me to dig deeper, run faster, try harder.  And everyday, I fail, and every day he's there again.  Asking more of me, coaxing me to see the path he's laying out for me.  Quite honestly, I'm the dog who is digging her heels in the mud while God pulls me by the leash.  He knows I need this and I know he has a plan I don't understand yet.  He knows I'm angry with Him and confused.  I come to Him like a child to curl up on His lap for comfort.  He comforts me and sends me back out unwaivering in His conviction to mold me, to guide me where He needs me.  If only I could be as strong as I know He sees me.  I know that if the Lord can make me feel I am capable of all of the these things... Being a great Mom, a devoted wife, accepting His plans for me, Thriving in what seems to be adversity, that I truly am capable.  Because I don't think he'd lead me here if I wasn't meant to really flourish and grow.  He's like a personal trainer, pushing me to go harder, finish strong.  He knows my heart feels heavy, he knows the burdens it carries, He knows that I can carry them because I am His child.  Again, I am human.  The faith I have in Him far outweighs the faith I have in myself.  My heart remembers the sting of loneliness and is resisting that feeling again.  It's a lot like pulling off a waxing strip, the first one hurts so bad that you physically can't bring yourself to pull the other strips off.  (I think that's why we go to salons, it's a lot easier to have someone else pull the band-aid.)  But easy isn't what God wants from me, because he knows and somewhere deep down, I know, that I am capable of difficult. 
Well, that is not where I meant to take this blog, but I guess God had another plan in mind here as well.