Military Spouse Blog Hop

Hey everyone! Today I am joining in with the MilSpouse blog hop over at

Ok so my brief (and I am not known to be brief so bear with me!) bio....

My name is Jamie. I have been a Marine Corps wife for a little over 6 years. I love being a chrisitian, my family, and my friends. I am an Oncology RN by trade but I have decided to hang up that hat to be a SAHM. (At least for the time being) I have 2 small children. Kendall (almost 4) and Isaac (20 months.)I am from a small town near Pittsburgh PA. I love football and hockey. (Steelers, Penn State, and Penguins fan but I also root on the Dallas Cowboys and Texas A&M for my husband!)

I dabble in photography, scrapbooking, sewing, crafting, and a few other hobbies.

In my 6 years as a military wife, I have learned a lot about myself (and my strength) & have made more friends (more like family) than I could have ever imagined. I love being a USMC wife. Where else can you find more patriotic people & those dedicated to the service of others?

That's not to say that it doesn't have its sucky (AHEM) I mean more challenging moments. We are coming to the end of my husband's 5th detachment (varying in length from 4 to 9 weeks) right now. He has also served 3 back to back seven month long deployments to Iraq. (That means home 5.5 months and gone 7 months 3 straight years in a row.) I have friends who have been through many more so we are indeed lucky to have only done just these.

Take time to check out the blog hop and find some more lovely military spouses!

3 Things that Parents should teach their children-Blog Hop

Wow narrowing down to 3 things that are important to teach your children is hard. I have been thinking about this on and off since Brent posted the Blog hop.

"As a mother, I must faithfully, patiently, lovingly, and happily do my part - then quietly wait for God to do His." Ruth Bell Graham

1. TO LOVE: Period. Love freely and without abandon. God, family, friends, themselves, and yes even their enemies. In placing your love in someone else, they learn to let go and trust that God will let the other person open up and receive them as well.
2. TO LIVE: I want my children to charge into life full throttle and not take a second for granted. With living comes mistakes which will ultimately lead to maturity & respect.
3. TO GIVE: God gives us so many gifts and the only way to share them is to use them on others. I hope they give until they have nothing left so that those they touch can see what a beautiful being the Lord has made.

Here is where you get to speak up about your parenting values!


Special thanks to Purell Hand Sanitizer for sponsoring this blog hop.

Blog hop...remembering 9/11

Before a tribute ceremony on September 11, 2003 in Pensacola, FL.

This week's blog hop is a somber one but one that deserves the upmost respect. What were you doing when the terrorist attacks happened on September 11, 2001?
I remember waking up glad that I was off shift at the hospital. I didn't turn on the tv as I sometimes get sucked into it instead of doing what needs to be done. I started blaring my music and cleaning my apartment. I received a phone call from a friend, who broke the news to me. I remember sitting down on the couch, turning the tv on, & then crying. It also began to dawn on me that the city I was living in at the time (Pensacola, FL) might be a target. I also was worried about my parents who live about 45 minutes to an hour away from Shanksville, PA. It then crossed my mind that my best friend was in D.C. I can't even begin to put into words what I was feeling besides extreme grief, worry, anger, and hurt. So to all of those affected on September 11 God bless you & know that you will never be forgotten.

Blog Hop...Favorite Photo

Today's blog hop is all about your favorite photo (s).
This of course is right up my alley!

My first one is from 2007. This is Kendall the day we dropped Ben off for his third deployment. So sweet, so innocent, and so unaware of what was actually going on.

Isaac caught at just the right moment!
One of the engagement photos that Dana took for us....Pensacola Beach
In 2006 when Ben met Kendall for the first time. (I so wish that I could take this outfit back & come up with something else!)

Our precious 4-leggers who are always found close to each other.

Blog hop......Encouragement

God didn't promise days without pain, Laughter without sorrow, Nor sun without rain, But He did promise Strength for the day, Comfort for the tears, and Light for the way.

God determines who walks into your life, it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go. I carry your heart in my heart always.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

"In everything you do, put God first and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success." Proverbs 3:6

Blog Hop...Favorite Kids Photo

Kendall Autumn

Isaac Carter
Loving each other

This week's blog hop is your favorite kids photo. Now I have been know to take a few pictures of my kids so this one was a hard one for me to pick out! They are both such lovely, happy children so that's why I picked out the first two. And the third one, I always like to look at this one & it always tickles me when I see them looking at each other. Hope you enjoy :-)

Blog hop...3 things you didn't know about me

***OK.....wow 3 things that you didn't know about me is going to be pretty hard since I am very much an open book! But I am going to give it a try :-)

1. We just got back in from Wisconsin last night around 1100 & instead of helping my husband feed our children I am up here on the computer in blog land. :-) I also have to get us ready for a farewell party this afternoon that I am procrastinating on!
2. I was convinced to do a scholarship pageant in college even though I am terrified of speaking in public. (Did I mention there was between 2500 and 3000 people there?) If I can find a picture I will post it later.
3. I think that once the kids are grown up and I don't have to worry about orphaning them that I would like to sky dive!

This week, on TUESDAY, 7/14/09, the theme is THREE THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME (or US). You can express this with photos, writing or a combination. Here is a sample I did: http://www.mcklinkyblog.com/2009/07/mcklinky-photo-blog-for-july-14-2009-3.html ... Do not change any part of this code except for text that falls between (and includes) the opening and closing asterisks. Between the asterisks is where you place your content. DO NOT CREATE A NEW MCKLINKY LIST. WE ALL USE THE SAME LIST. DO NOT CHANGE THE LIST ID BELOW. Be sure to enter your own link to your own blog post as soon as the blog hop starts! Link directly to your blog post, not just your blog.***

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Blog hop

One of my favorite pictures of Ben and I

I was very resistant to starting this blog because I was afraid that it would be hard but it has become such a fun journey for me. I love my family and friends so this is a fun and easy way to show them that. (Not to mention we have family and friends flung far and wide due to the Marine Corp so it makes it easy to keep everyone updated.) This is my first time participating in the blog hop so bear with me!

This week, on TUESDAY, 7/7/09, the theme is A FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH. Post up one of your favorite photographs and a caption that tells the audience about it. Here is a sample: http://mcklinky.blogspot.com/2009/07/mcklinky-photo-blog-on-tuesday-sample.html Do not change any part of this snippet of code except for this paragraph only.... replace the text that falls between (and includes) the opening and closing asterisks. Be sure to enter your own link to your own blog hop post as soon as the blog hop starts!***