Once in August We Said “I Do”

Once in August, we said, “I do.” Weddings and marriages are funny. How often do you see a celebrity lavishly pour out a million dollars on a wedding, and everyone is oohing and aaahing over it, KNOWING that marriage probably won’t even last. Our wedding was beautiful. Well, I thought so anyway. It was no celebrity affair, but it fit me, with a touch of Alan. Everything was simple and pretty and stuffed to the brim with guests. Before Alan […]

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The Fork in the Road

****This post is part of my series on Real Army Wives. This series follows my husband’s first deployment to Iraq in 2003, but it’s the story of the wives back home more so than the men at war. Click here for last week’s post, Alan’s Convoy Attack.***** Mon., October 6, 2003 Alan, I’ve had a week off now to think about what it is I should be doing. I really still want to be a physical therapist. The only reason I […]

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My 4 Favorite Homemaking Hacks for 2018

My 4 Favorite Homemaking Hacks for 2018

I love Christmas break. Time off from spelling tests, chauffeur duties, graded papers, packing lunches, and best of all I’m not desperately rushing everyone to not be late…..oh how I love time off. We always spend a few days at my parent’s house and a few days at Alan’s parents’ house, and it’s such a blessing to spend time with them and soak up the rest and good conversation. With people you see on a daily basis, it can be […]

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6 Ways to Save Your Marriage During Deployment

****This post is part of the series Real Army Wives on storiesofourboys.com. This series chronicles the story of our first deployment, back in 2003.**** Once Alan had been gone for 6 months, and we were finally able to communicate regularly, we found that we began to bicker–even from continents away. We were having newlywed problems, whether we were together or not. Alan was anxious to move us forward towards our goals in the U.S., yet he was stuck in a […]

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Real Army Wives Series: New York City

  While Alan was at OBC (military training) in Oklahoma, and I was finishing my degree at Alabama, Alan had this spontaneous idea to meet for the weekend in New York City!! New York City!! Y’all. To fully understand why this was such a big deal, I should explain that I was not accustomed to this sort of thing. We did not take annual vacations or move from state to state. I lived in Alabama my entire life. But for […]

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Army Wives Series: The First Good-bye and Watching the News

The news was suddenly intruding into my life. It was more than a channel to flip past. It was affecting me directly. It had always affected me, whether I realized it or not, but now I was in the front of the line of dominoes!!

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Just Call Me Aunt Bee. We all want to be appreciated.

Today I left Alan with all three boys, ages 2 to 6, while I went to the chiropractor’s office and to Target.  I heard the sweetest, sweetest words when I got home. “It was….that kid…..no, not just him, that one too.  Oh my gosh.  April, please don’t leave me here alone with them again.” “Where’s Caleb?” “Huh?  Oh, I don’t know.  He’s fine.  At least he’s been entertaining himself!” BAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Now, of course, Alan was JOKING about me not leaving him […]

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