When our daughter, Bethany, was four-years-old, she came running in the house sobbing uncontrollably. I smoothed her blond curls and held her, “What’s wrong, Bunny?” “I don’t want to leave you and go to college!” Her chubby arms held my neck tight. “Um, well, Bunny, you don’t have to go to college any time soon!”… Read full post
I’ve been memorizing his face for weeks — this man-child of mine. In the shuffle to buy textbooks and bedding and the 5,000 other things necessary to set up his “new home” at college, THIS home begins to feel empty yet again. Tears flow without warning and I realize that it is indeed possible to… Read full post
Continued from last week … Before my move to Rota, Spain, I had forgotten what it was like to be the new kid on the block. I had lived in Washington, D.C., for over five years and I was settled — great friends, great job, great community — life was familiar and comfortable. Life in… Read full post
Continued from last week… I landed in Spain on Nov. 10, 2013, and for the first few days, I felt as if I was on vacation. We got settled in our house on base, did some shopping, planned European adventures, and explored Rota. Then reality began to set in. Don’t get me wrong: I was… Read full post
Nothing happened today. Exciting stuff, right? I woke up at o’dark thirty (for civilians reading this, that’s the official name of any time that involves an alarm clock going off long before the sun hits the sky or normal people are moving). I poured my first cup of coffee, tripping over random animals trying to… Read full post
Continued from last week… Moving (known in the military as PCSing, for “permanent change of station”) is stressful. PCSing overseas can be even more stressful. For “acquired dependents” (new spouses) to join a husband or wife who is already overseas, they need to be sponsored by their spouse’s command. It may sound simple — get… Read full post
Continued from last week… As the countdown to our wedding day approached single digits, Aleksei arrived from Spain to find a substantial “honey do” list (picking up the wedding dinner menus, organizing gifts for the groomsmen, checking in with the rehearsal dinner venue) — we had about three days before family and friends started to… Read full post
Continued from last week… The wedding plans moved forward as we approached the big day — Oct. 12, 2013. There were some minor hiccups (seating charts, invitation envelopes — the usual), but, all in all, things were coming together. Still, one thing was bothering me. My family and I had decided not to invite one… Read full post
The summer is flying by, with all of the backyard barbecues, block party’s and beach time it’s easy to forget about the basics. Summertime is about making the most of the weather—even more reason it’s important to consider how to stay safe and healthy as well. Here are some of our tips: Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen: Everything you hear about sunscreen is… Read full post
Continued from last week… We had about four days between our engagement and my fiance’s return to Spain. So I did what any event planner-turned-wedding planner would do — I made appointments with venues. I was in my element. Rather than have our wedding in Massachusetts (my home state) or California (his), we decided to… Read full post
Continued from last week… Let’s just come clean about something. I have four kids, which means that my idea of a vacation is me sitting behind a locked bathroom door pretending not to hear the little people on the other side (or see their little fingers wiggling under the door). So I get overly excited… Read full post
Continued from last week… Work was crazy when I returned from Spain. We were planning our first large-scale event, a pro bono fundraiser for Honor Flight Network. That consumed me for six weeks, but I didn’t mind at all. We were doing great work for a great organization, and I love event planning. Once that… Read full post
