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By J.G. Noll Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after driving the Greeks from the city. It consists of eight days of celebrations, to imitate the miracle at the dedication where the Jewish people had only enough oil for one night, yet it burned for eight. All over […]

By Lizann Lightfoot Military spouses spend lots of time separated from each other because of deployments, training, and schools. Why would a military spouse ever volunteer to stay behind and remain separated from their service member when the military member moves to a new duty station? It turns out, there are many reasons this can […]

By Team MSF Ah, Halloween… the season of frights and giggles, princesses and pirates, candy and costumes. The trees change (or they don’t, depending on where you’re stationed), you snuggle up to watch the Peanuts Gang look for the Great Pumpkin, and you grapple with a perennial problem: what the kids are going to wear […]

“Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry…” That childhood song pops into my head whenever I feel like I am waiting too long for something to happen in the military world. You need to have patience as well as several other traits to make your life a little easier as a milspouse. […]

(Photo: Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Sgt. Jacob Sawyer) Whether they are exotic locations or boring towns in the middle of the desert, military bases certainly give you a unique glimpse at different parts of our country and the world. By the time you leave that post, you are going to have a lot of memories. […]

Hey you, military spouse, here’s an interesting question: How do you define success? What does it mean to you to succeed at this military life? It’s a question worth considering. We spend so much time keeping our heads down and moving forward, just hoping to survive the next military life challenge. Do you ever stop […]

Though I’m not opposed to an occasional drink, I have spent the majority of my adult life sober. As a teenager, I made a promise to myself not to drink until I was 21. I wanted to set an example for my future children, but I also grew up with way too many alcoholic relatives. […]

(Photo: Courtesy of Lizann Lightfoot) Even though we met and started dating before boot camp, my husband had been in the military for several years by the time we were engaged and married. Although many of his Marine friends married before us, neither of us had been to any military weddings. It is common for […]