Loss of a Legend

"You're only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

The only souvenier I asked for on my family trip to Disney that now hangs in our guest room.

Robin Williams has been my favorite actor for my entire life. People have poked fun at me for it (never in a mean way) about how he was always my top of the heap favorite, but I know I am not alone (based on the social media take over alone). The world lost a wonderful, talented man yesterday. I am not going to lie, I cried when I heard he passed away. My entire life I dreamed of meeting him, and my top actor dream of actually acting with him, will now never be realized. This brilliant man had demons darker than any of us knew and is now no longer with us. His wife is a widow and his children are without their father... and it breaks my heart.

 

On acting: "All the new people you meet, it's pretty amazing. The vampire needs new blood. And there is still a lot to learn and there is always great stuff out there. Even mistakes can be wonderful."

I remember being young, really young, and begging my mom to let me stay up for another episode of Mork & Mindy. She usually obliged for at least one episode and rolled her eyes more than once as I Nanu Nanu'd along with my favorite alien. One of the first movies I saw in a movie theatre was Aladdin, and I was ecstatic when my mom told me the Genie was the same voice as Mork.

That love always stayed.

From Mrs. Doubtfire (a movie that practically defined childhood for my generation) to Flubber to the serious movies... Jakob the Liar (being one of the most underrated in my opinion), Good Will Hunting and What Dreams May Come... his performances was awe inspiring and captivating. Dark or light, serious or comedic, he had a presence that was undeniable to even someone like me on the other side of the screen. Buzzfeed highlighted some good performances in this article too. He also was a huge supporter of our military and his USO shows were legendary. He has even been referred to as the Bob Hope of our generation for his work with the USO. The military community is even reeling from the loss.



Source

Yesterday I was watching TV when my friend Donna texted me the news. I gasped out loud, probably scaring Ryan a bit, and googled it. It was popping up everywhere. He was gone, suicide.

"You have an internal critic, an internal drive that says, `OK, you can do more.' Maybe that's what keeps you going," Williams said. "Maybe that's a demon. ... Some people say, `It's a muse.' No, it's not a muse! It's a demon! DO IT YOU BASTARD!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THE LITTLE DEMON!!"

His demons won out. His struggles with addiction and depression were not a secret, they've been a source of contention for him for years, and he spoke about them quite a bit. But I don't think anyone saw this coming. My adoration is well known in my family and friends so I had people texting me and facebooking me to check in and see how I was doing. Seriously.

Source    

Hollywood has lost some great talent in my lifetime, but none hit me as hard as this. I know it is silly to mourn for someone you have never met, but this man has made a huge impact on my life, both personally and as an actor. His talent is awe inspiring and no one will probably ever be able to come close to replicating it. It may be silly for me to dedicate an entire blog entry to this, but it's my blog, I'll do what I want. It feels like an extended uncle four times removed has died... someone who helped shape my childhood and my love of acting... and it sucks.

Source

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

 

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

The arm beneath your head!

It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

But I with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

To all the wonderful Military Spouses out there, I just wanted to say thank you. To my blogging friends, thank you for getting me through some of my lowest lows and celebrating my highest highs. To my real life military spouse friends, thanks for the drinks, the movie nights and the general gripe sessions you've endured at my side. I never realized when I met my husband that being a "military spouse" would become a part of my identity, but it has. Now, don't get me wrong, I take no credit for anything my husband does... he does his job and he does it damn well. I am proud of him and his accomplishments... and that is what they are. His. But I am proud to be on this journey with him.

Sometimes that means spending a holiday or a birthday or anniversary alone. Sometimes that means going to Walmart at midnight to get baby wipes so he can "shower" in the field. Sometimes it means living 3,000 miles apart for nine months while he goes to school and you hold down your "good" job and save money to buy your first house. Sometimes it means a tearful goodbye knowing he is deploying for the next 6-8 months. But it also means cherishing every moment we have. It means enjoying each holiday, from Thanksgiving to Saint Patrick's Day, in case you are apart next year. It means long, bone crunching hugs and sweet kisses that have to either last awhile or make up for lost time. It means phone calls long into the night ignoring the fact that you have work in four hours. It means your heart skips a beat when you unexpectedly get a text message or an email. It means having so many first kisses that you lose count.

There is something to be said for being a military spouse. They are some of the strongest, kindest and most adaptable people I have ever had the honor of knowing. Near and far I am proud to consider them my friends. Thank you. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you, for advice when I was lost, and for just listening when it was necessary. I appreciate every one I have met and I know these relationships will last a long time. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Military.com Spouse Summit 2013

Readers, I am honored to share this information with you all today. A few years ago as a semi new blogger and newlywed I heard about Military.com's Milblog Conference. Even though it was the weekend of my first wedding anniversary my husband understood when I jumped at the chance to attend (at least half of it!).

I had a blast. For the first time I was able to put names and faces in person to the bloggers I had been following for years. To be honest, I was a bit starstruck! 

This is one of the group pictures from the night of the conference... all of these women are amazing bloggers that I could not believe I was fortunate enough to meet!

The networking possibilities were endless, not just for bloggers either. I knew people who attended the conference and left with not just a pocket full of business cards but legitimate job opportunities as well. Now this was in 2011... two years later the conference has evolved. Do you have to be a blogger to attend? Nope! This year they are trying to reach all military spouses who wish to attend. If you can get to the DC area April 11th and 12th I highly encourage it!

Military.com’s Spouse Summit is not your typical conference. First of all it’s free! And they have banned the PowerPoint and 30 minute speeches in favor of interactive sessions with experts you can actually talk to and network with. The summit will focus on the issues that really matter like connecting with other spouses-on and offline, military mental health, what works when raising kids in the military, spouse career options and what you need to know about that looming transition to civilian life that faces every single military family at some point in their lives.

And the speakers this year are truly top notch: they have representatives from the Center for Deployment Psychology, The US Chamber of Commerce, The Warrior and Family Support office of the Chairman of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, University of Southern California's Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and they are so honored to have as our keynote speaker Sal Giunta, the first living Medal of honor recipient since Vietnam. Amazing stuff, right?

The link to register is: http://spousesummit.com/ and you can follow along on Twitter this year with the hastag #MilSpSum

I am very disappointed I cannot attend this year. Naturally this is the weekend of my play! So I will be in North Carolina, jealous of all the lucky spouses who will have an amazing time. Do you plan on going? Let me know!

Patriot Surplus Give Away!

Yes my friends, it is GIVE AWAY TIME! So excited! I love when people contact me to host give aways for them, it makes me feel uber special about this little blog of mine. Today I am giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to PatriotSurplus.com!

What is Patriot Surplus?



Patriot Surplus was founded in 2004 by a former US Marine named Steve Berg in Pennsylvania. They started small and grew to a large warehouse at 15 N. Hanover St. in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and welcome you all to stop in if you are in the area! What do they have? Almost anything military related you can ask for! Everything from boats to coats to uniforms to keychains, you can find it on Steve's site. They are also have great customer service policies... check this out from their site:

"You may return any item within 30 days of the invoice date for credit to your account, exchanges or adjustment. As long as it is still in new condition with all tags intact, we'll be happy to help you out. You may return any of our name brand boots for up to 365 days. That's a year folks. As long as the boots are unworn and all packaging is still intact, we'll gladly help you exchange or return your boots for credit. We know what it is like to be deployed and unable to get access to a phone or computer."

Sounds good to me!

They are also huge privacy advocates and will never give your information away or spam you.

When I received the email about the giveaway I decided to explore on my own. My husband, Mr. Romantic himself, asked me for socks for Valentine's Day. When I explained my protest he replied, "They're for work and like $5 a pair! I need them!" Ok! I found just what he needed on the site for $3.95 a pair... a bargain! My husband has a whole bunch of socks coming his way, cushioned soles included.



They include free shipping on any orders over $79.00 and even ship to APO/FPO addresses. Be sure to check out their site and explore around.


Want to Win?

Please make sure your email is linked to your name or leave your email in the comments!

Mandatory entries:
Follow my blog with GFC
Leave a comment telling me what would you buy from PatriotSurplus.com if you win and that you follow me!

Additional Entries: (Please do as separate comments!)
Like Patriot Surplus on Facebook
Follow them on Twitter
Comment on a blog post from their site
Do your own blog entry promoting this give away - two entries (please do 2 comments!)

Notes:
Gift certificate expiration Date: July 30, 2012
The coupon code can only be used once. It does not cover shipping or taxes.

This give away will be open until noon (EST) on Friday February 3, 2012. Winners will be announced Friday afternoon/evening.

Good luck!




(Note: I was not compensated for this entry, all opinions are strictly my own. I ordered the socks on my own accord! I was provided a gift certificate/code as a prize to give to the winner of the give away but this did not effect my opinion of the site.)

Remembering the Fallen

Originally I wanted to write about my weekend, but I think that will wait until tomorrow.

I was sitting in the car Saturday morning when the CNN Breaking News story came on the radio. My heart sank when I heard the story of the helicopter crash and loss of 38 lives. 20 Americans out there fighting for our freedom as well as eight others... Afghan Soldiers, a Dog handler and more... gone. It choked me up and made my throat painfully tight as I imagined 30 American families getting a knock at the door. The worst nightmare of any spouse or parent. As American Soldier came on the radio following the news update I almost cried in the car.

Coming in to work this morning and talking with all the clients of ours who are military veterans was sombering. Seeing the report on CNN interviewing their families, reading this news article... the biggest single loss of American life in one day since the war began a decade ago.


God Bless these brave men and their families.

And thank you.

"The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten."
- Calvin Coolidge

Review: Semper Wifey Notecards

(My good camera battery died so these are from my point and shoot mini camera, sorry for the quality! The cards are great, my pictures not so much :P)

Recently I was asked to give my first review by Semper Wifey! I had this post started but with the craziness of getting orders this week I am sorry it has taken me so long to post it.

I received the cards very quickly in the mail and I thought they were so adorable. Her shipping was prompt and the cards looked terrific. She did mention she was getting a new printer so the name (not shown) on the back of the cards would be different, but I still thought they were great! I love the Toy Army Men and the sayings fit perfectly.

My family is huge on thank you notes and cards just to say hi, and I would use these without question. I think my Poppy (a one time USMC Sgt Major) would get a kick out of these, I think I may have to send him one. Even my husband, nosy man he is, couldn't help but peek over my shoulder when I got my package. He thought the cards were "pretty cool" and always observant, "Hey, the guy in the foreground on this card is on the background on this card!" Very true.

I know in a technologically strong age that "snail mail" and notes are slowly becoming a thing of the past, but I think the written word (vs the typed!) should continue! Send a card to someone! Everyone loves getting mail, I know I do, especially if it is not bills!

You can purchase your own cards at Semper Wifey's Etsy shop. A set of eight note cards is $12, and individual cards are $2.50 each, plus there is a third card that is not shown here. BUT, you lucky readers can get 15% off of your purchases, plus FREE shipping by entering the code SEMPER15. The shop celebration coupon will expire Friday, July 15.

Go support a fellow milspouse (: I highly recommend it! And feel free to leave some love here for her handiwork!

Video for You Ladies

I am not normally a big rap fan, but this is for all you wonderful military spouses out there!

Milblog Conference

I am so glad I went to the conference on Friday night! I got to meet some amazing women (dude I was totally blogstarstruck!) and have a great time. You may recognize some of the lovely ladies (and gent) I met...


Amber from Goodnight Moon


Angela, founder of the Homefront United Network


Ann Marie from Household6Diva with Amber and Angela


And country singer Mark Wills!

As well as the ever anonymous Riding the Rollercoaster. I emailed you your picture! And I owe you a drink!

It was great just to talk with people who have been where you are and understand. The milbloggies were great, congratulations to Ben & Katie for winning the Best Milspouse Blog AND Fan Favorite!

Mark Wills was a really nice guy as well as a terrific performer.



Here is one video I took... I think I will save the other one for the Thursday link up!

Military Stand Up

Ryan showed me this video and it is fricken hilarious. Gotta love it (:

Almost 200....

So I am only two followers away from 200 (oh my God!!!) and I am pretty excited!

I would really love to do a give away! Would anyone be interested in partnering up with me? I don't really know what to give away and I would love to help promote someone's business/work/anything! So if you are interested please send me an email at imyewneek@yahoo.com or just leave a comment. And I will not let this give away turn out like my last one, I promise. *grumble*

Now with so many new followers I have two more things I want to do!

One: A Question/Answer Post

Do any of you have any questions for me? Some of you are pretty new so I would love to fill you in on anything you may be curious about! I know going back to the beginning of a blog and catching up can be pretty time consuming, especially when you have to go back to June 2009 or so to do it! So ask away! Anything about me, the hubs, the Corps, the blog... I'll gather them up and do a big answer post soon. I mean, if people ask anything!

Two: I wanna know about you!

I try and comment on all the blogs I read as much as I can. Am I not reading your blog? Let me know! Have a button you want to add? Link it to me! Now I have a few questions for you.... leave answers in the comments below!

1. Are you a military spouse? Spouse to be? If so what branch is your significant other in?
2. What are two of your favorite blogs to read?
3. Who would play you in the movie of your life?
4. What is your dream job?
5. *POOF!* Your turned into an animal by an evil genie (for a day...). What are you?

Thanks for reading everyone. I am so glad I have stuck with this blog for so long and all the great things and relationships it has given me!

Love Cupcakes?

If you live near DC....

Free cupcakes for members of the military and their families from March 3-6!
In honor of our men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces, Georgetown Cupcake will give a free cupcake to members of the military, Veterans, and their families from Thursday, March 3 through Sunday, March 6.

Georgetown Cupcake | 3301 M St NW | Washington, DC 20007

202-333-8448

To order, please visit www.georgetowncupcake.com

Super Special Guest Blogger

Today is the day... my surgery is today, so cross your fingers for me! I wanted my first guest blogger this week to be extra special so I begged a certain someone to write something for me. ..

"I don't do mushy stuff publically!"
It doesn't have to be mushy!
"Well, it will be like homework!"
No, it won't. You're on duty anyway. What else do you have to do?
"Ok ok fine.... You know I'm just being difficult, right? I know it means a lot to you. I'll come up with something."

So, for the first time on My Marine and Me, I present, my husband and My Marine, Ryan.

The 2nd General Order
To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.


My wife has asked me to write something for her blog. I chose to write about something that I am currently dealing with and that we all can relate to. Being bored is something that we all know about. Most people don't enjoy being bored and some of you may have heard the expression "dying of boredom." Sometimes however, this expression can be closer to true than you might think.

Most people view boredom and stress as opposites when in fact boredom is a type of stress. Webster defines stress as a constraining force or influence such as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Boredom certainly fits that description and can be one of the most dangerous types of stress. Being bored can cause loneliness and in some cases depression. Boredom can cause complacency or cause a person to lose situational awareness. It can cause people to "zone out" for a few seconds or several minutes.

This can be harmful to anyone, not just service members. For example if a carpenter has been hammering nails for a few hours and becomes bored with the monotonous work, he could lose focus and smash his hand. If a metal worker who has been performing the same routine task everyday becomes complacent and neglects a safety precaution, it can result in injury. Boredom can cause a business executive on a long drive to a conference to fall asleep behind the wheel of a car. In the same respect, a service member who has been on post for 8 hours can zone out and become less vigilant. Also if a member of the armed forces is patrolling the same area for the hundredth time, he or she may get bored and drop his or her guard.

There are many ways that boredom can be dangerous to men and women of the armed forces as well as civilians, but the things that we do to keep from being bored can be just as dangerous. The business executive could sip some coffee or turn on the radio, both of which take eyes off of the road and focus off of driving even if only for a second or two. The carpenter can break up monotony by trying to see how many nails he can hammer in one minute, also an unsafe act. Service members have come up with many ways to keep from being bored however most of them are just as unsafe and take your mind off of what you are doing at the time.

The point is that at some point in time we must all come up with safe and efficient ways to combat boredom. This is a task that is easier said than done. Some people can take a break to regain focus, but service members don't always have that luxury. So how do YOU deal with boredom in a way that is constructive? Please feel free to leave comments and thanks for reading!

PS: This was written while on post in garrison.

Guest Blogger 2

I normally don't update on weekends, but I just wanted to give you all a heads up that I am a guest blogger on the amazing blog of Mrs Gambizzle today for MiliMondays... so please head on over and check it out! I am curious to know if anyone else is in the same situation and your thoughts on it.



I hope you are all enjoying your weekends and hopefully 72s! And welcome new followers, I am glad you're here! Leave me a comment and I will be sure to follow you as well (: