I QUIT

I finished typing my letter of resignation and will be submitting it later today. I have dreamed of quitting this job for some time now, but it was in hopes of finding a job closer to home. I can't help but feel excited and scared about the future (in terms of a career). Will I want to go back to work? Will I have difficulty finding another job? Am I crazy for walking away from such a secure job? Oh wait, I would be crazy to stay here and spend another year apart from my husband! Here is a picture of me in my office, it was taken a few years ago. Notice, I look much younger and refreshed. In fact, my hair looks a lot thicker. Anyway, the student is holding a bottle of hot sauce; he loved hot sauce, I believe he earned that as a reward.

Tag, I'm it

Wow, it's been hard for me to blog lately. It's that time of the year for case conferences and I've had so many that I'm beginning to go crazy. There will be more about that at a later time...

5 things found in my bag
1) A pair of Mackenzie's socks
2)Three check books
3)Vanialla Coconut room spray from Bath and Body Works (I have a group of middle school boys that haven't figured out showers are a daily requirement after the age of 10)
4)A single swab of Zicam (I have a cold right now so I guess it didn't work)
5)Two contact cases

5 things I've always wanted to do
1) Sit in the front row at an awesome concert
2) Go back to school to earn a PhD
3) Live on or near the ocean
4) Be able to speak in public situations without freaking out
5) Tell my boss what I really think of him

5 things I'm into right now
1) Photoshop
2) Anything dealing with the military that will help me prepare for my new lifestyle
3) Digital scrapbooking, normal scrapbooking annoys me
4) Reading at night before going to bed
5) Beverly Hills 90210

Inspired by a Lifetime Movie

Wow! The past few weeks have been extremely busy. I've been meaning to share a few pictures and a conversation I had with my husband last weekend. The weather has been great and Mackenzie loves being outside, however, she seems to have an aversion to grass. It's very entertaining to watch as she tries to keep both feet off the ground. The babe has also started crawling and is into EVERYTHING! Some of her favorite items include dog bones, the dog leash, any electrical cord, cell phones and shoes. Who needs toys? And of course being the good mother that I am, I let her play with all of the above items......all at once.

Onto the conversation with the husband. I had the TV on (a lot) last weekend and kept seeing a preview for a Lifetime Movie, here is the description

Tia McLealand has it made: She's blissfully in love with Nick, pregnant with his child and successful at work to boot. Then Nick is killed in a chopper crash with his National Guard unit. Unwilling to let her child grow up without a father, Tia marries her powerful billionaire boss, Michael, after he offers to raise the baby as his own, a magnanimous offer that Tia doesn't question - until years later.

Well, surprise, surprise, Nick didn't actually die in the chopper crash and comes back wanting a relationship with Tia. Tia has to decide between Nick and Michael. Obviously, this is a very common situation a girl might find herself in so I started thinking about what I would do. Nathan was relieved to learn that I would probably go back to him. There was a brief pause after I told him this and then Nathan said, "Actually, I would just kill the other guy so you didn't have to choose and I would have my wife back." Is he a sweetheart or what? That man is spending too much time with his fellow Marines and needs a woman in his life again (that would be me).

Good Times at School

I currently have a student teacher and witnessed the following conversation today. The student teacher was working with a small group of students on subtraction with regrouping.

Student Teacher asked me a question about one of the problems, I answered, and she went back to instructing the small group. When she returned to the table one of the students said, "Teacher was wrong" to which she replied, "Yes, teachers make mistakes too."

The student looked at me and said, "Mrs. Miller doesn't make mistakes." Ha! Later the same student called me "mama". Double HA!

Denim Friday

Fact-I am a teacher.

Fact-I wear jeans to work on Friday and find this rather exciting.

I learned early on in our marriage that Nathan truly believes teachers walk around school on Friday giving each other high fives and saying things like, "Hey girl! TGIF!" I find this absolutely hilarious because it couldn't be further from the truth. He has never actually come out and said it, but I imagine he pictures the teachers to look like the lovely ladies in the above picture. Obviously all teachers wear mom jeans.

Another school related item, I returned from Spring Break to find that one of my first grade girls shaved off her eyebrows! Apparently her brothers were making fun of her for having a unibrow. She meant to only shave the middle portion, but ended up taking both of them off. She had a new haircut a few days later that included bangs. Well, in true teacher form, TGIF!

It's Finally Over....For Now Anyway

I find myself starting this post over and over again, I am struggling with what I really want to say. I want to share all of the details of the past week, but there are so many memorable moments, emotions, ups and downs that I don't know where to start. I am actually feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Nathan is now a Marine Officer, he is truly in his element. The commissioning ceremony was surprisingly emotional, almost bittersweet. I felt so proud of my husband and everything he had accomplished, but I could not deny what this moment meant for us down the road. I tried my best to stay present, however, as I stood there holding MC my mind was flooded with thoughts of separation, deployments, single parenthood and of course the safety of my man. When I saw Nathan after the ceremony I could tell he was also feeling a variety of emotions, we probably weren't thinking about the same things though. Nathan reminded me later that we aren't "normal" I think he was trying to make me feel better.

Nathan and Mackenzie together for the first time in 10 weeks.

She didn't cry and I think that is a smile.

Our little family.

The commissioning ceremony.

Pinning on his bars.

Nathan and Mac

OCS is "Done Sir Done!"

I would like to thank everyone who supported myself and my family through this last chapter of our life, whether you sent letters, commented on the blog, or made a phone call...please know that we appreciate your support more than we can exclaim.

Seeing Kelly and MC for the first time put butterflies in my stomach. Ten weeks away from a baby provides so many changes, and I will admit, at times it was hard to believe that MC was my daughter because of how much she had changed...but, as soon as I saw the hairline I knew it was true. My biggest fear was, and continues to be, that my daughter will not know her father. What a humbling experience to see that the world does not stop for you but continues to go on without your input or protest.

I would like to publicly thank my wife for holding down the fort while I went off to fulfill my duties, I truly believe that I could not have accomplished these goals without her. They say, "Behind every great man is a great woman", while I don't consider myself a great man I do know that I have a great woman behind me proving the saying holds a true meaning behind the context. One of the greatest honors I have experienced was having my wife pin my Lt. bars on my uniform, I couldn't have imagined a more fitting end to the struggle we have faced. Thank you Kelly, I would not have been able to do this without you.

As we move to the next phase, please continue to keep us in your prayers...I would like to close with the toast to the flag. For you wives and girlfriends, read the words and pay attention to the the stanza, "Womanhoods care for it, Made manhood dare for it" because you are who we fight for making this the most meaningful line contained in the toast. I will take the liberty for the men in your life and thank you for being our rock. Continue to look out for us...no matter how strong we are or pretend to be we still need you...

Here's to the red of it
There's not a thread of it
No, not a shred of it
In all of the spread of it
From foot to head
But heroes bled for it
Faced steel and lead for it
Precious blood shed for it
Bathing it red

Here's to the white of it
Thrilled by the sight of it
Who knows the right of it
But feels the might of it
Through day and night
Womanhood's care for it
Make manhood dare for it
Purity's prayer for it
Keeps it so white

Here's to the blue of it
Beauteous view of it
Heavenly hue of it
Star spangled dew of it
Constant and true
Diadems gleam for it
States stand supreme for it
Liberties beam for it
Brightens the blue

Here's to the whole of it
Stars, stripes, and pole of it
Body and sole of it
O, and the roll of it
Sun shining through
Hearts in accord for it
Swear by the sword of it
Thanking the Lord for it
Red, White, and Blue

Thanks again, there is no better friend, no worst enemy...Semper Fidelis

Very Respectfully,

Nathan