Travel and Adventure ... Compliments of the USMC

Yesterday I went to a Key Volunteer meeting in Raleigh. The Marine Corps has a Family Readiness Program called the Key Volunteer Network. This program helps support the families of Marines. When we are in the fleet it serves as a tool for communication and support when the Marine is deployed. On Recruiting Duty it serves more like a planning committee. We don't have to maintain regular contact since the Marine is home. Yesterday we met to talk about the upcoming Marine Corp Ball. On a good day it is a 2 1/2 hour drive from my house to Raleigh. It took a litle while longer, 3 1/2 to be exact. But, lunch was tasty and I was determined to make a good day of it. It was a productive meeting, we decided on gifts and talked about next years Family Day. Did I mention I had to take the kids with me since hubby had to work? I wanted to make sure that the kids got to have some fun after sitting through the meeting and being on the road all day. So this is some of what we saw:

The State Capital

U.S. Presidents born in North Carolina

Statue of George Washington What seemed to leave the biggest impression was a statue in memorial of Vietnam Veterans. The look on my children's faces as we looked at the statue spoke volumes. We talked about the details on the statue. My son pointed out the veins in one of the soldiers arms. We talked about the equipment they were carrying and the expressions on their faces. I ended up taking several pictures. Look at the expression on their faces. I think this is the closest to how they imagine what their father went through.

I took tons of other pictures. I also learned that the best ones are not posed. My kids are terrible at posing for the camera. The moments I caught, like those in the above pictures, were the best. There were some funny ones too. I caught Tori sticking her head in a cannon. And another of her taking a drink of water. I also took some good shots of the surrounding scenery. There are several churches surrounding the Capital and I got a few shots of the steeples through the trees and they turned out pretty good. I have lived in NC for 13 years now and had never visited the state capital in Raleigh. It was neat. It also reminds me to take advantage of the opportunities around us.

One of the advantages of being a military family is travel. OK, so our family has been in NC for 13 years, but we get to see different places when we move every 3 or 4 years. Raleigh is one of those places. When we lived closer to Camp Lejuene we got to see the Outer Banks and several of the lighthouses. This is one of the ways I try to make the best of new duty stations. Sometimes being a military wife is difficult. We have to look for the positives when we move. Sometimes it's making new friends, decorating new houses, finding a new hairdresser (UGGHH!), or just figuring out where the keep our favorite things in the local grocery store. Military wives face a unique set of challenges. I applaud all the Mil Spouses I know. Each duty station, deployment, TDY, school, and move presents a new set of challenges. I don't always meet those challenges with grace, but I make the best of it wherever we go. I challenge you to do the same. Bloom where you are planted. It's one of those Mil Spouse motos. I live by it, do you?

oh...Soon, we will be getting new orders. Remind me of this when that happens would you?