Drum Roll Please! MilGirl Live and Learn: Shayla

I am so excited about launching...

MilGirl (Monday) Live and Learn!

Today we'll be hearing from Shayla of Sunshine and Sprinkles!

She and her husband just got married 2 weeks ago!!

Their pictures on her blog are SO cute!!!

(see? so super cute!)

Without further delay, here's Shayla!

Tell us a little about you: I'm a Jesus freak, I just got married a little over a week ago, I'm 20 years old.  I'm in my 3rd year of college- I want to be a first grade teacher!

The branch of service: The BEST branch ...lol the United States Coast Guard :)

How long have you been together/married? We've been married for like...10 days (HAHA) but together for almost 2.5 years.  Note from Editor: This is as of May 31! Congratulations, Shayla!

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: Funny story, he took MY friend to prom.  Given, at the time I had a boyfriend *who I was CERTAIN I would marry-thank goodness that did NOT happen!*  Before they went to prom together he started eating lunch with all of us (he was a senior, I was a sophomore).  Almost 3 years later we met again through facebook.  He was living in Michigan with his older brother and he came down for a weekend and asked me out..the rest is history :).  He signed his life a way a little over one year into our relationship- ironically, him going through boot camp SAVED our relationship.

Is he career military? We are not for certain on that, it depends if he really loves the aviation program.  Probably not though,  being in the military keeps him away from family, and he's a big family guy so things are tough for him right now.

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: Um, I was thankful he was doing the Coast Guard out of all the other branches, but I was very scared that the military would change him into a tough and mean guy that didn't love me anymore.

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: At the time we met his work uniform was black slacks and a red Radioshack Shirt! haha so not the uniform!!!  He has the most GORGEOUS blue eyes I have ever seen!!!  His heart is what I love most, I've never met someone who cares so much about the human race!  He cares so much about people!!!

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: My dad was THRILLED.  He was in the Air Force and feels that EVERY man should be required to serve 2 years in the military after high school- so he loved the idea.  My mom was excited for him, and my little brother was really proud of him for joining.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?:  I don't think ANYTHING can make up for lost time with my husband, but I do have a LOT of pride in what he does.  I don't think the pride makes up for the sacrifice, but it makes the sacrifice easier to swallow.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military? Tell me your horror stories!:  Well, if his ship gets called to go deal with the oil spill we may have some serious issues come our big family wedding in August...or if a hurricane hits...things may get canceled!!!  Other than that...there have been sometimes when visits have been pushed back a weekend or two, but nothing major thank goodness!!!

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope?: We eloped! It's fun everyone should try it! LOL  We got married sooner because of BAH, and the fact that if we waited until December he would have to go to A-school right after the wedding...so YES the Coast Guard made us get married much sooner--but I am so thankful for it!!!

What is one piece of advice you had received (or wish you received) PRIOR to getting married or while dating?  I was told that if he gets what he wants at home he won't go looking for it elsewhere (thanks mom!).  Always RESPECT your husband UNCONDITIONALLY (Love & Respect - amazing book) 

If I were to give advice to future MilSpouses I would say; stay involved in his life.  Know his chain of command, the buddies he works with, and all of the lingo associated with his job.  A lot of times guys don't share with their significant other what is going on b/c they feel that they don't care or understand- that's BAD news.  You WANT your man to tell you EVERYTHING.  If not, you give away your ability to honor him- making it reallllllly easy for another girl to come in and take your place.

Also, ALWAYS support him.  You may not always agree, but you can always support him in a loving way!!!

Thanks Shayla for being with us today!

Also, thank you for reading the Semper Gumby the Life's FIRST 

MilGirl Live and Learn!

Let us know what you think! 

xoxo,

Reina

Sneak Peek: MilGirl Live and Learn

Ladies! I'm so excited to announce that tomorrow, we will have our FIRST MilGirl Live and learn right here on Semper Gumby the Life!

Just as a preview, I wanted to give you a glimpse of what the girls will be talking about EVERY MONDAY starting tomorrow!

Today, it's ME!

I'm Reina! But you already knew that.
Branch of Service: My Fiancee serves in the United States Marine Corps.

How is going from a civilian to a MilGirl different?: Obviously, the learning curve is HUGE. The mannerisms and the protocol freak me out the most.  I always get scared going through the base gate with him, even if I'm not doing anything wrong.  The biggest one is that you can't show affection while he's in uniform (except for in our engagement pics, above...).  Perhaps it's just the USMC because they take their uniforms VERY VERY seriously, but that's a hard one for me to get used to. I also didn't have to carry around a Marine to English dictionary with me before this guy!

How long have you been together/married?: We have been "together" physically in the same country since December 2008.  He was stationed in Okinawa prior to that.  We are getting married in September 2011! I am a lucky girl.

How did you meet your man? Was it before he signed his life away?: I actually met him for the first time before he was a Marine.  He says it was love at first sight but it took 2 years for me to get to that point.  By then, he was a Marine, in Japan and very very far away from me.  We skyped and IM-ed and emailed all the time.  He walked into a pole trying to text me (while he was "out with the guys").

Is the career military?: He most certainly is.  Currently he's enlisted but he is hoping to finish up the few last years of college to go through OCS (Officer Candidate School) and TBS (The Basic School)!  I think he would be a wonderful officer.  I know he'll be awesome also, having been enlisted himself. I am so proud of my Marine... Can't you tell?

What attracted you to him?  Was it the uniform?: Honestly, it probably WAS the uniform but not the fact that he was in the military.  Quite frankly, I was terrified of the military (since I didn't know anything about it).  But after getting to know him, his personality was exactly what I wanted: attentive, caring and goofy as all get up (like me!).


How did/does your family feel about him being in the military?: I don't think they are quite sold on it.  It's frustrating at times when I feel such an amazing sense of pride for what he does and what our military does to protect this country and they just don't get it.  To them, the military is an accessory to war.  That really gets me sometimes.  I don't like to say this too much because it portrays my family badly but honestly, they just don't get it. I think it's my fault for not taking the time to explain it enough.

Does the sexy uniform make up for all the crap that you put up with sacrifices that you have to make?: It does.  Hear me out.  The uniform is a recognition of the thing that he loves to do.  He is SO happy being a Marine.  He is SO proud every time he puts on his dress blues.  I am so proud every time he gets dressed in the morning... even his cammies.

Have your plans been messed up by the military?: Yes, minor plans have been messed up by the military.  But that's part of the reason I planned for our wedding to be during a time when he can't get orders that will take him away.  I know that they can do what is necessary for the unit or the country so I know I have to be proactive.

What's one piece of advice you wish you had received before joining the Military family?: There are several things that I wish I had.  They aren't necessarily words of advice.  They are people who are there to support you while you learn and make mistakes figuring out the military lifestyle.  It means taking advantage of the people and resources that are available to you to get to know people, to get to know the system.  That means you should learn the lingo.  Yep, there's lots of it.  Having the blogging world and twitter has been crucial to my integration in the Military community.  Thanks for your support!!

I know that being a girlfriend, it's always difficult... the future isn't always clear for you and your beau (unless you've both said "we're going to get married" and you know you both are committed to it).  It can be volatile and it can be a tenuous time.  Add in the chances of deployments, work ups, PCS (Permanent Change of Station aka moving to a different duty station)... It's quite stressful!  If you're able to have that conversation of where you both think your relationship is going is an important one to have...

Keep your eyes open for tomorrow as we launch MilGirl Live and Learn!

love,
Reina

Pretty Little Things

Hi Ladies!

I'm sort of in a bloggy rut after the long weekend but bear with me as we get the MilGirl Advice Blog rolling out next week!  Thank you for all of your enthusiastic replies.  I'll be contacting you to let you know when yours will be hitting my blog!


Anyway, on a whim, I decided that I wanted to learn how to decorate cakes.  NOTE: I don't really bake cakes... but that's another story for another day... I checked in with my local Michaels and decided to take a cake decorating class.  I figured if I was going to be a MilSpouse one day (465 days!!! haha still a lifetime away!) I might need to bring a cake to some social function and nobody wants to eat a cake that look like... poo poo. 

 It says "Happy Hank Day" for my friend Hank's Birthday.

I know I can do better than that!

So, I'll decorate and hopefully I have some talent at the medium that is frosting.  I'm not too awful at some artistic mediums... I'm awesome at puffy paint (thanks to all those cheerleading Tshirts we had to hand make), I'd like to think I'm decent at painting ceramics as long as the designs are simple and modern -- and involve a lot of colorful polka dots!

So I'm excited to start.  It was supposed to start today at 2 pm but the teacher says she thought it started next week.  A fellow classmate (and Marine Spouse) was PISSED and started to tear the manager a new one... saying that it was unprofessional that she was late and that she decided not to show up.  That she should receive a discount and reimbursement for mileage!

Alright lady. I know your precious hubby is coming home and you want to make him a Marine cake but you yelling is not okay... jus sayin.

It starts next week and we're supposed to decorate sugar cookies. I'll post pics when I got 'em!  :D

Hugs,
Reina

Memorial Day reflection

Every year, up until recently, Memorial day was a time that we got extra days off.  Time to spend with family or friends.  Go to BBQs.  Enjoy the weather.  This year, it became insanely real to me.  Like a ton of bricks.  I am not spending the day mourning but rather appreciating and celebrating our brave heroes' lives.  We will never forget you...  I am also thanking those who proudly serve our country.  Thank you.

If somebody is enjoying Memorial day too much, just remind them, gently, what this day stands for.  Let's educate people rather than assuming the worst in them... Some honestly just don't know.

Help!!! I need you to...

I need to come up with a name for my "dating a service member advice column" stuff!  I currently feel lovely, like a Carrie Bradshaw type, with the finding girls to dole out the advice.  But before I can become a stiletto-ed Carrie, I need a cool, fun sassy-spectacular name! So put your thinking caps on, ladies! Help a girl out!

So, the whole point of these blogs will be to meet a MilGirl (Milgirlfriend, Milfiancee, and Milspouse) to learn about their time while dating their service member.  The decisions that you have to make because the military sometimes takes over your life; what you learn because of the military; how your life changed when you went from civilian to MilGirl.  This is a resource to help navigate the uncertainty that is the military, uncertainty that sometimes is a volatile relationship due to the military (for example: I met this guy 4 months ago, we're in love but his unit is getting ready to deploy for the next 13 months and I don't know if I'm ready or what I'm getting myself into)...

Please help me come up with a name! 

Shankkseee!!
(If you're interested in being interviewed, I'd love to have ya! Just email me! dateamarine@gmail.com)
Reina