military kids

An Ordinary Supergoddess PBS Memorial Day Concert Recap

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What can be more traditional than watching the PBS Memorial Day concert? This year, there were a few reasons why I couldn’t watch it live. 1) I no longer live in the D.C. area which makes it a little less accessible than usual. And 2) the concert wasn’t live.

#MemDayPBS

We all know why the concert wasn’t live this year: we all have to practice social distancing due to COVID-19. But don’t fret, the concert was as wonderful as usual. There were plenty of emotional moments and reasons to not forget the real meaning on Memorial Day.

The show started with “thank you” messages from various famous artists and actors. Vanessa Williams, George Clooney as well as Gwyneth Paltrow took the time to record messages to our vets and front line workers. Did you know that Jennifer Garner is a military brat? Neither did I until her segment was played.

Christopher Jackson, the star of “Hamiliton” sang our National Anthem. It was incredible to hear so I can only imagine what it would have been like live.

The 33rd rendition of this concert had many more nuggets that surprised and delighted us. Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise made sure that they remained six feet apart during their segments. We rely on them to maintain the dignity of this event. As Gary stated, “We come together as one American family….”

In order to overcome the challenges that the pandemic has brought, the production team replayed segments from past shows to emphasize the stories that we have shared as a nation. They celebrated the end of WWII by showing the story of Ray Lamont who landed and survived that invasion. Even if you are a regular watcher of the concert, you can’t keep a dry eye when you see these brave men and women’s stories.

“We come together as one American family….”

Mary McCormack honored all military families with a tribute. As an Air Force spouse, I know it means a lot to us when we don’t go unnoticed.

So, if you missed the show tonight, you can watch it again by streaming it online through my Facebook page, Ordinary Supergoddess. This concert is always worth it so don’t miss out. Thanks once again to PBS for finding a way to keep this tradition going.

Cut Out Chart of Military Life

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If you are like me, there are some days you wish you had a quick reference guide to military life.  If only it was that easy.  But for today and today only, it is!  Most civilian friends have a hard time comprehending the life that we’ve married into so I’ve created a handy guide.  Feel free to cut it out and pass it around!  

MILITARY SPOUSE                                CIVILIAN SPOUSE                       

Always has two forms of ID readySearches everywhere for two forms of ID
Is told when to moveDecides when to move
Gets antsy to move every few yearsDoesn’t want to move after a few years
Often has a closet full of formal wearMay have one formal outfit
Easily remembers spouse’s SSN but forgets ownEasily knows own SSN but doesn’t have a clue about spouse’s
Scrambles to find three points of contact for kids’ school formsHas more than three contacts at the ready
Spouse and kids are dependentsKids are dependents
Probably created a will when first marriedProbably thinks about creating a will when they get older
Spouse wears a uniformSpouse may wear a uniform
Has a drivers license from State X, a car tag from State Y and is living in State ZHas only one State for all
Address book in Amazon is full of old addresses from your previous duty stations-it’s how you fill out new loan paperwork or rental applicationsAddress book in Amazon is full of addresses of friends and family members.  No need for references for loans since they’ve lived in one location for more than two years
Might live in a gated community with a military guardMight live in a gated community with a security guard
Writes dates the European wayWrites dates the American way
Has trouble telling time with a 24-hour clockHas trouble telling time with a 24-hour clock

We all know that while our differences make us special, our similarities unite us. Remember that we all need friends to get through life and friends don’t have to fit into a chart, they only have to fit into our lives.