military life

The Day Has Finally Arrived; You’ve Got Mail

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So, yesterday I got a package in the mail. It was a day that I had been waiting for-the day finally arrived.

This process started with an article that I had created back in June. I wrote the piece for Military Spouse’s online magazine. My oldest daughter is part of the LGBTQ+ community and I wanted to let the world know how I express my love for her.

I was given a bracelet from Nomades years ago and that statement piece shows our military journey. What was lacking was a charm to represent my oldest. I wrote about how I had to hunt high and low to find a rainbow charm.

After the article appeared, one of the founders of the company contacted me. Apparently, they had been debating creating such a charm but they had dragged their feet. My article propelled them to get their butts in gear and they wanted to let me know that one was in the works.

And that’s what arrived in the mail. It was the spacer that Nomades had created to represent all rainbow facets-LGBTQ, rainbow babies, Noah’s ark. It is a beautiful representation of all of it. Along with the charm, they sent me their press release too.

Our stories are each so differently written.Each year brings a new chapter to each of our stories.In 2020 our country saw a year like no other. We heard from the unheard. We saw issues come to the forefront and became more aware of causes needing our attention.

At Nomadés we are always looking for new ways to celebrate stories. We feel our 2020 collection needs to not only represent this historic year we are having but also the unique stories that have come from it. As military spouses, we have come to fondly embrace acronyms used by the military. We are fluent in that second language. It is in the spirit of this year and twisted into an acronym that we introduce our 2020 spacer to our military community. RULPH.

We want to REMEMBER those who are no longer with us. We understand that each story is unique, but these stories still UNITE us. We choose LOVE for everyone. We PROMISE to represent each story to the best of our ability and be inclusive of all. We will continue to HONOR different stories and celebrate the value in each one.At Nomadés we stand with each other and embrace the uniqueness of each and every person by celebrating your charming story.

Charmingly,Marijke, Jennifer, Melissa and Christy

So now you too can own your own charm to represent the rainbow in you. And don’t forget to check out the rest of their catalogue. Nomades speaks to military spouses in ALL aspects of their journey.

Nomades newest spacer

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.