military spouse

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

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.