A great online shop that you'll love!

I'm sure that we have all had that experience when you order something online and you:
a.) Don't ever receive said item.
b.) The item isn't worth what you paid
or
c.) You contact the maker of the product and you never hear from him/her.

I know that's happened to me on more than one occasion. It's very frustrating spending your money for a custom order and the person making it doesn't seem to care about any form of customer service.

If you want to have a great customer service experience, then you need to shop at Civvies and Skivvies's Online Store. You can make just about anything custom--not to mention, the owner and creator of the company is just a doll! I emailed her about making me a custom shirt (I won't say for what because Ryan is one of my readers!) and she got back to me in less than 12 hours later. Not only was her promptness highly impressive, but the owner also seemed genuinely interested in why I was purchasing this item. She encouraged me not to be worried if I couldn't order right away due to my crazy circumstances; that doesn't happen a lot when people own their own business.

The owner of this company seems to be caring, sweet, honest and have a very high moral and business standard. I will continue to shop at this site and I will recommend it to any MilSO or MoM that needs a custom shirt for any occasion!

Songs that get me through

Recently I have felt at a loss for words. When this happens, I will listen to music (or binge on TV shows. I just finished Pokemon and now I'm on to all the seasons of Survivor before my free week of HuluPlus is up!) So, today I thought I would show you all a few songs I have listened to multiple times: Love Song by 311 and Where'd You Go by Fort Minor.

Warning about Where'd You go if you haven't heard it before: It's very sad and it will make you cry if you're not prepared for it. There are some real people speaking about real life experiences and one of them is a military family. If you want to skip over that, the song begins at 1:04 and ends at 4:26.

Love Song, 311
(Above is the link to the video if the embedded video doesn't work on your phone)

Where'd You Go, Fort Minor

(Above is the link to the video if the embedded video doesn't work on your phone)

I'm sorry for such the short post today, but Japan has felt even further than normal. I just need to keep singing: "However far away...However long I stay...whatever words I say, I will always love you" 

Thank you all for reading and watching. Those of you that put up with my nonsensical writings day in and day out, your loyalties make me feel special.   

What is Pain?

Those that know me well know that I'm obsessed with several things. I won't bore you with everything, but for the sake of my post today I will be talking about one of my obsessions: The Princess Bride. As a child I would watch the movie over and over again. I could quote every line and hum all the music. For me "obsession" was an understatement. But there is one quote that always stuck out to me (and not just because my Dad would constantly quote it):

As someone dating or married to a Marine, there is a lot of pain. Every time you say "see ya later" gets harder. If I wasn't upfront with every girl that I talk to about that, I would be selling something, just like Westley states in his quote above. 

Just to explain The Princess Bride a little more for those who have never seen it: Westley and Buttercup fall madly in love. Because Westley is poor and has no money he decides to sail to America and build a life for them.  

All of that mini recap to say: There is a little bit of Buttercup in all of us who are dating a man in the Military. We wait, we cry, we wish he were there to pick us up when we are down. But because of his absence, we find our own inner strength and independence. All of us live our daily lives without the man of our dreams, but we become stronger through the whole process. 

Yes, life is pain, but...

Because of our pain, we become stronger. The fictional character, Buttercup can attest to that. But the non fictional character, Katie can also back up that statement. You may feel alone, but you aren't--you may feel like no one has felt pain like you have, but you're wrong. There are so many other women who have been through what you have and came out stronger because of it. 

"Pain makes you stronger. Tears make you braver. Heartbreak makes you wiser. So thank the past for a better future."

Info on Battalions and Platoons

As most of you know, I admin over several boot camp groups on Facebook. One thing that people always have questions about is how the Battalions and Platoons work at MCRD. Below is a Word Document that I created that will hopefully be helpful to those of you that have questions. Just keep in mind, this is for MCRD SD (San Diego). MCRD PI (Parris Island) has an additional Battalion among a few other differences.

Preparing for a Homecoming

Every girl does it: we count down to a homecoming and then start preparing for it when it draws near. Here are some things that I do to prepare for when Ryan comes home! (I would love to hear what you all do/plan on doing. To submit your own list, please send me an email at katiekat0209@gmail.com to have your personal list submitted anonymously on the blog!)

1. Nails

I do my nails all the time anyway, so this isn't anything too special. It just helps me feel girly and extra feminine. If it's been a long absence I really like to go get them done. There is just something special about going to the spa and getting your nails done. It's total princess status!

2. Shave/wax

Don't pretend like you constantly shave and wax while he is gone. I know your secrets, girls! When you feel like there is no one to impress, we start to look like little Tribbles (I was going to say Wookies, but male Marines call female Marines Wooks...so that's why I changed it!). 

3. Vitamin up!

Every time Ryan comes home I get sick. I've tried to learn my lesson and guzzle Emergen-C before and during his visit to cut down on any illness he may be carrying.

I do a lot more than that, but I really would like to hear from my readers today! Please send me emails of what you do to prepare for homecomings! It could be anything! Gifts you bought, signs you make! Anything at all! 

Rank Structure: Enlisted

Okay everyone! I'm going through writer's block right now, so I thought I would educate you all on Rank Structure for Enlisted Marines if you didn't already know. 

When Marines graduate Boot Camp the majority will graduate as Private, but some will have the honor to graduate as PFC (Private First Class). One of three things has to happen for your Marine to graduate as a PFC: 

1. Have 15+ college credits

2. Recruited 2+ people before he left for Boot

3. Be meritoriously promoted during Boot Camp

For additional information on Rank and Pay grade, please visit the USMC Gals Website

Japan

When people find out that Ryan is in Japan I always get 2 different responses. The first is usually accompanied by a blank stare and the phrase, and you're still with him? The second isn't quite as offensive, but it shocks me when I hear people say it (they are usually MilSOs), how do you do it? Because I don't usually talk about myself or what I'm going through, today I will definitely clear these questions up.

There is a phrase that every family, friend and S/O should know, expect the worse, but hope for the best. While Ryan was at MOS school I had to repeat that phrase over and over again to myself. I knew after his 13 weeks of training he would be moving on to his Duty Station, but both of us were completely in the dark as to where that would be. Every class since July (2013) had gone overseas, so we thought that maybe, just maybe, Ryan's class would break the cycle in 2014. There was talk of marriage for fear he would be stationed in Japan, but we decided that the timing wasn't right. 

On a side note, I say something specific to girls who want to rush into marriage because they are afraid their boyfriend/fiance will be stationed overseas: "Don't get married because the Marine Corps tells you to. Get married when you are ready. If you rush into things because you're afraid, that's not the right reason and you're giving the Marine Corps more power than it deserves." However, every relationship is different and will progress at different rates. If it's the right timing and choice for you to get married, go for it! I know several gals who were/got married before their man joined the Marines, after they finished boot, during MOS school--you name it! I completely supported them 100%! Just remember the key word is fear.  

After Ryan and I ruled out marriage, the only thing to do was wait. Those 13 weeks of waiting felt like forever, but 11 weeks in we got news of where Ryan would be stationed. He called me on FaceTime to give me the news (while Ryan was in MOS school we hardly ever got a chance to FaceTime because of his data plan). When we got on FaceTime he just stared and me and said, "You know what it is. I'm going to Japan." I thought that he was joking at first and I kept egging him on to tell me the truth. But I realized that this was going to be my life now--Japan. The love of my life was destined to move thousands of miles away from me and I was helpless to do anything about it. I kept my composure in front of him though. I wasn't going to make him feel guilty by showing him how upset I was. After all, there wasn't anything he could do about it either and he needed supportive Katie, not depressed Katie. The upside to all of this was he came home for 2 weeks! 

Time marched on and I had to say goodbye after his 2 weeks of leave. It was heart breaking, but sometimes you have to put duty before love. He is worth it though. Ryan is worth the heart break of every goodbye, the torture of this distance between us and the fear of the unknown. One day I will come first in his life. That time might not be now, it might not even be soon, but it's coming. That's what I'm looking forward to.

He has only been in Japan for two months, but it feels like a life time. I don't have a countdown on my phone because I don't know when I will see him next. I only get to talk to him on weekends, but that's okay because I've learned to take what I can get. This whole situation is making me a better person even if I hate to admit it. It's teaching me to be understanding, patient and it's teaching both of us how to better communicate. Because of this I know that I can handle anything that the Marine Corps throws at Ryan. 

Hopefully if your Marine ends up going over seas, you will be able to make lemonade out of lemons. Yeah, it's hard, but it makes you a strong, independent woman. That is something I can guarantee!

"Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans flames." 

And before I forget: Take the love language quiz here