Quotes to live by...

Quotes to live by...

"And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn’t really change the fact that you have what you have."

— The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Quotes to live by...

"Home wasn’t a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place but a moment, and then another, building on top of each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go."

— Sarah Dessen, ‘Whatever Happened to Goodbye’

Quotes to live by...

"People are always blaming circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."

— George Bernard Shaw

Quotes to live by...

"I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don’t."

— W. Somerset Maugham

Quotes to live by...

Quotes to live by...

"It is only my memory that holds me here. Time, let me vanish. Then what we separate by our very presence can come together."

— Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife

Quotes to live by...

"So many people enter and leave your life. Hundreds of thousands of people. You have to keep the door open so they can come in. But it also means you have to let them go."

— Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; Jonathan Safran Foer

Quotes to live by...

Quotes to live by...

"If adultery happens in 41% of marriages, if the guy next door is hiring prostitutes, if Brett Favre’s penis scored nearly 2 million views, it’s not the politicians that are the problem, it’s Americans, who sit in turned-on judgment of those who dally sexually while doing so themselves, who dream of getting off in the same way but don’t allow themselves to do so, who devote their work days to looking at the latest leaked cell phone pics of genitals that belong to someone more famous than themselves.

Americans are fascinated by political sex scandals because the politician is doing what Americans are doing but won’t admit, or what they wish they were doing but won’t say, and Americans, rather than confess their natural tendencies or sexual fantasies, would rather criticize those political figures who there, but for the grace of God, are doing what Americans wish they were doing."

— Susannah Breslin

Quotes to live by...

"Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts … good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don’t hurt. They’re not painful. That’s not just with somebody you want to marry, but it’s with the friends that you choose. It’s with the people you surround yourselves with. And that’s just as important as the school that you choose. Who’s in your life, and do you respect them, and do they respect you? And are you respecting them" 

— Michelle Obama

Quotes to live by...

Quotes to live by...

"If you're interested, you'll do what's convenient; if you're committed, you'll do whatever it takes."

-- John Assaraf

Marine Corps Ball: What not to do.

This video is in honor of my friend Ashley and our best "OMG" ball experience. This goes along with my whole "What not to do at Marine Corps Ball" series...

DO NOT GET DRUNK AND GIVE YOUR HUSBAND A LAP DANCE!!!

Sorry for the rather poor quality... 

This year the ball was in the base gymnasium and it had really poor lighting.

USA Cares

This civilian group, formed in 2003, helps families with various problems that arise during deployments and mobilizations, with a focus on helping families through short-term financial crunches. They have a program, for example, that can help families avoid losing their homes because of financial difficulties related to deployments.

Contact: (800) 773-0387; http://www.usacares.us.

Education

Nearly 1 million military children attend public school in districts operated by local educational agencies. School officials increasingly are working to make the transition easier for military children when they move from one school to another because a military parent changes duty stations.

Groups such as the Military Child Education Coalition and the Military Impacted Schools Association have been working with schools on a variety of issues related to military children. Defense officials also have begun working with school districts that want to learn more about helping military children in transition and in dealing with aspects of the military lifestyle.

Some schools operated by local public school districts are physically located on military installations; but the Defense Department also operates schools on some military bases.

DOD EDUCATION ACTIVITY

Schools for children of service members and Defense Department civilians are located on a number of installations. The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) oversees these facilities, grouping them into two systems: the stateside Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) and the overseas Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). All schools within DoDEA are fully accredited by U.S. accreditation agencies.

Domestic schools. The Defense Department operates 64 DDESS schools, mostly elementary, at 17 installations in seven states, Puerto Rico and Cuba, with more than 2,300 education professionals serving about 26,000 students, according to November 2007 DoDEA statistics. The schools offer pre-kindergarten through 12th grade for eligible children who live on posts or bases.

Overseas schools. DoDDS-Europe operates 90 schools in five districts — Bavaria, Heidelberg, Isles, Kaiserslautern and Mediterranean — and serves about 38,000 school-age children of active-duty military and federal civilian employees.

DoDDS-Pacific serves more than 23,000 students enrolled in 45 schools across Japan, South Korea, Okinawa and Guam.

DoDDS is free for children of service members and federal civilian employees. Enrollment is guaranteed for “command-sponsored” children, those for whom the active-duty member has official approval to bring family members overseas at government expense. Children without command sponsorship can enroll for free if space is available. Nonmilitary children also can enroll if space is available, but they must pay tuition.

All DoDDS high schools are accredited by the North Central Accreditation Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. DDESS high schools are undergoing a phased accreditation by the NCA-CASI.

Beginning with the 2007-08 school year, the DoDEA high school graduation requirement is 26 credits for students, up from 24.

Special education programs. DoDEA provides free education to all students with disabilities who are entitled to enroll in the military’s overseas and stateside schools. The school system serves children with mild to severe disabilities. Programs are offered for children with learning, physical, communication or emotional impairments.

Preschool services are provided for disabled children as young as 3. Active-duty members must enroll children with disabilities in the Exceptional Family Member Program, which helps ensure the child’s educational and medical needs can be met.

All the services have the Exceptional Family Member Program, but they’re organized differently. The Army and Marine Corps have EFMP advocates in installation family centers, while the Navy and Air Force have EFMP programs and special-needs coordinators in their medical treatment facilities.

Contact: Department of Defense Education Activity, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1635. Overseas schools, (703) 588-3051; Special education office, (703) 588-3148; http://www.dodea.edu

MilitaryStudent.org. The vast majority of military children attend civilian schools, and many make a transition every few years to another school when their military parent transfers to a new duty location. The Defense Department Web site http://www.militarystudent.org is designed for students, parents, educators and military officials, with information to help all those involved make the transition easier for the student, whether the child attends schools operated by the Defense Department or public school districts.

Military Child Education Coalition. Parents, students and educators can find a wealth of information about specific state requirements and other military children’s education issues at this group’s Web site, http://www.militarychild.org.

The MCEC looks at everything that affects education or other opportunities for military children from birth through post-secondary school — from emotional challenges related to school transitions or the deployment of a parent, to differences in state policies that make it difficult to transfer from one school to another.

All the military services, along with many school districts that educate large numbers of military children, participate in the coalition. The MCEC’s focus on partnerships encourages such flexible practices as helping a student meet graduation requirements when transferring late in a high school career.

MCEC’s SchoolQuest, at http://www .SchoolQuest.org, is an online tool for families on the move who want to learn about future schools that may fit the needs of their children. It asks questions about relocation plans and each school-aged child’s educational needs, then sorts through a database compiled by a team of researchers to present resources, contact information and transition advice about the school districts and schools that serve the selected military community.

SAT/ACT preparatory programs. Military families can get a free SAT or ACT preparatory program through a donation by professional football players who are part of the Victory Sports Group. Visit http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil; click on “Free SAT/ACT Prep Materials.”

Legal Assistance

Service members can get free legal advice for a variety of needs, particularly in preparing tax returns and in understanding any contract before signing it, from car loans to rental leases.

All service branches designate lawyers to help active-duty members and, if time and resources permit, their families and retirees. Members assigned to installations too small to provide legal services can use those of any nearby installation.

Legal assistance attorneys do not represent clients facing military or civilian criminal charges, or provide assistance to clients on matters relating to private business ventures.

Attorneys are governed by a strict code of professional ethics that obligates them to keep information provided by a client confidential.

Contact: To find the nearest office, see http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php.

Installation legal assistance offices can help service members and their families with a wide variety of legal issues — free of charge. To find office closest to you, go online to http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php.

USO Centers

The United Service Organizations operates more than 130 centers worldwide offering hospitality in commercial and military airports, on military bases and at Navy fleet centers.

Contact: http://www.uso.org. Information can be found at military family support centers, or call USO World Headquarters, Washington, D.C., at (703) 908-6400, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.

Red Cross

Armed Forces Emergency Services of the American Red Cross provides a vital link to home for those serving in remote areas. Emergency messages can be initiated by service members or their families for quick relay by the Red Cross to almost any community or military installation, even to ships at sea. Some local Red Cross chapters may be able to provide links to assistance for families, including parents of service members, and others who may not live near a military installation.

Contact: (877) 272-7337; http://www.redcross.org.

Operation Homefront

This network, with 26 chapters nationwide, offers help with day-to-day issues for families of deployed troops. Services include food needs; critical car, home and appliance repair; refurbishing computers; moving and transportation; and furniture needs.

Contact: Go to http://www.operationhomefront.net for links to local chapters and phone numbers.