Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Julie

Dr. Bizer’s Vision World Value Vision Visit and Review

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Dr. Bizer
I wear glasses. I use to wear contacts but the last couple years glasses just seemed to work better for me. I was pretty excited to get an email from Dr. Bizer’s Vision World about going in for an eye exam and receiving a pair of glasses for a review. It was actually time for me to go in for an eye exam but I was being a little lazy about making the appointment.

Dr. Bizer

I visited Doctor’s Value Vision in our local mall here in Clarksville. When I walked in I was welcomed and asked to sign in. I didn’t have to wait too long before they took me to a side room to blow the air in my eyes to check for Glaucoma. Pretty much what I have been used to in an eye exam. I then waited a few more minutes before I went into the room with the Eye Doctor. She was very nice and had me do all the standard testing that they do. Asking me what is more clear, A or B and all of that type of stuff. It seemed to go pretty quickly. After all the testing was done she was very good about explaining how my eyes were doing and what she suggested I should do about getting contacts. She dilated my eyes, gave me a prescription and then I was introduced to the lady that would help me pick out my glasses.

Dr. Bizer

When it comes to picking glasses I can be pretty indecisive about it. I usually want a fun pair but something different from what I had before. The lady showed me a bunch of different glasses after I told her what I was looking for. After trying on a lot of pairs I finally found my perfect pair of glasses. The lady that was helping me also made sure that I ordered the right kind of glasses. My new ones will help when I am on the computer and when I drive at night. I explained to her that it was a little scary driving at night because the lights had a glow to them. I shouldn’t have that problem with these new glasses. I was also impressed by their selection. There were a lot of glasses to chose from which is nice for me because I am picky.

Dr. Bizer

It took two weeks but I was able to pick up my glasses today! I am very happy with them. I also felt like if I have an issue with them, I can go back and they will help me out. I am still debating on contacts. I am sure I will eventually get them again but for now I am happy with my glasses. I was really impressed with the staff and my experience at Dr. Bizer’s. I enjoyed my experience very much and found them to be very helpful.

 

You can visit them on Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/DrBizersVisionWorld

Twitter -https://twitter.com/#!/DrMarkLynn

and find an office in your area here… http://www.drbizersvisionworld.com

And for my Military readers, they do accept Tricare 🙂

 

I was provided an eye exam and glasses in exchange for this post. This review and opinions mentioned in it are all my own.

10 Things I Have Learned About Marriage During The Last 10 Years

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10 things I have learned about marriage the last 10 years

In August, my husband and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage! 10 whole years, a decade! We were 10 years younger when we decided we wanted to spend our lives together. We have been through a lot of things I would never have imagined. We have spent about 3 years of those 10 apart. That seriously breaks my heart but at least it wasn’t three years in a row. We have both grown and changed over the years. I can now look at my husband and instead of saying, “I want to grow old with you” I can say, “I love growing old with you.” Because let’s face it, when I look at our wedding pictures I see two younger versions of ourselves and it is very obvious that time has passed and that we are in the process of growing old together.

So what have I learned about marriage the last 10 years?

1) What works for one couple might not work for another. You hear a lot of advice about what a marriage should look like or what you should do about x,y or z. From TVs in your room to how often you go on a date! It’s nice to get advice about marriage but it might not all apply and that is okay.

2) Deployments can make a marriage stronger. I believe this can happen because it happened to us. I feel very lucky for this because I know how hard deployments can be on marriages. I am just thankful that deployments have not pushed us apart but made us stronger.

3) Kids change your marriage. They do. From what you do on a daily basis to how you view your spouse. When we had kids I got to see my husband in a new “Daddy” role. He gets to see me as a “Mommy.” It is different from our “husband” and “wife” roles.

4) Laughing together is good. My husband loves to make me laugh. Even when I am mad he can seem to make me smile. It’s good for us.

5) Let the little things go. I can find myself getting frustrated about the littlest things but I have learned it is best just to let them go.

Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

6) I can do things without him. When he is gone, I can function. I can my kids and I halfway around the world without him. I can give birth without him. I can do a lot on my own. Doesn’t mean I like to do things this way, but I can.

7) Sometimes life gets really really hard. Sometimes it just isn’t the way I would have planned it. That can be so frustrating but in the end, I am glad we have each other to get through it.

8 ) When you were raised differently you will see the world differently and that might be challenging. We were both raised by parents who loved us and loved God very much but the overall our childhoods were very different and we sometimes see things very differently. This can be frustrating but we just have to take a step back and realize where the other person is coming from.

9) I made the right choice. Way back in 2001 when I said yes to marry this man, I made the right choice. He is the right one for me and I am the right one for him.

10) Trust goes a very long way. We both trust each other. I trust him, he trusts me. I can’t imagine going through what we have been through without it.

Family

How long have you been married? What have you learned in that time?

 

Living with Asperger’s

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Living with Asperger’sIt’s been three months since Drew was diagnosed with Asperger’s. Asperger’s is considered a form of Autism. I have accepted Asperger’s but having a hard time with the phrase, “my son has autism.”

Most parents start hearing about Autism before their child is even born. There are a lot of theories on what causes it. A lot of debate. It is something I have always been afraid of on some level. I think a lot of parents wonder about it. But knowing your kid is considered “on the autism spectrum” is so hard. I guess because when I look at my son I don’t see Autism. I do see a smart and healthy child that has a lot more challenges in life than another 5-year-old might have. Things bother him and I can never wrap my head around why.

A fork falls on the floor and it is the end of the world. I offer him the wrong cereal or the wrong brand of tortillas. I forget to put a napkin in his lunch. His teacher is absent for the day. His brother isn’t playing with the Lego the “right” way. He can’t find the pink nose for the Mr. Potato Head.

Things have to be a certain way for him or it really is the end of the world. I have to remember that his mind thinks so differently than mine. I have to remember that certain things other kids grow out of by age 5 he is still working on. He won’t understand certain things on an emotional level. He will have to learn the “rules” for how to live in society. He will memorize them and then know how to act.

He has a very hard time with “no.” If he doesn’t get something he wants he will spend hours sometimes trying to find a loop-hole to get it. For example he really wanted some Legos at the store. He knew we were going to go to Target on Friday. I told him several times that we could look at the toys but we couldn’t buy toys. Well he tried to explain that Legos were not really toys. When that didn’t work he went on to tell me that I should just put “Legos” on my list since we were only going to buy what was on Mommy’s list. He is super smart and tries so hard to figure things out.

He is also very literal. If we have breakfast and then he asks for ice cream and I tell him, “You can’t have ice cream for breakfast.” He will tell me that he already had breakfast. What I needed to say was that we don’t have ice cream in the morning.

He starts Kindergarten in the fall. We had our first IEP with his new school a few weeks ago and I am very happy with the team who will be working with him. It makes me feel good that we are on the same page. I am worried about the first few weeks of school the most since that is when everything will be so new to him. He has a hard time with new environments sometimes.

I do love spending time with him. He is so creative, I love it! He inspires me in different ways and I love watching him figure things out. He talks a lot about what he knows and although a lot of it can be repetitive, it is nice to see him passionate about things.  Some days are pretty average, other days are pretty difficult and every once in a while they get pretty hard. I feel good about the help he is getting and it is helping me as well. Just taking one day at a time with it. I am worried about our next deployment and having to parent alone. I know I have done it before but I just feel like things are so different now. I know when the time comes I will be able to make it through but I worry thinking about it.

Just one day at a time…

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.” (Mother Teresa)

 

 

Ft. Campbell Air Assault Graduation

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I was SO happy and proud that Ben graduated from Air Assault school on Friday! I always say I am never going to cry but when I hear a bunch of Soldiers sing the Army song I always tear up…

“Then it’s hi! hi! hey!
The Army’s on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong;
For where’er we go,
You will always know
That The Army Goes Rolling Along.”

 

Ft. Campbell Air Assault

 

Ft. Campbell Air Assault

 

Ft. Campbell Air Assault

 

Ft. Campbell Air Assault

 

Ft. Campbell Air Assault

 

Army Wives Season 6 Episode 6 Review

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Did you get a chance to watch Army Wives Season 6 Episode 6 yet? You can watch online at Mylifetime.com. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t read any further. I am going to be talking about it and don’t want to spoil it for you!

Army Wives Season 6

 

First of all, what do you all think of Roxy as FRG leader? I think she will be good at it. Not sure how I feel about the dress code thing. I get wanting people to dress nice and not trashy but I really didn’t think Roxy dressed too trashy. We were talking about FRGs and dress codes on my Facebook page and a few of us thought that if FRGs had dress codes they might turn more people away. Since most FRGs are hurting for more people this wouldn’t be a good thing. On the other hand I don’t think I have seen too much inappropriate dress at FRG meetings in real life so maybe it isn’t even a huge problem to begin with?

David and his HIV. What an emotional part of the episode. I felt for both sides. In the end though, after looking at the facts they presented it seems that David is safe to be around. I like how Roland brought up the safety of his own daughter too.

I really liked the scene between Roxy and the new girl. They were able to connect a little bit. I think there are probably a lot of Army Wives or Military Wives who are newly married, now in a new state, far from what is normal to them. It can be really difficult to get use to everything. Hopefully she found a friend in Roxy.

What did you think of the episode? I miss Pamela. I miss her personality. It just added something extra to the show.

Army Wives Season 6

The Client List with Jennifer Love Hewitt

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I am a big fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt. I use to watch Kids Incorporated way back when and she was on that show. I loved Ghost Whisperer too so when I saw she was in a new show I knew I wanted to at least check it out. Lifetime sent me a preview of the first and second episodes of her new show, the Client List.

Award nominee Jennifer Love Hewitt, officially opens for business on Sunday, April 8, at 10:00pm ET/PT. Golden Globe winner Cybill Shepherd (Cybill), Emmy
®Award-winning actress Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy) and Colin Egglesfield (Something Borrowed) also star. Based on the network’s hit 2010 original movie, Lifetime has ordered 10 episodes of The Client List. The Client List is about Texas housewife “Riley Parks” (Hewitt), who, after being deserted by her husband, is left in serious financial straits and takes a job at a seemingly traditional day spa in a neighboring town. But when she realizes some of her co-workers also provide other services, Riley must make the difficult decision whether or not to embrace an opportunity for her to resolve her financial hardships. The series will follow Riley as she delicately balances a moral conflict between two starkly different lives — one as a single mother in a conservative town struggling to provide for her family and the other as a savvy and ambitious businesswoman working with a raucous, sexy and unpredictable group of women. As Riley becomes more involved, she struggles while working in secrecy knowing her family and friends would disapprove of her decision. Shepherd stars as “Linette,” Riley’s mother; Devine plays “Georgia,” the spa’s feisty and disorganized owner; and Egglesfield portrays Riley’s brother-in-law “Evan.”

The Client List is executive produced by Hewitt, Dannielle Thomas (The Client List), Howard Braunstein (The
Client List, The Informant!), Jordan Budde (GCB, 90210) and Efrem Seeger (Queer as Folk, The Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air), with Fedora Films and Jaffe/Braunstein producing, in association with Sony Pictures Television.
In its July 2010 world premiere, the Lifetime Original Movie The Client List, for which Hewitt received a
Golden Globe nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television category, averaged 3.9 million Total Viewers. The movie was produced by Fedora Films and JaffeBraunstein Entertainment.

My Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew I liked Jennifer Love Hewitt but was unsure on what the show was about. I liked how they focus a lot on her family. Mostly her mom and her situation with her husband but they also show her as a mom who really cares about her kids. She tries to make the right decisions about things but it is really hard based on what she is dealing with. There was also a little bit of mystery surrounding the husband that might be something they talk about all season long. Cybill Shepherd did great as Riley’s mom too. I am looking forward to more episodes! I know the subject matter might turn some people away but I felt it was presented in a classy way.  And the show felt to me that its focus was going to be on Riley’s struggles and how she was trying to do the best for her family.

The Client List

 

The Client List

 

The Client List

 

The Client List

 

The show premieres Sunday, April 8 at 10/9c on Lifetime!

A Perfect Pet for Peyton Review and Giveaway

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A Perfect Pet for Peyton

Have you ever read the 5 Love Languages?  Did you know there is also the 5 Love Languages of Children book?  These books written by Gary Chapman are life changing!
A Perfect Pet for Peyton is a Children’s book that goes along with the book The 5 Love Languages of Children.
About the book…
This wonderfully imaginative children’s hardcover book by bestselling authors Gary Chapman and Rick Osborne, featuring four-color illustrations (with hidden details!) by Wilson Williams, Jr., will help children learn the importance of love. Based on Gary’s highly successful The 5 Love Languages®, A Perfect Pet for Peyton tells an entertaining and playful story of five children who each, with the help of Mr. Chapman and the unique pets at his special emporium, discover their own personal love language. Children and parents alike will experience firsthand the power of the love languages as they cuddle up and spend precious time together reading this book over and over again.
*Free interactive app with in-book experience COMING SOON to the Apple App Store.
The 5 Love Languages: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/drgarychapman
My Thoughts: This is such a sweet story.  It goes through each love language in a way that kids can understand.  It is very creative!  I also love the illustrations and colors used in the book.  The setting is a nice petstore with a lot of animals and the author has done an amazing job of tying everything together.
How would you like to win a copy of this book?
Here is the Rafflecopter, make sure to leave a comment to get to the other entries 🙂


a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Army Wives Season 6, Episode 4 Recap

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Are you caught up on Army Wives? If not there are a few ways to catch up. If you just need to watch episodes from season 6 you can do that by going to Mylifetime.com. If you need to start for the beginning or catch up with another season you should be able to do that on Netflix.

I will be talking about Army Wives Season 6 Episode 4 the rest of this post so if you haven’t watched it yet, don’t read anymore. I wouldn’t want to ruin anything for you.

Army Wives

 

What did you all this of last weeks episode? I really thought that the German wife was one big stereotype. I have met so many wives of soldiers that were German and not one of them reminded me of her. A German friend of mine saw that episode and got really frustrated over it. It just feels like they could have introduced her character in a different way.

The concert seemed to go well although Claudia Joy seems to be having some issues with Jackie. But after talking with the lady in DC I could see why she would be uncomfortable around her. I know if I was CJ I would be feeling so much pressure and would feel really uncomfortable around Jackie all the time.

Army Wives

Roland is going to be helping teen boys which is great but he sure didn’t want to do that at first. I guess that is understandable being that he would have to add something else to his schedule. I didn’t like the comment that was made about how the Fathers were gone a lot so it was like they were growing up essentially without Fathers. Maybe I just understood it wrong but it just didn’t sit well with me. Yes Military dads are gone a lot but they are still there and it is not the same as not having a Father.

I am hoping that they will be adding a new wife to the mix soon. I would love to see a lower enlisted family join the mix. There are a lot of lower enlisted families in the Military and it would be great to see a family portraying that. When I first started watching the show I thought that would be Trevor and Roxy. Here was a family with two little boys just like us. But I feel like they have gotten away from that.

Army Wives

What did you all think?

Here is the Army Wives preview for Episode 5!

Watching tonight on Lifetime 9/8c 🙂