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- 1. Why Military Spouse’s Deserve Their Appreciation Day (narrative piece) Let's face it,it isnot alwayseasyto be a militaryspouse.Militaryspousesface challengesthat some civilianscouldnotimagineintheirwildestdreams. Months,sometimesyearsawayfromtheir lovedones,givinguptheirwhole careertomove acrossthe whole,andgoingyearswithoutseeingtheir parentsor otherfamily;these are justa few thingsaspouse will gothrough.We know that active duty members make sacrificesbutlotsof people ignore the factthatthe spouse doestoo. Imagine beingincollege,meetingthisamazingperson,andfallinginlove withthem.Theytell youthat theyare inthe militarybutyouknow youjusthave to be withthem.So yougetmarried,and 6 monthslatertheytell you"oh,sorry,we have to move to Guam ina few months."Now youhave to withdrawfromschool,rehome yourpets,doloadsof paperwork,thenfly23 hoursto a tiny(but beautiful)island.Soundslike anightmare,right?Movingandgivingupeverythingyouknow justtobe withthe one you love.ThisiswhyMilitarySpouse AppreciationDayexist.Thisiswhywe needtotake a day andjust say"Thank youfor all youdo to holdthe familytogether." Spousesmustbe resilientandflexible,withoutpatience the militarywouldbe impossible to cope with.Spousesare usuallythe oneswhostruggle atfirsttofindfriends.The active dutymembersis thrownintoa strange newplace too, butat leasttheygetto know people quickly.Evenif youjustmove one state over,it's still anewplace that a spouse mustlearnandfinda way to make friends.Luckily, mostduty stationshave programsto helpspousesgettoknow eachother.Spousesneedtohave friends whounderstandtheirstruggles.Of course there isnothingwrongwithcivilianfriendsbutthere will be thingsthat theyjustdon'tunderstand.Militaryspouseslearntostandbyeach otherand supporteach other.Whenan active dutymemberdeploys,itisthe spouseswho stepinandhelpwithkids,cooking, and keepingthe sanity. Once a spouse hasfinallysettledintoanew town,theyare the oneswhogo out and get involvedinthe community.There are lotsof spouse groupswhoteamupto participate incommunity eventslike RelayforLife orvolunteeringintheirkid’sactivities.Whenyoubringamilitaryspouse intoa group,you are addingsomeone whohaslotsof experiencesanddifferentideals.Theycanofferupideas fromotherareas theymay have lived,maybe thingsthatothershave neverevenheardof.Thisis especiallytrue forthe overseasspouseswhogetintothe local community.Theycanbringina part of theirculture toshare. Gettingoutintothe community,volunteering,andmakingfriendsare mustdo'sfor a spouse because thisishowtheythrive.These thingsare whathelpsmake the new areafeel likehome forthem. The life of a militaryspouse issoverychallengingbutalsosoworthit. Comingtotermswiththisis also whathelpsspousesadjusttothe militarylifestyle.Theyknow thatwhattheirspouse isdoingisanoble thingand theyare proud to be a part of it,despite itschallenges."Love conquersall"isaphrase that is oftenheardinthe realmof spousesanditistrue. For all that a militaryspouse does,make sure tothankthemthisMilitarySpouse Appreciation Day. If you are marriedto a militaryspouse,letthemknow thatyouappreciate everythingtheyhave done (andtakingthemout to dinnerneverhurts).A simple "thankyou"will mean more tothemthan youthinkbecause theyrarelyhearit.MilitarySpouses:theirIDcard maysay "dependent"butthatare anythingbutthat.
- 2. 5 State Parks in One Amazing Road Trip (travel piece) Cars are a person'stickettofreedomandallow forthe trips of a lifetime.While placeslike Disneyand NewYork are great vacationspots,whynot try somethingalittle more off of the beatenpath?Florida offersanamazingsetof state parks that veryfew people take the time tosee. Whentakinga longtrip,there are some importantthingsthatneedtobe done.Before embarkingona longtrip,alwaysmake sure that yourcar isin prime condition.Checkthe oil,tires,andspare tire tosee if theyare all inroad trip condition. State parks offergreatcampingopportunitiesforfriendsandfamilies.Take care topack an appropriate sizedtent,imperishable foods,andone gallonof waterperpersonperday.Fishingrodsandswimsuits are notnecessarybutmost parksofferfishingandswimmingareasthatyoudo not wantto miss.Water- proof sun screenandbug sprayare a must-packwhencampinginFlorida. 1. Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West Thisstate parkis as far southas youcan go,it islocatedon the verytipof the KeyWestisland.Itis home to a militaryfortusedbythe confederate troopsduringthe Civil Warandthe UnitedStatesduringthe Spanish-Americanwar.Itoffersbeachaccessand snorkelingwhereyoucansee beautifulreefsand wildlife.A shortdrive fromthe park isDuval Street,whichislinedwithcountlessstoresandduringthe summeritis home tothe Sunsetfestival. 2. Collier-Seminole State Park Nestledinthe heartof the Everglades,andnexttoSeminole land,isCollier-SeminoleState park.This state park offersalmosteveryactivityyou canthinkof includingboattours,hiking,andaninteractive exhibitaboutthe Everglades.Since thisparkislocatedinaMangrove swamp,there are chancesto see alligatorsandmanyothertypesof wildlife.The campsitesare equippedwithwater,electricity,anda grill andthe bathroomsalsohave hot watershowerssothisis the ideal place tospenda dayor two. Campingisonly$22 night,whichisminimal comparedto$75 a nightat a hotel. 3. PaynesCreekHistoric State Park Afterspendingsome time inthe swampyEverglades,thisisthe perfectopposite.PaynesCreekisfound incentral Floridaand isa great place to learnaboutthe settlersanda Native Americantribe,the Seminoles.Thisparkwasbuiltasa tradingpostin1849 but is now a state park that offerscamping, kayaking,andhas a museum. 4. Weeki Wachee State Park Thispark is trulysomethingamazing.Itoffersalive mermaidshow inasubmergedtheater!Manatees are oftenseenatthispark duringthe riverboatcruise.The park ranger alsoputon an animal show everydayto showcase Floridawildlife.Thisparkhassomethingforeveryone. 5. FloridaCaverns State Park These cavernsare a hiddengemof Florida.There are 45 minute toursthroughthe cavesand chancesto see cave wildlife like batsandsalamanders.The cavesare filledwithstalagmitesandstalactitesthatare
- 3. hundredsof yearsold.Thispark isunique inthatit isthe onlypark inFloridathat has cave tours andit alsohas itsown 9-hole golf course.
- 4. Where to Grab Breakfast in Rolling Meadows (promotional blog piece) Everyone knowsthatbreakfastisthe mostimportantmeal of the day,so people of RollingMeadows shouldcheckoutEgg'lectricto start the dayright. Egg'lectrichas beenservingbreakfastandlunchsince 1999 and isknownforits cozy,and home-like atmosphere.Theymake the foodwhenyouordersoitis alwaysfresh,notsittingunderaheatlampor microwaved. As impliedbythe name,thisrestaurantspecializesinmakingeggsineveryformyoucanthinkof. Omelets,frittatas,andskilletmealsare justafew of the deliciousoptionsandof course youcan always chowdownon justregulareggswithbacon and toast. For those whowantto eat rightthisnewyear,Egg'lectricfeaturesahealthyside of the menu justfor you.Thingslike freshfruitsandgreekyogurtwithgranolawill hitthe spotwithoutstockingupthe calories.Mostegg dishescanalsobe orderedwithjusteggwhitesfora healthiertouch. Noteveryone wantseggsinthe morning,some people crave somethingmore sweet.Tryone of the nine differentcrepe optionslike kiwi,banana,andstrawberryorNutella,banana,strawberry,andwalnuts. Oatmeal andcereal are alsoavailable if youare cravingsomethingabitsimpler. If you are nota breakfasttype of person,Egg'lectrichasa full menuof sandwiches,wraps,quesadillas, and salads.All of theirsandwichesandburgerscome witha side of freshfruit,fries,onionpetals,or Mexicanrice.There isevenanoptionfor gluten-free breadforyourfavorite dish. There isa breakfastandlunchmenuforthe kiddiesthatincludesall the favoriteslike macaroni and cheese,pancakes,andFrenchtoast.Eventhe pickiesteaterissure tofindsomethingtheywilllove. So if youare in needof yummyhome-stylemeal,be sure togive Egg'lectricatry.
- 5. Why I Hate the Word “Dependa” (personal blog piece) For those whomay be newto thisterm, letme start by sayingitisneverusedina positive way. A "dependa"iswhata cliché militarywife issupposedto be,like astay-at-homemomwhousestheir spouse’sbenefits.The militarysocietyhasdecidedthatif youstayhome,youmust be leechingoff your spouse andonlylove themforTricare and housing.Itisalso a termusesfor spouseswhoassume their husband'srankaffectstheirsocial status.If yourhusbandis an officer,noYOU donot deserve asalute or special parking.Of course there are these typesof spouses,burit'sthathandful thatcreate problems for the restof us. I have beencalledadependa once inmylife anditwas one of the mostcrushing(and inaccurate) thingsIhave beencalled.Ipostedona social mediasite thataskedina poll if,as a military spouse,Iworked.Ishouldhave knownbetterthantopost an answer,butI didanyway.Almostinstantly I was calledadependaandtold"youprobablyweigh250 poundsand runup the Star Card bill."Just because IsaidI don'tcurrentlyhave a job.What wasthe worstpart about this?These commentscame fromactive dutymembersANDspouses. No one caredto ask aboutlife before the military.Noone caredtoask whyor if I neededsome helpwithadjustingtoanewlife.Myhusbandand I starteddatingwhenIwas 15, we livedoff of my paychecks,andI had all of my ownhealthcare andbenefits before we were married.Igave upmy scholarshipandgoingtomy dreamschool to move across the globe formy husband.The factthat my husbanddependedonme before the AirForce didnotmatter.I didn'tbotherto tell themthatdaycare where Ilive isso expensiveIwouldhave toworkfull time justtocoverdaycare and gas, theywouldof justcalleditan "excuse forlaziness"like theydidtootherspouses.Sothere Iwasbeingburnedatthe stake for beinga"dependa". It isincrediblysadthatI can't post a picture of my husbandandI while he isinuniformbecause certainFacebookpagessteal themandplasterthemeverywheretryingtoshame me.Iput an "I Love my Airman"stickeronmy car but afterseeingall the hatredandbullying,Itriedtoscrape it off.Ilove my husbandandsupporthisjob butsince I am a stay-at-home mom, I can't show it withoutridicule. Spousesshouldbe supportingeachother,nottakinga picture or screenshootof somethingto be made fun of by thousandsof people.If yousee aspouse doingsomethinglikewearingtheir husband'srank,talkto themabout.Let themknow how thingswork,there'sa goodchance theyare newto the life.If anNCO'swife triestopull ranksomewhere,justignorethemorkindlypointoutthat theirhusband'srankliterallymeansnothingasa spouse.We cansupportand handle ourownproblems withoutthisendinguplike MeanGirls. Take the time toget to knowsomeone before youspoutoff aboutthem.The bullyingneedsto stop.Whenthe spousessayit to eachother,all we do isopengatesfor everyone elsetosayittoo.
- 6. Big Cat Rescue (Charity Profile) “Big Cat Rescue’s mission is to provide the best home we can for the cats in our care, end abuse of big cats in captivity and prevent extinction of big cats in the wild.” Let’s talk about the amazing charity the Gryffindor’s are representing. The Big Cat Rescue is based out of Tampa, and is one the largest accredited sanctuary for big cats. This non-profit 501 c 3 organization began in 1992 by rescuing exotic cats, such as abused captive cats and wild endangered cats. The 67-acre sanctuary holds around 80 big cats of any species such as lions, tigers, cougars, and servals. Although some of the rescue cats are out of nature, a majority of the cats come from domestic situations. Some people illegally acquire a big cat cub as a pet without consider a grown cat is 300 pounds. When they realize it was a bad idea, they simply abandon or release the cat. The rescue also takes in retired performing animals and performing animals who were abused. One of the saddest rescue situations is saving the big cats from being killed for fashion. From 1999 to 2015, the organization has rescued a total of 1,278 cats. Last year, Big Cat Rescue performed over 70 educational events throughout Tampa and contributed $23,100 towards worldwide conservation. Their efforts in campaigns helped convince Delta to stop allowing the transportation of big game hunting “trophies”. As you can see, their work goes far beyond the state of Florida. The Big Cat Rescue is a very distinguished organization with a numerous amount of accreditations and hundreds of awards. Some of the most notable ones are: Accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries Certified by Independent Charities of America as a “Best in America Charity” Member of the World Society for Protection of Animals Rated 4 Stars by Charity Navigator (highest score possible, only awarded to 6% of charities) Please check out their site here to view a complete list of their awards. For all the members local (or planning a vacation) to Tampa, the Big Cat Rescue offers tours of their sanctuary. The guided walking tours run about an hour and a half in length, but this is not a zoo, it is a first come-first serve basis. If you are able to get to the Big Cat Rescue, be sure to take your Gryffindor medal and snap a picture. The staff would love to meet the people helping support their efforts. Big cats are truly amazing creatures, it’s no wonder J.K. Rowling picked a lion to represent Gryffindor. If you are interested in learning more about big cats, the rescue has an awesome facts page.