Married To A Marine Officer Means....

Some wonder. Some will never know. Well, I'm hear to tell you all about being married to a Marine Officer. Here are my top 6 observations of this very unique lifestyle...

1) For starters their haircut's will never be what they were before. If you haven't heard of a HIGH-N-TIGHT, then Google it. Don't worry, I'm more a tapered-fade girl myself too. However, I warmed up to a "medium-red" (which is a less dramatic version of a high-n-tight) pretty quickly. If you still don't know what

I'm talking about, the next time you see a Marine, ask him. : )

2) The color olive green begins to permeate every part of your life. [As I write this I'm wearing olive green sweat pants.] You'll find that everything from water bottles to boot foot cushions come in olive green! AND, that the Marine Corps will REQUIRE Marines to have 10 of everything! If green is not your color and you plan to join the Marine family, Id encourage you to find a room (or closet) to dedicate to all things green your Marine will collect and just throw it in and CLOSE the door. : ) I personally like green, so it's been quite nice. **wink**

3) The amount of food a Marine Officer can consume is quite impressive. I mean, I was raised in Texas where the men pile their plates a few inches high but, soon after you can typically see exactly where this food sticks to their body. The Marine Officer can put away thousands of calories easily and stay in perfect trim shape! They burn so many calories everyday with all of the PT (working out) that they need to eat hearty and hefty meals. This past Friday, Michael and I entertained (and fed) 5 of his fellow Officers. I don't believe I have ever cooked that much food in my life. Within an hour, it was all gone. Leftovers? Please!

4) Random outbursts. Umm, I'm not sure how else to describe it. Whether he is singing cadences to himself as he cleans his boots, or reciting motto's while he takes out the trash, the Marine Corps spirit, as they call it, lives in him! This spirit is contagious...I admit, I've caught it. Anytime one of those Marine Corps commercials with the men in uniform twirling their rifles comes on, I get chills up my arm and a big goofy smile on my face. I love it. "Ooh-rah!" may also be randomly shouted at very exciting moments." It is an expression of camaraderie an

d pride. I love seeing my Officer so motivated and driven by his passion for the Corps. What can I say?! There is no man happier, than one who loves God AND loves his job. : )

5) Marine Officers have a high standard of cleanliness and order. Something about OCS (Officer Candidate School) transforms them into men (and women) that crave order, obsess about planning, and maintain impeccable cleanliness. This can create quite the list of tasks for the wife that isn't a fan of housework. However, my grandmother raised me well...and I happily maintain our home. (The fancy dishwasher, extra large washer/dryer, frequent house guests, and my

natural OCD desire to clean also help motivate me to get the job done!) ***Now if I could only get him to buy me a Dyson. Hmmmm....

6) The odd hours begin to seem normal after a few days. I mean who would think it's strange to get up at 3:45 a.m. to travel to work, only to return 16 hours later...if you're lucky. And I thought a 40-hour

work week was demanding. Boy oh boy! Although, there's nothing more appealing than a man in uniform coming home from a hard days work ready for one of his wife's yummy meals. Ahhh... I love it! (If you're wondering if I get up to make him breakfast as well in the mornings...the answer is YES!) <-- We'll see how long I can keep that up. **wink**

All in all, married life is great. I'm married to a man that loves his job. Work isn't work to him and that makes me very very happy.