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
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.
