Recently, I added Jennye, my BFFE/soulmate 4 life, as a moderator to http://militaryissuedlove.net. This weekend, I went and visited her and we talked in length about turning the message board into a website to be used as a resource for military families. My hope is that if we don't have the information someone is looking for, we can at least point them to exactly where they can find it.
Tonight, I have been looking up different options for us to begin the process. In the meantime, Jennye and I will be pulling all of our resources and getting all of our information together to be displayed on the site. I am so excited about the many different types of information and experiences we will have to help out as many military families and supporters as we possibly can. I've always enjoyed making websites and making the best out of my little corner in the internet world. Now, my hope is that my little corner can reach other corners across the world :)
By the way, this is an FYI post but I'd be happy to read any suggestions, ideas or expertise you may have for me to share!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
7 randoms about me.
1. The only time I don't enjoy working is if it means I'm going to miss time at home with my husband and our 2 dogs. Otherwise, I love it.
2. Netflix is by far the best invention since television itself. Eric & I have watched MANY seasons of our MOST FAVORITE shows ever because of it. (Lost, Dexter, NipTuck, Veronica Mars, Grey's Anatomy, Gangland, Bones, Lie to Me, etc.) It has replaced cable.
3. I want to be covered in tattoos. Unfortunately, for whatever job I will have in the future that won't exactly work, but I'd kill for the money to complete my foot and start and finish a sleeve on my arm. I would tattoo random things I love: the state of TX, the Longhorns, Konji symbols for Faith & Family (already have friendship), a tattoo for my mom, maybe my wedding anniversary, my dad's dates near my butterfly kisses, etc.)
4. I notice every pretty woman/girl I pass. I don't look at them and think "Oh, I think I'll leave my husband for her!" But I do think "WOW! She's very pretty!" Sometimes I even go as far to think "She's freakin' hot!" There was a time I would've been too nervous to admit that as growing up I was so manly, or at least people had me convinced that I was, that I was scared people would automatically think I'm a lesbian. Not that there is anything wrong with lesbians, but I'm not one..
5. I'm obsessed with my iPhone. I do everything on it that it will allow me too. Including using the message board app to access MilitaryIssuedLove.net.
6. I like music - not always because of the sound, but more often because of the lyrics.
7. People tell me how strong I am everyday. And almost everytime, I don't believe them. Sometimes, I roll my eyes. Not because of them, but because I often feel that if they only knew what I deal with, how I deal with it and the thoughts in my head, that they would for sure think otherwise.
2. Netflix is by far the best invention since television itself. Eric & I have watched MANY seasons of our MOST FAVORITE shows ever because of it. (Lost, Dexter, NipTuck, Veronica Mars, Grey's Anatomy, Gangland, Bones, Lie to Me, etc.) It has replaced cable.
3. I want to be covered in tattoos. Unfortunately, for whatever job I will have in the future that won't exactly work, but I'd kill for the money to complete my foot and start and finish a sleeve on my arm. I would tattoo random things I love: the state of TX, the Longhorns, Konji symbols for Faith & Family (already have friendship), a tattoo for my mom, maybe my wedding anniversary, my dad's dates near my butterfly kisses, etc.)
4. I notice every pretty woman/girl I pass. I don't look at them and think "Oh, I think I'll leave my husband for her!" But I do think "WOW! She's very pretty!" Sometimes I even go as far to think "She's freakin' hot!" There was a time I would've been too nervous to admit that as growing up I was so manly, or at least people had me convinced that I was, that I was scared people would automatically think I'm a lesbian. Not that there is anything wrong with lesbians, but I'm not one..
5. I'm obsessed with my iPhone. I do everything on it that it will allow me too. Including using the message board app to access MilitaryIssuedLove.net.
6. I like music - not always because of the sound, but more often because of the lyrics.
7. People tell me how strong I am everyday. And almost everytime, I don't believe them. Sometimes, I roll my eyes. Not because of them, but because I often feel that if they only knew what I deal with, how I deal with it and the thoughts in my head, that they would for sure think otherwise.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
MilitaryIssuedLove.Net
OK, I haven't posted on here about my baby - so here's the post. I started MilitaryIssuedLove.net over a year ago when I had a "problem" or two on another message board. Many people believe I was and am a much uglier person than I could ever dream of being, and with that believed I would set out to hurt a pregnant woman and her unborn child which were already dealing with complications and a number of other things on top of that. Due to this, problems got worse and I was eventually booted - along with a few other members, who are quite the "posse," by the way. You never know who your TRUE friends are until you're kicked off a message board ;)
So I started the board. It started out as just a place for all of us and a few others to find support since we were no longer welcome on that board, but it turned into something so incredibly different. First and foremost, it became a place for all of us to congregate, to get together, as if we were in the same building, all sitting in the same room, getting to know each other and loving and supporting each other in every way we can. Second, it became a place and maybe even, technically, an "organization," in which I could use to reach out and help people while supporting them in everyway that I (we) could and touching their lives the way the members of MIL•net and other military supporters have touched mine.. Third, it became a pay it forward type movement for me. So many people have attempted to help me through my journey with the military, both as a possible member and as a spouse. If I can connect those people with other people who have done the same, maybe they can help each other and maybe I can help them, too. In doing such, it's allowed for everyone whose helped me to find help that they may sometimes need. It's kind of a vicious cycle, when I'm not in the middle of things trying to help others, they're trying to help me - no matter how often I try to avoid their help :) It's become a place where I can bring together the many people who support our Troops more than the average patriot and allow them to work closely with organizations such as Bubba's Belly Run, the American Widow Project, Flat Daddies, the VA, etc.
MiL•net is a place for those who support the men and women of our armed forces to find support for themselves. It's a place where we stop becoming strangers over the internet, and we become best friends and family. It's a place where we understand how scary not receiving one phone call, text, message, email, letter, or receiving a knock on the door unexpectedly can be. It's a place where we know what it's like to live by instant messengers and in way too close proximity to that cell phone attached to your hand. It's where we understand what not to say to a deployed spouse or family member. It's where we understand that sometimes it's important to just not talk about ANYTHING military related, and just pretend like it's a life you don't live for just a moment.. We understand.
http://militaryissuedlove.net
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed & degraded state of moral & patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature & has no chance of being free unless made & kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
So I started the board. It started out as just a place for all of us and a few others to find support since we were no longer welcome on that board, but it turned into something so incredibly different. First and foremost, it became a place for all of us to congregate, to get together, as if we were in the same building, all sitting in the same room, getting to know each other and loving and supporting each other in every way we can. Second, it became a place and maybe even, technically, an "organization," in which I could use to reach out and help people while supporting them in everyway that I (we) could and touching their lives the way the members of MIL•net and other military supporters have touched mine.. Third, it became a pay it forward type movement for me. So many people have attempted to help me through my journey with the military, both as a possible member and as a spouse. If I can connect those people with other people who have done the same, maybe they can help each other and maybe I can help them, too. In doing such, it's allowed for everyone whose helped me to find help that they may sometimes need. It's kind of a vicious cycle, when I'm not in the middle of things trying to help others, they're trying to help me - no matter how often I try to avoid their help :) It's become a place where I can bring together the many people who support our Troops more than the average patriot and allow them to work closely with organizations such as Bubba's Belly Run, the American Widow Project, Flat Daddies, the VA, etc.
MiL•net is a place for those who support the men and women of our armed forces to find support for themselves. It's a place where we stop becoming strangers over the internet, and we become best friends and family. It's a place where we understand how scary not receiving one phone call, text, message, email, letter, or receiving a knock on the door unexpectedly can be. It's a place where we know what it's like to live by instant messengers and in way too close proximity to that cell phone attached to your hand. It's where we understand what not to say to a deployed spouse or family member. It's where we understand that sometimes it's important to just not talk about ANYTHING military related, and just pretend like it's a life you don't live for just a moment.. We understand.
http://militaryissuedlove.net
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed & degraded state of moral & patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature & has no chance of being free unless made & kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
Stink at Blogging
So, when I originally started this blog, I was going to do it anonymously, as that way I could be as open with the internet world as I possibly could without fear of someone knowing it was me or coming into my life later and causing trouble because they "knew" about me from those posts. I then changed my mind as it is hard to believe stories about an anonymous woman, and even harder to get emotionally invested in her life. However, at that moment in time, I decided to be as open and honest as I could with the internet world, a world in which many of my best friends seem to reside. I'm thankful my honesty and openness has been accepted in the way that it has by most. That's not to say that I haven't had some consequences, too, though, for the record.
Anyway, once I made that decision, I started posting open and honestly on Facebook, which left me no time (or reason, really) to "blog." I'm naturally a long winded person, so even my status updates are the max of 420 characters! That's a miniblog in itself! :) However, I have spent the last few weeks "following" people I would like to get to know, know more about, read about, or share things with and with that, I will try to blog more often.
At the time I started this, I was having a very rough time as an Army wife, as my husband seemed to be having a rough time as a husband. I wanted to paint a portrait for the rest of the world, a real, true and honest portrait of what it was REALLY like behind the uniform and the "I belong to a soldier" shirts. I wanted to show people by experiences and life lessons that just because we endure deployments, distance due to training, up and moving and changing our lives at any given second, worrying everyday if my husband will come home from work or not or if that guy in the nicely pressed uniform will be knocking at my door, etc. doesn't mean things are perfect or that we don't struggle with and through the love. Just because we are forced to feel all of those emotions, including anger and fear and worry, which are emotions that often lead to passion, even when not intended or wanted, does not mean that we have somehow learned to appreciate each other so much that we get to live happily ever after without having a fight - ever. The reality is, for many of us, we have to deal with the extra fighting on top of the deployments, the emotions with the military life and trying to keep our lives and families together. It's hard. Life was so bad for me back then that I had hoped to post everyday about the on goings within my marriage and what I was dealing with as the wife of a soldier, who I would diagnose with PTSD anyday, even without my MD. This was my plan and this was going to be my "journal/diary" of sorts. However, life changed for us, we figured it out, we made it work, we were happy and we fell in love all over again and I no longer needed to get all of those feelings, emotions, thoughts and experiences out. There were no bad moments to share with the world, and let's face, it's much harder to share the good as you are often so caught up in the moment, the last thing you think about is posting it on the internet for a bunch of people who will read it and think "UGH, GAG ME!"
We have since completed our 2nd deployment as a married couple (his 3rd) and life is sometimes, back to those dark days I wanted to tell you all about. We are working on getting past them and as we do, as we conquer this set of hard times, I hope to share my stories and experiences with you - the good, the bad, and the in between. If there's days where I forget and you're wondering what's going on with me, don't be scared to remind me that I've got a job to do - to let the world know about my life :)
PS. You can find me on Facebook by name Rhandi M Elliott Conley
Anyway, once I made that decision, I started posting open and honestly on Facebook, which left me no time (or reason, really) to "blog." I'm naturally a long winded person, so even my status updates are the max of 420 characters! That's a miniblog in itself! :) However, I have spent the last few weeks "following" people I would like to get to know, know more about, read about, or share things with and with that, I will try to blog more often.
At the time I started this, I was having a very rough time as an Army wife, as my husband seemed to be having a rough time as a husband. I wanted to paint a portrait for the rest of the world, a real, true and honest portrait of what it was REALLY like behind the uniform and the "I belong to a soldier" shirts. I wanted to show people by experiences and life lessons that just because we endure deployments, distance due to training, up and moving and changing our lives at any given second, worrying everyday if my husband will come home from work or not or if that guy in the nicely pressed uniform will be knocking at my door, etc. doesn't mean things are perfect or that we don't struggle with and through the love. Just because we are forced to feel all of those emotions, including anger and fear and worry, which are emotions that often lead to passion, even when not intended or wanted, does not mean that we have somehow learned to appreciate each other so much that we get to live happily ever after without having a fight - ever. The reality is, for many of us, we have to deal with the extra fighting on top of the deployments, the emotions with the military life and trying to keep our lives and families together. It's hard. Life was so bad for me back then that I had hoped to post everyday about the on goings within my marriage and what I was dealing with as the wife of a soldier, who I would diagnose with PTSD anyday, even without my MD. This was my plan and this was going to be my "journal/diary" of sorts. However, life changed for us, we figured it out, we made it work, we were happy and we fell in love all over again and I no longer needed to get all of those feelings, emotions, thoughts and experiences out. There were no bad moments to share with the world, and let's face, it's much harder to share the good as you are often so caught up in the moment, the last thing you think about is posting it on the internet for a bunch of people who will read it and think "UGH, GAG ME!"
We have since completed our 2nd deployment as a married couple (his 3rd) and life is sometimes, back to those dark days I wanted to tell you all about. We are working on getting past them and as we do, as we conquer this set of hard times, I hope to share my stories and experiences with you - the good, the bad, and the in between. If there's days where I forget and you're wondering what's going on with me, don't be scared to remind me that I've got a job to do - to let the world know about my life :)
PS. You can find me on Facebook by name Rhandi M Elliott Conley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)