Mrs_America

I'm sure that in a few months my perspective will be different, but at the moment, I am plain and simple all over the place.

First move. First married quarters. First assignment, even! It's all so new and shiny and exciting and for the same reasons daunting and intimidating and at times, dead scary.

He isn't used to this. When he's moved in the past, he has had the key to the old place and the new place and a car or van and enough stuff to cram it into one and ...

Christmas is a big deal. We all know it. Once a year, good will towards men, the whole she-bang. it even has its own theme tunes. Christmas. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas in America usually means 'going home' and 'spending time with family'. And for all of us, this can complicate things. We all love our families, in theory, but the stress of the holidays combined with annual reunions... best behaviour and booze don't always make good bed fellows!

I have ...

Like most people with some European genetics, I was born blonde. Adorable on kids, right? And then, when I hit puberty, my hair darkened through dishwater and settled firmly into the curse of the once-fair: mouse coloured hair. Not rich nor vibrant, no chocolate hues or golden ones, not as shiny as silvery ash. Just mousey. Plain. uninspiring. dull. invisible.

I put in some golden highlights when I was 16 and maintained them for a few years. Radiant, young, very pretty. ...

When I was small, I intended to never marry. My mother used to look at me, rolling her eyes, and talk about my feminism and independence. Pride. Strength. She used positive words. Other moms might have told me me I was a little madam and given me a cuff, but my mom made sure I treasured my own ferocity. This made me think I was too strong, too proud, to submit to any man (or woman, for that matter). I Don't take orders, I would proudly announce. I question everything. I had a massive chip ...

A friend once said to me, "Tattoos are like scars. They are a physical reminder of what you've gone through. Removing a tattoo is trying to deny what's made you who you are, and it's stupid." Scars, tattoos, and the mark of our lives printed on our skins. How can we be ashamed of our bodies when they are what we have made them? They are the books of our lives, our past written on our skin.

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My husband has a few scars, ...