Just Say Julie

         So I have had this post swirling around in my head for a while now and I have been ready to write it for a variety of reasons.  Mostly I am afraid of the backlash that might come from it or the less than supportive comments I might receive.  I have already heard that I knew what I was getting myself into when I married the Sheriff but that doesn't change the reality of being a stepmother.  Its a difficult job even under the easiest of situations and ours, while not the most difficult, would not be considered an easy situation.         I have been around Kiddo since day one of my relationship with the Sheriff because he has primary custody.  With the Sheriff's ex being in the military and living more than 2 thousand miles away, there is no weekend visitation to offset the time we have Kiddo.  Instead, he spends the summers with his mom and the rest of the year with us.  At 6 years old, that is confusing for him and difficult for us to explain.  With the summer drawing

"The biggest myth about Southern women is that we are frail types--fainting on our sofas...nobody where I grew up every acted like that. We were about as fragile as coal trucks." ~  Lee Smith "A southern girl is a girl who knows full and well that she can open a door for herself but prefers for the gentleman to do it because it demonstrates a sense of respect. After all, every girl wants to be treated like a princess. We know how to make sweet tea and grits while telling you everything about any football team in the SEC. We pick our battles and fight with the heart of a pit bull while still maintaining grace and elegance. Our mystique is that of a soft-spoken, mild-mannered southern bell who could direct an army, loves her momma and will always be daddy's little girl." ~ Cameran Eubanks "Southern girls are God's gift to the entire male population. There is absolutely no woman finer than one raised below the Mason-Dixon line. Once you go Southern, may

After being married for 4 years, returning to the world of Single People was difficult to say the least. Dating sucks and I now had a whole new set of baggage to carry from my divorce to make things that much more difficult. I had a lot of hang-ups related to what I had experienced during my time as Army Wife that I knew those would carry over into my new life. Some were good, some not so much. I knew I was a lot more independent and opinionated than I had been when I dated in my twenties and I hoped I was stronger but I still managed to let guys get to me in some ways worse than before I got married. Fortunately with the Sheriff, I felt pretty opened and comfortable to talk about my issues (and his as well) so that we could work through them together and hopefully not face some of the same problems in the future. The Sheriff and I met in the Singles department at our church. A singles department which has been pretty successful at bringing couples together. Since I st

I spent this past weekend cleaning out my office and, more specifically, the closet in my office to prepare for our upcoming garage sale. The room I use for the office is the third bedroom in my house. Like the other bedrooms, it has a walk-in closet which is great for storage. Unlike the other bedrooms, it has a tile floor which makes it great to double as Maverick’s room. Because of the function of the room, it has ended up being more of a junk room than anything else. If I needed to move something or get something out of the way but I really didn’t have anywhere else to put it, it went in the office. When I had important papers that needed to be filed but I didn’t have time to deal with them, they went into the office. You get the picture...the room was where my pack rat side resided. After cleaning out the guest room so it could be redecorated and repurposed into Kiddo’s room, the cleaning bug struck. It was time for me to tackle the office. I had told The Sheriff at th

I never really set New Year's Resolutions this year, well, because I knew I wouldn't keep them. It seems like no matter I set out to do, life gets in the way and it just doesn't happen. I have 5 days until I complete school ( for the last time). Because I will no longer have to worry about posting discussion or writing papers or group assignments, I will be able to free up some time that I can hopefully focus on other things that I enjoy more. So I would like to set a few goals for the rest of the year in order to fill up some of that free time I will have. 1. To blog more - I have severely neglected my internet home since I have been in school. I recently joined two blog networks with the hope that would encourage me to write more. It isn't that I don't have things to say. I just usually think of them at times when I can't stop to write, such as drifting off to sleep or in the shower. 2. To read more - I love to read. I love getting lost in a story and le