Our Story

Hi, I'm Megan-the blogger behind the blog. This is the story of our life, written from my perspective as the proud wife of a ruggedly handsome and secretly and surprisingly sweet United States Marine. We set off on this adventure together way back in 2006 when Jordan first started OCS (Officer Candidate School) and I missed my then-boyfriend desperately from afar. We spent those two summers apart writing old-school, pen and paper love letters everyday to one another,which I still treasure so dearly and count as one of my most prized possessions. And although it has been nearly 8 years since we were first introduced to military life way back then, we are still learning and growing everyday as we navigate this crazy world of the USMC.

Jordan and I at his OSC graduation in 2008

For those of you that have followed this blog for the last few years, some of what I am about to say sound familiar. I originally had this as a postscript at the conclusion of one of my blog posts; however, I felt this sentiment deserved it's own space entirely. Furthermore, when I thought more about it, the message I had written wasn't merely an afterthought, but truly a reflection of our military life thus far. Documenting our journey and seeing every big change and curveball that comes our way as an opportunity is the entire essence and central theme that has unconsciously developed in this blog. Moving is said to be the 3rd most stressful life event, next to only death of a loved one and divorce. However, we have survived THRIVED through 6 moves in only 3 years by living with an attitude of gratitude and choosing to seek joy in all of our surroundings. No, life isn't perfect, not even here in paradise! We have definitely had our share of challenges at every location and with every move, but as cheesy as it sounds, a positive attitude goes a long way.

When I first started the blog, my intention was primarily to keep our family and friends updated on our new life after our first move to the other side of the country (Virginia), as well as with the latest developments in Jordan's training. Let's be honest, men aren't the best with communication, especially one that is utterly exhausted from 16 hour work days, long hours of study, and lack of sleep. I thought this blog would be a great way to supplement those few and far between phone calls to family and friends. However, it has become more than that. It has developed into a digital scrapbook of the last 3 years of our life, documenting both big and small events, allowing us to reflect on experiences and memories that would have otherwise been lost and forgotten. It is a reflection of our journey, but not just our geographical one. It is also an evolution of growth of two individuals continuously shaped by our experiences. I'm so grateful we have these memories written down in order to reflect back on. I can see each post, or more accurately, each of the stories and experiences that inspired the post, as building blocks, coming together to create and build the story of our life. 

Jordan and I were married on June 13, 2009, cementing our bond and our promise to take on life's adventure side-by-side. The theme for our wedding was, "In life, let love be your guide." Well love (and the Marine Corps) has guided us on some pretty wonderful adventures thus far. I love "doing life" with this man by my side!

So that's it, this is our story. I tend to be a bit long-winded and have an overzealous love for comas and run on sentences. I can easily get wrapped up with, and humbly attempt to, wax poetic in order to allow my black and white words in type to become more than just letters on a page, but to completely capture and recreate these most magical experiences and allow our story to visually unfold with every word.

In addition to documenting our experiences for ourselves, for our family, and for posterity, I hope this blog serves to encourage each and every one of you to live with the same sense of adventure and exploration as we do. To recognize just how fortunate, how lucky, and how blessed you are. Every town, no matter how big or how small or how long you have lived there, has a beautiful history, a unique culture, and hidden gems just waiting to be explored by you. Our 6-month increments at each of our last 5 locations (our hometown included), have encouraged us to see and explore as much as we possibly can in our short time there; to soak up every possible exciting experience while we have the opportunity and means to do so. Even returning back to California, the place where we were both born and raised for the first 25 years of our lives, held new possibilities and unexplored opportunities. We made a concerted effort to spend our time in our hometown as tourists, because we now live a life not knowing when or if we will have the opportunity to return to each place again. So I encourage anyone that is reading this to change their mindset too, and to live as a tourist in your own current surroundings: research a hike in your area, try out a new local restaurant, buy a groupon for a fun activity! I challenge each of you to go LIVE, EXPLORE, LEARN AND BREAK YOUR ROUTINE! There is a beautiful world surrounding you, just waiting to be discovered and ready to remind YOU just how fortunate, how lucky, and how blessed YOU ARE! 


So, with that being said...

Carpe Diem! Memento Mori! And for those people better versed in pop-culture than Latin, #YOLO! 

Jump on in and take this crazy ride along with us!