And then there are times when it's just not worth it....

Bitch.

I've been called that a fair few times. Sometimes I thought 'Wow. I really must be a piece of work' but I've put some thought into it while I've been separated from my husband and the quiet of my room while my toddler sleeps. If I am being labeled a bitch does it make me one because I protect my family? Because I stand up for the things I believe in? Because I won't let people talk badly about my husband and the choices that we've made as a family?

Because people feel the need to attack us, I have my guard up. It is no one's business what my husband chooses to do. For five years we've had lengthy talks of where our careers would take us and Neil did the best he could as a civilian once we moved to the US together but the Army has opened doors for us that we never dreamed imaginable. My husband is a born soldier. His mind works differently than my own and though I can not often wrap my mind around the things that he does and likes, I would never oppose him seeking out the things that made him happy. His happiness means the world to me.

To those critics reading and those who have voiced their opinions in the past, feel free to leave your unwanted criticisms at the door. Neil may be many things but the one thing he will never be is careless. The Army is providing him training and the tools for survival and I don't expect others to understand why he does this or to question this! He knows that he has a young family at home who loves him and he knows the risks out there but that is what is making him stand head and shoulders above the rest. He is taking all of his training in and learning how to apply it to real life situations. He is already taking his job very seriously and in the back of his mind is Tyler and I. I have faith in the Army that they're training him well.

But I digress. I am not a bitch, I stand up for my family and if, to you, that makes me a bitch than perhaps you need to do some evaluating on yourself. I would give my life for my son and my husband without a second thought and Neil is doing the same for us. Another quote that really speaks to me says: "My husband doesn't fight because he hates what is in front of him, he fights because he loves what is behind him." This is his country now. He is an American Citizen, an American Soldier. He doesn't take the Oath of Enlistment or the Citizenship Oath lightly. He wants to do all that he can to keep our nation safe.

This is why I don't feel like we need the people in our lives who put him down for his career choices. He doesn't come to your office and yell at you for sitting on your ass all day! Instead, he is willing to fight so you can have that freedom! The sad part is, some of these people are supposed to be his 'family'. There has been everything from a lack of support to coming right out and saying that they don't agree with it. When you talk about my husband behind his back to me, don't think that it stays there long. As soon as I have a moment to sit down with him, I tell him everything. We harbor no secrets. So next time you try to blow sunshine up his ass and tell him how proud you are of him just be well aware that he already knows the truth.

In the coming months and years we will find out who really deserves to be in our lives. I have a feeling I can already count about 10 people who will be quickly dropped from our lives and it won't come as a surprise when it happens. Some people you just don't get along with and it's nothing personal. It really is just conflicting personalities. I've tried a lot and mostly in vain. The people who are two-faced always continue to be two-faced. I can firmly say that no one likes people that are two-faced and everyone knows that you are, no matter how much you may try to hide it. People act like they like you only hoping to not get on your bad side but they know you can never be trusted. It's sad really. You will never be truly happy because you are too busy trying to make yourself look better to others.

There are people who come into our lives and you know that they are meant to be there. You know that God brought them into your life for a reason and then there are times when it's just not worth it....