By Ashley McIlwain I sat down at my pool hoping to catch a few rays, but more importantly, to snag some relaxation. As I cozied into an open lawn chair prepared to attempt a mental vacation, my “trip” was interrupted by a group of middle aged guys talking. They weren’t far from me, and considering
By Ashley McIlwain Growing up, birthdays were always a pretty big deal in my home. If you were the birthday girl, it was all about you that day. As a kid that meant simple yet special privileges like getting to answer the phone the entire day, being the one to get the mail, and no
By Erin Hensche Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, at least that’s what the old adage says. But is there any validity to that statement? If you had asked me that question at the beginning of mine or my husband’s aviation career, the answer would have been a resounding no. After a few years
By Ashley McIlwain When I look around me, I realize how blessed I am with inspirational, successful marriages. My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary. My sister and her husband their 11th. My husband, Steve’s, parents just celebrated 42 years. Just last month our board members, Greg and Rosemary, hit the 40 year mark. Steve’s
By Tomas M. Figueroa In 2003, following the completion of my initial six years of Ready Reserve duty, I was waiting on transfer orders to be placed on Inactive Reserve status (this is when you have an obligation with the Army Reserves, but does not require monthly participation or annual trainings—you’re essentially on standby and
By Ashley McIlwain I had gone to the post office and was met by a line of people out the door. My shoulders sank at the reality that I couldn’t just come back and was sure to be waiting for quite a while in this long line. Sure enough, over 20 minutes later, I finally
By Ashley McIlwain Have you ever closed one eye and looked at something? Then looking at the same object, closed the other eye? Repeating this back and forth is quite fascinating. The people around you might think you are losing it, but it’s amazing how each eye sees the same object so differently. When both
By Ashley McIlwain Something that frequently comes up in correspondences from people relate back to their inner circle. Your inner circle is that group of people that you most frequently surround yourself with, seek counsel from, confide in, and that influences you most significantly. We all have an inner circle whether it’s two people or
By Ashley McIlwain In a world of social media and smart phones, the concept of privacy is becoming extinct. We’re constantly being pulled into a self-revealing state of mind that beckons us to share that, post this, and all around put our private lives on public display. But how much is too much? I open
By Ashley McIlwain I cannot control life. My circumstances, the good and bad, my relationships, outcomes, the extent of my success – these are all things that are out of my control. Despite my best efforts, daily, I realize just how limited I really am. While frustrating, confusing, and sometimes angering, I find myself coming
