So, last weekend my laptop's charger died. Thus, I've had to use computers at school to get anything done. It's so maddening, too, because it's the week before midterms and I was hoping to get ahead on papers and the like. Well, THAT clearly isn't happening now! It's strange feeling so isolated from daily news, email, etc., but it's nice at the same time being able to think more and force myself to be slightly more social. When I do have a working charger again, I'm still going to keep working on this "human interaction" thing. :)

I don't have much else to update you all on concerning my life. Things with Steve are going pretty well; we text or talk on the phone every day. He's been training in the field a lot and is excited for my visit in early April to his base. I'm excited for it, too, and am still waiting on buying a plane ticket, but I think it will be a fun trip!
 
 
So, every few months when I'm on Facebook, I either get a comment on my wall or a Facebook message asking if I'm engaged. For some people, this isn't a problem if they actually are engaged to be married to someone and post it in social media. As for me? I'm "engaged" in the sense that my relationship status on Facebook says "Megan is engaged to Steve," but in the real world sense of the term, we're not. It's kind of complicated... 
 
 
Ahh, Valentine's Day. A time when Hallmark's stock skyrockets and couples everywhere spend time with each other - be it a dinner, movies, etc. - and spend money on each other to show affection - purchasing flowers, wallets, etc. for their loved one. 

I've never really hated or loved Valentine's Day. It's never been a holiday I've expected people to shower me with gifts and telling me what I mean to them. In elementary school we are socialized into the holiday by decorating shoe boxes and writing our name on store-bought Valentine's, sometimes writing an extra message if we have a "crush" on someone. Later on, like in high school and college, the pressure is on for men to make their girl's day as special as possible. 

Most Valentine's Days of my life, I've been single. The years I haven't been have had their fair share of ups and downs - from the high school boyfriend who my friends had to force to buy me a single rose at lunch to receiving flowers for the first time last year from Steve at my house. The day has never been one that's stood out in my mind; if you can't tell someone you care about them without a holiday forcing you to do so, then something is up. 
 
 
Well, it's finally February, and I'm fully adjusted to my weekly schedule. One thing I will never adjust to, though, are the mysteries of my roommates. I won't go into detail here, but it's been anything but an easy living situation this year. In all honesty, I can't wait for May 6th., the approximate date I can move home again. 

Other than that little slice of crazy, stuff with Steve and I has gotten better, with the exception of Friday and part of Saturday. I don't know what was going on in my head, but I kept picking fights with him over little things. Have any of you done that before with your significant other? Those little fights escalated into bigger ones, and so by Friday night we had to say some tough stuff to each other. Saturdays discussion was a lot about the R word (reenlistment), which we both have talked about for a while. 
 
 
Dear Mr. Sparks, 

It has come to my attention that your novel, Dear John, has recently opened in theaters as a movie. Based on a fictional account from the point of view of a soldier, Dear John shows how one man faces the challenges of a new relationship while continuing to serve his country.

While I have not seen your new movie, based on what I know from reading the book and seeing the movie's trailer, I feel it my duty as a real-life military girlfriend to talk to you about how you portray the relationship between Savannah, a college girl, who falls for John, the title character. 

Mr. Sparks, your novel and subsequent film are very over-romanticized about the lifestyle myself and other military girlfriends and wives live every day. It's a shame this inaccurate portrayal leads Savannah's character to lack development and seem weak, depending on John's affection and attention to keep her happy rather than developing into a strong, independent young woman who conquers the difficulties of distance through self-discovery. While I haven't faced a deployment with my boyfriend yet, we have been long distance the majority of our relationship. My friends and I can tell you first hand, It is anything but happy times all of the time to live apart. 

The dramatic music and lovey-dovey sentiments exchanged from your movie's trailer, which focuses mostly on John's leave time rather than when he's away, only slightly cover what it can be like to have that time together. Leave is fun, but it's only a break from the reality of this military lifestyle. Leave is also very short - 2 weeks to a month typically - so much of the time together is nothing like the time apart. The reality is, many military wives and girlfriends experience frustration, communication problems and feelings of loneliness when their man is away. This life is anything but easy and many relationships falter or can fall apart because it is so difficult.