I was never the type of person who ever said, "Oh, I'll never do ________" Especially when it came to having a good time, whether that was with drugs or dudes. I lost my virginity at 15. Got drunk off my ass at 14, smoked my first bowl at 13, and I started cussing heavily at 12. Now, I may sound like I was some sort of a rebel child. Stuck on the wrong side of the tracks. But I was kind of the opposite. I mean, obviously, I wasn't a complete angel, but I was pretty angelic, especially in front of my parents, teachers, and anyone else of authority. I made good grades, I was well mannered, and I was obedient. But I was always open minded to doing whatever it took to have a good time.

The reason this came to me, is because my friend and I were talking about how our younger selves would have never done the things that we do nowadays. He was telling me about how when he was younger, he always said "I'm not going to have sex until marriage." and "I would never smoke weed, that's something I'll NEVER do." This is all coming from the whore/pothead/alcoholic best friend of mine that I know today. This got me thinking...I never said any of that stuff. I knew that I wasn't going to throw my virginity to whoever happened to catch it, but I knew I wasn't going to wait until I was married. I actually don't think I was ever really "saving" myself. I just really didn't want to have sex with people. Guys were offering way before they should've been, but I always said no, not because I was saving something sacred, but because I just didn't want to have sex with those particular guys. I mean, eventually after what I would call a series of unfortunate boyfriends/boy toys, I found the guy I knew I was going to have sex with, and went ahead and did the deed.

The first time I smoked I was hanging out with this creepy group of guys (if you're wondering why I would even hang out with creeps, the answer is, I didn't know they were such creeps until after I stopped hanging out with them) they were older, about 17 or 18, and when they offered me a drag, I took it, with no second thought. I got high before I even knew what weed really was. I cussed because it "emphasized" my point. I drank because I wanted to see what it felt like to get drunk. 
It's not that I didn't acknowledge the fact that what I was doing was bad, I think that was half of the fun. I just never really took into account the fact that I was starting off so young. Fast forward to now, I'm still the same angelic, obedient me that I was before, but my alcohol/nicotine/THC intake has gone up a million times nine and a half, if you know what I mean.

I'm a firm believer in a lot of things, and one of them is that you have to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, (within reason, of course. Can't just go out and murder a bitch just because she pissed me off.) because you only live this time of your life once. The problem that most people have when it comes to that, is dealing with the consequences. The thing about me, though, is that I handle mine. I know that if I get drunk on Tuesday night, it's going to be a bitch waking up on Wednesday when I have that 9:00AM class, it all comes down to whether I want to handle that or not. I'm not going to get high every day and then bitch about how my grades are slipping. I'm not going to break up with my man just because I think other people will say I'm stupid for being with him. I do what I want, when I want to. This life is no one else's but mine, and I live it to make myself happy. And I always advise others to do the same.

Which brings me to my point: What kind of things do you do now, that your younger self would've never imagined doing? Do you regret doing things from your past because of the consequences? What are you a firm believer in?

My dad recently went on his first tour to Iraq. He's probably been gone for about a month and a half or so, and I really really miss him. My dad's in the Army, so he's been to a million places and I've had to say goodbye to him one too many times. Thank the good Lord that every time he's come back home safe and sound, but he's never been sent anywhere this intense before.

Greatfully, his company is going in to shut things down in Iraq. All the combat soldiers have already left and his company is going to get all things American out of Iraq. My dad's first sergeant said that they're probably not going to be doing much, and they'll have a lot of down time, and he said maybe they might even come home earlier than expected. Hopefully he'll get some leave before Christmas so he doesn't miss one.

A lot of people have a lot to say about the military and war and all that, when hardly any of those people really know what they're talking about. My dad has been in the Army for 18 years, which means I've had a lot of time to learn about the military, and all the pros and cons that come with it. It really irritates me when people don't have a clue about what they're talking about, yet they can go on and on about the war and the military and about how Obama hasn't gotten them out of Iraq yet and blah blah, but there are two sides to every story, and if you don't have all your information straight, I suggest you shut the fuck up.

Ahhh, anyway...here are the reasons why I love me a military man:

They're respectful.

They're taught respect from the get go. They're trained to use "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" on a regular basis. This means that when they take me out, they will make sure I order first, they'll pull out my chair, and anytime I get up from the table they stand as well until I either leave or sit back down, and when he meets dear old Dad, he will be respectful and end up with my Dad's stamp of approval.

They're hot.

All that PT (Physical Training, all the soldiers wake up at the asscrack of dawn to work out. EVERY DAY.) does the body so good.

They have discipline.

Military men are very disciplined, it comes from Basic Training, which is like training before they actually get into the military. It weeds out the weak ones. When a military man starts something, he finishes it.

The military benefits.

Forgive me if I sound like a bit of a goldigger, but if my man sticks with the military life, we'll be pretty much set. We can get free military housing wherever we go, and our kids can have his GI bill to pay for college IN FULL. Yes, you heard it right. My dad gave me his GI bill, and my tuition is paid for. We get free health care, and we have never paid an electric, cable, or water bill. Well, except now, since we actually bought a house off post. Anyway, you get military discounts, because as a spouse/child you also get a military ID card and you get discounts almost anywhere.

You can travel the world.

Some people don't like to move around from place to place, personally, I do. I've probably been more places in my 18 short years than most people will in their lives. I get to go all around the world and it's all because of my dad. I've been to Korea, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, and Mexico. Some people will never leave their state, much less the country or even the continent! It's amazing to me, because I've met so many people from so many places, and I've seen so many amazing things.

And even if all this doesn't convince you, just think about it...who doesn't love a man in uniform?

;)