Only in a small town...

There are some signs that a woman is married to a cop in a small southern town.  Some may apply to other parts of the country but I don't have first hand experience with that. 
1) Officers get calls because people are riding 4wheelers "on the power lines" (this is an area in my community that has bigger mud puddles)
2)While out directing traffic in July's scorching heat people stop and give you bottles of water to help keep you cool.
3) People ask about something they heard on the scanner
4) You spend the bulk of your shift chasing a lose cow and then have to deal with an accident from said bovine meeting a car.  While on the traffic call you realize that the cow is expecting and attempt to save the baby.

All of these have happened to Hubs, number 4 happened last night actually.  I just have to laugh.  Not very often does your spouse come home talking about chasing hefers while on patrol. 

Who needs sleep after all

We are inthe throws of Hubs vacation time.  He uses most of his vacation time at the end of the year so he can hunt.  Yes we are southern, yes we hunt, yes we eat what we hunt.  He is also taking the Things with him.  Nothing like a little Daddy/Sons time in the woods. 

While Hubs work schedule has his sleep schedule different from everyone in the house, I am the one most often effected.  I am aware of how selfish that sounds, and honestly I am ok with that.    Most days when he works he is scheduled from noon to midnight.  Now anyone married to a cop more than a week knows these are just "suggestions"  There are many nights that he doesn't come in till 1 or later.  Some nights I am awake, others I get woken up.  This is something you just learn to deal with.

However!!  He is not sleeping while on vacation.  He was up all night last night, and felt that I needed to be up till 2 in the morning--in his defense he was looking on the laptop and I was laying down on the bed.  I honestly thought when my kids started sleeping all night, I would get to also.  Boy was I mistaken. 

Sleep is a myth.  Especially when you are married to a cop.

The joys of cooking

You know as well as I do that officer's eat out pretty much every shift, well in my area they do.  A lot of places give discounts for them when they are in uniform.  So being the caring, loving, devoted wife that I am (please hold all laughter until the story has come to a safe and complete stop) I try to fix home cooked meals every now and then for him and whatever officers happen to be working, or I will fix a dessert or fresh baked bread and they will come by and have coffee.  Despite what it seems Susie Homemaker I am not.  Well this weekend I got a little break, Hubs was at work, Thing 1 and Thing 2 were at a birthday party so this mama got to fly solo.  What did I do with my hours of free time you ask...did I stay home and clean my house...nope.  Did I volunteer my time...nope.  Did I take a nap...nope.  I went and had lunch with Hubs and then went to the grocery store ALL BY MYSELF!!!  If you are a mother you understand the awesome feeling it is to wander up and down ever lane and not have to yell or fuss or scowl. But I digress. 

Before I went to the store I asked Hubs if there was anything imparticular he wanted or needed.  He actually made a request which he never does.  He wanted me to get the stuff to make a cream cheese danish.  Once again being the loving devoted wife, I get the fixings to be able to make two of them.  It is super easy, and quick and oh my gosh so good.  I go home and bake this thing and take it to the PD for the officers working.  I then tell Hubs that I will have supper fixed tomorrow night because I was going to Mother's to learn how to make Chicken and Dumplings. 

Now if you are a southerner or have meet a southerner you are aware that this meal is comfort food in a pot.  It is my all time favorite winter meal and I LOVE a plate full of them along with pintos, slaw and cornbread, you really can't have one without the others.  Again I digress. 

I take Thing 1 and 2 and head to my mom's and I will admit I am almost drooling at the idea of what's gonna be the end result.  So we get this pot of goodness made and I take them home and stash in the fridge for supper the next night. 

Fast forward to the next evening, I made a big ole bowl of slaw, had pintos cooking in the crock pot most of the day and made a big ole cake of cornbread (Hungry yet?)  I go to taste the dumplings and let me just say what I had on that fork was not at all what I was expecting.  Oh no.  It was disaster in a pot.  Then I go check the beans that have cooked on high for about 5 hours.  They were no where near done.  I go to take the cornbread out of the pan and it was stuck.  I call my mother because I am just shy of tears.  My mother answers and I just tell her that I think that i have just made the worst meal of my entire life.  What does she do...She laughs. 

Hubs comes home to eat and I tell him, that I will just pay for us to go out to eat.  He stands over the pot and takes a sniff.  He just shakes his head.  Thing 1 said "Daddy, I don't think the dog will eat that, I really don't think a possum would eat that."  Well ya know that stings a little.  I am on the verge of tears.  Hubs and kiddos are laughing and all I can say is, well at least I don't have a PD full of hungry men waiting on them. 

Needless to say the pot got set outside and the dog loved them.  I however will be buying a new pot before the next attempt at making them.

There really is a difference...

I will be the first to admit it takes a special something to be an LEO.  However, no matter how tough the man with a badge, he will be knocked to his knees like a little boy as soon as a cold hits.  One has hit dear old Hubs and let me tell you, there is a difference in man sick and mom sick.

I received a text earlier today that simply said "your man is getting sick"  the sender is a person I often refer to as a saint.  She is the only female at our PD and well they would fall apart with out her. The text made me cringe. 

I realize that it isn't that bad really but I would rather have all the sickness at once than for any of my 3 guys to get sick.  Somehow the mom handles it better.  That is why she is the mom. 

Hubs calls me to ask if we have soup.  We did not.  However after I stopped at the grocery on the way home, we did, and cheese for ooey gooey grilled cheese.   Then he ask if I can fix the vaporizer.  So I did.  I also put 2 cold pills and a bottle of water on his nightstand and the heating pad at the foot of the bed set to high. There is also a supply of tissue.

Hopefully this passes soon.  Hopefully it doesn't get worse.  Hopefully I can breathe in the a.m. because it smells like a menthol factory blew up in this room.    

You know your married to an LEO when...

I am realizing more and more there are certain things that are sure fire signs that you are married to a cop, that only other officer's spouses will understand.  There are a few things that LEO kid's understand more than anyone.

1) There are some stains you just don't question.  Given the line of work they are in, there really is no telling what exactly it will be.  It is better just to have a good multi-purpose stain remover and go on. 
2) When they say I'll be home by ... you know full well to add at least an hour to it.  Giving a time that they will be home is a sure fire way to get a call 5 minutes before shift change. 
3)You don't make plans the days they are working...see number 2 for explanation.
4) Date nights become family date nights, just because the kids go as long without seeing Daddy as you do.
5) Being hung up on while trying to talk on the phone doesn't mean their mad, it means they just got busy really quick.
6) Unanswered telephone calls returned 3 hours later aren't because they are being rude/or are doing something they shouldn't.  They don't like having to answer the phone mid arrest.
7) Birthdays and anniversaries and holidays are often not spent together or have to be celebrated on different days.  Life is planned around the schedule, the schedule isn't planned around life.
8)Telephone calls in the middle of the night may be the only time they get to call back.
9) Hearing I love you as they run out the door means so much more.
10) You learn that quality time is so much more important than quantity time

Some things that kids know

1) Dad is most likely gonna miss baseball games/award programs and school plays but they would much rather be there
2) If you are out and about and get in trouble...Dad will find out there is no hiding it.
3) You will be the kid in class with the cool click it or ticket pencils.
4) People think its cute when they ask you your dad's phone number and you say 911(especially when your little)
5)Time with Dad means a whole lot more because he's not always there.

Perks of the job

I pride myself on being a self sufficient mom.  Given the fact that being a LEO wife means you are a married single parent most of the time.  I don't have the luxury of not functioning when hubs is working.  I also don't NORMALLY get spooked when home at night without him.  I mean let's face it, I am 31 years old, I don't think the Bogey Man is really out there lurking.  With that being said let me say this, I live in a very rural area, there is a safety light in the neighbor's (who happen to be directly across the street) yard but it is only on about half the time.  I have a large dog that will let me know if something comes up that isn't suppose to be there, and well he will do his best to scare it off-he is slightly evil looking so I am certain it would work.  However, while getting ready for bed the other night, I was stepping out of the shower and heard a crash. It sounded like it was to the side of the house, but sounded a lot like something hitting my front door.  So being the brave chicken I am, I walk through the house to check on the kids to make sure they are OK, and make sure hubs hasn't come home early. 

Well the kids were snuggled up all nice a comfy in bed, and there were no signs of him being in the house. I admit, the dog wasn't barking, but still I was a bit antsy. So being a practical woman, what did I do.  You guessed.  I broke on the ole cell phone and sent hubs a text that basically said, something went boom come check it out please.

As you can imagine I was fully expecting a phone call back that said get over it and go to bed. Thankfully I didn't get that type of phone call at all.  I did get a call wanting to know what I heard and if the afore mentioned big dog was barking.  He of course wasn't which eased my mind a bit.  Then I hear the words that instantly settled me down.  "I'm pulling in the driveway"  You want to talk about relief.  Once I made my way across my house I see a second set of headlights pulling in. I walk out side and realize it's one of the other officers that hubs.  I walked outside and was assured that everything looked fine.  I asked Hubs what the other guy came with him for, because I was surprised. 

Hubs said well once I said I had to come home because you heard something and it spooked you and that you don't call for that kind of stuff, he said he needed to come check to. 

How is that for your own personal Calvary.  Thankfully everything was fine and I shortly there after went to bed and slept great...till Hubs came home and woke me up. 

Midnight shifts

Hubs has worked a variety of shifts and rotations since being an LEO.  We have endured the 2 week day/2 week night rotation.  I hated it.  Just when you get used to them being int he bed every night, the rotation changes.  The same goes for the night part of the rotation.  We had the every returning shift switch rotation.  If he worked Monday/Tuesday day, he worked night shift all weekend.  I loved that.  He was home just enough to be content, but gone at nights just enough that I could crash early and get caught up on rest.  Now that Hubs is Sgt, we are on a 2nd shift type rotation.  Hours are mostly noon to midnight.  This shift really does have its pros and cons.  One major pro...he is home every night.  One major con...he comes home at unGodly hours.  Thankfully he is usually home around 1230.  Sadly I am usually awake when he gets in.  Either I am still up doing the mom thing, or I am snuggled up with my Kindle reading.  If I am not awake when he comes in I am shortly there after.  This would be because even though the bedside lamp is on, the big bright overhead light usually comes on.

I will say however the biggest Pro of the shift, is that he is not a road officer now, he is more of a detective.  Do you know how much stress it takes off of you knowing your husband isn't answering calls as much.  I always tried not to worry when he was working but I mean let's admit it, your gonna worry.  Don't get me wrong I still worry, but just not near as much as before. 

I love the flexibility with his department.  We live just outside the city limits but he is still able to come home and see the kids if he is on a stretch of not seeing them for a few days.  I guess when delaing with the stress of the LEO lifestyle you gotta find bright spots where you can.

A day to be remembered

Today is the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on US soil in American history.  Innocent lives were lost, and lives were changed forever.  I think it is safe to say that all Americans that were of "remembering age" can tell you where they were at the moment they heard about the attack 11 years ago.  I personally was heading to class at the local community college.  I was 20 years old. 

This attack and the events that followed are what prompted Hubs to go into law enforcement.  He felt the call that day to do something and this was the end result. 

So on this anniversary let's pause and remember those who gave their life, either in the actual plane crashes or the rescue efforts that followed.  Let's also pause and remember the families left behind.

You just get to the point where...

You just do what you wanna do.  After being married to an LEO for almost 9 years (that is a long time in LEO time and modern day marriages) you get tot he point where you don't work your schedule around his as much.  You just go.  For instance, in the past several years I would have spent the entire weekend at home just the boys and I because Hubs was working all weekend.  It has recently gotten to the point though that sitting at home all weekend stinks as much to me as it does the kids.  Now my boys are 8 and 5, they are by no means social butterflies but they do have the need to get out of the house.  I will say those two boys and I stayed ont he go all weekend.  We went to Thing 1's trophy presentation for baseball, dinner out just the three of us, a trip to Walmart, an afternoon by the pool, a trip to Lowe's and Pizza Hut.  When the boys were younger, and honestly fought less we would go out more just the three of us, and honestly when it was just one kid and me, we would take off anywhere.  But as the kids get older the thrill of going and doing is there more.  Normally on the weekends that it is just us, I would take care of the errands, such as grocery shopping and things of that nature that I know is easier without the husband.  However now, the boys and I are doing more fun stuff.  Now don't be mistaken, I love nothing more than my family of 4 spending quality time together.   It is all about balance, you get let your life stop.  Now we don't do anything major, like long distance trips, but little day things to keep the three of us from getting bored out of our minds.  It's all about living, and really there is not a point one in sitting and waiting for life to come to you, you have to go get it.

A Moment of clarity

As I get older I realize it takes less and less to make me happy.  As long as my children are happy and healthy, I have a roof over my head, food in my families bellies, what more could I ask for?  We take things for granted so much that we don't realize that it can all be gone in the blink of an eye.  Now when I say "We" please know that I more than include myself in that.  My family-not the family that lives in my house but close family none the less- is currently dealing with 2 members having major illness.  These 2 happen to be brothers, which happen to be my uncles.  Seeing and hearing all that they are going through makes you step back and go, "I really complain about a bunch of useless mess" .

As I watched my children playing baseball last night the thought hit me, that I truly have a blessed life.  What more could a lady need, a husband that loves her and her family more than words can say, two beautiful, wild, wide open little boys, extended family that is just a phone call away and true friends, not just acquaintances that are there any time day or night, through the good, the bad, the ugly, and the funny. 

While I have my struggles and stresses I know that in the great scheme of it all, its all gonna be alright.

In Honor of Police week

The Final Inspection 


The policeman stood and faced his God,which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, policeman. How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To my church have you been true?

The policeman squared his shoulders and said.

"No, I guess I ain't because those of us who carry a badge

can't always be a Saint."

I've had to work most Sundays

and at times my talk is rough,

and sometimes I've been violent,

because the streets are awfully tough.

But I never took a penny that wasn't mine to keep...

though I worked a lot of overtime when the bills got to steep.

And I never passed a cry for help

though at times I shook with fear,

and sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place among the people here.

They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand,

I never expected or had too much, but if  you don't...I'll understand"

There was a silence all around the throne where the Saints had often trod.

As the policeman waited quietly for the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, policeman.

You've borne you burdens well.

Come walk a beat on Heaven's streets.

You've done your time in Hell"

(Author Unknown )

Stated Simply

While surfing the internet I found a website that has tons of police poems, actually it was policepoems.com.  This couldn't be more accurate. 

"A Police Officer's Wife"    

A special kind of woman: a cut above the rest,
That's A Police Officer's Wife, rating her best.

How many good byes are whispered, joined with a fond embrace?
As duty steals her man, for the danger he must face.

How often have meals been ruined - or tender moments disturbed,
by a call for special duty, sparking loyalty un-swerved?

It's a devil of a job, for an angel like this,
Who......for the love of her man, must forsake that kiss,

She can run a garden tractor; even paint a room in need,
How she can stretch a dollar is a miracle indeed.

She's mother, lover, chauffeur and nurse, A living symbol of: "for better or for worse."

Rich is the man, reaping his rewards in life,
Who chose to be the other half of

A Police Officer's Wife.

(Author Unknown)  

More than meets the eye

People think a lot of different things about police officers.  It's no secret, not all of these thoughts are good.  However behind  almost every man with a badge, is a family at home.  We have learned over the last few years to make the most of what you have.  Weekends that hubs is off work is family time, we try not to schedule much activity with anyone else just so we can enjoy our time as a family.  I know as the kids get older it won't happen as often.  One of the things that we do as a family is baseball.  Thing 1 is on a team, Thing 2 is on another team.  That's right 2 different teams, 2 different schedules, the works.  Hubs however has found himself helping with Thing 2's tball team this year, at least when he is there.  When I say helping, not only do I mean helping coach one of the bases and telling the kids when to stop and go, but also helping with crowd control. Let's face it, and 4, 5 and 6 it is as much crowd control as anything else. 

So for all the folks who think the man writing you a ticket is a ____________ (insert ugly word here), just remember that somewhere there is a little fella waiting on daddy to get home to play ball.

Time

There are many situations that make you step back and go "Why did I do this to myself again?"  This is usually sparked when my planner/calendar is extremely full.  Well we are at that point right now.  My planner is color coded.  Pink highlighter for one boy, yellow for the other.  Hubs work schedule is also written in, along with important stuff for both of our moms-doctor appts, out of town trips etc.  In amongst all of that you have to make time to handle the everyday life things at home, laundry, dishes (that some how mount up even though no one actually eats at home) cleaning the bathroom (let's face it the house becomes a rest area only, used primarliy for its facilities). 

Now let me just say that my family is not an overly busy family for about 10 months out of the year.  I tell my kids that they can pick one thing to do at a time.  Thing 1 came home from school the first of the year and said "Mom I wanna do cub scouts"  the converstation then went like this

MOM: Well honey that is great but if you do cub scouts, then you can't play baseball.
THING: I can do both mom, it's easy.
        Let me just say here that he is 7 and doesn't yet understand the total logistics of it all
MOM:  You may be able to, but the person who is responsible for taking you to events can't do both.  So you need to pick, do you want to be a scout, or a ball player.
        Let me say here, that the Scouts organization is a grand thing, and I am not against my sons being one, but we aren't the go go go all the time kind of family so I made him pick.
Thing:  Well, Mama, that's not really a hard choice to make...I'm a ball player, but can I play football to?
MOM:  walks off to another room shaking head

The reason why I limit my kids on what they can and can't do activity wise is very simple.  It is a 4 letter word, TIME.  Given the schedule that HUBS has with work, and the chances that he has to work on a day he should be off, and the fact that I work 30 minutes from home; things have to be limited. 

Right now both kids play baseball, one is on a teeball team, the other coach pitch.  That's right, we have games the same night at different fields at the same time-not many because thankfully the coach is the same for both. 

This goes back to the married single parent thing.  What do you do when Hubs is working a shift, Thing 1 has a game at 715 in one town, and Thing 2 has a game at 7 in a totally different town, 15 minutes away?  Pray that their grandma is around!!! 

The joys of motherhood, wifehood and LEOhood!!!!!

New friends

Since Hubs has moved up in rank, he is meeting other officers from other departments.  This is a glorious thing.  Not only is it a great network thing, its a great Hubs thing.  After a week in class a few weeks back, he found out that he and another detective share an interest.  Arrowhead collecting.  These two along with another non-LEO got together over the weekend and went and did a little searching for them.  The kids and I enjoyed a morning at home with nothing to do other than watch cartoons.

Something you find once you get into law enforcement is that many of the people that you thought were your friend before, well let's just say they don't stick around very long once you earn a badge.  So it becomes pretty obvious that most of your friends will be other officers.  This has many advantages. One, you have a friend who truly understands what your job entails, stress wise, schedule and things like that.  You also have a friend, that especially if they work the same shift as you, learns your tone and understands when you need help just by the way you announce your number when calling into dispatch.   It also means if this new friend has a spouse, or significant other, then the families more than likely will become friends. 

I am thankful for the friends I have made since this journey started.  I am thankful even more for friends that Hubs has made and the ones I know are watching his back.

Your sins will find you out

News broke today of an officer in our area being arrested.  All though I am not 100% surprised given this particular officer's misgivings, it is still very sad.  Far to often the Law enforcement community is not shown in a positive light.  More often than not, attention is only placed on officers that have screwed up in some way.  This is something that irks me to no end.  However in this particular case the attention brought to this particular officer is of his own doings. 

The circumstances behind are not of issue, it's the simple fact that very seldom do officers receive good publicity.  Is it simply because we as a society only want the negative?  Could it possibly be that these men and women are in a profession that is so under appreciated that no one thinks that positives are worth mentioning.

I mean honestly.  How often do you hear of an officer going to talk to kids at school,  or holding a child who is scared or hurt.  These are the things that officers do, day in and day out.  More than once I have seen my husband buy a meal for someone that needs help, or go eat lunch at the school with our son so kids will see him there and know who he is if they ever need him.  Not to mention the countless number of times that he has gone out  of his way to make sure that someone had the help they needed.  He doesn't do it for attention.  No he does it because it is part of who he is.

I wish just once you could see something good.

School glorious school

One of the many glorious things about being a police officer is the amount of schooling you still have to do once you graduate rookie school.  It makes you a better officer, it looks good on paper, such as a resume if you should ever need it.  It also makes for one tired wife.  This week the hubs has had to go to school.  He is enjoying it.  He is in class from 830 to 430, all week.  The class is about 45 minutes away.  Because of his regular work schedule he is not accustom to getting up at 5:30.  Thankfully I have been getting up earlier so the kids and I are on the ball in the mornings.  That is the plus side to school.  The down side however is that hubs is basically useless this week. 

Granted this is his long week to work and he has tried to get in some extra hours at work so he isn't so far behind on paperwork and all of that jazz.  The down side to this, is that it is baseball season in our house. Both of our boys play baseball.  One is playing tee ball, because he is only 5, the other is playing coach pitch, he is 7.  Tee ball practices one day a week, coach pitch practices 2, for an hour and a half, at 5:30. 

Schooling is an on going process, and thankfully all of hubs schools have been around here so far, thankfully.  But I am sure there will come a day when I'm not so lucky.  Until then we thank heavens for how lucky we have been thus far, and hope it stays that way.

The Chase

I like to think of myself as pretty well laid back when it comes to being an officer's wife.  Meaning the long shifts, time apart and over all concern for safety don't freak me out as much as they did at first.  When phones calls aren't answered, or returned as soon as I would like, I don't jump to conclusions.  When he is 3 hours late from a shift, I don't panic and jump in the car and ride to the PD just to check on him (mostly because now when he is 3 hours late coming home he gets here at 3 a.m. and well to be honest I am asleep).  However there is one part of the job that no matter how long I am married to the hubs it scares the ever living daylights out of me.  That my friends is a chase. 

Let me make an important point here.  A chase is part of the job, they teach how to drive a patrol car in a chase in rookie school.  It's gonna happen.  I am ok with that, and well let's face it, even if I wasn't what can I do about it, right?  Hearing about a chase afterwards doesn't bother me.  It gets me when I see my husband jump up and run out of a restaurant, or even home when he has stopped by puts me on edge. The worry comes in because we have known too many officers to have been seriously injured in chases.  I would prefer Hubs not be a statistic.

We were out to a family dinner one night and one of these calls came through.  The lady waiting on us must have saw the look on my face because she put her arm around me and said he'll be ok.  I said thank you, and I know but having to watching him run out like that scares me to no end. 

Tonight one of these lovely little calls came through.  Hubs and one of the other on duty officers stopped by the house to enjoy some fresh baked home made bread.  Just as soon as they both finished eating the call came in.  Hubs and the rookie jumped up and took off.  I had planned on showering and going to bed when they left, had it been under normal circumstances.  Now I will just try and patiently wait to hear from him.  The only real advantage to having nervous energy is that my floors get mopped.  Something good does come out of it I suppose.

Laundry Laundry Laundry

One of the many joys of the lifestyle involved with being an officer's wife is the laundry.  Now anyone will tell you laundry is a simple process, right.  You wash, you dry, you iron if need be, hang on a hanger and put away, right?  Well in my house, not so much.  There is the special detergent to keep darks from fading, and the of course the 9,202 pockets on a pair of pants to empty, and lets not forget the shirt pockets.  Oh wait I did forget the shirt pockets.  Hubs because of being a Sgt no long has to wear the basic uniform THANK HEAVENS.  He is now in slacks and a pull over shirt.  This in theory is a good thing.  However his wonderful shirts have these two handy little pen holding pockets in the sleeves.  Yes as you can imagine these two little nifty pens resting happily in the sleeve pocket while the shirt hangs on the bedpost just waiting for Laundry day.  Laundry day rolls around and as you can imagine, the 9,202 pants pockets get emptied, shirt gets picked up off the bed post and put with rest of the work clothes, never thinking about the two little nifty pen pockets on the sleeve.

I get a phone call about 4 hours later, because said shirt was placed in to dry before leaving for work that morning.  Phone call goes something similar to this:
Me:  Hey Honey
Hubs:  Do you know what you forgot to do?
Me: Not sure why don't you enlighten me
Hubs: You know that gel pen I liked so good that I said no one else could use...it was in my shirt sleeve pocket
Me: mumbles ugly words
Hubs: its on everything, you know all my work clothes in that load of laundry
Me;mumbles ugly words
Hubs: Guess  my fave shirt is ruined
Me: I'm sorry--mumbles ugly words.

So you get the jist of th giant guilt trip hubs was laying on me.  Little did he realize I have an arsenol, not only of ugly words to mumble but of ways to not have to go shopping.  So after 4 days and one can of hair spray 95% of the stain is gone.  I still have one tricky spot on the back I am working on.

Cross your fingers folks and pray it comes out, and never forget those nifty little pockets on the sleeves.

What does that mean

What does it mean to be a cop's wife? Very simply, it means that I am often left at home alone on weekends, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. I am a married single mother to our children, not knowing when he will be home, or if he will be called in on his days off.  It also means that I cook meals at odd hours, often for grown men that have just had a hard night or are tired of eating out and just want a home cooked meal.  I am an alarm clock because shifts are so different from time to time, a midnight laundry service because of being out on a wreck call or having to chase someone and clothes are muddy, or bloody, or who knows what else.  I am a shoulder to cry on when the calls hit a little too close to home.  I am the brunt of the anger when things get tough, just because he knows I am not going anywhere. 

It also means that person that is there with words of encouragement, when he just can't take anymore.  The person that tells reminds him just how important his job is after being called every name in the book.  I am his biggest fan, because I know how hard he worked to get where he is today and how much the nights away, bother him. 

I am also the person who gets to hear all the bad things people say about police all while biting my tongue, just until I get the chance to say my point of view.  It means being the person that everyone calls when they see blue lights and siren, just to be nosey and see what's going on. 

The main thing it means is that I am the one who sends my heart to work not knowing if it will come home. It also means, that I wouldn't trade it for all the treasure's in the world. 

If you think it’s tough being a Policeman …. try being a Policeman’s wife !!