Lori is a Navy Reserve Spouse, a licensed attorney, Deputy Prosecutor, writer, blogger, advocate, volunteer, and friend. Lori started a blog to deal with her husband's deployment in 2010, www.wittylittlesecret.com and it quickly became the daily check for me. Her husband was in the Navy Reserve and the deployment was an individual augmentation. She was long seperated from the Active Duty Navy life and the support of the military spouse community. So, she created one for herself. She wrote about life, work, kids, deployment... honestly. Her description of a KIA on the news still haunts me today. The feels she put down on paper did not just resonate with me, but with a whole military spouse community. Especially those who were not close to a military base. I was lucky to be cc-ed on an email from one of her 'fans' and it accurately describes her impact: "Lori - I must admit that getting an email from you was a bit surreal. I feel like I have been leaning on you for well over a year now; your blog was a huge support while my husband was deployed. Thank you for telling your stories!" In addition to creating beautiful stories, Lori has volunteered her time as the Communications Director of the Military Spouse JD Network. In addition to being a Deputy Prosecutor, Lori manages our social media and writes wonderful stories for bar association journals, on-line blogs, and our newsletter. We are lucky to have her time and talents. I am lucky to call her a friend.
In 2010 my uncle died, my mom got cancer, and my husband was mobilized to the desert for a year. I’m a deputy prosecutor with two young kids; I knew a challenge was ahead. So I concentrated on others with bigger problems: I helped mom through treatment, wrangled free family photography for cancer patients, and started an anonymous milspouse blog. I was soon juggling a barrage of media requests, appearing in Reader's Digest, Newsweek, The New York Times, CNN, NBC, and CBS. I became known for writing about what military life is really like! That led to a position as Communications Director for MSJDN. We’re getting the laws changed so Milspouse attorneys can practice law without a new bar exam for every PCS. Military spouses deserve career choices. By leaning on the Milspouse Community I’ve learned so much. I’d be so honored to represent the people who cheered me on during hard times!
Tell the military story with a compassion and realism that bridges the civilian divide and makes us all realize we're not alone in life's challenges.
Family snuggling, friends who tell it like it is, crying at the movies, and owning too many shoes.
The two days before deployment, the two days before homecoming, and the smell of care package cookies when I'm trying to avoid sweets!
One of my passions is telling the military family story, and I would love to have the chance to do that with the platform provided by being a national representative. Our military is geared toward telling the many stories of servicemember sacrifice and honor, and I'd love to balance that with stories from our own silent ranks to share with both the military and civilian community. I also believe spouses can have careers, not just jobs! I'd like to use my voice to continue to promote this important movement toward career portability.
My first reaction is to consider a past mistake and try to fix it. But you know, it's the lessons I learn along the way that make me the person I am today. So I'd go back to relive some wonderful moments from the past only to savor them twice: that magical first kiss with my husband on my parent's front step, the happy summer days spent with a cooing baby, and the words of wisdom spoken by my grandparents.
I mentioned earlier my belief that military spouses deserve more than fleeting jobs; they should have more long-term career options. As volunteer Communications Director for the Military Spouse JD Network I've been educating state bar associations across the country about why it makes sense to allow military spouse attorneys to have temporary licenses as they move. Taking multiple bar exams is crazy! I'd like to use all I've learned about law to help make professional careers a reality for military spouses in other fields as well.
