Yes Ma'am, Captain Laurie.

I heard a soldier call an officer 'ma'am" the other day and so I asked Laurie if her soldiers ever called her Ma'am.  She asked me what I meant..and I said, 'Did your soldiers and staff call you ma'am when you were in Afghanistan?  And she laughed and said, "yes and they still call me ma'am.'  I guess that's what soldiers call their officers who are women.  Laurie is no different~she calls her commander "ma'am" as well. 
Today the list came out for soldiers eligible for promotion.  Laurie made the list....she will be a Captain. 
I thank God for this, and as I posted on Facebook, she has worked hard these last 13 plus years ~ as an enlisted soldier, and as an officer. But I give thanks to God since He has kept her safe and happy in her service.  Safe through her service at home, and away, especially in Afghanistan. 
Some things change, other things do not. 
Kasey will still call Laurie "mom,"  Stephen will still call her "babe." 
And her enlisted soldiers can still call her "ma'am".
Me?  Oh I'll still call her honey, and by the nickname her brother gave her when she was 5 days old in a neonatal intensive care unit when she weighed less than 4 lbs. That still fits too, maybe it's because Scott gave her the name, but also because she had to work so hard even back then as a preemie. :-)
Please forgive me if I choose not to share it...she does, after all, deserve some respect.  LOL.  But I still use it when I want to get a point across, or during times like this when I need to remember how far God has brought her since those tense and prayerful days in her incubator so long ago. It's still so easy to remember that 18 year old girl who left for boot camp 14 years ago. I thought my heart would never stop aching....but instead, oh, how God has blessed us. 

God's blessings on all who serve, and on all who wait.