Books, Lifestyle, Writing, Podcasting, Military Life, Inspirtation, North Carolina, Military Community, travel, wellness

Ashley Bugge- Gold Star Spouse Debuts Memoir and Children’s Book

Listen to my conversation with Ashley Bugge on Hodge Podge Podcast HERE! Mother. Military Widow. Explorer. Speaker. Award-Winning Author. Ashley Bugge is an amazing human. In the past two years, she has risen from unimaginable challenges after losing her Naval Officer husband, the late Captain Brian J. Bugge, in a tragic deep diving accident while she was pregnant with the couple’s third child. Ashley said during our conversation on Hodge Podge Podcast that she is still healing. This resonated with me. And this is why: Ashley has refused to lie in grief. She poignantly put her grief into rich experiences and growth. All the while, acknowledging she is not okay. She is a real person. A lover of life. A fighter. A survivor. With such beautiful grace, she has utilized personal stories of turning tragedy into triumph to offer a unique perspective into what it means to overcome adversity and flourish from it.

Military Community, wellness

Memorial Day is a Tough Day for Many

As most people get to enjoy some much needed R&R today on Memorial Day, there are many who are directly impacted by its sentiment. These individuals have lost fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, uncles, aunts, friends and teammates. Survivors have to move forward each year with the guilt, trauma, and sadness which consumes them knowing they are alive and their loved one is not.