Moving: The Hustle and Bustle of a Military Family’s Life

“How do you do it, how do you deal with the changes?”  A friend asked me once in regards to being a military family and the upheaval that comes with this lifestyle. It’s a bit of a silly question because the answer is simple: You do it because it’s part of the deal. If you choose this life, you choose the challenges that come with it. Being in the military myself probably gave me a healthy lesson in adaptability (semper gumby as the cliché goes) going into this but there are certain things that you have to accept will never get easier. Like when the news comes that Stephen’s training schedule has changed and he has to leave on sudden notice and we can’t go with him. Basically we are going to be in “deployment mindset” until we can all be reunited in Corpus Christi in May. Only a few weeks shy of the baby’s due date.

Strangely after the initial shock I find myself now feeling like I can handle it. Denial? Maybe but I genuinely feel everything will move along smoothly (and it helps to be positive!).

In the mean time I am slowly taking pictures off the walls, deciding what will go to storage and what will go in a suitcase. I’m organizing donation piles/garage sale items. It’s kind of a bittersweet process. For as much as this old house has given me headaches, we’ve made some sweet friends living here and it was the home where our family first started.

How do you do it, how do you deal with the changes?

On second thought maybe the answer isn’t just you get used to it. Maybe part of dealing with the surprises is looking forward to not just new places but new experiences, new happy memories. For all its challenges, this life is unique. It tests our bonds and strengthens them.

I take the art work made by tiny hands down from the fridge and remind myself of this one simple truth: A house is just four walls, a roof and a few empty rooms. A home, however, can be built anywhere that love exists.

Moving!

It looks like the next few months are going to be very exciting and full of adventures! Where do I even start? How about this: We finally got the much-anticipated soft copy of Stephen’s orders so we know where we are moving next! It was a surprise for all of us but by next year we will be calling Corpus Christi, TX home sweet home. I am excited beyond words to live by the beach again. I’ve always felt that the salt air is good for the soul and deeply miss being by the water. Also, fresh seafood, trips to South Padre Island and plenty of afternoons playing in the waves all sounds so amazing! 

It will be tough to say good bye to friends but at least we are still a relatively short drive away. I'm also sad to leave our little garden behind here too. Luckily there is always next Spring to start over. I definitely learned a lot this past season and now have the confidence to try new things in our little urban homesteading projects. <3

Military Life as a Military Wife

- salvador dali - 

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I don’t write much about the dynamics of being a military family because, well, thus far we have been relatively lucky: Despite a scatter of deployments and training exercises, our family has not experienced the headaches of disastrous PCS’s, extended deployments and other hardships that come with this lifestyle. We are, in short, extremely blessed. But there will be changes on the horizon as Stephen enters a new realm in his Navy career. Changes that have us excited and okay, maybe just a little bit nervous too? It’s the measure of uncertainty that inspires this sort of ambivalence: happiness for a new adventure and a smidge of uncertainty for what the adventure might entail. Will we end up in the backcountry boonies on some remote duty station or by the beach on the west coast?

Sometimes I get asked if I miss wearing the uniform and almost before the words can leave the person’s mouth I am blurting “no”. It was a chapter in my life I was eager to close when the time came. It was no longer a good option for me or my growing family and I could feel it begin to wear on my spirit. But no sooner were the boots off my feet was I amidst the confusion of Stephen’s short-notice deployment and I learned about what it means to be on the other end of the deal: the loved one who stays behind.

But a strong love like ours makes it worth every bit of the obstacles we face as a family.  

One Day at a Time

via tumblr, credit unknown

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Being part of a military family means everyone makes a sacrifice and let me tell you, it isn’t easy. I thought I understood this perfectly until Stephen got the call. And suddenly we were scrambling and I felt like my world was whirling because the date for his deployment jumped forward three months earlier than what we had expected. I kissed my Sailor good bye and promised him that this would be over before we knew it. 

And so there I was armed with this carefully managed optimism. But the idea that this wouldn’t be too bad kind of went out the window immediately. And if not for our incredible love and strength and the  support of friends and family I probably wouldn’t be handling this half as well. In fact, I’d probably be a total hot mess. 

This is my first time of being on this side of a deployment scenario and all I can say is that is a perspective-changer. Because I get it now. I understand the silence so much better, the frustration of not knowing what’s going on, of missing his hugs and his laughter. But even with the heartache, you have a life that needs to be lived. So you stick your chin out, wipe away the tears and give your daughter—who looks so much like her daddy—a big ol’ hug and carry on like that clichéd poster says to do.

Keep calm, mama. And oh yeah, carry on.

2012 Navy Day Ball

A little late I know, but last week was the United States Navy's birthday which also meant it was time for the annual ball. The food was great, the music was amazing and the experience of recognizing our history of customs and rituals always fills me with a deep sense of pride. The POW/MIA remembrance ceremony continues to have a profound affect on me and I think it forever will.

I know I complain about life in the military and even though it turned out not to be something I saw myself making a career out of in the end...I will appreciate what it has given me.

Without further adieu, here are some pictures as we got ready for the ball as well as some from the event. Rose did not accompany us but we did get a few pictures together beforehand!

 "Okay mama, picture time is so over." 

After the ceremony the women were allowed to change into civilian wear. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on an expensive dress this year since I only got to wear this for an hour & a half.