Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. 

I've never taken much notice of this day because I was living the military wife and surrounded by military wives. Today, I miss them all and I am so happy to see their faces on Facebook.

Oh, it has been a strange path. This wandering, curving, one step forward two steps back kind of life. 

My husband and I married after he finished "A" school for the US Navy. He had already completed Army Basic Training and AIT for the National Guard and was in college when we met. At the time, the Navy was offering him something a little more than what the Army was offering and so he choose to beginning active duty service in the Navy. 

Then we got married.

And we moved (a lot)

Bethesda, MD

Cherry Point, NC

Panama City Beach, FL

Bay St Louis, MS

San Diego, CA

Camp Pendleton, CA

And we had these amazing kids along the way.

Today, my husband is in the National Guard. That transition is less than a year old and still very raw. My kids feel it, I feel it, and he feels it. There are still moments to enjoy, but just as many moments that would be easier within the confines of our old military life.adjusting to this new normal has been harder but we really enjoyed this time with Daddy.

Don't get me wrong. I have complained and gotten so mad at my husband and his military job, but it was our life. We ate, slept, and lived around the military lifestyle. We went to ball games, dance, gymnastics, and church if Daddy was there or not. I learned to rely on myself for everything very quickly. I also learned to love when chores were done for me (garbage day anyone?).

Pretty soon we will embark on a deployment from the National Guard point of view. I have no idea what to expect. We don't live very close to the Guard unit and so my neighbors and real-life family will be my support system. That will be so weird. 

If you are here and not a military spouse, please find a spouse in your area to thank. You may not understand her life, but she will be so grateful for you noticing her.

Linking up with Household 6 Diva and Riding the Roller Coaster
Go read more!

Names

My kids have scratched their names on window sills, park benches, in concrete, and other places I may not know about from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

I quit fussing at them about destructing property ages ago. 

They are military brats.

And they are leaving their mark on the world around them.

So many military brats say they are not from anywhere and I just have a hard time accepting that. My kids can't say that they always lived in the same house or in the same town, but they can say that they have roots. 

They learned some much in all the places we have lived. We are spoiled from learning what real Mexican food taste like and we cannot find that here on the Gulf coast. Then again, there is nothing like Gulf Coast shrimp. And please don't even start us on the yumminess that is New Orleans. 

My kids, I don't care how many times they move I want them to know and understand that they are from home and home isn't defined by the house you are in or the town you reside in. Home is your family and they carve who you will be.

Cleaning House

I am supposed to be packing for our move to FL in one month. I have maybe 6 boxes packed. This is not looking good. I have a hard enough time just day-to-day cleaning and get a little anxious when it all gets to messy. We are gonna be in big trouble in a few weeks when its time to load all of this and move. 

 The clean pictures are on the left and the messy is obviously the right.  Its dark in here and we get all of the afternoon sunlight in the back doors, heating up the whole house.

This is what my house looked like after a few days with my sweet niece Lillie here.  I tried to vacuum and get most things put away daily, but the piles grew larger and the mess was taking over. This house is not that big, basically what you see is it besides the bedrooms. If one area is overly messy you can tell right away.

None of this was the contribution of one child, but all of them together. Scarlett is 14 months old and Lillie is 2 years old. Together with the help of my big kids we made completely messes and got it all cleaned up each day.