It’s official, the Wives of the Air Force Blog and Instagram is ONE YEAR OLD and we can hardly believe it!! A year ago, we created this forum in hopes it would grow and become a space to share resources with other WAFs around the world. Not only has that happened, but it has also become a safe space where women come together to support each other in the ups and downs of life. We are overwhelmed with gratitude as we sit here typing this, because each one of you is exactly what has made this network so much more than we ever could have dreamed of.
That being said, we wanted to reflect back on our highs and lows in the first year of this blogging adventure.
HIGHS
J – This blog has been amazing in so many unexpected ways this year. We literally started this as the movers were packing up Kirstin’s house to move them to Del Rio. I’ll never forget sitting at her bar, looking over at her with my mouse on the ‘Publish’ button saying, “Are we doing this?” So quickly, I went from living the comfiest life with my people and my places-to having it all unsettled. I just left my job and on top of that, Kirst and her husband were on the move. We hoped that this would be a space for a community that encouraged and motivated each other to be our best selves. This blog ended up up being all of that and so much more for me!! We have both made amazing connections with women on so many bases whose spouses have very different careers from ours. These women, you included, have inspired us, uplifted us, been there for us through our highs and our lows in ways that we never thought imaginable. I couldn’t be more grateful!
K – Watching this community come together and help other WAFs get answers to questions they couldn’t find answers to elsewhere. There have been SO many occasions we’ve posted a story asking for help, and you always come to the rescue for the WAF needing some answers. I couldn’t love this more. It shows how deep rooted this community is and how much we genuinely want the best for each other. In a world full of negative, especially on social media, it’s so nice to see women not batting an eye when it comes to stepping up and helping another woman out. Makes me so proud to be a woman, but more specifically a WAF.
LOWS
J – This journey has been unlike any other. I have opened up about this on IG but the most amazing part of this journey is getting to learn about how unique each one of our WAF lives look. While I see that as the beauty of this lifestyle, it was such a challenge to serve during a time when I felt like an outsider. Yes, there have been times when my husband was hardly home and I have made every move by myself. But aside from that, I still feel like a normal woman who identifies with about 10 other descriptors before I identify as a “milso”. So, to serve this community in a way that I hoped to exemplify what is my heart’s true passion. Over the last year, my husband was home a lot more than he has ever been and while I remained pouring out into this blog, I felt so removed. I felt like an imposter. But regardless of all of that, y’all remained. Holy moly, I swear our followers are 10 times the woman that I am. To support, love, and remain loyal to a fellow sister who has it easier than you even though your heart aches for your spouse, is the most worldly form of a saint and Kirst and I both truly feel surrounded by y’alls love!
K – With something new there are always some growing pains. Balancing my personal life and the boundaries that I cherish with opening up and sharing a piece of myself with each of you was much harder than I ever imagined. It doesn’t help I come from a professional background that is distrusting by nature (remember – I used to work in correctional facilities), so this blog and corresponding Instagram really challenged me to be open to the idea of letting you all into my personal bubble. There were a few comments, messages and accounts that made me question if opening up my personal life was worth it. It was right around this time I found out I was pregnant and debated with my husband for weeks if I wanted to share this journey with this community, because I didn’t want it to be used as ammunition for cheap jokes or harsh comments. However, sharing my pregnancy announcement was a huge step in a positive direction for me and showed me that for every negative comment/person trolling social media, there are hundreds of amazing, kind souls ready to lift others up and support them. I’m forever grateful for each of you that are so kind and thoughtful, and beyond excited to continue building relationships with each of you through this forum!
We cannot express our gratitude for this community enough. Truly. Thank you all for an incredible year and cheers to another one!
