Expectation vs. Reality
I had my entire life planned out for me at the age of 18. I had every intention of following in my older siblings footsteps as far as college, career, and adulthood went.
Marrying into the military was never even a passing thought!
Well the joke was on me when I started dating my (now) husband in November 2013, just as he was beginning pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, OK. At the time, I was just a sophomore in college at the University of Arkansas.
The Dreaded Long Distance Relationship
During our dating relationship, I *thought* I understood what life would be like as a military pilot’s wife. But as someone who only went to college 30 minutes from their hometown, I could never have anticipated the reality check I was truly signing up for! After spending those 2 years long-distance (4 hours apart) dating and engaged, we were eager to move to our first duty station as a married couple.
Life as a New Military Wife
After we got married, we still spent our first month apart so I could finish my last semester of my undergrad. I finally moved out to Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, WA in December 2015. As a newly married couple, about to undergo early marriage + the coming together phase of a long distance relationship + military operations tempo at the time…we had NO idea what we were in for. I was SO anxious! I spent so much time in those early years, desperately searching online for answers so I could get some sort of picture of what this life would look like.
Only to be shocked that it was nothing like what I had read online.
Military Life As I Know It
Now here I am, 7 years into this wild life of a military wife. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities, adventures, and even the challenges I have been through. Sharing encouragement, resources, and the stories of other incredible Air Force wives is truly my favorite part of it all.
You can read more on what Wives of the Air Force is HERE.
If you’re curious to learn more about me or my best friend (Kirst), head over to Instagram and give us a follow. We hold that space to share more about how being an active duty family impacts our personal day to day! You’ll also hear about our retail therapy habits, boxed wine obsession and passion for supporting military spouses worldwide.
