Saying "See Ya Later"

It's tough, isn't it? Whether it's to family, friends, or our husbands saying "see ya later" just never seems to get any easier. 

This weekend, our closest friends left the island. While I'm so happy that they're going to be able to see family and will be much closer to them once they get to their next post, it's still difficult to see them go. They were our first friends here and they've stuck with us ever since. 

I actually found Mrs. C through her blog while we were still living in GA. {Surprised? Yeah, me neither.} We "met" via a phone call because we were having some Army-related paperwork struggles with our move. Her hubby was able to give Joe some advice which was golden. We sent several emails back and forth talking about moving and Hawaii.

After Joe and I got to Hawaii and settled into lodging, we were finally able to meet up! They picked us up at the hotel and took us out for dinner. All 4 of us clicked right away, which is really rare. After dinner, they invited us to get out of the hotel and stay with them for the night. I know what you're thinking, and looking back I still can't believe we did this! We ended up staying the weekend with people we'd never met before...and people we met online. =P I think all of us were a little bit crazy!

Mrs. C and I. I'm pretty sure this was the weekend we met. I could be wrong, though.

The Joes. :)

All of us just outside Margaritaville in Waikiki!

It's crazy to think all we've been through together in nearly 3 years. My Joe deployed. Mrs. C helped me unpack the rest of the house after Joe left. She kept me company frequently while he was gone. They invited me to church with them, for dinner...kept Jasper for me/us several times. Oh! We locked ourselves out of the house one day and had to pull boards off the fence... And then Mrs. C broke the screen door on the patio! That was a fun afternoon! She took pics of us when he came home for R&R. And I'm fairly certain we all hung out while Joe was home, but I don't quite remember it.

Holidays. Birthdays. Pregnancies. Births. Girls and guys nights. So many things.

Our girls. 1 month & 8 months.

LOVE.

Charlotte thinks Mrs. C's hubby is hilarious!

I'm glad that we were able to spend a few days/nights together before they left. I know it's difficult getting out and about with a newborn! 

Daddies & daughters = melty mama hearts.

I know it isn't the end - we'll see them again, even if we have to make an extra effort now that the Army has separated us. But it sure is tough to think about them not being nearby during our last few months on the island...and then again when we move to GA.

So much happens in just a few years' time... The ending of our time here in Hawaii turned out to be a little bittersweet after all.

Life's Calling; Will You Answer?

I believe that each of us are called to do something - be something - in this life. Doesn't matter what it is, all of us a drawn to something. Some of us are called to be writers, actors, accountants, teachers, graphic designers, soldiers, husbands, fathers, wives, mothers. Everyone has a different calling on their life. Personally, I believe God calls us to these things. I believe He places a desire in our hearts that only He can fill. I also believe that we are called to be a different something at different points in our lives. Teachers may not always be teachers and doctors may not always be doctors. I'm sure each of us knows someone who, at some point in their life, has decided to take on something new - a new job, a new hobby, etc.

There was a time in my life when I felt called to teach. In college, I struggled with what I wanted to do when I "grew up." I had a rough year during my sophomore year and I wasn't sure teaching was for me. I put it all in God's hands when it came time to do all those crazy tests to become a teacher. I knew that if I passed, teaching it was going to be. Well, I passed and I continued with the teaching degree. Fast forward a couple years.

I was living in NC with Joe, and we'd been married just a short time. He'd found a job working for a local company that did IT for restaurants. I was still working at Chili's as a hostess. Teaching jobs were scarce and I tried really hard to get my foot in the door by substituting. Even that didn't work. I didn't get enough calls to allow me to quit working at Chili's as badly as I wanted to. 4 months later, Joe was laid off. I kept working at Chili's, trying to pay the bills as best I could. Enter the Army. The Army took Joe for a while and I stuck with good 'ole Chili's. When I was finally able to move down to GA (where he had his AIT), I quit.

That's when I stopped working. For a while it was boring, but it's also been fulfilling. At least while my husband has been home. I still think that God called me to get that teaching degree, but did He really call me to actually be a teacher? As a wife, I'm called to serve my husband (Proverbs 31). Not serve in the sense that most people think, but serve in the sense that I am to be a blessing to him. I'm to support him in however he decides to provide for our family. I'm to help him succeed in his job. If that means having dinner on the table at 1800, then so be it. If that means washing those darned ACU's, so be it. If that means becoming an Army wife in every sense of the word, so be it.

Would I still like to be a teacher? Sure. Do I need to be a teacher or have a career to feel like I'm more important, more me? No. I don't think I realized it before, but I think that on the day I met Joe, I was called to be his wife. It's the one thing that I am really good at. I'm not saying I know everything there is to know about the man, but I know him better than anyone else. Even before we were a military couple, I was "translating" for him. Not everyone "gets" my husband. But, I do. I know the way his mind works, and that's not always a good thing. ;-) I know that he forgets just about everything he hears, and that I may need to remind him to do something a time or two. I know that when we're in the car - sans GPS - that I will be "the navigator." I know that he takes his phone, wallet and keys out of his jeans pockets every time he sits down because it just bugs him. I know his favorite foods and his favorite movies. I know that he's a darn good musician and lyricist. I know he's silly and incredibly corny.


I believe that one day {hopefully soon}, God will call me to be a mother and a wife. And when He blesses me with babies that are a combination of the two of us, I will gladly stay home to teach my children (which doesn't necessarily mean homeschool), watch them grow and I will continue to be a blessing to my husband. But, until God calls me to be something other than a wife and volunteer at the museum on post, I'll stay where I am.

I love every. single. minute. of being G.I. Joe's Wife.

When Did It Happen?

How do you know you're a Milie? Here's how I know:

You speak in acronyms so much, you often forget to translate them for your non-milie friends and family members.

You see a Soldier with long hair, and want to yell "Hey, Soldier! Don't you think it's about time for a hair cut?!"

You see men - in general - with "long" hair and want to escort them to the nearest barber shop for a high-and-tight.

You catch a Soldier without a cover on and immediately want to say something about it.

[If you're a newbie like me,] You try and identify everyone's rank as you pass them and silently applaud yourself for "getting it right."

You sometimes forget that there are people who don't buy groceries at the commissary. Or even know what that word means.

You panic if you can't find your ID card when you're pulling up to the gate on post.

You wonder what the "protocol" or SOP is for certain non-military situations. And then you chide yourself for thinking "SOP/protocol." {Totally did that one today...}

You post silly pictures on Facebook with captions that include the words: operation, mission, success caught, captured. =P {Also did that one this week.}

You yell - yes, yell - at Army Wives when they do things incorrectly. For example: giving a fresh private a combat action badge and flash pin, NOT forming berets to "soldiers" heads, and saying FOB like F.O.B. Everyone knows the Army pronounces its acronyms. Sheesh.

***

When did it happen? When did I start thinking and speaking in acronyms? When did I realize that TriCare would be my BFF and my worst enemy at the same time? When did I start taking my commissary shopping benefits for granted? When did I start feeling more at home on post than off? When did I start to find comfort in seeing those ACU's? When did I start longing to see those boots in the hallway? When did I start wishing for PT-induced early mornings? When did I start crying when the national anthem is played and the flag is saluted? When did I fully realize the sacrifice that our Soldiers (Sailors, Airmen & Marines) make?

When did I become an Army Wife?

'Cause I think I missed it...