the Best Wordless Wednesday

On Behalf of a Grateful Nation

Thank you. Thank you to those who gave their lives to ensure that mine stayed free and safe. Thank you to those who risk their lives every day to ensure that America will always have its freedom. Thank you to those in the future who will join our services. Thank you to those who fought in prior wars. Thank you to those who came home. Thank you to those who didn't. Thank you to those currently serving, both at home and overseas. Thank you to the "silent ranks" who hold down the homefront and risk their hearts.
To all the veterans, those currently serving, and those who will serve in the future, on behalf of a grateful nation I say thank you. It is because of you that America continues to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.
A special thank you to those military who have affected my life. To my Daddy in heaven, an Army vet who served in the Vietnam war. To my mom's uncle EJ, a man I never met but a WWII Army vet. To my husband's grandpa, another man I never met but a proud Marine who served all over the world during the war. And, most special to me, my husband, an active duty officer in the United States Air Force. I have never been so proud about anything as I am about being a military wife. To all these men, and to all the men and women past and present who keep my country safe, words will never be enough. Simply put, thank you.

Sincerely,

A Proud Air Force Wife

Some Exciting News

Happy belated Halloween, everyone! Hope you all had a fun day. I know we definitely did! We went through 6 HUGE bags of candy for all the cute little trick-or-treaters. Then we went to a neighbor's for an "after party" that consisted of Taco Bell and leftover candy. Always a lot of fun. :)
As you may recall, in my last post I said I had a big announcement to make. Well, here it is......I'm pregnant! Baby Bee is set to make their appearance around the middle of June. F and I are very excited (and perhaps a little nervous too!). We found out in the beginning of October and it's been a whirlwind ever since. I hit some really bad nausea pretty much 6 weeks on the dot. Luckily, I saw a doctor and was given some medicine that appears to be a lifesaver. Hopefully, by the second trimester, I won't need it at all. I've already started looking at baby stuff and can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl so I can start decorating the nursery and buying stuff! F hopes for a girl, I hope for a boy so we'll see how this turns out. lol.
Sunday was also F and my one year wedding anniversary. What a great time to go public with our pregnancy right? This will definitely be a date that I will always cherish. Now bring on June so we can meet our baby!

This was at 6 weeks (I'll be 8 weeks tomorrow)...nothing really there yet!

A Special Wordless Wednesday

F and my one year wedding anniversary is Sunday so I thought I'd take advantage of a Wordless Wednesday to post some of my favorite wedding photos. Also, stay tuned! After our anniversary, there will be a BIG announcement and maybe even a giveaway to go with it. ;)

There's No Place Like Home

This past week, F and I had the opportunity to go home for a TDY. F had a class he had to take which, conveniently, was located near our hometowns. So we got to spend a week at home. While it was a great time in a very expensive hotel, it was bittersweet. One thing I've learned as a military wife is that going home is always bittersweet. It's great to see family and friends and everything you love about home but it's heartbreaking when you have to leave it all. God has blessed me with the opportunity to be stationed only 4 hours from my hometown, but I know that that's temporary.
F has two more years here and then it's on to the next PCS. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already scared about it. We talk about all the different places we could go and some genuinely seem beautiful, but there's truly no place like home. When I can't get in the car and be home in just a few hours, I think the true homesickness will really kick in. I know the military lifestyle is about sacrifice, but sometimes I wonder just how many sacrifices I have to make. To be honest, I don't feel like I'm as happy as I could be... like something is missing. And I think what's missing is home. I really thought after a year and a half of living here I'd be better adjusted but I guess I was wrong. Sure, I'm better than day one, but I'm still not "yay Air Force!" and I'm still dreading the day I have to pack up my boxes and move even further from the one place I am truly happy and relaxed at....home.

the Detroit skyline

25!

Happy birthday to my amazing husband! He's 25 today! I love you, baby, always and forever. <3

Back From Hiatus

I apologize that I've been MIA so much lately. Unfortunately I had come down with a viral infection that was quite ugly. But I'm feeling a lot better now, so it's back to blogging!

Having been so ill, I learned even more about the military family. Before being stationed here, I had heard time and time again about how the military is like your family away from family. I thought there was no way that could be possible...but it is. Sure, when I was feeling under the weather, having my mom taking care of me would have been ideal. But a lot of people came forward offering to drive me to doctor's appointments, bring me anything I may need, etc. I had people constantly checking up on me and seeing how I was doing. It was great knowing that there were so many people down here that had my best interest in mind too. I think it's safe to say it made me a little more okay with this lifestyle. My network down here is great. Sure, everyone will eventually go to different places and no longer all be at the same base, but that's part of this life.

Sometimes I think people forget what exactly they signed up for. I've seen several military friends end up divorcing or really depressed because this life is too hard for them. I'm not saying this is easy, no way, but what I am saying is that you really have to know what you're getting into before you get here. I did my research and talked to wives on Facebook, forums, etc. so I came in with a pretty good idea of what this life entails. I will never divorce my husband because the military life is too much. And I've learned to make the most of it so that being depressed won't happen either. In fact, I kind of actually like it here and will be sad when we move on to the next base.

Yes, there are low moments. For instance, F has to go TDY for a week that happens to be the week my best friend is getting married. I'm the Matron of Honor and I was really looking forward to having F with me. Going dateless is pretty lame, especially when you're married. I would be lying if I said I wasn't really upset. But, I know that that's part of this life. He's missed birthdays, Easter, etc. and I'm sure he will miss many more things. When "the big D" rolls around, that's 6 months he'll miss. No, this life isn't glamorous but, it's my life and I wouldn't trade that for anything.