Hello, military spouses! It’s my absolute honor to join Army Wife Network as a blogger. Major shout-out to the amazing group of highly talented, diversified, and passionate AWN team members that continue to inform, encourage, and empower our military community.

As I sit here at my archaic desktop in my cozy basement, criss-cross-applesauce, I’m enamored with gratitude.

Grateful that all four of our boys are fast asleep.

Grateful that my husband graciously took our 8-month-old and is sleeping with him upright on the couch because sweet baby has a cold.

Movingly grateful that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to write to my fellow spouses.

I’m just a small town girl who grew up in the foothills of southwestern Kentucky, born into a loving family whose parents instilled several core values—hard work, manners, kindness, family, integrity, and determination—that have shaped the person I am today.

All of these values have provided the necessary tools to navigate this most adventurous, yet challenging military lifestyle for the past 14 years of our Army stint.

My husband, Sam, joined the Army because of his deep affinity for this wonderful country in 2004. He felt it was his duty to serve, which was one of the reasons I fell deeply in love with him from the beginning of our three-day courtship leading up to marriage.

Yep…you read that right.

Needless to say, our story started as a whiz-banger whirlwind romance and our relationship has only maintained that sense of adventure throughout his service. Four 12-month deployments (with another looming), several PCSes, and four amazing boys later we’ve almost nailed this down to a science.

Which brings me to where we are today, both physically and emotionally. We PCS’d to the Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion in Lansing, Michigan, 15 months ago from the San Antonio, Texas, area. Not only did we have to adjust to this geography, we had to factor in figuring out what our new life would look like.

The boys (ages 11, 9, 7, and 8 months) have been accustomed to transitions as they had to adapt to new schools, cultures, friends, and even sports ever since they can remember. They are, without a doubt, some of the coolest kids I’ve ever met (and I say that with a normal bias).

It usually takes them around six months for a healthy adjustment. However, my adjustment cycle is more dramatic and drawn out.

I am determined that I will not under any circumstances enjoy our new town. This typically lasts no longer than a few months, up until I start a hard self-awareness campaign, meet new people, and get the feel of our community. After 12 months, I’m golden.

I’m ready to extend my roots and find fulfillment in the leadership roles that I inevitably spearhead, the friendships that I cultivate, and the goals that I’m able to set and achieve. I somehow always feel like that small town girl starts to make her own way which ultimately leads to another successful PCS in our personal military family adventure series.

Hey! That sounds like a new goal!

I salute you, dear milspouses. I look forward to engaging with you in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you so much for your time and attention. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to engage and re-energize with fellow military spouses.