Military Wife

Three years have passed since my last post. Three years, where did they go?! So much has gone on in that time as well. We bought our home, Bailey went through Kindergarten then First Grade, Cody had her first year of preschool, I got a new horse, we got new (to us) vehicles, a horse for the girls, a lab puppy, Josh got laid off, then got a new job, then laid off again, the list goes on and on! Aside from home ownership, the biggest change in our lives happened on April 4, 2014.

Back story; Josh got laid off from his job at the paper mill in January...and after a couple month of unemployment we started to talk about the future, and the needs of our family. My poor husband is such a hard worker, but we had to start out our lives in a horrible economy, and he has been laid off of so many jobs now it's not even funny. It's to the point where we don't even get upset about it anymore! Why stress about it? We've made it through some hard times financially, and every time we've come out stronger! Back on topic...one of our biggest concerns was our need for stable health insurance for all of us. I was browsing the jobs offered ads on craigslist one evening and saw an ad for the Oregon Army National Guard. When we were first together and I was pregnant, Josh really wanted to join the Army. I talked him out of it, I knew what kind of life that would be and I didn't want anything to do with it when I was a new and young mom. I saw the toll his brother's deployments took on his family, and I wasn't ready to have to move away from everything and everyone I knew and loved to live on an Army Base. I started researching what all the Army National Guard entailed, through their websites, and through blogs and other online resources. I wanted to know all angles; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I brought it up to Josh, and ironically it was something he had been considering, but he thought I would never go for it so he left it at that. After our talk, decided to call up one of his old firefighting buddies who had recently joined, and get more information from him.

Despite my online research, I still had a lot of questions left unanswered. So we scheduled to have a recruiter come out and meet with us face to face. Josh's brother was there with us, he knew what questions to ask as well since he had been in the Army himself recently. We took our time to make the decision, it wasn't one we were taking lightly. We knew the impact this would have on ourselves and the girls...and we knew it wouldn't be easy. We didn't even tell our family/friends (except his brother) until we had made the decision ourselves. The benefits outweighed the risks for us. Low cost health care, GI Bill, a little extra income, a HUGE network for Josh for finding work, VA loans, retirement if he does it long enough, even military discounts add up! All of this was on top of the fact that Josh WANTED it; he wanted to be able to serve his country and protect his homeland.

We made our decision, and on April 4, 2014 Josh was sworn into the Oregon Army National Guard. I never thought I would cut it being a Military Wife, but here I am, the proud wife of a soldier. I always thought Josh was a hero for being a volunteer Firefighter/EMT, but he has taken it to a new level. He is the most giving, selfless human being I know, and I am so incredibly proud of him. My biggest fear is him being deployed, but I know it's a very real possibility, we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Four months later and now comes one of the hard parts, saying goodbye to him as he leaves for his 13+ weeks of Basic Training. We have a week left before he leaves, and I hate goodbyes. It's only 13 (or more) weeks, I know, but that doesn't make it any easier. All I can do, is try to stay busy the best I can. I get emotional every time I think about saying goodbye...but I know I have to be strong for my girls. This is such an unknown for me, I don't know what to expect. The only thing I can know for sure is that we will be able to write each other letters, and I will write him every day. Phone calls, pending his sargeant/platoon, they could be few and far between. I've never gone more than a few days without hearing his voice, and never more than a week without looking into his eyes in the 8 years we've been together...so this will be a challenge for me.

So, perhaps to help pass the time, I will become a more active blogger. Time will tell. Canning season, back to school, and soccer season for the girls is fast approaching as well! I know as soon as I get word from him when his graduation date will be, I will be booking our flight and hotel room, and counting down the days until we can be in his arms again. I'm looking forward to Christmas this year more than I ever have, because I know he will be home by then.