navywifebeth

“Red Letter Days,” you know - the ones that are marked in red on the calendar. The weekends, the holidays, the commemorative days. As a Navy wife there certainly are a few red letter days…homecoming is one, a birthday or anniversary actually celebrated together is another. But then there are those days that are definitely not red-letter days. Those days may be the day the car broke down, an appointment was missed and your sailor is deployed. It could be the day you’ve just ‘hit the wall’ with deployment…you want your Sailor home and you want them home NOW.

Another non-red-letter day is the day you realize that you have hit the half-way point in shore duty rotation…that day you have less days together as a ‘normal family’ than you have behind you and that sea-duty (i.e., another deployment) is fast upon you.

That day is today for me…and it makes me sad. I love where we are living, I love my home and my ‘adopted city.’ I love having my Sailor home for dinner (ok, most nights), I enjoy not worrying about his safety on a regular basis. I love a semblance of ‘normalcy’.

But today I realized we are halfway through shore duty. That means we are on our way to striking for orders, that means we will be moving yet again, that means we will be spending elongated time apart…again. That means my marriage will once again be long-distance and part-time at best.

Today is not a red-letter day. Today is the day I have to decide to be grateful for what I do have. I still have several more months together. I still have my husband coming home for dinner tonight, tomorrow night and the night after that. I can still enjoy my husband and my home.

hmmm…maybe it is a red-letter day afterall…

Hey, thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I’m Beth, a Navy spouse. I’ve been married to my (sexy) Sailor for just under six years. In that time we have moved seven (yes, I said seven) times, he’s been gone over 50% of our marriage and we just finished our first - uninterrupted - year together. Yes, I still feel like a newlywed…LOL.

I don’t know about you but my life dramatically changed the day I married my Sailor. From all the moves to surviving deployment to learning the ‘lingo’ and culture of the Navy…WOW, has my life changed!

Sometimes I’m flustered by the challenges of military life, sometimes I just shake my head. Other times I can’t believe I get to live this life that others will never fully understand (or appreciate). But mostly, I want to connect with others in the same boat (no pun intended…LOL).

So, this blog is for and about me and my Navy wife/spouse companions. Let’s explore this life we’ve married; the challenges, joys, resources, support, information and even inspiration. Tell me about you. How long have you been ‘married to the military, the Navy’? How many moves have you experienced? How many deployments under your belt? What is your greatst challenge? What is your greatest joy?

Let’s learn from each other…let’s take care of each other…

 Beth