A Navy wife I am.  I thought by now I’d surely have the hang of this life. But here we are 12 moves and 15 years later and I am still trying to keep my head above water. While people tell me, “You must have unlimited patience to deal with all of the uncertainty of military life.” My kids and husband would disagree. I am not an inherently patient person. It’s not easy but it isn't patience that is required. More so, it’s sheer determination. I am determined to provide every opportunity for my children to progress and grow. I am determined to have a great marriage amidst the chaos. I am determined to keep learning for as long as I am capable of learning. I am determined to figure this out!

Perpetual motion is the course of study. Learn to live on the fly. While I've certainly had more than my fair share of difficulties, annoyances, and downright catastrophes, I do have my adventurous spirit to rely on. This yearning for adventure has seen me through deployments,  last minute cross country moves, solo cross country moves, several last minute order modifications, lonely nights, days, weeks, and months, navigating five different school systems, countless extracurricular activities (performing groups, music lessons, sports teams, after school clubs, scouts, the list goes on). Admittedly, I have reached a point where my adventurousness has taken a backseat to my desire for roots. 

I crave, covet, hunger for a place to call my own. A place where I have a large and entangled support network. Someplace that I can walk out my front door every morning and know this is where I belong. This is my home and my children's home and where I'll live out my years. This is where I have sisters and brothers, friends, neighbors, family, people who have watched my kids grow up, who have been there through every change, every lost tooth, every job transition, every birthday and holiday. And this, I realize, is exactly what I have. 

The world is my home. My support network is vast and intertwined. My friends and family live in places like Germany, England, Hawaii, Washington State, Virginia, Washington D.C., New Mexico, Florida, California, New York, Georgia, Alaska, Japan, and Italy. With every move I add more and more to this network of incredible people. What would my life be without the craziness of the military? It would be pretty darned small.