I didn’t plan on being a military spouse.

But who am I kidding? I didn’t plan a lot of things in my life but couldn’t have asked for a more blessed calling.

And here I am, rejoicing that I have the incredible opportunity as a contributing blogger for Army Wife Network to share my heart and encourage you. If you will excuse me for a moment, I need to pause to do a teeny happy dance.

Perhaps I should introduce myself. I’m Sharita. My good friends call me Sharita-lo-quita-jo-mama, and if you are motivated enough to say or type that, then you are welcome to do the same. I am a a military spouse married to my Beloved Infantryman, Brandon, for almost four years. What a ride it has been!

As I mentioned, I didn’t plan any of this out. If things went according to my plans, I wouldn’t be married to this great guy, currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, writing this as our 11-month-old daughter naps.

Fortunately, the Big Man Upstairs loves me so much that he called me to fulfill the role and embrace(ish) the challenges that come with being a military spouse.

You will soon learn that I am quite the quirky gal. I love, love, love writing with super inky pens and breaking in new journals. I totally dig eating dark chocolate in the bathtub (especially on days when the Army is really shaking up our world.) I pretend to be a runner. I love to write and encourage others.

How did I get here? Well, I originally hail from Kansas. I’m a graduate of Kansas State University (Go Wildcats!) and received my bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and Industry with Leadership Minor and Communications option back in 2009. From there, I worked a couple of “big kid” jobs, married my Beloved, Brandon, and muddled through our first deployment together. (It was Brandon’s third deployment.)

Soon after getting married, we PCS’d from Fort Riley, Kansas, to Fort Benning, Georgia, where my hubs was a Drill Sergeant for two years. Wowzers, talk about a growth experience. That was an intense season in our lives. Lots of super long hours, constantly changing schedules, many moments of just nodding, smiling, and responding with “Roger.” We grew tremendously as a couple. As challenging as it was, we wouldn’t trade it for the world.

While we were stationed at Benning, I answered the call to ministry. (Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Hey, neither did I.) I went on to receive my Master’s of Art Degree in Christian Leadership from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary online. I was working for “Jesus Dollars” (see also: free) at our local church as a ministry apprentice, then felt led to start up our own online ministry.

Enter stage left: 7 Days Time. It is a place where I write (just like I talk, if you hadn’t picked up on that already) and offer prayer and encouragement to whoever stops by. It has been going strong for more than two and a half years now, and it is great to see how God is moving in our everyday lives.

Also during our time in Georgia, we adopted a 12-pound dog named Justus (he looks like a fruit-bat/chinchilla/mountain goat/cat/dog), who is pretty stinking hilarious. Then we had our sweet baby girl, Charis, in March 2013.

We have since gotten “off the trail” after completing our Drill Sergeant assignment and recently moved to JBLM. Last fall, I received my Spiritual Leadership Coaching Certification from Blackaby Ministries International and have since integrated it into our online ministry over at 7 Days Time.

And boomshakalaka, here we are. Oh, remember how I said I was kind of quirky? (That’s just another word for a little bit weird. I’m embracing it.) Before I roll out, I want to share with you three random facts:

1. I graduated from Citizen’s Police Academy
2. My date and I wore duct tape outfits to senior prom (Don’t judge. It was for a scholarship contest. And it only cost us each $32 to attend.)
3. I am a certified auctioneer.

Now that I have made everyone feel a bit awkward,  I should probably call it a day. My work here is done.

But seriously, I would so love to connect with you. My heart of hearts is to encourage other women (military wives included) and cheer them on when facing challenges or uncertain times. I would love to pray for you (if that’s something you’re into) or just listen to you vent.

Oh, and feel free to leave a comment below sharing any specific topics you might want me to write about. I am pretty flexible and open to suggestions as I serve you through Army Wife Network.

Thanks so much for stopping by and can’t wait to talk again soon as we share many more hooahs and hallelujahs!

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much. — Mother Teresa