I love being married to my husband, and I would never want to know what life would be like if we hadn’t decided to get married. As you know, he’s in the military and being married meant leaving my friends just three-ish months after our wedding.
“See you later, friends. This wife is off to a new adventure!”
I’m not one to get fired up and rant about stuff (and really, compared to some of the hoopla we see on social media, I’m not sure if what’s coming is even classified as a rant). But, there’s one response that people give me when I’m trying to articulate the struggles of military marriage that grinds my gears:
“Well, you knew what you were getting into when you married him.”
If we based our ideas about marriage on the movies, we would undoubtedly be shocked to discover the stuff in our everyday married lives that never shows up on the big screen: squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle instead of the end, the hazards of nearly “falling in” when going to the bathroom in the middle of the night because someone left the seat up, how the bread is never sealed with the twisty-tie but instead is spun and tucked back under… Yeah, not the romantic homecoming kissy-kissy moments we see in the cinema.
My 26th year is shaping up to be a big one as we prepare to welcome twins into our family halfway through it! With the thought of becoming a first-time mom to two babies at one time, I’ve been reflecting on the 26 life lessons I’ve learned in my short life that I’d happily pass along to them as they grow older in our home.
On this week’s empowering episode, Dr. Stephen Snyder shares his guide to creating and maintaining intimacy with our spouses as he shares about his book, “Love Worth Making: How to have ridiculously great sex in a long-lasting relationship.”
Author Jonathan Gilliam, joins us to discuss his book, “Sheep No More: The Art of Awareness and Attack Survival,” which gives vital tips and information that you need to know about protecting yourself in the event of an attack and even in the case of weather-related disasters.
Take a quick lap around any bookstore and you will undoubtedly run into the Relationship Section. Thousands of books have been written on the topic of all things marriage…probably because it’s one of the most simultaneously challenging and rewarding life experiences to which we’re called. When we add in the “military” factor to marriage, that presents an entirely different chapter of information!
February always reminds me of the most challenging experience my family has had as serial military renters.
Since arriving at my husband’s first duty station in 2010, we’ve always chosen to live in on-post housing or rent a home off post, and before that, we rented apartments. We aren’t yet sure where we’ll settle in the end, so we hesitate to purchase a home.
One of the most important things you can do as a renting military family is purchase renters insurance. With a military bank like USAA, it’s a very inexpensive monthly fee, but it protects you much more than you might imagine.
I found this out the hard way.
With heavy rain falling outside, our military family chose to stay in and enjoy a cozy Friday night at home. Fixing a bowl of buttery popcorn and filling our cups with bubbly soda, we made our nest in the family room to watch a movie. Noticing the puddle of water forming on the floor, my husband was drawn to the corner of the room to inspect the area, where he found a steady dripping leak. As he reached up to lightly touch the suddenly stained ceiling, a large portion of soggy drywall came flopping down onto the bookshelf below. While rushing over to rescue our books and mementos, I exclaimed, “Better call the landlord!”
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