Like most people, 2020 did not take me much farther than my city block. My husband was deployed, and I was busy working. It was nearly impossible to take a vacation. One of our absolute favorite things to do together is travel. We’ve taken a trip to Europe every year since we’ve together—until 2020. My husband came home at the end of the year, and we dreamed of being able to travel again, but it still seemed so far fetched.
Beach days! Oh, how my kids love going to the beach, but oh, how much work it is for us as parents. If you’re like us, we usually make a full day of it in order to make the mission worth it. This means not only packing the obvious sunscreen and towels, but the wagon to help transport those items, along with swimmies, life jackets, beach toys, water bottles, snacks, and more. When the kids aren’t yet walking, I’ve brought the infant car seat or a Bumbo seat, too. Once we were stationed in the Miami area, we also invested in a small beach tent and a couple folding beach chairs.
When was the last time you went on vacation?
Whether alone or with friends or family, everyone deserves time to get recharged and do something fun. Vacations or time away from daily grinds are great for your mental health, and who doesn’t like taking time to relax, try out new restaurants, or do a little leisure shopping? I know I sure do!
We travel a lot by car. In part, we travel by car because it’s expensive to fly and partly because Brandon doesn’t like to fly without a parachute. We’ve driven from Colorado to Arizona, Alabama, Florida and even to Canada. Traveling as a military family is a bit different from regular civilian journeys as we often move to unfamiliar areas and don’t return to a previous duty station. With PCS season upon the military, I decided to collect my tried-and-true travel essentials to share with prospective movers; I hope this helps!
Ah, February: the month of Valentines and all things hearts and love. As I was thinking of this charming holiday, I began to ponder all the things I love about each duty station in which we’ve lived or some of the extra places we’ve travelled in between. There is so much to admire about each: the attractions, museums, beaches, restaurants, and oh, those coffee houses and treat shops—what I really adore the most!
I have a confession to make:
I’m ready for winter to be over.
That realization hit me hard the past two weeks. I’ve been dreaming of summer here lately. We had a warm spell in Alaska, and by warm, I mean in the 20s. Never in my life did I think I’d be saying 20 degrees is warm, but here I am.
Winter is in full swing up here in Alaska and has been since October when the first snow fell. With that being said, it’s my first full winter up here, and I was definitely not looking forward to it because I’d been in Texas for the past three winters. I’ve learned a lot since moving up here, especially about getting through the winter months in this climate.
In 2024, Vermont will recognize the 300th anniversary of the first continuous European settlement that was built in what would eventually become Vermont.*
During those 300 intervening years, many houses have been built with generations living and dying— sometimes dying within those actual houses. It is quite uncommon in Vermont for your home to only have two digits in its age. Saying your home is 100 years old makes your home the youngster on the block. When my wife and I bought our first home, long before deciding on a military life, we chose a two-story 125-year-old duplex. It was located in a small village, and many years previously had been a restaurant as well as an apothecary, among other things.
Oh, the history this home could tell if it could talk.
If you’re like me, you look forward to taking a vacation at some point in the year. I know that it’s always my favorite week out of the year. However, with COVID, travel restrictions, and social distancing measures in place, it has made vacationing this year a challenge.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904