Almost ten years ago, I moved to Fayetteville, NC to start a job as a contractor at Fort Liberty (it was Fort Bragg back then!).

I didn’t know much about the military, and I’d never been on an Army base before.

I remember going to the visitor’s center so that I could get my pass to get onto base for work, and being nervous driving through the gate on my first day! 

I remember feeling so impressed by all of the soldiers and their family members who came to the wellness center where I worked.

I enjoyed getting to meet them and hear their stories, and I wondered what military life would be like.

At the time, I’d only ever moved to a new state once (for my wellness center job!), and I wondered what it would be like to have to move every couple of years.

I’d just moved to a new place and was starting over with finding new friends and making my new community feel like home, and I wondered how it would feel to have to do that much more frequently than I had.

Little did I know that exactly two months after I arrived at my new job, I would meet my future husband.

I was about to find out for myself what life as part of the military community was really like!

That was nearly a decade ago now, and my husband and I have lived in four different states (and I’ve had five different jobs).

It can be tough being part of a military family sometimes, but looking back and remembering the positive aspects of military life is helpful during challenging times.

Now that my husband is retired, the reality that the “active duty” part of our lives is a memory now is starting to set in.

Just like a decade ago, I am in a new place and in a new job, wondering what the future will hold. 

I know there are plenty of new memories waiting to be made on the other side of military life!

*To read more of Heather’s work, cisit her M:M Author Page. To learn more about the spouse transition to civilian life, check out Milspouse Transitions.