When you are raised in the South your whole life, you get used to those scorching hot, humid summers. You thoroughly enjoy the iced sweet tea that quenches your thirst. The sound of the waves relaxes your soul as you sip a cold beverage on the beach. In addition you are guaranteed a glimpse into all four seasons and “Ya’ll” is grammatically correct.

At least this is how I see the South. However, my husband DOES NOT. 

My husband could care less about the beach or sweet tea. You see, he’s from the north. If it were up to him he’d be hitting up Wawa for a hoagie and headed to a tree stand. He loves the cold, hunting, and everything outdoors.

At this point, you are thinking we are polar opposites right? Well we are, in some ways.

My husband has currently been in the military for almost five years, and we have yet to PCS. As we all know, this won’t last much longer. In fact, it’s going to happen pretty soon. We’ve talked about it, and have joked about where we might end up, but nothing prepared me for the text I received not too long ago.

“Babe, we might be moving to Anchorage, Alaska!”

Pause. Wait what? HOLD UP! Of course all the thoughts start rushing through my mind.

How are we getting there with three kids? What about the two dogs?  How will I drive when I get there since I have zero experience with the snow or the cold for that matter? What will we wear? 

I mean from what I envision, I’m going to be the next cast member on Life Below Zero next to my new friend Sue Aikens. 

You have to be kidding right? All the bases located in the south and my first PCS move has to be completely across the country. 

My husband was ecstatic which is ironic considering he had frostbite in Poland a few months back. The only thing that danced in his mind was being at another well-known airborne base, snowy mountains, and hunting: all of his favorite things.

I, on the other hand, was trying to wrap my head around everything else.

As these thoughts consumed me, I started to ease into the fact that we were potentially moving to Alaska.

This transition would not be easy by any means. I’ve lived in the same town for 22 years of my life surrounded by my family, in the warmth of a mid Atlantic state.

However, maybe this move would make my family stronger. My mind shifted a little. 

Although this move could be hard, I had to come to the realization that some parts of life are simply, just hard. Especially when it comes to living the military lifestyle.

I began to tell myself this…..

It’s how you go about the hard that will determine your outcome. 

As I lingered on this thought, I began to try and think positively about this move. Honestly, this could be the experience of a lifetime. How many people get to say that they’ve lived in Alaska? Not many.

The military has many obstacles, but a lot of that is building you as a person. I’ve been learning as a new military wife you have to be open minded, you can never plan a single thing, and you have to be just as dedicated to serving this country as your spouse.

Even though I have yet to experience a move, I think this is an interesting part about the military. Not only do you get to live in different states and countries, you also get to find your community through it. 

With all that being said…

Do I know what the journey to Alaska holds for my family? Absolutely not. However, I can’t wait for this southern girl to find out. 

“For more information on Alaska, Check out Embrace Your Base in our Blog categories.