lifeasacorpswife

Something I’ve already learned about my new marriage to the military is that there is a whole world that I was not aware of.  Being married to a member of this “alternative universe”, most civilians would assume that I have a great teacher.  This is not always the case.  I, unfortunately, have the entire state of Texas between my husband and me at the moment.  It has been this way since we were married, and it will be this way for another week.  Call me crazy, but when I do have time to talk to him or see him, Military 101 is the farthest thing from my mind. 

 During a weekend trip to Little Rock, AR to visit my husband I met another couple who will be stationed in Cherry Point with us for the next three years.  During an enjoyable dinner conversation I learned about a book that would be a necessity!  I feel obligated to pass along the title of this book to any new military wife, so without further ado, here it is.  The book, by Meredith, Leyva, is called, Married to the Military: A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends, and Women in Uniform.  I can sincerely say that this book has helped me tremendously.  It is a one stop shop for anything I could ever need to know from moving from base to base to what I am expected to wear to various events.  But Leyva doesn’t stop there; obviously she recognized the demand for this information and support, and has gone on to develop CinCHouse.com.  The website is just that, information and support.  While I have not yet had time to spend a great deal of time on the site, I have registered and I look forward to exploring it further. 

So I will continue to learn as I go, calling on my husband for answers when I think it will help.  Bless his heart, he’s amazing in every way, but he has little patience for explaining things to me that are like second nature to him (and really I can’t blame him).  So, when in doubt I’ll pull my handy dandy book out of my back pocket purse (because, come on ladies, no way am I going to fit a book in the back pocket of my jeans).

2009-01-04

My life as a wife in the Marine Corps. did not start today, last weekend, or even last month.  As of today, I have celebrated my three month and eighteen day anniversary.  You may be thinking that this is a strange day to begin keeping tabs on my experience, but the truth is, it was out of my control.  I am beginning my journey today because of a recent realization.  I realized while on vacation with my husband, that my life is about to completely change in twelve short days.  Our relationship has been fast and furious since it began in November 2007, but I’ll leave that for another story. He proposed on September 10th, and we were married by a JP on Wednesday, September 17, 2008.  It wasn’t exactly what I pictured, but it was exactly what we needed.  I have absolutely no regrets about that day or anything that has happened since.  He makes me the happiest I’ve ever been, and because of that and so many other reasons I love him. 

Since the wedding we have been seperated while he trains in Little Rock, AR, I am finishing up a semester of teaching seventh grade English in Corpus Christi, TX.  On January 17th we will begin our move to our new home near Cherry Point, NC.  Anticipation has been building for months, but the move has always just been something to look forward to…until late last night.  While tossing and turning, burning up and freezing to death in our hotel room, it hit me.  I am moving half-way across the country in twelve days! Suddenly the time that felt like it was barely ticking has left me with a to-do list a mile long and cosistently less time to complete it. The days ahead promise to be challenging, but beyond that I can only anticipate the memories, the stories, the adventures, and the emotions that await us as we begin our lives together…FINALLY! I’ll keep you posted.