Military Life from a Spouse's Perspective

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life…. From a Spouse’s Perspective
Leslie Jeannet of Heart Adrift

Growing up in south Louisiana, I was constantly surrounded by family and friends – you see, southern living has a certain magnetism to it that keeps its natives near and never seems to let them drift far. When my heart became drawn to a “Navy Boy,” as my friends called him, red flags started flying. No one could understand why on earth I’d ever want to be involved with someone outside the city limits, let-alone someone who was in the military!

Fast forward over 4 years later and here I am: far from the family and friends I love dearly, but happier than I could have ever imagined because I married the man who captured my heart. Being a Navy Wife is one of the hardest yet most rewarding aspects of my life. In these short years I’ve learned what it is to trust someone more than I trust myself, gained a love and respect for my country that I’ve only ever heard my grandfather speak of, and realized that communication truly is the key to a successful marriage. Though only partially through his very first deployment, I can tell you one thing: strength finds you when you least expect it.

Thanks Leslie for sharing your story with us! Please visit Leslie's Shop, "Heart Adrift" and her blog, "The Jeanetts"

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If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy. You can also find us on Facebook.

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life…. From a Spouse’s Perspective

Milleth Soliza of Fully Hooked

Sometimes someone will say to you “oh you poor dear, deployments must be very hard on you, especially with kids”. Sometimes, they’ll say “thank you for your service”. And then sometimes, they’ll simply give you a look of mixed animosity and pity. And I would respond “yes ma’am, it sure is hard” or “thank you, sir, and you’re welcome”, or simply just smile kindly. Everyone seems to have a premeditated view on military life, and I agree that it’s not the life for everyone. I may sit hours on end, making jewelry and burning the midnight oil, waiting for that phone call to come through from some remote location in the desert, and I may celebrate birthdays, holidays and anniversaries without my other half, but I don’t despair--because this life has allowed me to fall in love with my husband many times over. This life has reinforced every promise we’ve ever made to each other, and truly, I am happy.

Every deployment or separation creates that gut-wrenching anxiety that starts at the pit of your stomach and spreads all over you and seem to settle deep within you, making it hard to breathe… but every return brings with it the euphoria of first love: the butterflies, the tingles, the perpetual pull and gravity of a steadfast commitment made between husband and wife—and I’m okay once more. We knew from the onset that this was going to be hard, but the rewards are great as long as you are committed to making the most of everything. So, hard as military life might be, my smile never wavers.

Thanks Milleth for sharing your story with us! Please stop by visit Milleth's Shop.

If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy You can also find us on FB

Military Life from a Spouse Perspective

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life….
From a spouse’s perspective
Sara of Sara Rubendall Design Studio.

Sarah modeling as "Barbie"

I never in a million years thought I would be a Navy wife. Never. I met my husband when we were in college and shortly after we started dating he told me he had joined the Navy. I was absolutely devastated. The word Navy to me meant that I would never see him. I was a hot mess when he left for bootcamp and I cried until there were no more tears to cry. I thought at the time that nothing good would come of this, but boy was I wrong.

We got married when he took leave from A-school in December of 2004. I was still unsure of this whole Navy thing because we were still apart and I dreamed of the time when we could finally be together. In April I rode a bus down to St. Mary's Georgia where my husband was stationed on his first boat. I was in heaven. I am from a small town in Illinois and to say I hadn't been much of anywhere was an understatement. Now here I was in Georgia where I never thought I would be. Heck, this was the first time I had even seen the ocean! The Navy was turning out to be not so bad after all!

Winning First Kiss

After I survived my first deployment we were transferred to Washington and I was pretty excited. We packed up our stuff and got driving. Once we got to Washington my mouth hung wide open. Never had I seen a mountain either. It was amazing and absolutely beautiful.

Premade Basic Etsy Shop Set

In my experience as a Navy wife I will say that I have gotten to see and do some pretty cool things. How many people can say that they have been on a submarine? I am so lucky to have had these experiences and I thank the Navy for every last one of them :)

Thanks Sara for sharing your story with us!

Please visit Sara's Shop and her blog.

If you would like to submit a story for this series

please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy
You can also find us on FB

Military Life from a Brat's Perspective -

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Briana of BP Design

When asked “Where are you from?”, I usually pause. For being from a military family, there is no one place I’m “from“. Every 2 years, Dad would get new orders. We’d pack up and be gone. Each new base would have a whole new set of friends, all with the same story. It is always hard to explain to people what it was like growing up in a military family.

Most of my childhood was spent on the West coast. There were 4 short years that we spent on the East coast. For those 4 years, we resided in North Carolina. I remember riding all over base housing on my bicycle. Learning the lay of the land. There were some woods behind our house that held trails and “hunting” grounds. We played in the Neuse River. A little pill box with the cat on front held (still holds) my collection of shark teeth that washed onto the shore.

It was during those years that I learned to quilt. Dad was in Iraq. Mom and I would go to a fellow military family’s house and meet with other women. Everyone would bring their quilting. I still have the nine patch that I started. It has blue, pink and cream colored squares. This quilt was to be hand-pieced.

One day we went for the quilting and I remember the women sitting around crying and comforting each other. The call had come. We had lost one of our men. Each woman in that room was hurting for the one who had lost their spouse, brother and son. I haven’t picked up the squares since then. Maybe someday I’ll be able to finish it.

As a kid, I knew that Dad was working a lot. I didn’t really understand until that day. He was “working” for our freedom. Our right as a country to choose who leads us. Our right to be individuals. He was willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for me, my siblings, Mom and people he had never met.

Now I am a mother of boys. Whenever we are in town and I see someone in uniform, I point them out to my boys. I tell my boys in a voice for those around to hear, “That man or woman is fighting for your freedom, just like your uncle.”

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Military Life - "Brats" Perspective

Military Life ...
From a spouse's perspective

Jeananne Sizemore
owner of Art Whims

A military life is a great one, one that I have known my entire life. As a Navy Brat and now as an Army Wife, I have experienced the ups and downs of what it means to be a member of a military family and that our family includes many more than my genetic relatives. Our family is all of the people in the military and those who have family members and friends in the military.

I am proud that the Homefront Team is now part of that family. The military family mirrors the relationship of siblings; we may fight sometimes, have differences in faith and ideas, but when we really need each other we rally together and stand strong. And with the losses that many of us have faced it still brings tears to my eyes that I have so many people willing to reach out and give me a hug of encouragement when I need one. I am so thankful to be living this military life and would not have it any other way.

Jeananne's Beautiful Items can be Found:
Painted Items
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Photography(zazzle)
Facebook
Blog
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Thanks Jeananne! If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact us ("Contact" tab at the top of the blog) for consideration.

Military Life - ...From a Brat's Perspective

Military Life Introduction

The Military Brat Team and the Homefront Team are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life….
From a brat’s perspective

Growing up in the military can be hard. I remember getting so angry and sad when we had to say goodbye to our friends and move all over the country because we had to go where the Navy sent us. We had to endure being a constant new kid at school, and we had to work our way into friendships, only to have them break apart when we moved again in a few years. However, with all of the struggles we went through, we had a great deal to be thankful for. I am the third of five children, so my siblings were my playmates wherever we went. We were great explorers and set out to conquer each and every hiding place, secret path, and playground we could find in the quickest time possible. It was how we claimed our territory and marked it as our home. We grew up for a time in Virginia Beach, Virginia, climbing trees, eating plums from our neighborhood trees, and catching the sweet nectar of the abundant honeysuckle flowers on our tongues. There were marshy ponds nearby where we saw tadpoles grow into frogs, and caught turtles (of course, naming them after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Fireflies danced in the yard, and we held contests to see who could catch the most in a jar with holes in the lid. We caught caterpillars and made them little homes inside shoeboxes full of leaves, only to find that they had fled when we checked on them in the morning.

The best part of growing up as a military brat in Virginia was definitely the military appreciation day held by Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. With five kids and two adults living on a Navy income, we could never afford to go to theme parks, so this was the greatest gift we had to look forward to all year. We got to go on the fourth of July. My mother, older sister, and I were in line for the terrifying rollercoaster, the Loch Ness Monster, and at the last minute my older sister chickened out. So I was trapped into going, pretending I was brave while I shook from head to toe. I kept my eyes shut tight the entire ride. My mom shook me and told me to look up at the fireworks as they exploded above our heads, and I wish I had actually opened them. At least I got to brag about how brave I was when I got off! The whole day was a fantastic experience that made us all feel like a family, and made us all very proud of our status as military brats.

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