Articles and Conversations About Military Spouse Life

02Sep 2020 by Sybil Jones No Comments

My Memory of September 11, 2001

*****Update 9/11/2021***** Today marks 20 years. It still feels like it was yesterday to me. It's been 19 years since September 11 happened. The day of watching not one, but two planes collide into The World Trade Center in New York City. Another plane hit the Pentagon, and reports flooded in about a plane going down in a field in Pennsylvania. That was four planes. What was going on? I felt like I was stuck in a movie. And I was not too fond of the plot one bit. (more…)

25Aug 2020 by Guest Writer No Comments

Those Dress Blues Tho’

Military Spouse Life, Military Spouse Love Stories

Originally published 1/21/20 Okay, so promise me you won’t tell my husband this because I’ve denied it for ten years now (and will probably take it to my grave!). I was the Program Director for the Boys and Girls Club of Danville, Illinois. We had a table at the job fair that was held at the community college. It was my co-worker’s turn to represent the company that day, so I was back at the office. After a couple of hours, I received a phone call from her in which she said, “There’s a hot Marine here – you should come!” Although I wasn’t dressed for meeting “the one”, I didn’t have much work to do, so I headed to the job fair. Of course I took extra brochures to…

18Aug 2020 by Guest Writer No Comments

I Am Not Okay

Military Spouse Life

Originally published to Milspouse Conversations - 11/25/19 Let me tell you all a secret about me- although I am usually Little Ms. Sunshine, sometimes that's a front. I married very young. My husband and I were high school sweethearts from Podunk Town, Mississippi. He wanted to join the Navy, and because that was his dream, I eagerly followed. I had no idea what military life entailed. No one close to me had ever served. Hell, I thought that (one of my all-time favorite movies) Top Gun, was the Air Force because of the pilots. I simply assumed that if you flew a plane you were in the Air Force. That's how green I was. I've held it together through most of the years. Many moves, babies, promotions, deaths, and deployments…

21Jul 2020 by Guest Writer No Comments

4 Simple Self-Care Practices for MILSOs to Start Off the New Year

Military Spouse Life

This article was originally published January 2020. Military Spouse Life Military life is not for the faint of heart. Moving every 18 months-3 years on average means starting over. Finding new friends, service providers, activities, schools, church just to name a few can cause even the most seasoned spouse to put themselves on the back burner. Deployments, workups, on-call schedules, and the unpredictability of their spouse's work also come into play. There is added pressure of being both mother and father to their children while that parent is gone. (more…)

09Jul 2020 by Guest Writer No Comments

Being Beautifully Imperfect

Military Spouse Life

Originally posted on Milspouse Conversations in 2019 Hello! My name is Annette and I am a 44-year-old female. I am a mother to a 19-year-old daughter who is a sophomore in college and a 16-year-old son who is a high school junior. I am also a military spouse of over 21 years and a Retired Army Disabled Combat Veteran. Long title right? Well, it does not define me but it helps when I share my story… (more…)

26Jun 2020 by Guest Writer No Comments

From Hopelessness to Activism

Military Spouse Life

Right now, the country is facing some unprecedented struggles: with the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest unemployment rates we’ve ever seen, as well as the old sins of racism and genocide being reckoned with once again. It feels overwhelming to so many of us. We want to help, we want to make things better, we want to DO something -- but so often military spouses feel that our hands are tied because we never live in one community for long, and aren’t there rules about this sort of thing anyway? (more…)

28May 2020 by Guest Writer No Comments

Military Move – 4 Things To Consider When PCSing

Military Spouse Life, Uncategorized

Being in the military can be an amazing and adventurous journey, but it can also be tough and scary. Let's face it. It can be an emotional rollercoaster that few people truly understand. Many times, during a PCS, the military member is bound to their duty to serve while the spouse hates the new location. The children don't want to move; they don't want to start over and have to make new friends—they like their old friends just fine. (more…)