Military Lifestyle

... maybe it's because my family is from Texas. ... or perhaps because for the last three years we've been stationed at Fort Drum I've yearned for sunshine for months on end during the harsh, bitter winters of Northern New...

The weeks of limited communication and waiting culminates in this beautiful golden graduation experience. You are finally being able to hug your trainee. They have worked so hard to get to this point. The traditions of each military graduation...

I don’t know about you, but there is something special about the National Anthem that just gets to me. I'm talking full on sob, ugly cry emotions. It's the immense feeling of absolute pride and belonging that overcomes me....

Basic military training begins the day the recruit ships and it lasts from anywhere from 7.5 weeks to 12 weeks, depending on the branch (Comparing Basic Training for the 5 Branches of U.S. Military Service - VeteranAid).   Air Force...

Ship day is the date an Active-Duty soldier’s contract begins. This is a day that family members will never forget. This is the day my 19-year-old son left to join the world’s greatest Air Force and left behind a...

During the first few months of our overseas posting in 2018, I really struggled with feeling like I had lost my independence.  But, thankfully, that feeling didn’t last forever.  I thought I would share my tips for keeping your...

The first time I heard of Fort Bliss, Texas, I wasn't entirely convinced that we weren't moving to Mexico. El Paso, Texas, bordering Juárez, Mexico was not on my radar and certainly not on my "wish list" of duty...

  I don't know how to say goodbye to my silent companion. The dog I didn't want but now love. He saw me through every step of our military life and was a welcome friend when I had no one....

They say it takes a village to raise a child…but how do you go about finding your village?! Do they just turn up, or do you need to fill out an application? I’m joking, of course.  But finding your village...

Resiliency. I often hear that word when someone is describing a child who has grown up in a military family. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, resiliency is defined as "the ability to recover from or adjust easily to adversity...

April is the Month of the Military Child! The Department of Defense brings attention to the sacrifice of military service on our children, celebrating their extraordinary resolve in the face of constant change. According to the Department of Defense, there...

Ask anyone in the Air Force, what the worst base is/where do you absolutely not want to get stationed. Nine times out of ten you will hear…Minot. I’m here to tell you, we not only survived, but we thrived…and even...