Civilian Life Transistion

Today is the start of a new chapter my life – heck – of OUR life. Today our lives change from Military to Civilian. Four years I waited for this day and it's finally here, I can barely believe it. For the past 4 years our relationship has come second to all things military and I am looking forward having a change of pace – finally!

I've gotten so many questions about our relationship and how it related to the military. I'll try to answer some of them here for anyone who is curious or never did get a real answer from me. 

Did we know each other before my husband went into the USMC? 

  - Yes, my husband and I have known each other since grade school. We dated once back in 2007 but I was the one who broke it off. And broke his heart in the process. I know...I'm terrible

Are you from a military family? 

 - Immediate family no. My husbands Grandfather was in the Army. My Great Grandfather served in WWII. That is about as much military experience either of our families had and yes...that made it harder for everyone (including me) to understand the whole thing. 

Have you been married the whole time he has been in?

 - We started dating 2 months before he "shipped out" and my heart went with him. We exchanged letters (41 to be exact) during his boot camp stint. He came home as often as he could but the first year of his term we saw each other a total of 2.5 months (this includes the first 2 months before he left). His first deployment came right after our engagement. Planning a wedding with no wedding date is NO small task let.me.tell.you. I did not have a wedding date until 2 weeks prior. And even then...it changed a week later. I thought I would loose my freaking mind. But in the end it was all I asked for; small, simple, legal and my dad walking me down the aisle. 

What happened when you got married? Did you live separately or together?

  - Together. We moved to NC a week after our wedding and lived off base for a little over a year. After that time he went on his second deployment and I moved back home to Ohio. 

Was it hard? Didn't time fly?

  - Yes and no to both questions. The hardest parts were saying good bye and keeping communication open. Once you get used to being alone it's nice to have the bathroom all to yourself, the cereal not running out, minimal laundry and eating dinner anytime you want. Going to parties and weddings alone - on the other hand - were hard from day one. Time flew during our time in NC. It seemed like one day I was thinking "this is my life now...it seems like it's going to last forever. And the next week I was thinking "holy crap this is my last day at work...I move next week....my time in NC is over". And then I cried because it flew by. 

What is next on the horizon now that he is out?

  - My husband is technically in the reserves now. Which means he is out of the USMC but if crap happens and they need him back they can technically call him back without hesitation. But in the meantime he has gotten a job working with his brother for a company who sells and repairs air compressors. We are also house hunting now which is strange but exciting!

So there is our story in a small nutshell. We are excited for this new chapter to begin and see where life takes us!