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From Orders to Opportunities

September 24, 2025 by Guest Writer Leave a Comment

From Orders to Opportunities

Like many military wives, I got married at the young age of 18. At that point, my husband had already been serving in the Marine Corps for two and a half years. Even though we had known each other for about seven years, we only started dating a year before our “I do’s.”

Before my Marine came along, I was a determined student with a clear plan for my future: attend the University of South Alabama, pursue a degree in speech pathology, work with stroke patients, date someone for five years before getting married, and have kids…all close to home.

What I didn’t realize was that one simple first date with a boy from church would turn my carefully mapped-out plans upside down and lead me down a completely different path.

Six months after we got married, he received orders to PCS from Kings Bay, Georgia, to Twentynine Palms, California. Suddenly, college applications and scholarship essays were no longer my concern. I was learning how to be a newlywed, supporting a husband preparing for his first deployment, and adjusting to life as a 19-year-old southern girl in the California desert.

I quickly learned that military life brings its own challenges, such as making friends at a new duty station, attending Family Readiness meetings, and deciphering the endless stream of acronyms, which became my new “curriculum.”

Still, that determined mindset never truly faded. I knew the military lifestyle could open doors, but in a place like Twentynine Palms, opportunities were dry (pun intended). Jobs were limited, especially without a degree and with limited experience.

Just before my husband’s second deployment, I began volunteering at the local Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. The director saw potential in me and offered me the role of Communications Lead. Suddenly, I was running the organization’s Facebook page, leading informational events, and speaking at briefs for incoming and deploying Marines and Sailors.

It was there that I discovered a new love: communications. I began to realize that military life, while unpredictable, had given me an unexpected launchpad for growth.

Eventually, we PCS’d back across the country, only to be greeted by a national pandemic. Once again, I found myself at a new base with limited job opportunities and another deployment looming. This season is when I adopted a mindset I carry to this day: “An excuse and an opportunity are always present. Whichever one you look for is the one that will present itself.”

With encouragement from my husband, friends, and family, I finally began my college education. Balancing coursework with a two-year-old at home and a deployed husband wasn’t easy, but my classes quickly rekindled my drive.

What started as a goal to complete my associate degree grew into a bachelor’s program. Today, I’m pursuing a Master’s in Human Resource Management. I will spare you the details of that career merge. 

Looking back, I realize that every challenge, PCS, and deployment wasn’t just an obstacle; it was an opportunity, a lesson I want to share. As military spouses, our lives don’t have to be on hold just because of the demands of military life. These unique circumstances can become a springboard for discovering passions, building resumes, and growing in ways we might never have anticipated. 

The first step in turning orders into opportunities is finding your niche and discovering what inspires you. Whether it’s volunteering, joining a spouses’ club, or exploring new hobbies, these experiences can uncover talents and interests you didn’t know you had. Growth doesn’t always happen in a classroom.

You can dive into books, take free online courses, or practice new skills at home. Every opportunity, paid or volunteer, is a step toward building your experience, confidence, and future career. For me, stepping into the Communications Lead role at NMCRS revealed strengths I hadn’t recognized before.

Community is a powerful part of our journey. Surround yourself with supportive people who can encourage you, celebrate your wins, and help you discover your passions.

As a Christian, I truly believe what feels like uprooting is actually planting according to God’s plan. Every PCS, deployment, and unexpected change has the potential to help you grow, learn, and prepare for what lies ahead. Your life as a military spouse doesn’t have to be paused while supporting your spouse’s career.

Even if traditional opportunities feel out of reach, you can still discover ways to use your gifts, develop skills, and make an impact in your community.

I challenge you today to take the first step. You don’t have to sign up for the next class at the community college, but look for the opportunity rather than the excuse. Plant seeds in your life and watch them grow into new skills, confidence, and a life you love that follows wherever military life takes you. 

P.S. If you’re considering going back to school or exploring new career opportunities, don’t forget to look into scholarships and programs specifically for military spouses. Organizations like the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and other branch-specific foundations offer scholarships, financial support, and resources to help you pursue your education and professional goals. 

Author: Brittany Weston

Brittany is a Marine Corps wife of nearly 10 years, living in North Carolina with her husband and daughter. She believes that every deployment, every duty station, and every single day is about perspective. Making the most of every season, she holds to Ezra 10:4: “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. So, take courage and do it.”

Want to write a guest post??? Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life is looking for guest posts! Have something interesting you want to write about the military spouse community? Have advice for new military spouses? Want to share about your duty station? Want to share your story? 

 If so…please fill out my Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life Guest Post Form here! 

From Orders to Opportunities

Filed Under: Military Spouse Employment Tagged With: guest post, military life, military spouse, military wife

The Many Blessings of a Military Marriage

September 17, 2025 by Julie Leave a Comment

The Many Blessings of a Military Marriage

I do a lot of reflecting sometimes. I have always kept a journal and I like to think about where we have been as a couple and a family and where we are going.

We have had to make a lot of choices over the years. When to have kids. To move across the country. To join the Military. To buy a house. To stay in Tennessee. To join the National Guard.

Sometimes it is way too easy to look back and think we shouldn’t have made certain choices.  I don’t like to look at my life like that. Is it possible we made bad choices in the past? Yes. Does that mean the rest of our lives are messed up? No.

One of the biggest life-changing choices we made was for my husband to re-enlist in the Military at age 30. This was something that we talked about for months beforehand. We had no idea what his time in the military would be like once we made that decision.

We were diving into the unknown. While my husband had been in the Army before, that was when he was a lot younger, and way before I came into the picture. Being a soldier with a wife and child was going to be completely different for him, and becoming an Army wife was going to be totally different than anything I was used to.

As I think back over the last 15 years as a Military spouse, there have been many blessings in our marriage because of our time as a military couple.

Don’t get me wrong. Would I have preferred to have a husband who never had to go away? Perhaps, but that wasn’t how life has been for us. 

As I look back over those 15 years, I can see that there are blessings in a Military marriage.

Homecomings can be the highlight of our Military experience. The feeling you get when you see your spouse again is hard to explain unless you have been through a homecoming. Knowing that the months of waiting and worrying has come to a close and knowing you will finally be back in each other’s arms can be the spark that your marriage needs.

Watching your spouse in their uniform can be inspiring. You know they are doing something good in the world and you are there to support them through it. You and your spouse are a part of history, working to make the world a better place. There is just something about feeling that way that can help your marriage thrive.

Deployments can help your relationship to grow even stronger. You start to appreciate one another in ways you never would have if they never had to go away. You constantly remember why you fell in love in the first place. You learn to trust one another across the miles.

But also, never be afraid to reach out for extra help if you don’t feel that way. Different couples handle distance in different ways. There are many resources out there to help too.

PCSing every few years can also be a challenge, especially if you have to PCS to a place you don’t want to go. But there is also something about moving together, having to work through those struggles together, having to be the “new person” together, that can bond you together in many different ways.

While the day to day of military life can feel so heavy sometimes, there are blessings of a military marriage. From growing stronger through the distance to being able to discover more about yourself which can lead to becoming a better partner.

If you are new to the military life and are worried a bit about your marriage, keep in mind that there are blessings of a Military marriage. As hard as the military lifestyle might be, they are there if you look for them.

How do you feel that the Military has blessed your marriage?

Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: blessings of a military marriage, military life, Military spouse life

What Can I Say About September 11th That Hasn’t Been Said Before

September 3, 2025 by Julie

What Can I Say About September 11th That Hasn’t Been Said Before?

Every September, as we get closer to the middle of the month, the memories of what happened on September 11th, 2001 come flooding back. I can’t help but think about that entire morning, at least how I experienced it, from the West Coast.

I still remember when I realized something not so normal was going on. I still remember going to class, and how not everyone in the room had heard the news. I still remember how that was all we talked about for the next two weeks of classes, how could we talk about anything else?

I was only dating my husband at the time, and he was in the IRR (The Individual Ready Reserve,) not active duty or even in the National Guard. IRR at that time didn’t mean a whole lot, just going in for appointments every once in a while. It was more of a technicality.

What Can I Say About September 11th That Hasn't Been Said Before

After September 11th, things changed.

I started to wonder if he would be called up and what that would mean. What that would mean for him, for our relationship. Would we rush to get married? Would be break up? I didn’t know.

As the months passed, it seemed clear that he probably wouldn’t be called up after all. Then time passed.

I had no idea that what happened on 9/11 would change our country, our military, our family.

What Can I Say About September 11th That Hasn't Been Said Before

So as I think about what to write this year, I am not sure what else I could say.

I could give you more details about that day, I know some of you were too young to remember.

I could tell you about my kids and what they know about that day, the kids that were born after 9/11.

I could tell you about how different my military spouse experience has been because of what happened that day, what the war on terror meant on a personal level being married to a service member, or about any fears I still have about having to say goodbye to a spouse as they go fight in this new type of war.

I could leave you with some inspiring words about the sacrifices made.

The men and women who lost their lives in the tower, the ones who did in the recovery efforts, or those who did in the following years in Iraq and Afghanistan because of what happened that day.

I could give you a list of movies and television shows and books that talk about 9/11 or have something to do with that day.

But haven’t we all heard this all before? Is any of it new? Is it even worth repeating?

What can I say about September 11th that hasn’t been said before?

What Can I Say About September 11th That Hasn't Been Said Before

What words can I give that will help you through this day? What can I add to the conversation?

I just don’t know.

I do know that we can’t forget what we as a country have been through.

We can’t forget that morning or what happened that day.
 
We have to keep sharing with those that were not there.

I do know that our lives were changed in the smallest and biggest of ways that day.

I do know that in the aftermath of 9/11, communities came together like never before.

It didn’t matter if you didn’t agree on 9/10, on 9/11 you were holding hands in a sanctuary, trying to make sense of everything.

You might have two years old, sitting on your mother’s lap as she had CNN on all day.

You might have been seven years old, wondering what was going on and why so many people were so upset.

 

You might have been twenty years old, sitting in a college class, worrying about your friend who lives in NYC.

You might have been thirty years old, a proud military wife for the last ten years, wonder how this will change everything for you and your family.

What Can I Say About September 11th That Hasn't Been Said Before

Whatever you were doing that day, whatever you remember, if nothing else, 9/11 is a memorial day. One in which we can remember those who have lost their lives, lost their families, or even lost their hope.

Here we are, on the 17th anniversary of the day that changed everything, let’s try to show as much peace, love, and hope to others as we can. For that is quite the opposite of what led to that tragedy almost twenty years ago. And that is what will keep us moving forward as a country, despite the struggles and frustrations we face along the way.

Peace. Love. Remember. 

Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: 9/11, military life, September 11th

A Letter To A New Military Spouse, Starting Their Military Life Journey

September 1, 2025 by Julie

A Letter To A New Military Spouse Just Starting Their Military Life Journey

A Letter To A New Military Spouse, Starting Their Military Life Journey…

I know things feel a bit scary right now. Your loving spouse has just joined the Military. You might not even know how to feel right now. You are likely experiencing a range of emotions. Both happy and sad ones.

You are not sure what is going to happen or what the next few years will be like. You agreed that you would take it one enlistment at a time. Only three years and then if you both want to walk away you can, only, you wonder if you really will.

You wonder if the Military will be your life from now on.

That your spouse will like the military life too much, that you will like it too much or that you will absolutely hate military life and that they will want to stay.

The truth is, it is nearly impossible to know what your experience is going to be like. The Military is different for everyone. Based on where you are stationed, the unit they are in, if they deploy or not, how many times they deploy and how often, the friends you meet and everything that happens between now and when it is time to make that reenlistment decision.

My advice would be to take it one year at a time.

Don’t let a bad situation cause you to change your life. Don’t let a good one lead you into thinking that everything will always be easy. Know that when the time comes to decide, you two will know in your hearts what the next step will be.

You worry about those deployments everyone is talking about. And if you can get through them when it doesn’t even seem like you can get used to them being away during basic training.

Your deployments will be some of the hardest months of your life.

You will miss your spouse like crazy, and you will wonder why you decided that joining the Military was a good idea in the first place. You will cry yourself to sleep some nights and pat yourself on the back during others.

You will have good days and bad ones. You just have to keep on keeping on. You will find your own battle buddies that will help you on the days you just don’t think you can do Military life anymore. In return, you can be there for them during their difficult days.

You will make friends but they or you will have to eventually move and you will have to say goodbye to each other. Always having to make new friends will be difficult but it also makes life a little more interesting.

You never know who you will meet next, where they will be from or what kind of story they will have.

With Facebook, it is a lot easier to keep in touch with others after you no longer live in the same place. This part of Military life is hard but it is something you can get more used to, even if you still don’t want to have to say goodbye to people all of the time.

Military spouse, you are a part of something amazing. A family of other spouses whose heart belongs to someone who serves in the Military. You are a part of history. You will be remembered for what you are about to do, for the sacrifices you will give to your country, and for the strong faith you will show in the midst of difficult situations.

A Letter To A New Military Spouse Just Starting Their Military Life Journey

The best part of being a Military spouse is that you are not alone.

There are a lot of us out there to help guide you through everything you might experience. There really is nothing new under the Military sun. As you move forward down your Military life path, remember why you and your spouse made the decision for him to join. Remember to take it one day at a time if you need to.

You will be okay. You will grow stronger through it all and you will make the best friends you could ever meet through your time as a Military Spouse.

Are you a new Military Spouse? What do you think about this new chapter in your life?

Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: military life, military spouse, surviving deployments

A Big Long List of Military Discounts for Military Spouses

August 25, 2025 by Julie Leave a Comment

A Big Long List of Military Discounts for Military Spouses

The first time I ever used a military discount was when I was living in Kentucky and they offered one at our local Chick-fil-A. Not all Chick-fil-A’s offer a military discount, and maybe that one doesn’t anymore but it did when I was there and was able to use it to save a couple of bucks on my meal.

My favorite military discount has got to be the one you can use at Disneyland. We have used this one three different times, in 2017, 2018, and 2022. We hope to be able to use the Walt Disney World military discount someday too.

There are so many different military discounts and programs out there. From Lowe’s and Home Depot to Vera Bradley and other retail shops. You can save $500 on a new car, or buy shoes with a 10% discount. While some retailers only give the military discount to the service member, many also include the spouse and families allowing for us military spouses to use the discount even if our service member is not with us.

Are you interested in knowing what military discounts are out there? You have come to the right place! Here is a big long list of military discounts for military spouses. Enjoy!

Grab something to eat or enjoy a yummy treat

  • Kroger – groceries, but only at Kroger’s near Fort Campbell. 10%.
  • A&W – yummy rootbear floats and a burger on the side! Save 10%.
  • Chuck E. Cheese – for the kids, for the pizza, for fun. Save money with the Chuck E. Cheese Military Deals!
  • Houlihan’s – take the family out for dinner. Save 10% on your check.
  • Outback – for a steak dinner, with a Bloomin’ Onion. Those things are addictive. Save 10% with their military discount.
  • El Pollo Loco – chicken, chicken, and more chicken. Save 15% with their military discount.

Clothing, shoes, and accessories

  • Under Armour – find clothing and shoes. Save 20%, although sometimes they will offer up to 40%.
  • Columbia – find warm clothing, jackets, and more. Save 20%.
  • Puma – clothing, shoes, and accessories. Save 10%.
  • Vera Bradley – purses, blankets, and more! They offer a 15% military discount that you can also combine with sales and promotions. You can also use the Vera Bradley military discount online!
  • Shoe Carnival – for shoes for you, your spouse, and the kids. Don’t forget the socks! Save 10%.
  • Reebok – shoes, clothing, and more. Save 50%. Yes, 50%!
  • Banana Republic, Old Navy, and the Gap – these three stores all offer military discounts, between 10-15%.
  • Dickies – for men’s pants and workwear. Save 10% with their military discount.
  • Hanes – for your sleepwear, loungewear, and underwear needs. Save 10%.
  • J.Crew – for high-quality men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing. Save 15%.
  • Kohl’s – for clothing, home goods, and more. Save 15%…on Mondays.
  • Lululemon – clothing for yoga, running, training, and more. Save 15%.
  • Nike- shoes, shoes, and more shoes. Just do it and buy some shoes. Save 10% with the Nike military discount.

Military Spouse/Veteran Owned Businesses

  • Sword & Plough – is a veteran-owned business with Made in the USA bags and accessories. They offer a 20% military discount.

Entertainment for you and your kids

  • Regal – for movies! Save around $1.00 on tickets.
  • AMC – for movies! Save around $1.00 on tickets.
  • The Nashville Zoo – make sure to check out the bears! Save 47-50% as a military discount, or receive free admission for the veteran and their family around Veterans Day.
  • Great Wolf Lodge – an indoor waterpark for the kids! Save 25%!
  • MLB Games – one, two, three strikes you’re out. Most MLB teams do offer discounted military tickets.

Amusement parks you don’t want to miss

When it comes to Amusement Park tickets, your MWR Travel Office is going to be your best friend. You should be able to find a list of where you can get tickets and their prices and then buy the tickets there. Do this before any trip and you can save yourself some money.

  • Disneyland – the Happiest Place On Earth. Save on park hopper tickets.
  • Walt Disney World – the other Happiest Place On Earth. Save on park hopper tickets.
  • Sea World – a fun water-themed amusement park in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando. Receive up to four free tickets per family.
  • Legoland – both in California and Florida. Fun for the little kids. And maybe Mom and Dad too. Save on tickets and hotel rooms. Mom
  • Universal Studios – located in both California and Florida. Save money on tickets and hotels and don’t forget to drink some Butterbeer in Harry Potter Land 🙂
  • Six Flags – over 20 parks to choose from. They offer Military Appreciation tickets.

Save money on your car

  • Honda – get yourself a new ride! $500 off your purchase.
  • Toyota – drive yourself over and get a new Toyota, and receive a $500 rebate.
  • O’Reilly Auto Parts – for all your automobile needs. Save 10%.
  • Pep Boys – for more of your automobile needs. Save 10%.
  • Volkswagen – save $500 on your next vehicle.

Glasses and jewelry and random fun things

  • Ray-Ban – find sunglasses. Save 15%.
  • Jared – jewelry, watches, and other gifts. Save 10%.
  • Glasses USA – glasses and sunglasses. $10 off your purchases.
  • Sunglasses Hut – to shade you from the sun. Save 15%.
  • Zenni Optical – for glasses and sunglasses. Save 10%.

Toys, books, and stuff for the kids

  • Gamestop – for all your video game needs. Save 10%.
  • Evenflo – from strollers to car seats, gear for your babies. Save 25% with their military discount.
  • Enfamil – formula for your baby. Save 10%.
  • Baby Tula – baby carriers, in many patterns and colors. Save 15% with their military discount.
  • Free Breast Pump – receive a free breast pump with your TRICARE benefit.

Health and Wellness

  • Thrive Market – natural and organic products. Receive a free membership.
  • Anytime Fitness – work out, and get to the gym. Save money with their military discount.

Random retailers with cool stuff

  • Michaels – find crafts, decorations for your home, and more. Save 15%.
  • Joann – similar to Michaels. They offer a 15% military discount.
  • Yeti – coolers and more, get 20% off with a Yeti military discount.
  • Stanley – water bottles. Save 20%.
  • Lowe’s – home improvement, plants, and more. Save 10%.
  • Home Depot – home improvement, plants, and more. Save 10%.
  • Weber – grills for your BBQs. Save 10%.
  • Mattress Firm – for your sleeping needs. Save 10-20%.
  • Camp Chef – for grills and skillets. Save 20%.
  • Apple, Dell, and Microsoft – need a new computer? phone? accessories? All three of these companies have military discounts!
  • Yankee Candle – make your house smell good! Save 10%.

Travel fun

  • Amtrak – skip the plane and take a train. Save 10% on tickets.
  • Airlines – most airlines offer the military something, from reduced tickets to saving on bag fees. Double check since some only offer to the service member.
  • National Parks – from sea to shining sea, check out America’s National Parks. Military can get a free pass!

If you have or work for a business with a military discount that is not already on this list, please contact me for information on how to be added.

Filed Under: Military Discounts Tagged With: military Discounts, military life, military spouse

So You Just Found Out You’re Pregnant, And Your Spouse is Deploying

August 18, 2025 by Julie 3 Comments

So You Just Found Out You’re Pregnant, And Your Spouse is Deploying

You were trying, or maybe you weren’t. But the test is clear. You are pregnant, maybe with your first, maybe with your 4th but you know what this means.

Another baby…

A sibling for your two-year-old…

You are growing your family, just like you wanted to.

And as happy as you are, as excited as you are, there is something looming over your happiness.

Your husband, the father of your child, is deploying soon.

And you aren’t sure how you are going to handle everything. You just found out you are pregnant and he’s deploying…

So You Just Found Out You’re Pregnant, And Your Spouse is Deploying

When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, there was a deployment in our future. We didn’t know exactly when. We didn’t know how long he would be gone. But we knew the deployment would happen.

And then it did. He left when I was 25 weeks pregnant, and I knew I had to figure out how to find my strength to get through this. I knew this deployment and pregnancy wasn’t going to be easy.

I had an almost two-year-old I would still need to take care of. I was already so tired but now I would be solo parenting. I also needed to figure out who would be with me during the birth. We didn’t know if my husband would be able to be there for that.

After he left and the deployment started, I went into survival mode and somehow got through the rest of my pregnancy. I made plans with friends, I asked my mom to come to stay with me over my due date, and I took each day as it came, making the best of the time with just my two-year-old.

If you have just found out you are pregnant and know there is a deployment in your future, here are a few things to think about:

Make Friends

Making friends through all of this is going to be such an important thing to do. You don’t have to go through this alone and having people who get what you are going through or can be there for you through everything is a must. When you are pregnant, you can also start getting out there and meeting other moms through places like MOPS or other groups on and off post.

Make Plans

With being pregnant and having a deployed spouse, you are going to need to make some plans. Who will you have there during your birth? What do you need to buy for your new baby? What will you do when you go into labor?

Make Time For Yourself

You need to make sure you are making time for yourself. You need to take care of yourself and your baby. While staying busy is a must, you also want to make sure you aren’t taking on too much. Look at your schedule and see where you can take some time to just chill and relax, even if it is just for a few minutes a day.

Make Decisions For You

Being pregnant with a deployed spouse, you are going to have people give you all sorts of opinions about what you should do. From a family member insisting that you move home during the deployment to a neighbor expecting you to stay because she did. Try to figure out what would be best for you and your own situation and make decisions for you and your family.

So many of us have been through a pregnancy with a deployed service member or a spouse who has to be away for another type of training. When this happens it can bring up so many different feelings. You might wonder why your spouse has to miss such a precious time in your life.

Figuring out the tools to get you through this time is so important. You can figure out what works for you and your situation. And doing that can get you through the pregnancy, the birth, and any other time your spouse will have to miss.

Have you been pregnant during a deployment? What got you through?

Filed Under: Deployment Tagged With: Deployment, military life, military spouse

How You Can Help A Struggling Military Spouse

August 11, 2025 by Julie 1 Comment

How You Can Help A Struggling Military Spouse

How You can help a struggling military spouse

You are finally feeling good about military life. Nothing too complicated, just a few trainings and your husband will be home for a while. You feel put together, have a good friend base at your duty station, and life seems pretty stable. But you have noticed something going on in your community. Not all of the spouses around you are doing okay. Some of them are struggling.

So, how do you help? What can you do to help a struggling military Spouse?

Or maybe you are not a military spouse. Perhaps you have friends who are, and you see them hurting? Maybe you would like to help them, but you don’t know the best way to do that because you have never been through a deployment or PCS yourself.

Here is what you can do to help a struggling military spouse:

Listen

Listening to a struggling military spouse is one of the best things that you can do. They might just need someone to listen. They might need to just get everything out.

Being able to vent about your situation in a safe place can be very therapeutic. I know on those days when I just couldn’t see the forest through the trees of the deployment, talking it out with a good friend was very helpful. If you have a friend who is struggling, let them know you are there to listen, even if you don’t fully understand what they are going through.

Offer

If there is anything you can offer to this spouse, please do. Offer babysitting, a meal, or even just an offer to be there when they need it. Send a care package if they live far away.

Send a note just to say you are thinking about them. These little things can really help a struggling military spouse who is not having the best of days.

Don’t Dismiss

The worst thing you could do is comment on how their situation could be worse or how they need to just get over it. Everyone handles deployments in their own way. Depending on the situation, some spouses might be going through something you simply will never have to deal with.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to feel the way they do about what is going on. During a deployment, you want to be surrounded by people who are going to support you, and if you dismiss your friend’s feelings, they might push you away.

Give them space

Some spouses deal with a deployment by spending time by themselves. They might need some space to accept that the deployment has started. Make sure to give them space if they need it.

Please don’t assume that they want you there, because not everyone does. Let them know that you are there when they are ready to talk or hang out and keep busy.

Being on both sides

It’s so important that those of us who feel like we have it together don’t make those who don’t feel like they are less than. I have been on both sides of this.

I have been both the one struggling and the strong one. I have been the one pouring out my heart, and I have been the one who sat by listening as a friend poured out her own struggles.

The thing to remember about military life is that it is up and down, it is good and bad, it is happy and sad. When you are feeling good about what is going on, never forget that others are not, and never think that things will continue that way for you. You never know what the next day will bring.

An unexpected PCS? I have known people who have only been given a few weeks’ notice. A deployment that gets cancelled only to have it become uncancelled a week before they are supposed to go. A best friend having to leave when you are just about ready to start a new deployment.

Be there for your friends and the struggling military spouse. This will help out the whole military community and make life a little easier for those who need that little bit of extra love and care.

Have you ever been the struggling military spouse? How have others helped you along the way?

Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: military life, military spouse, Milspouse, struggling military spouse

You, Military Spouse, Are Stronger Than You Think

August 8, 2025 by Julie Leave a Comment

You, Military Spouse, Are Stronger Than You Think

You, military spouse, are stronger than you think.

Whether you are faced with another year-long deployment or a PCS to a country you never thought you would ever even visit, let alone live, you are stronger than you think.

Whether you are faced with moving somewhere out of your comfort zone or to a place too far from home, you are stronger than you think.

Whether you are struggling with your three kids, three and under, or struggling with infertility, you are stronger than you think.

Whether you just found out you are pregnant, and they will be deployed soon, or you aren’t sure how you will handle the newborn years without them, you are stronger than you think.

Whether you can’t seem to make ends meet or you are upset that you can’t find the right job using your degree, you are stronger than you think.

Whether your spouse joined the military after being married a couple of years or you are about to walk down the aisle to the love of your life, standing there waiting for you in their uniform, you are stronger than you think.

Whether your spouse is deployed to a dangerous location or your spouse is helping out in a natural disaster on the other side of the state, you are stronger than you think.

You see, military spouse, no matter what you are going through, no matter what your current struggle might be or what you have ahead of you, you are stronger than you think. You will get through this, and through your experiences, you will grow stronger with each one.

And at the end of the day, you and your service member will walk through the good and the bad of military life and come out stronger on the other side.

You, Military Spouse, Are Stronger Than You Think

Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: military life, military spouse

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About Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life

 

Welcome to Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life! I am so glad you are here.

My name is Julie and I first became a military spouse in 2005 when my husband of 3 years re-joined the Army. Then, in 2014, he joined the National Guard. In January of 2024, he retired from the National Guard after 21 years of service.

During our time in the military, we got to spend 4 years in Germany as well as Tennessee where we now call home.

We have three boys and have been through four deployments together.

I hope that you can find support for your own deployments, PCS moves, or anything else military life brings you through my articles and social media posts.

 

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