The Marriage Chapters
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An Ode to the Army
When you first introduced yourself I didn’t know much about you. I apprehensively shook your hand. That clammy first handshake turned into a begrudging nod and after six years of eye contact we’ve become intimately acquainted. Since Hawk’s days of wearing camo and dog-tags have officially come to an end, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on a few of our memories together. I’m deploying. I still remember the night our stories intersected – sitting in the passenger seat internally reeling from the words that just came out of my friend’s mouth, the man I was slowly getting to know and really like. It was the 4th of…
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Saying I Do
Two years ago, I was one week away from getting married. It was the night of my bachelorette party. My Matron of Honor, my future sister-in-law, my mom, and I made t-shirts for wedding week and binged out watching romantic comedies. It was the perfect low key bachelorette party for this introvert who despises small talk and thrives on deep meaningful conversation. I was also trying to write my vows. I have written my husband many letters. Ever since I was 13 I wrote letters to my future husband and bound them in an album and gave it to him on the morning of our wedding. I also wrote him 47…
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Back Porch Fellowship
A couple months ago I took a day off of work to spend with Hawk. Our calendars have been full the past year and a half of our marriage. Honestly, many times I’ve resented Hawk’s busy schedule and the commitments that take him away from our home and me – every time I got a calendar notification alert, I’d sigh. I felt like those notifications, those commitments that we had no control over were controlling our lives, our plans, our marriage. And I was lonely. One night it just became too much. I felt bitter and I felt distanced from my husband. So I took a day off of work to spend time…
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I Am An Army Wife | Wrestling with Fear & Faith
Our military experience may be different than most – we don’t live on a base, Hawk has a full time civilian career and we don’t get stationed in new places. I wouldn’t begin to relate or speak on the level of one who picks up her family and moves often for the sake of her husband’s duty to our great nation. Our story looks a little different – but I am an Army wife. I may not live on a base or have much connection with other military spouses or familiarity with the “norm” of military culture, but there is something to be said about developing a connection with other…
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The Journal of Two Love Stories
“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior” -Christina Baldwin “These handwritten words in the pages of my journal confirm that from an early age I have experienced each encounter in my life twice; once in the world, and once again on the pages” – Terry Tempest Williams “The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings; otherwise I might suffocate” -Anne Frank I’m coming down to the last few pages of my current journal. The journal that Hawk handmade me for my 22nd birthday. The journal he expressed his love to me in by sewing the pages together and gluing them into the spine…
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2014 Highlights
2014 has been an incredible year! By far one of my most full and favorite years – I was finally reunited with my love, I was asked to be his wife in a surprise airport proposal, we had many “catchup” dating adventures, I had so many wonderful wedding showers, we took dancing lessons, got married 7 months after getting engaged, and had a dream honeymoon in Jamaica. We’ve been to Disney, NC, Savannah, and have made so many family memories with our loved ones. We’ve moved into our first home and celebrated our first birthdays as a married couple and Christmas. 2014 has been a year for the books and…
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Reflection – Deployment, Homecoming, Proposal, Marriage
Two years ago on July 3rd, Hawk told me he was deploying. And that was the beginning of it all. The beginning of me realizing that even though I swore I’d never fall for an Army dude, I was quickly on my way to falling in love with one and couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. And now that Army dude who told me he was leaving for a year, that Army dude who waited for my reaction before he officially asked me out, that Army dude whom I fell madly and deeply in love with will become my husband in 58 days. It’s a funny thing how…
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Week 44: Welcome Home Hawk!
I know I have a lot of blogging to do – but here is a glimpse of what happened this week 🙂 Introducing the future Mr. And Mrs. Hawk!
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Our Story – and Waiting
I’ve had my experience with waiting. The dreaded word in this instant gratification culture. Waiting seems like a foreign thing when there seems to be an “app” for everything. The wait is the long line before the anticipated “roller coaster ride.” Although sometimes the line, the wait, seems to be a roller coaster in and of itself. Even though it may not seem like it at the time. I’ve really come to dread the word. It’s not a fun word. It usually means moments of loneliness and discontentment at times. It means not getting what you deeply desire when you feel like you need it, or more selfishly think you…
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Plan to be Surprised
Let me tell you a little secret. I never ever ever wanted to be interested in someone in the military. I never wanted to be involved with a soldier, especially one who is going to deploy. And yet I am. This is new. It’s a completely different culture that I’m not used to and I know very little about. So as a way to process these new experiences and the idea of my Hawk and my impending separation, I decided that I need to write about it. What can I say? I majored in English. Writing is a therapeutic for me. And just the idea of this deployment is enough…
