I Am No Longer An Army Wife

You read that correct.  I am no longer an army wife.  As of Monday, 2/9/15, Ryan is out of the United States Army National Guard.

I have mixed emotions about it and I'll tell you why.

Without the military Ryan and I would have never met.  Seems silly considering that we actually have known each other since we were 14, right?  Well we weren't ever friends, in fact, we still tell people to this day that I did not like him because he flipped me off at a pool party in 7th grade.  We fast forward 6 years later and we reconnect.  Ryan was on his first deployment and we became friends.  Friends quickly escalated into more of an exclusive relationship and it seemed even crazier.  We were 8,000+ miles apart from each other and hadn't seen each other since high school, how could this be happening?

Well thank goodness it did.  Ryan came home from deployment, thank the good Lord up above, and we began our relationship.  It had it's ups and downs but in the end we were an us and it was awesome.  We dealt with drill weekends and AT in the summer and 2.5 years later Ryan was going on another deployment.  We were committed to one another but not engaged or married.  Then, of course, he surprised me and we got engaged and married 33 days before he left California.

The Army took care of us for that next year.  I moved back in with my mom so we could save up as much money as possible.  I paid off a ton of debt, saved a ton and planned our perfect big wedding.  I booked us a honeymoon to the Bahamas, which was amazing and we can't wait to go back, and it was all thanks to good ol' Uncle Sam.

Ryan made it home from another deployment, thank goodness!  We had the wedding of our dreams and went on an amazing honeymoon.  We decided that we were ready for a family and started trying.  We found out we were pregnant with our little and decided to buy a house.

We, honestly, could only afford to buy a house because of the Army.  Due to Ryan's service and prior deployments, we were eligible for a VA Loan which doesn't require us to have a 20% down payment.  Without this we wouldn't be where we are.  We got to buy a house and bring our baby home with no worries of having to move again with a newborn.

The Army has its ups and downs, just like any relationship.  We love it some days and hate it the others.  In the end it has helped provide us with an amazing life and one that we are proud to call ours.

While I don't think that our military life is completely over, for now it is.  For now, we will live a "normal" life and see where it takes us.

I am so honored and proud to be married to such a selfless man who was willing to give up his own life for his country.  I know that even if we are out for good, Caleb will grow up knowing what it means to be a proud American and proud of his dad for his service.

Until next time Army.