From One Tiny Little Apartment to the Next

I want to tell you a secret...
I have been sleeping on beds/couches that do not belong to me since June 13th.
It's been a long time and I'm getting really sick of all the limbo. See, my parents are in the process of moving and I joined them a few weeks into the process cause I wanted to hang out with my brother and sister in the states for a few weeks after I finished my first year of college. It's still a week until we move into the new apartment and have our goods delivered but I'm praying that this week goes by quickly.
We've been in apartments up until this point and now we're in a little hotel room. I'm sleeping on a roll-away bed.
Not that I can get into a solid situation soon but I am so ready to have a house that I can stay in. A place that I've decorated and can pour my heart in to, a place I can make my own.
I guess I was more serious than I realized when I joked that I don't have a home.
Here's to hoping that the next few days will pass easily.

A Dedication to the Amazing Women I Know Just Like This :)

A Military Wife

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way
--Excerpt by Jane Hubbard Hyde 

This Weekend's Ponderings

"I can't be bought, I can't be sold,
I can't be won, I can't be told,
I am my own and my own to give,
So don't ever take me for granted,
Cause I can walk away."
This was the phrase that got stuck in my head all weekend and now I'm just hoping I can believe in it.