100 Ways You Might Be A MilSpouse: Part 2

Welcome to AWN’s Monthly Recon Rendezvous link up! We are so glad you’re here. Just as the name implies, Recon Rendezvous is a place of community and connection. It’s an opportunity to explore and learn about our fellow military supporters’ lives, victories, trials, and experiences.

Each month, we “rendezvous” here to provide information, resources, and encouragement. So, do some “reconnaissance,” link up, swing by your “neighbor” and leave a comment. 

 

Are you ready for Part Two of this series? Get ready to laugh. (And don’t fear if you missed the first half… Just click here to  get caught up.)

51. The sound of an incoming Skype call makes your heart flutter.

52. Every now and then you sigh with relief when your service member leaves for the field so you can get your house back to the way you want it.

53. You know the exact date you got pregnant because he was in training before and after.

54. You’ve ever worn your husband’s Kevlar and combat boots, armed with a can of hairspray, to kill a humongous spider.

55. You can’t find a pen so you check the pockets of their uniforms in the hamper.

56. The first thing you do after finding out your next duty station is to post it on Facebook to find out who is currently stationed there so you can get the low down.

57. No matter where you are, who you’re with, or what you’re doing, your phone never goes on silent if your service member is away.

58. Your child’s room looks like an armory for nerf guns.

59. Your partner’s fix for any and every ailment is to “take a knee, drink some water, and rub some dirt in it.”

60. There’s always at least one box that goes missing in each PCS, and it contained a power cable, bed screws, bike pedals, or other important stuff that you can’t live without and must repurchase.

61. The box with the stuff you wouldn’t mind going missing is always the first one off the truck and the first one you open.

62. You don’t know any of your partner’s friends’ first names, just their last names.

63. You get choked up when you hear the National Anthem.

64. Your husband doesn’t meet your baby until five months after the child is born.

65. Your toddler knows how to respond to commands such as “attention,” “parade rest,” and “fall out.”

66. You choose a nice, caring, older woman in the community to be the emergency contact for your children at school…and then forget to tell her.

67. You have an intense love/hate relationship with white buses.

68. Countdowns are part of almost every day life.

69. You keep all the irreplaceable items at your parents’ house because you’re too scared the movers will lose/destroy them.

70. You have at least one tote that is full of only curtains, making about 50 different sets, which don’t fit your current house. You don’t part with them because, some day, you may land in a house where those curtains will work again.

71. You are the only one in your southern neighborhood with a snow shovel and proper sled for when you get those two inches of snow that paralyzes the community.

72. You have someone to visit in just about every corner of the world.

73. You understand that a 10-minute conversation once a week can be the most precious 10 minutes of the week.

74. You laugh when someone says long distance relationships never work.

75. You have a favorite MRE.

76. You actually know what an MRE is.

77. You don’t ask questions when your service member gets a phone call at 2 a.m. and then leaves.

78. You open your cupboards and expect to see neat stacks of 12 place settings (because you’re a perfectionist, type A, with borderline OCD tendencies), but instead see: 11 plates, five cereal bowls, five mugs, 11 tumblers, and three wine glasses. And yet your ugly old crock pot remains unscathed. Meh!

79. Yard sale season is the highlight of your social life.

80. You’ve had your vitals taken by someone who looks like he could be your son.

81. Amazon, UPS, and USPS are your closest friends.

82. You know 23 women who are pregnant at this very moment.

83. You know what a “curb alert” is.

84. You’ve ever ruck marched “just for fun.”

85. You’ve perfected the art of smiling and nodding through “Mandatory Fun.”

86. You see a small white car is behind you and you automatically think it’s an MP.

87. Your watch, phone, and car clock are set to military time.

88. You know that your partner saying you have “awesome ruck marching feet” is a compliment, not an insult.

89. You plan storage in a house based on needed space for TA-50.

90. Your kids call your partner a “hero.”

91. You’ve ever used AMERICA as a verb.

92. You plan vacations around the military’s “schedule,” such as holiday and summer block leave.

93. You have so many moving stickers on your stuff that you actually consider crafting with them.

94. Tripping over your partner’s boots and sweeping up coffee grounds in the kitchen doesn’t bother you but instead fills you with joy, because that means they’re home.

95. You know the power behind these three words: “I got orders.”

96. You realize why your house isn’t as clean as it usually is—your spring cleaning list is really your pre-PCS list and you’ve lived in this house for four years, longer than any other home since you were a child.

97. Your partner’s alarm is set to “Reveille” and they practically have to peel you off the ceiling every single morning when it goes off.

98. Your expectations at the beginning of a deployment versus the end of a deployment are drastically different. And all you can do is laugh about it.

99. You know that reintegration is the most awesomely-hard thing ever.

100. You laughed out loud, shouted “solidarity!” or got goosebumps reading any of the items in the previous list.

 

What do you think? Which one was your favorite? Which do you relate to the most? Chime in and leave a comment below.

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Sharita Knobloch

Sharita Knobloch

Sharita Knobloch has been married to her beloved infantryman husband Brandon for just shy of a decade. The joys and challenges of #ArmyWifeLife ignited her faith on a deep level, so she answered the call to ministry in July 2011. Soon after, Sharita received her Master’s Degree in Christian Leadership from Liberty University. She is currently in pursuit of her EdD in Educational Counseling with an emphasis in Pastoral Counseling, also from Liberty University. Sharita is not only an Army Wife, but is also a Tiny Human mama of two kiddos, a 6-year-old girl and a 2.5-year old boy. She is also a smallish-dog-owner, aspiring-runner, writer, speaker, and spiritual leadership coach. The Knobloch family believes that it is a great privilege to watch God work as they minister in their Army community, regardless of zip code or time zone. She has been serving with AWN in some capacity since February 2014 when she published her first blog for AWN, and has recently transitioned into the role of AWN Owner & Commander. Sharita gets way too excited about office supplies and journal shopping. She is a certified auctioneer, wore duct tape to senior prom (for a scholarship contest #DontJudge), loves napping, fitness, reading for fun, and cheering others on as they strive to reach their goals. Sharita overuses #Hashtags on a regular basis with #NoShame and frequently uses #America! as a verb.

One thought on “100 Ways You Might Be A MilSpouse: Part 2

  • July 4, 2016 at 2:00 pm
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    #80 and it was more than vitals! 😳 General rule…avoid eye contact.

    Reply

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