Military Spouse Appreciation Day .... The LATE(st) Post

How fitting that I would be writing this latest post on Military Spouse Appreciation Day .... and by latest I really mean LATE.  It has been well over a year and a half since I last posted.  Why?! Life sometimes gets the best of you and you runaway with it.  My soldier returned from his tour in Germany, where he had been living for two years without me.  We instantly PCS'd to another duty station - mark that down as number 5 and we 'finally' had a baby.  Whirlwind of activities .... *Note how I conveniently left out that I turned the big 3-0?!

Blake and I, 7th Anniversary after he returned home.

Welcoming baby Lilianna to our crazy circus.

To make this long story short, I decided to write this not only to share my story as a military spouse but also to support my good friend Amanda, a dear military spouse whom I met almost 5 years ago, who is hosting a linkup over @SomewhereOvertheCamo.

Amanda and I, Fort Meade, NYE 2011.

Without further ado:
//Tell us about yourself and your blog.
  ::My blog is entitled 'The Jamisons: A Traveling Circus'.  Blake and I have been married 8 years, so far, and in these wonderful 8 years we have moved a total of 8 times ... yes 8! Some voluntarily during deployments, and the rest PCS's.  A traveling circus has to pick up and go after each show and well I consider almost every new station to be a circus show.  I don't mean that stations are full of clowns, okay some are, but it's the journey.  It's always a circus.  New places, people, putting on a show, searching for a job, learning new protocol (especially if one post has a certain set of rules versus another post).  But it's the job .... it is worth it and it CAN be fun!
//What branch of military are you affiliated with?
   ::ARMY STRONG!  Blake enlisted 9 years ago August.  To think that we are almost to 10 is INSANE!!!!  When I graduated high school I was accepted to a few different colleges and ironically it didn't matter to me which I attended, so I let my mom pick one.  She chose North Georgia College and State University (now it's University of North Georgia ... UNG ... yeah, that.)  Funny story - my dad was former Air Force and the one thing my mom said was not to go to college and fall in love with a military man, because NGSCU was and still is a military college.  Well .... I didn't! Gotcha .... Blake and I actually met working together during college at Brooks Brothers.  We were dating for almost a year before he decided to enlist.  So go figure, I'm surrounded by cadets EVERY SINGLE DAY and the one guy I fall in love with is a preppy golden nugget from the green hills of Dahlonega Georgia.  When he enlisted it was a shock but we always manage to fight through every job given, still to this day.
//What is one thing you enjoy about the military lifestyle?
   ::Honestly, I enjoy everything about the lifestyle ... except most of the time spent apart.  Who likes that really?  I feel like during our eight years together we have really been through the ringer of time apart.  First deployment = 15 months (what's worse is that he was on the first group back during r&r, which means we spent 12 months apart until he returned home).  He received orders to Germany not even a year after PCS'ing to Fort Meade, and he went alone since I had just started college to finish my degree.  That was a 2 year tour without me.  Currently, I am sitting here blogging while he's away, again, on a 2 month TDY for his next MOS.

I also LOVE moving to new places and meeting new people.  I was born for THIS.  This is my destiny, honestly.  I really love to volunteer and help wherever I am needed, whether it's military affiliated or for the surrounding community.  

//What advice would you give other spouses who are new?
::EMBRACE IT!  Embrace it all! You are going to be so scared in the beginning, but it's a good scare.  You will learn all about the military, or branch of service your husband is in and you'll still be learning after he retires.  Take every day with a grain of salt but don't take him for granted.  There's a reason he joined up ... to serve his country and to provide for you and yours!  That might sound easy, but it's not.  Love hard and fight hard.  This lifestyle is NOT for the weak.  If you don't think you can hack the time apart then you need to do some deep soul searching.  It's not for everyone.  I have spent countless nights away from the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with, but while I have, he has too.  Get out in your community and volunteer somewhere on post: Spouses Clubs, FTGs, ACS, USO, etc.  This is a fantastic way to meet new people, learn about the military lifestyle quickly, and fall in love with the community around you.  Remember to make friends because you'll remember them and cherish them for life!  You never know when you'll be stationed together again.

Enlisted Spouses Club Fun Night at Chevy's, Fort Meade MD

Fort Meade Thrift Shop Holiday Luncheon

God Bless RachJ