a tiny taste of army wife life...

we all know them -- families with a spouse in the military. i will be general here and talk about military "wife" life, but i know there are husbands with wives in the military as well.

i have always had a great respect for those families. i think that, not only should the soldier (sailor/SEAL/marine/etc) receive the upmost respect and honor for their sacrifices, but the family should receive thanks as well for the sacrifice they all make. i can't imagine how difficult it must be with a husband on deployoment, but thank you to families everywhere who make that sacrifice daily so i can be free.

keaton is training to be in the army. he is a cadet in the rotc program at florida state university. he is gone this weekend for an ftx (field training exercise). i am so thankful to get a teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy taste of what life with a husband in the army will be like. i feel almost guilty for even saying that, because i know one weekend with him gone does not compare to the 15-month deployments army faces. but i do feel like easing into is working out great for me. i do not have a military background in my family, so this is the perfect way to learn about army life.

i hope to one day be the best military wife i can be. honestly, i'm excited! i don't WANT to wake by myself every monring or raise a family without my husband there. i don't WANT to not know exactly where my husband is or what he is doing. i don't WANT to have to take care of a house and family by myself. but i will be very honored to say my husband is willing to sacrifice his life for our country's freedom. i will be very proud to count myself among those who are willing to do what it takes for America.

i am grateful for all the wives who have gone before me, from whom i am learning so much about what life in the military is all about. and although i hate having keaton away this weekend in a place where we can't talk on the phone, i know this is helping prepare me to be a better wife to my soldier one day. and that also makes me grateful for our long-distance relationship. with technology these days, many people in the military are able to talk to their families in the states almost daily. so being apart like keat and i have been is awesome training for our relationship on how to cope with deployment if that's what we will face.

so thanks, florida state, for giving keaton the opportunity to live and train there so we can be apart for a bit. thanks for this ftx. thanks for helping me learn what i'm doing here. i know my man will make you proud.