You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around.

As a young'un, I served as an Air Force brat (a child of a nomadic (military) subculture). My family moved around quite a lot, leaving room for many schools and many goodbyes to many good friends along the way. Fast forward a few years, and I'm now the wife of an Air Force Officer. The view from up here is different, the moving however, still a vital part of the life. It goes without saying, I'm no longer in grade school. I can no longer meet friends at recess. Well, I suppose I could try, but will venture to guess this feeble attempt would be quickly followed by a police escort off the premises. Simply put, it's not easy being an adult.

As previously mentioned, facebook wives groups have given me virtual friends - many of which are the spouses of. Candidly speaking, several of these virtual friendships are probably not the same friends I would have selected on the schoolyard. No offense to anyone, but I can't relate to staying home, raising kids, and living to cook for my husband as he arrives from a long day's work. I can't relate to blogging about my favorite recipes and how these same recipes can be great 2nd day microwavable winners for my said husband's lunch. I can't relate to the life getting sucked out of me attending coffee gatherings, chatter surrounding military life. Quite frankly, I can't relate to wearing my husband's rank on my OWN sleeve and living in the shadow of his career choice. Although I AM a support system to my husband's selfless job, I am NOT solely an Air Force Officer's Wife. On the contrary, I am an individual with my very own daily dreams, wants, desires, and shocker alert*, I am my own person living in a civilian world too.

It's sort of like having one foot in and the other out. My left foot supports my husband, with love for this country like no other patriot, while my right foot, continues to live in civies (regular street clothing) in good ol' Americana-ville. And since we're talking left and right, I can, and do, still stand for the same platform I've always stood for, despite what some in these circles believe. Staying true to this post though, back to the point: I'm grateful for the freedom my husband fights for, and am thankful this very same freedom gives me the choice to not live exclusively suffocated by this AFB (refer to previous post). I mean come on people, it's not me who's fighting the fight and flying with both feet on that plane. I just shop at Target like the rest of us and fly commercial, searching dubiously for the cheapest expedia.com deal. The only difference here, I receive the military discount.

Guilty.As.Charged.