MilSpouses Rock! Blog Carnival Day 1: My MilSpouse Story

My MilSpouse Story: How I met my husband and how I became a Military Wife...

My Military Spouse story starts in high school. My junior year I became really good friends with three people in my U.S. History class taught by my all time favorite teacher, Mrs. Duggin. Two of the three people were also in JROTC (my hubby included). As the year went on and the relationship I was in started to fall apart, one friend in particular was really supportive. Jesse let me vent to him and he tried to give me advice that would keep me and my boyfriend together. Well things came to an end with my boyfriend and I decided to tell Jesse that I liked him as more than a friend. Jesse, my now loving husband, told me he had no interest in dating me and that he planned to leave for basic and never look back. Well after spending every evening talking to each other on instant messenger, Jesse asked me out. For our first date we went bowling and then walked on the Greenway together. And so our relationship began May 25, 2006.

We had two lovely months together before he left for basic and AIT. Before he left, I promised to wait for him. Meaning I would be faithful and not see anyone else. In early December, I rode with his parents to Missouri to watch him graduate from AIT and then we brought him home. He was home a month before going to Dahlonega, Georgia to start school at North Georgia College and State University (which is also part military school). Once school started in January of 2007, I saw him most weekends and during Spring and Summer break.

At the end of his third semester, at his routine drill in April of 2008, Jesse was told that he might be deploying later that fall. After talking it out, we decided we would not tell his parents until we knew for sure and we wouldn't get married until after he came home (which would have been the 25th of this month!). In May we took a weekend trip together to Chattanooga and he proposed while we were at Rock City. At his July drill, he was told that orders had been issued and he would be mobilizing in November of 2008. We told his parents that he was deploying and took a day trip to his school for him to withdrawal and out process from the Corp of Cadets.

October rolled around and his predeployment training began. He spent October in Ocala, Florida which is where the unit he deployed with is located. While he was in Florida, we decided that we would get married before he deployed. He came home October 29th, and the afternoon of October 30th, 2008, we had a small ceremony at our church. He left for Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin on November 2nd and came home again on November 22nd. He was home for the week of Thanksgiving and then I rode with his parents to take him back to Ocala, Florida. While we were there he became active duty and his deployment officially began. We came back home without him and he stayed in Florida a few days before going to Ft. Dix, New Jersey. He came home for Christmas and for one weekend in February before leaving the country.

He completed his first deployment and I picked him up from our local airport on November 23, 2009. Now that he is home, we are finally adjusting to being married and living together. In February, a few days before valentines day, we found out that we are expecting our first child and I am due October 21st (the day before my wonderful hubby's birthday).

We have definitely experienced some ups and downs and have many more to come but I wouldn't have wanted anything to go differently. Being married is hard work and the Military does not make it any easier but I am so proud of what my husband has done for our country and will do during his military career.

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