New Kid In Town

I've made a lot of sweet friends on Twitter and Facebook that are brand new military wives and are just getting their feet wet in this crazy life. They are a big part of my inspiration to start this blog. So today's post is dedicated to them...and all of the other new military spouses who may be reading this.

Being a young wife can be a little intimidating. But being a young military wife can be extremely intimidating! As if learning to be a wife wasn't hard enough, becoming a military wife comes with it's own rule book. It's a lot to take in and get use to. I've had a couple of girls ask me if they would get looked down upon or made fun of because they were so young. But once you get around other military wives, you will see that you're not the only 19 or 20 year old newlywed. Justin and I got married when we were 19. He wasn't even out of Tech School when we had to get married. And when I say "had", I mean the Air Force timing made us do it sooner rather than later.

After we got married, I got thrown into the military life head first without anyone telling me how to feel or what to expect. I was a bit nervous at first about getting married and going at this so young, but before we left for Oki, I talked to a good friend of mine that had been in the Air Force for years and years and he told me that being young and having to elope was just a normal to do in the military. It happens everyday. That made me feel a little better so I wasn't as nervous about being so young. Besides that, I got thrown into this lifestyle without any advice and having no clue as to what to expect. I kind of just winged it at first and went with the flow, learning as I went. From what I can recall, I wasn't intimidated by other wives, the commissary, BX, etc. Back then I had a little more confidence than what I do now and I just figured that since this was going to me by life for the next 20 or so years, I'd better get use to it. It did take some time to learn all the rules, regulations, acronyms, ranks, and all of that other fun junk that every new military wife learns. But once you ease your way into things and get into the swing of things, the life that you once saw as intimidating and impossible to learn becomes your new normal.

It's all a constant learning process. Justin's been in for 5 years and I'm still learning and probably will continue to learn until he's out. It's completely normal to feel scared about being "new", whether it's new to a base or if you're new to the military. A way to make things easier is to find other wives that are new and are feeling the same way. Finding friends is a remedy for any military situation that you're going through because they're just like you and are going through the exact same things and feelings. Don't let the things that scare you keep you from branching out and do things. It's the only way to become familiar with things and the way they work. You will find your own ways of getting use to things. You will get the hang of it and once you do, you will see that all the things that you once thought was scary is just an every day thing in your life now.