Diary of a Navy Wife

Well hey!  How’s your Groundhog Day going?  My big to-do’s for the day were a) get an iPhone and b) buy our new camera.  I’m 0-for-2 (I was asking for my upgrade a week early and Costco didn’t have the camera I wanted), but I’m sitting outside in 70-something degrees as I write this – so I won’t call today a complete bust. J AND I started off the day with a skype date!

Speaking of skype dates, I think the question I get asked the most when I meet new people is “so how is it being a Navy wife? Gosh that must be so hard!”  Well, yes – but….. 

The best way I can think of to explain it to someone that has no connection to the military is this: I had two options. I knew Patrick was in the Navy when I decided to marry him. I could marry him and tough it out, or leave and marry some guy that had nothing to do with the military – no way. Who could say no to this guy anyway?!

I think I have a unique perspective on things because I grew up a Navy brat and then joined the Navy myself for a few years before meeting Patrick.  I knew what it was like to have someone you love and care about be gone a lot because of my Dad’s deployments (although your husband is a whole different ball game).  I can also sympathize with Patrick and what he feels like being the one that has to leave family behind.  It is obviously hard having your best friend gone for months at a time, but on the flip side of the coin, you get to be so proud of them and what they are doing. 

The longest Patrick has ever had to leave me before this deployment was 6 weeks when we had just moved to Seattle – and that was way worse than this time.  Weird right?  Well, we moved to Seattle and he left 3 days later.  I wasn’t working yet, had no family close by, and it was raining and cold….not my happy place haha.  I did meet a few friends, but being in a new place with crappy weather and no motivation to unpack the houseful of boxes that just showed up wasn’t fun.  The surprise plane ticket he bought me to meet him in Hawaii at the 4 week mark made the last 2 weeks go by pretty quickly though. J

I *know* that this time around, although way longer and without any visits, is easier because a) I’m in sunny California (no brainer), b) I have family here c) I have a job I love and d) there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  When Patrick comes home this summer, he’s done!  No more deployments!  I shouldn’t say that because crazy things happen – but he won’t be on Active Duty anymore, so we’re just going to hope that’s good enough.

It does get easier as the time goes on.  We’re very lucky that we get to email every day (99% of the time), we talk on the phone about once a week, and we get to skype when his ship pulls in somewhere.  The day they leave is AWFUL and I hope I never have to see the back end of the ship again…..

…but the longer he’s gone, the more excited I get to see this handsome face again:

I only get more and more excited with each passing day!

xo Shaina