Please Welcome Brittany, from Crafty Craziness & Living the Hooah Life

To all my wonderful readers... I've decided to start introducing you to some of the blogs I love reading.
Since I live in Seattle, I thought it best let you first meet someone who understands living in the rain. I mean, Washington. :)
So without further ado, here's Brittany!!!

Hi everyone! Marianne asked me to do a Guest Post on my life as an Army wife and raising family :) So let me start off by introducing myself.

My name is Britiany and I blog over at Crafty Craziness & Living the Hooah Life. I am a wife to an Infantryman in the Army, stationed here in the rainy state of Washington, and I'm a stay at home mom to my overly energetic toddler and our beast of a dog Gabe.

I have only been in the military family for a few years but I can tell you it has been life changing for me. I went from being a woman from the overly sunny state of Arizona surrounded by family and friends to the overly rainy state of Washington with no family and no friends. It sucked. Not to mention my husband works obnoxious hours, he just came home from a 9-month tour from Afghanistan, and I'm cooped up inside all day thanks to the rain (< not military related, I know).

I asked my husband what I should include in this post about being a military wife and he said "You sit at home, take care of the house, support your husband while he works and deploys. There. Short, sweet and to the point." *sigh* This is why my husband doesn't blog. But in all honesty that really is what I do in a short, non-descriptive way. I am a stay at home mom and I spend my days cleaning and taking care of my daughter, while I support my husband and his career choice. Whether that be here on the home front or overseas.

But here is a little more insight to what we as a military family deal with:

Nothing is set in stone: Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I've had to move a family vacation or a family outing because of some surprise field mission he has to go on that weekend.
Moving, moving, & moving: The average length of time a military family stays in one spot is three years. Sometimes it's less sometimes it can be longer, but the average is about three years. And most of the time you don't get to pick where you get to go. Trust me, I'd love to hear "Surprise! I've got orders to Europe!" But I detest hearing "Surprise! We're going to Japan!"
Planning? Forget it! <<<This right here is my biggest downfall. I have to plan everything! It keeps me sane. But you can forget planning in the Army life. See above statement on Nothing is set in stone.
Children: My husband has missed a lot of firsts with our daughter. She started walking while he was at basic, when he left for deployment she was saying a max of 10 words, maybe. When he came home she was talking in full sentences. But to her this is just "daddy's job".

Deployment: One word: SUCKS! There were moments I went weeks without hearing anything from my husband. He was gone for 9 straight months. Saying goodbye to him was the hardest day of my life.

Homecoming Ceremony

Being a military wife takes a strong, dedicated woman. I've been told by many people, "I couldn't do it!". The military lifestyle is a big adjustment and I have enjoyed every part of it. You meet so many great people, you get to do what most people want to: travel. I've made lifelong friends. I miss my family and my other friends terribly, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I'm proud to say I'm married to my hero.

Thanks so much, Marianne, for having me on your blog and I hope everyone takes the opportunity to come check out my blog.