A day in the life of this Army wife....hooah?

Where to start? My husband, Stephen, joined the Army in 2011. 

Well, lets back up....to when we lived in our first place together! Yeah, lets start there. 

I came home from work to our apartment, and he had dinner waiting for me on the table, along with a packet. Little to my knowledge, it was the packet that in turn, changed our lives, for the better!

This was the morning Stephen went to his recruiters office to start his journey! We were actually baptized shortly before this picture was taken. 

I will try to make this as short as possible, as I know, we are only just getting to know one another!

When Stephen left, he was a soldier in training in South Carolina, at Fort Jackson. Our only communication was through letters. During that time, I stalked the mail man as if it were my job!

 The timing was always, always off. Stephen would ask me questions in a new letter I would receive that I answered in a sent letter three weeks ago! It was all worth it though, and I have EVERY single letter from him that he sent me. I like to read them to this day. Love letters were my favorite part of my boyfriend (at the time) being gone to basic training.

I decided to move from Texas, to Georgia and live with my aunt, uncle, and two cousins while Stephen was scheduled to attend training. Well, he was told the schooling was full and that he was due to leave and report to his first duty station the day I moved to Georgia in order to be closer to him. If only I had known how this was just a small taste of initiation into being a military spouse! 

Needless to say, when the time came, I packed up and moved to be with husband at Fort Campbell, KY! You read that right, Kentucky. This city girl from Fort Worth, Texas! Words can not describe how much I miss home. As a military spouse though, home is where my husband is, even if it's half a world away. Which brings me to deployment.

(Photography copyright by Alexis Wise)

After a short eight months living as a married couple, my husband deployed to Afghanistan for seven months. I wouldn't wish deployment on my worst enemy. However, I stood behind my solider, my husband, my hero as he put his life on the line for our country and our family.

Deployment came and went, but the days were long and the nights were much longer. I was fortunate to find a job working part time to spend most of my days and weekends! It was all about making a routine for myself. Keeping myself busy was key.

My normal mornings started with a walk with my two pups, Hank and Chanel. (We will talk about Hank at a later time, he was our first "born.") Then an at home workout, shower and getting myself ready for work. To spare you the time, I'll just say; weekends off sucked. Nights sucked. Deployment sucked.

Deployments DO END though. I was blessed with a returning soldier. His boots came back to U.S soil with him in them just as he left, physically. Mentally though, it was very challenging. My husband lost three brother during his deployment to Afghanistan. Which leads me to the homecoming, because one of the wounded soldiers from the attack saw my sign and told me "your husband saved my arm, give him a big kiss!"

(please do not remove watermark, photo taken by Haley Stell Photography

https://www.facebook.com/HayleyStellPhotography )

Homecoming seamed like it took forever to come, but it did. November 25, 2013 at 2:05 in the morning, my husbands plane landed.After seven long, lonely, heart wrenching, worrisome months, Stephen came home to me.

The military life, and being a military spouse isn't about the cute photo's nor is it about the stereotypes given. It is a way of life that makes for a more eventful love story. God does not give us anything we can not handle, and I have to brag here, thus far, we have handled it like champs! I love my husband and the life we live, I will cherish every moment the Army gives me with him!

Thank you for reading

XoXo,

Danielle