In The Navy – Part Two

Written on March 12th.

I mentioned in the first part of this story that the idea of joining the military really scared me at first.  I was hesitant to give up control of our life and I was nervous about the unknown military lifestyle.

I don’t exactly know what clicked inside me, but I find myself really excited about it now.  I’ve always had the utmost respect for military service people and their families.  I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the patriots out there who put their lives on the line to maintain the freedom that the rest of us enjoy.

Over the past year, I also met Diana who’s husband is in the Army.  She’s shared much of their journey on her blog (Hormonal Imbalances) and I’ve seen them move across the country to El Paso, work through the kinks of living in a whole new place, and ultimately settle into a cozy, sweet life together.  It really put flesh on military life for me and I’m looking forward to picking Diana’s brain even more in the coming months!

I know military life can be difficult for spouses and children.  It can be scary and uncertain and unpredictable.

But isn’t life like that anyway?

I mean, we don’t know what’s in store for us as it is, so why not pursue a noble venture like serving our great country?

Aside from all of the intense aspects of being in the military, there are also some really amazing things that I’m looking forward to.

We’ve talked about traveling or living in other states and countries, but the chances of us doing it on our own were probably slim.  The Navy will afford us those opportunities by moving us around during Andy’s service.

We are blessed to have a fantastic support network of friends and family that we cherish, but we’re about to enter into a whole new community that I’ve heard is very special.  We won’t be navigating new places all alone, we’ll have a tribe to plug into.

I’ve been fortunate to work for a great company that I absolutely love.  It’s provided us an income and health benefits that have made for a very comfortable lifestyle.  Now that I’m going to be turning the page on a new chapter of my life and becoming a stay at home mom, the Navy will afford us a good salary and health benefits so that we can continue to grow as a family.

Medical school and residency are tough!  The stress and time commitment of each of them is off the charts.  The Navy will allow Andy to focus 100% of his effort and energy on learning and succeeding while I’m able to “man the fort” at home.  Andy will be providing for our family while he’s in school and his residency which is such an awesome benefit.  Once he’s through his residency, the Navy will place him somewhere to begin serving out his term (although residency counts toward the payback!) as a Naval Officer and Doctor.  He can concentrate on practicing medicine in his early years rather than setting up a practice, staffing an office and amassing patients.  Plus, when he’s ready to move on at the end of his term (if he doesn’t choose a career in the Navy), he’ll be a highly esteemed Navy Doc who will be marketable in the civilian sector.

I’m sure I could go on and on, but I still feel like there is much more for me to learn about the new life ahead of us so I’ll just say I’m looking forward to the great adventure :)

Oh yeah, and I’m watching Army Wives, following military gals on Twitter and searching for new blogs that will give me a peek into this new world.  If you have any recommendations, please pass them along!