By Hope N. Griffin
Guest Blogger
Yep. That’s me. The real deal.
Whether you are part of this military life or not I bet we have a few things in common and a few out of the box crazy stories we could share. Let me start by saying that my #1 favorite thing about Military life is the community that surrounds it.
I love meeting new people from all walks of life and all different places. I love that I can say I have friends in nearly every state and quite a few across the ocean.
Today I’m excited to link up with a few more. Thank you Mal and Samantha for the opportunity.
So Who Am I?
Well I am Hope Griffin. A wife, mother, friend, blogger, theologian, entrepreneur… who happens to be married to an amazing man and soldier. I’m an Army Wife.
My soldier and I met during my senior year of college. I was heading out the door for grad school and he insisted on tagging along. I am so glad he did! Soon after grad school and the whirlwind of children had begun, my hubby enlisted in the Army.
Where have we been?
Well that’s kind of funny. You see the only highlight I imagined of Army life was the constant moving. Our first 5 years of marriage we moved 4 times. Since joining the Army 6 years ago we have been stationed in one place, Ft Bliss. So while my hubby has seen the world through multiple deployments I have had the pleasure of becoming very stabilized in Sunny El Paso, TX.
Don’t get me wrong. Ft Bliss is wonderful (I have a post coming soon on my 10 favorite things about El Paso) but I love to start fresh and discover new places. So yes, I’m ready for our first PCS.
My 5 Favorite Things About Military Life Everyone Needs to Know
When my hubby left for boot camp I was pregnant with our third child, had moved in with my parents, and was traveling back and forth to St Jude in Memphis every month for our then 2 year old’s cancer checkups (she’s 7 years cancer free now! Hooah!).
Let’s just say my emotions/hormones were on overdrive. Unfortunately, for those said hormones I discovered a show called Army Wives. Not just the show. A marathon on Lifetime. So with a handy DVR I recorded and preceded to watch every episode over the course of 3 days. I had never met an Army wife prior to that summer. I was terrified. Thankfully that did not become my life!
So here are my top 5 favorite things about military life. I’m working on a much longer list as we speak so check back soon for the link!
#5 Barriers are broken down.
The moment I tell another military spouse that I am a MilSpouse as well, all of our barriers are down. We may be from completely different worlds but we get each other. We may have nothing else in common but it is enough.
#4 PCSing.
No I haven’t done this yet other then our first one but I am looking forward to it. Yes I will miss my friends in El Paso but I love to travel. I love to discover new communities and cultures. Want to know a secret PCS wish? This Texan wants Italy!
#3 Opportunity for education.
Each place we go to offers new opportunities. Opportunities to learn the local language (for Ft Bliss that is Spanish). The Military lifestyle is very homeschool friendly. Read why I believe El Paso, TX (Ft Bliss) is homeschool friendly. The more we move the more opportunities there are to teach the kids about the world around us. And for MilSpouses there are some amazing education opportunities and scholarships. The world is our playground!
#2 Honeymoons.
Yes deployments stink. But they aren’t as bad as you might think. It’s like so many other things, you never know you can survive it until you do. And once they are over you have this beautiful moment with your spouse! We call it the honeymoon period because you are learning to reconnect all over again.
#1 I mentioned it above.
I love the assortment of people I have met in this community. It is tight knit, forgiving, and accepting. Friendships start fast because there isn’t time to waste. It is a true multicultural masterpiece. In Seminary I took classes on how to have a multicultural church. In the military community there is no trying. It just happens! I’ve been the Ministry Director at a church in El Paso that has a strong outreach to the military, our congregation is beautiful! And it happens naturally. If I were in that class now I would simply advise everyone who desired an authentic multicultural congregation to have a Military Ministry.
So that’s a little about who I am, where I’ve been, and what I love in this military life.
What would you add to the list?
About Hope
Hope N. Griffin has been married to her soldier for 10+ years, has 3 beautiful children, and loves connecting with other military spouses. Her purpose is to find joy in the everyday and to help others do the same.
