As a kid I loved the movie Top Gun and found myself obsessed with men in uniform.

I watched practically like every military movie there is including the cult classic Full Metal Jacket.Movies about fire fighters and police officers, I was all over it. Something about those damn uniforms and ripped bodies and the prestigious nature of being apart of the military etc had me drooling!

Every girl wants a man in uniform…until she gets one.

My beau wasn’t always in a uniform but when he got into one, our world changed. The economy tanking was the reason my husband enlisted active duty into the Army. I was turned on, proud and afraid all at the same time. The uniform symbolized protection and manliness; It also allowed me to make a bunch of new friends who were a part of a tight knit group. Having other women who I could relate to in my circle was amazing. Attending the special events, receiving discounts, and just the overall camaraderie among the families and servicemen was pretty cool.

With that hot uniform, I quickly started to learn what downfalls came with it. Deployments, missing special occasions, loneliness, and at time frustration due to all of the paperwork involved. Our life with the Army was not as long as others, however we did get to experience a good chunk of what every military family goes through. Hubby had to leave when our oldest was only 2 weeks old. They prolonged him leaving until after I gave birth as long as they could. We were able to see him again when Cameron was 3 months old for a very short amount of time, but he had to return for a few more months before he was able to come back home again.

 

Excuse how I look, I was very emotional!

The goodbyes sucked and never got easier. I kept myself preoccupied to make the time go by faster, even though it crept by. I had an amazing support system made up of family, friends, and fellow military spouses. We ended up closing the military chapter of our life and opened a new chapter. My beau became a fire fighter.

We traded camo, combat boots, dog tags and deployments

for turn out gear, 24-48 hour shifts, fire, blood and guts.

Now that hubby is a fire fighter, we don’t have to worry about deployments, but he still does miss out on special occasions sometimes, there are a few days out of the week that I am completely on my own for 24-48 hours at a time and I miss my best friend. With the uniforms comes sacrifices, making compromises and being flexible. It looks amazing, but has its’ shxtty qualities. Some women think that they want a man in uniform and end up not being able to handle what comes with it.

The Army conditioned me to sort of accept and get used to the absence; so transitioning to the fire department schedule was a cake walk.  I learned that I can adapt easily, that I can do way more things than I thought I could such as putting things together and fixing stuff. Our kiddos understand that daddy has to go to work, we eat dinner alone some nights, and even spend some of the holidays apart Creating Holiday Memories. It doesn’t bother them as much as it used to because it is our normal. That uniform provides for our family and let’s us enjoy the things that we have.

My beau is currently in school to become an industrial engineer, but is almost at the finish line! We will be trading out of standard issued uniforms for suit and ties and business casual attire.

I am not going to lie I am going to miss the uniform but I def won’t miss the other things that came with it, but at least I get to look forward to seeing this come home everyday!