Thoughts of an army wife.

I found this quote the other day and thought it was fitting for this post:

"Good friends are hard to find,

harder to leave,

and impossible to forget"

At a first duty station as an army wife I have come to learn so many things.  So many that I want to share.  But the one thing that is a heart aching reminder the last couple of weeks are the friends that will come and go in the next few years of our lives.  The men and women I have come to know and love are now getting their next duty assignments.  

Richard and I started this new life in Monterey last May but he didn't actually start class until August.  Those soldiers who started class before him that we have known are now leaving.  They have been here, done there time, passed tests, and are moving on.  There are so many things that needs to be done right before a move and life gets really hectic cleaning and scheduling that sometimes a goodbye consists of merely a text saying "we're on our way out; hope to meet up with you again someday"  yep, I received that one via facebook the other night and I cried.  

Neil you were a blast to know and Ariel such a sweetheart!  Game nights were always so much fun with you two.  My girls are going to miss you dearly.

Crystal my first neighbor.  She had her baby boy a day after Louis was born but had him in Texas.  How funny it was when we were both invited to the same party to find out it was a "romance party"    hahaha!  We were both shocked but still had so much fun. 

Emma is moving this week to Texas as well.  I met her at a wives get together at Chili's.  She makes me laugh... Hard.  The funny stuff that comes from her mouth is so raw and so real.  I just love it.  She has the cutest and sweetest daughter Payton.  

Estella left last year after her marriage ended here in Monterey.  She had only been an army wife for a short time, but our friendship and connection we made will last a lifetime!  She has a heart and smile that will knock your socks off. 

Jen and I got to know each other through FRG.  She is in Florida living with family while her husband is in Texas.  She just had a little girl a few weeks after I had Louis.  Madi is a doll! i wish we had met sooner than later.

Lawana is leaving tomorrow.  I actually only met Lawana once and it was by accident in the Dr's office.  :)  Lawana is somebody you don't want to upset.  She'll tell ya exactly what you did wrong and tell you how to fix it. You never have to guess what she is thinking. We were pretty much just fb friends.  Lawana was my first Monterey facebook friend.  She and melanie both helped assure me that I would make it and enjoy it here when I was still uncertain.  They were both such an answer to prayer!

Monique and I met at my aftb class when I first got here.  she invited our group to her house for a ladies night out. This was the romance party as mentioned earlier.  Monique always looks stunning and has just a sweet personality.  She left 2 weeks ago to South Carolina.

Sarah was actually one of Richards sargents.  She just barely got out of the army and moved back home to New York.  She was who told me where the best nail, hair, and tanning salons were.  Where to get a romantic meal with my honey, and where the best beaches were when we got here.  I couldn't actually hang out with her because of Fratinizing rules.  In a different place or world, i'm sure the two of us would have raised hell.  :)

I had just gotten to know Tracey, the Chaplains wife, for a few weeks before the army uprooted them and moved her and her husband.  She had been teaching a connect group on marriages that I started going to.  She and her dear husband came and saw me in the hospital when I had Louis.  Somebody mispelled Louis' name to her as Louise and she thought I had a girl and named her Louise.  So she brought me a pink congratulations card.  It was so nice to have her husband pray for me and Louis while they were there visiting me in the hospital.

Last but certainly not least for this post is my dear friend Patricia Bryant.  She did more for me here than I did for myself.  :)  Her husband graduated class this week and she leaves next week.  Gosh I'm gonna miss her.  She had more friends here than anybody I know and I'm lucky to have called her my best one here.  She has 3 adorable kids that have come a long way in a year.  3 children ages five, three, and 2!  Quite a handful she has had with them but she just loves them to pieces.  She brought my mom each day to the hospital when I had Louis, she made sure I had my fair share of playdates, and she hosted numerous parties at her house where Savannah painted our toenails.  She is truly a treasure!  

Oh, Patricia, I'm sure gonna miss you.

Here's to the army wives and husbands who support their soldiers and each other along this journey!  You all will impact my life in one way or another.