The purpose of the Chronicle of My Soldier blog is multifaceted: first, it allows me to share with many family, friends, acquaintances, and even enemies a journey I never thought I would be on – a journey taking me and my family from strong to Army Strong. Second, it is a place I can share the joys, pleasures, hardships, tears, struggles, and every other emotion I am quite sure I will endure over the next four years of my life. And third, I hope it will somehow prove to be an aide to the many who will join in on this journey after me.

So here it goes…

I never wanted to be that girl. We all know the one. The one that we see in the air port that is desperately hanging on to the man dressed in uniform, minutes before he is to fly to some godforsaken destination to fight for the freedoms the majority of us Americans take for granted. The girl that lives on letters alone for months at a time. The girl that puts portions of her life on hold. The girl that makes multiple sacrifices. Nope, that was not the girl I wanted to be. But, it is now the girl I am.

My husband, David, has ALWAYS wanted to be in the Service. From the time he was a little boy, he ran around playing “Soldier” with his best friend (who is now also an active member of the Army, might I add). After turning from the opportunity to go to West Point right out of high school, David pursued a double Bachelors degree in Business and Accounting and wanted to live the posh life of the rich and famous – the corporate American Dream. This all went well…for a time. Then the regret set in with the decision to not join the military. So, we discussed the options, and decided it was now or never. This is a documentation of our leap of faith, our trust in God, and the harvest that will follow.