Category: Army Wives

Kids’ Names, The Cop, & Living a Life that Matters

Army Wives, Real Army Wives
military finances for newlyweds on 2 continents-- Real Army Wives

*******This post is part of the series, The Real Army Wives. For last week’s chapter, click here.*************** Friday, July 8, 2003 Alan, Hey! I’m being bad. I’m in class, and we are watching a truly boring video. So I’ve been brainstorming children’s names for our future children. These are some that I have come up with. Tell me what you think, and try to think of some names to add to the list. 🙂 Girls: Gracie Elizabeth  (my favorite) Kathryn Jennings […]

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Decisions: Learning to Put People Before Logic

Army Wives, family, military life
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay downpour lives for our brothers.

****This post is part of the series The Real Army Wives, appearing every Monday on storiesofourboys.com. For the first half of the book, click here. For last week’s post, click here.***** When I was 22, it felt like there were decisions to make at every turn. Sometimes I chose unwisely. I tried to make the best, most logical plans. What I learned that summer was that sometimes people and emotions count for more than practicality. Did you watch the Star […]

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Military Finances: Newlyweds on 2 Separate Continents

Army Wives, deployment, funny stories, military life, Real Army Wives, war letters
military finances for newlyweds on 2 continents-- Real Army Wives

*******This post is part of the series, The Real Army Wives. For last week’s post click here.******* Guest Post from Cloe Real Army Wives: The Mystery Checks Today’s post is written by a good friend and fellow real Army wife of mine who is the inspiration for the character, Cloe. You can read more about her on this post. When I mentioned this to Alan, he said, “Oh yeah, Rob! That dude had to shave his face twice a day.” Oh, […]

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Letters to War June 24, 2003: The Teaching Test Troubles

Army Wives, Real Army Wives, war letters
Letters to War June 24, 2003: The Teaching Test Troubles

******This post is part of the Real Army Wives series which runs every Monday on storiesofourboys.com. The series follows our journey through the 1st year of the Iraq war, 2003-2004. ********** June 24, 2003 Dear Alan, ……Operation Iraq is getting more news time now. The big issue is the mounting amount of coalition troop deaths since the official end of the war. Just this week there were at least 6 British troops killed, and American lives are constantly lost.

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New Friends, The Beefcake, & My Nemesis the Lawnmower

Army Wives, attitude, military life, Real Army Wives
New Friends, The Beefcake, & My Nemesis the Lawnmower

One day in May, Alan called from Tikrit, Iraq, where he was serving with the 1/22 Infantry. When you only hear from your spouse every two weeks or so, and then only for short conversations, maybe 20 minutes at the longest, you cherish it. You cherish it so much you hang on their every word. Everything meant more. Everything. Alan called and gave me a general idea of who he was working with and not much about what they were […]

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Real Army Wives: Sarah, Short and Cute

Army Wives, deployment, military life, Real Army Wives

***This post is part of the series The Real Army Wives. For last week’s post about The Coffee Group, click here.*** Okay, you may or may not get my title reference there to the children’s book, Sarah Plain and Tall, which you should totally read to your children. It’s such a great book. I still vividly recall the day I met Sarah. (I even have some adorable photos of Sarah…..but I left town for Hurricane Irma and didn’t pack my photo […]

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The Coffee Group

Army Wives, military life, Real Army Wives
real army wives series, the coffee group, true stories from the war on terrorism

This post is part of the series, The Real Army Wives, which I’m writing to document the early years of The War on Terrorism. Click here to read last week’s post. Counselor, Friend, Same Difference While Alan’s parents were still glued to the news, Dr. Jones actually recommended to me that I stop watching it for the sake of my sanity. Once I quit watching it, I’ve never gone back. Ask me to this day what channel CNN or Fox […]

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When Alan First Deployed: My New Friends at 9-1-1

Army Wives, deployment, faith, funny stories, hard times
Real Army Wives Series. When Alan first deployed: My New Friends at 911. funny and sad stories of young army bride

******This is the 11th chapter in the series The Real Army Wives, stories from a young military bride from the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003.****** I tell you this particular chapter with hesitation and humility. It’s an embarrassing story, but at the time, this was my reality. I hope you can laugh with me now, and rest assured that I am not normally this paranoid. I promise. When Alan first deployed, it was suddenly like….cue the sound of crickets.

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Shock and Awe, March 22, 2003

Army Wives, family, history, military life

The Last Visit For a few minutes there, people began to joke that the 4th Infantry Division was never actually leaving for Iraq. By the first of March of 2003, the whole division was still waiting, and the other division in town, the 1st Cavalry Division, had orders as well. Some of the 1st Cav guys began to joke that the 1st Cav would beat the 4th ID to the punch after all.

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Deployment Prep: Next Week for Sure We’ll Be Flying to Kuwait

Army Wives, family, friends, military life
Iraq War history

*****This post is the 10th in the series The Real Army Wives of 2003, the true story of our young military marriage and the friends we made in the beginning of the War on Terrorism.***** Alan reported to work. We were so nervous and excited to begin his military career. Everything up to this point was training; now it was time for the real action to begin. He found his unit in a fury of battle preparing. Much of the gear […]

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