Hello Blog World!
I've been thinking about starting a blog of my own for a while now. I am a SAHM for the most part and do find myself surfing the Internet or checking into Facebook quite often, so why not spend some time spilling out my thoughts onto the keyboard?
So, I guess I should introduce myself and my family -- I think that's how this sort of thing goes, right?
My name is Ashley, I am 25 years old and I have been married to my husband, Anthony, for almost three years now. We were in the same graduating class in high school, but were more so acquaintances than anything. We reconnected in 2011 on Facebook, of all places, and actually married five months later. We decided to rush that decision because of one BIG decision that my husband had made before we "re-met". The United States Army.
He had enlisted active duty as an 11c (Infantry Mortarman). Luckily, his basic training date had been pushed back to eight months after he actually enlisted; giving us the opportunity to get together and spend the few months getting to know each other and falling in love. He proposed in December (a month before he shipped out) and we decided that it would be in our best interest to have the ceremony before he left. I became his wife on December 27th and we were able to spend two more weeks as a married couple before he left for basic.
Those four months were very difficult for me. I had spent every waking moment with this man for over five months and now I had to try to fill that void for the time being. Looking back, this pity party seems silly and was NOTHING compared to what we are going through now, but I was a young and naive military spouse that was VERY new to this lifestyle. It changes EVERYTHING... Your whole entire world is turned upside down, shaken up, and then spilled out in no recognizable order (mostly for the good, but it takes a while for you to figure that part out). I worked a lot and spent a lot of time with my own family and my brand new, BIG Italian family. Before I knew it, it was May 5th 2012 and I was getting my husband, the newly pinned U.S. Infantryman. It was one of the best days of my life. That "second first kiss" was everything that I had hoped it would be.
Fast forward to two weeks later and we were on our way from New Jersey to Fort Hood, Texas. We drove 29 hours with our dog, Tucker, a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix that strongly resembles a raccoon/old wizard/gremlin. When we finally arrived to our destination, we found an adorable duplex that we would call "home" for the next 2 years. During that time we would add a German Shepherd to our family that we appropriately named, Gunner. I was not thrilled about the addition and he definitely knew how to push my buttons for the first year of his life. 4 dog beds, countless dog toys, 23 Christmas ornaments, and numerous pieces of furniture later, he finally decided that he would give me a break. He had won my heart a long time before that, though, which is most definitely why we put up with his daily crazy antics.
In July 2012 we decided that our family was missing something, and we were ready to change that.
On March 31st 2013 (Easter Sunday) at 10:33pm I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. We named him Gianluca ("Luca" for short). He is our world and I can't imagine my life without that little man. We spent his first year and 3 months in Texas before his Daddy deployed this June.
My hopes and aspirations for this blog are to shed light on this military life that so many of us have "chosen". Whether you chose it for yourself, or you chose to spend your life with someone who did. I would also like for this to be a place where other spouses can come and feel a sense of familiarity. To know that you are most definitely not alone on this crazy ride.
Introductions can't be all that interesting, so I hope I haven't bored you to death. Thank you and I hope that if you have made it this far, you've enjoyed your time here and you decide to come back. My topics will most likely revolve around deployment, mommy-hood, and a little bit of everything else.
Thanks again, all!
