How did this army life come about?

"Letters from Home". "American Soldier". "I'm Already There". You name it, I loved american pride/soldier songs, and to be honest I didn't even care for Country music, but those songs always hit home with me. The funny thing is I never really knew why.  My family did not come from a military background. I did not have any close family members that were soldiers, and quite frankly if you saw a soldier in uniform (it never happened) you would see everyone gawking at them because they were out of the ordinary in my town. Little did I know that these songs I listened to as an adolescent would follow me for the rest of my life and I would live out these songs like they were made specifically for my family....

I recall when my husband and I were only dating and we told each other everything...our hopes, fears, dreams, what we hoped would be our future etc.  I remember one night vividly..We were at my apartment eating "Earl" (Corey likes to refer to the sinful ice cream he always brought over for a late night snack as "Earl" He is oh so weird) and he proceeds to tell me he always played with two things when he was a child, his gaming system and army men. Army men..hmmm...where is he going with this, I thought.  "So, could you ever be with someone in the military?" asked my soon to be boyfriend. I didn't even think about my answer, I instantly blurted out. "I would rather not, I really don't think I could deal with my significant other being away while I was taking care of the family back at home.." .."Oh." and that was that. A year went by and nothing had been mentioned since.

Flash forward to the following year and a half.  We found out some exciting news that we were going to have a baby in late February! Corey decided to swear into the Army National Guard in November 2010 and he was set to ship to BCT in Fort Sill, OK in the beginning of April.  I was left with a ONE MONTH old for 4 months by myself and it wasn't the easiest thing I have ever done let me tell you that much! Raelynn Grace is now 16 months and we are facing our first deployment coming up this fall.  I love this army life, it's crazy and unpredicatable, but I feel like it fits me and it's a great fit for our family.  God has never let us down. This army life wasn't what I had envisioned my life to be like, but I wouldnt change it for the world!