I have definitely learned a lot about being a MilSo (Military Significant Other) in the past year and a half. Understanding the lingo, how his pay works, what his job is, how long his contract is, and how you constantly are accepting that he belongs to the government, but this list comprises it all together.
1. You only know the last names of his friends.
Then when he uses the first name you have no idea who he is talking about until you say "Wait who are we talking about?" .... "Ohhhh I didn't know he had a first name."
2. FaceTime and/or Skype is your best friend.
And waiting for the dreaded text from your phone company saying you've gone over the data limit for the month and getting the talk from your parents about it. I am sorry for all of the times I've exceeded our data for the month to be able to speak to James. #sorrynotsorry
3. You struggle with knowing what the difference between OCP's and MultiCam is.
I mean seriously, they are so similar and I forget which ones which sometimes.
4. You follow tons of MilSo Support pages on all social media platforms.
I love these pages so much, whether it is seeing adorable pictures of other couples or seeing an uplifting quote to get me through the day, these pages have some of the strongest and amazing women out there.
5. From those pages, you meet some of your best friends- but it comes with distance again!
I have friends from Texas, Germany, Missouri, Arkansas, and Washington and Ohio- some who I have never met- but are great women and are always supportive. We all get each other and our struggles! The bond is amazing and uplifting. Hopefully, I get the chance to meet them all in person someday!
6. Staying up late just to be able to talk to him for 5 minutes.
It's worth the 4 hours of sleep to hear his voice for that short amount of time.
7. Constantly waiting by your phone to see his name pop up on your screen.
I have my phone glued to me at all times. I always make sure it's charged. I don't want to miss that 5-minute phone call!
8. Knowing to be careful whenever you wake him up from a nap.
Okay, he's never punched me. But since the military has trained him to be ready for anything- he's always ready to throw a punch accidentally when being woken up. So I keep my distance when I tap his shoulder to wake up.
9. Always explaining the meaning of something to friends or family.
If I had a dollar for every time I had to explain the meaning of OPSEC to someone, I'd be a millionaire.
10. You know the military dictionary terms of MOS, BAH, PCS, BCT, FRG, and so on.
Military Occupational Specialty, Basic Allowance for Housing, Permanent Change of Station, Basic Combat Training, Family Readiness Group. It's like becoming bilingual.
11. You only know one MOS off the top of your head and that's his.
His is 11b.
12. Always taking the information the army gives you and expecting it to change or be completely different.
I've learned to just go with the flow and I always am now prepared for something completely different. I think it's funny that the army asks our men to be squared away 100% of the time when a majority of the time they are not squared away themselves...oh well.
13. Hiding the "Donut of Misery" on your phone so you're not tempted to look at it every day.
I have my countdown app in a whole separate folder hidden and on a whole other page on my phone. I look at it once a month. If I didn't have it hidden I would probably look at it every other day. Out of sight out of mind.
14. Hearing a song in the car that reminds you of him and not tearing up to it is almost impossible.
I have to change the station every time "Wanna Be That Song" by Brett Eldridge comes on because that's the song that played the last time I got to dance with him the night before he left.
15. Sending care packages and letters makes you feel closer to him.
I love to send him packages letters. I feel as if a part of me is with him over there with him. I love to see the smile on his face when he receives them in the mail!
16. You dream about the homecoming ALL OF THE TIME.
I mostly think about how l won't let go of him and how I might plow him over running to him.
17. Getting angry when you hear girls say "I haven't seen my boyfriend since last weekend and it sucks!"
There aren't enough gif's in the world to describe how I feel when I see or hear girls say things like this. You haven't seen him in a week? I haven't seen him in two months and still have a long way to go. Sorry honey, no sympathy to you.
18. Knowing its all worth the wait for him in the end and you wouldn't trade this life for the world.
The longer the wait, the sweeter the kiss. He is worth all of the struggle and baggage the army brings along. This is my life now and you learn to go with the flow because the day he returns will make every sleepless night, every tear and everything worth it all.
