Life doesn't always go how you plan, but there is always a plan in where you go.

From time to time, I am asked whether I miss being a soldier or not.  I miss being a soldier more than I can say.  In my time as a soldier, I did things that I never had thought I would be doing - from deploying to Iraq, flying on Blackhawks, manning a machine gun and the list goes on and on.  I also grew in ways that I couldn't have imagined - anything from becoming a combat veteran to taking finishing my Bachelor's degree.

I came into the Army a little later than the average entry age.  I was 22 when I joined and 'celebrated' my 23 birthday on our first FTX in basic training.  I had other jobs prior to the military, I had worked at a bank and two different bowling alleys for a number of years prior to joining.  My life didn't change in the typical way it does for most that join the military, I wasn't straight out of high school, this wasn't my first time living away from home.  But that doesn't mean the Army wasn't a complete change for me.  Life as I had known it no longer existed.  Daily PT (Physical Training) sessions became a way of life, I knew how to expertly iron my uniform and polish my boots, how to read a compass, throw a grenade and fire a weapon. 

When something changes your life this drastically, it changes your path in life.  Now don't get me wrong, there are some things I don't miss, such as the early morning PT session when it's below freezing out - for that matter, I don't miss PT in general at all.  I don't miss some of the individuals that have no business leading soldier, but by education or time in grade/time in service they found themselves in those positions.  And I do not miss police call, I guarantee I picked up more than my weight in cigarette butts throughout my time in uniform.

I do miss a lot of things though...  I miss wearing the uniform and the pride that comes with that.  I miss flying, going out and shooting from time to time.  I miss working with soldiers, trying to help them through the regulations and solve problems.  I miss deploying and the team that is built in that.  I miss running through the airport heading home on leave and older gentleman stopping you to thank you for your service and then proceeding to tell you about when they served in WWII or Vietnam.

I miss being a soldier, but looking back I know it was my time to separate from that segment of my life.  I will still always be proud of my service, nothing will ever change that, but I have adapted to my new role - that of an Army wife and mommy.  I have just as much in pride in my service to my country as I do to those in my household.  Life doesn't always go how you plan, but there is always a plan in where you go. 

The day I left on my first deployment