At the suggestion of my friend, Casey, I'm participating in a Military Spouse Appreciation Day Link-Up hosted by Jen (Marathons & Dog Tags) and Amanda (Somewhere Over the Camo). This is my first link up with them and I hope, now that I'm getting back into the swing of blogging, that I'll make some new blogging buddies!
Lets get started! First of all, Happy MSAD! << I totally made up that acronym, but this relates to the military and what better way to kick it off than to make up a new one to add to the, already lengthy, alphabet soup catalog!
Tell us about yourself and your blog.
Hey, I'm Kassie! Mr. & Mrs. O came to life when I was planning our wedding. I did a lot of DIY (invitations, decorations, signage, you name it) for our big day and wanted to document my progress. I used crappy photos and had no idea what I was doing, but it was my space on the Internet and I loved it! A year and a half later, we were newly married and moving to Okinawa, Japan. How could I stop now? So, I started taking blogging a little more serious and now, almost 7 years since I first started, this is home to our adventures at home and in life.
I'm a SAHM and turned 30 this year. I spend a lot of time making sure our tiny human doesn't dive head first into the next thorn bush or off the couch... she's fearless, I tell ya. My husband and I are about to celebrate 5 years of marriage - something that I'm proud of! Lets be honest, this military life is crazy and we celebrate all milestones, big and small.
What branch of military are you affiliated with?
My husband is in the USMC. He chose that because he knew, one day, he'd have a wife who loved to see those sleeves rolled up and that dress blue uniform. Haha! Just kidding. He's had big Marine Corps dreams since he was 11 years old and now he's approaching his 10 year mark.
What is one thing you enjoy about the military lifestyle?
In the MILSO blogging world, I think most of us can agree that the travel is a big contributor to our happiness. Amirite?
This life is not for everyone and it definitely takes a certain type of personality to deal with the crazy work hours, the deployments, and general concern for a spouse whose job is literally to run toward the fight as everyone else runs away. However, we get to meet a lot of people and make a lot of memories in places that most don't get to see.
I also have to give a big shout out to the other military spouses who are living the same life, sometimes struggling to put on a happy face, but are always there for us when we need them. We moved on base for the first time last year and we have the most amazing community. If you need sugar, a babysitter or a drink, there's always someone willing to lend a helping hand!
What advice would you give other spouses who are new?
Give yourself some time to adjust and then jump in head first. Go to all of those spouses events that you see popping up, plan a trip (even if it's to a local market or something), find "your people," because that's what makes all of this easier. When your spouse is gone, you'll need someone to fall back on and, sometimes, you're too far from home for that to be family. Make your neighborhood your family - even the people you wouldn't typically hang out with... they can be that weird distant cousin, if you choose, but still consider them family.
Where have you been stationed?
The majority of our time, as a married couple, has been spent in Japan. Now we're on the East Coast of the US. If you take a look around on my blog, you can probably guess that I love Okinawa. I hope we get to go back, if I'm being honest. It's really hard to be away from family, but the experiences that we have at our fingertips are so incredible. I made some of my closest friends in my life while I was there and, for that, I'll forever be grateful.
Do you work, go to school, volunteer, or stay home?
The majority of my time is spent staying at home with Coco Bean, but I also work from home. I'm fortunate enough to have a sitter that comes in twice a week so that I can have hours that are dedicated specifically to working, which is amazing! I've also started dabbling in the photography world. It's always been something that interests me, but I'm beginning to take it a little bit more seriously. We'll see what that "future job" looks like. If anything, I really enjoy it and am learning a lot!
Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in joining the link up, here's a link! Be sure to follow along on my Facebook Page and Instagram, too!
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