Today’s guest blogger is Natalie Walters.
Another move. Another house, neighborhood, city, climate, school, friends… Oh, wait. Not yet. Twenty-plus years as an Army family, we’ve seen our share of moves. And no matter what anyone tells you–it ain’t easy. But we are resolute. We refocus and search for new friends.
Military communities usually accept the new family on the block with a plate full of cookies and children peeking in windows looking for their new buddies.
Non-military communities study us from their living room window, offering us only a quick wave of the hand as they drive past the large wooden crates being unloaded in front of the house. They’re timid. Unsure of whether or not making friends with a family who might only be their neighbor for two years or less is worth getting to know…
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Well, I’m here to say, “YES!” We are totally worth it! And I’m going to give you my top 5 reasons why military families make the best friends:
1) Cooking
I’ve collected a treasure trove of recipes from our moves all over the world and from the friends we’ve made along the way–dishes from Puerto Rico, Egypt, Korea, Germany to the good ol’ US of A. You don’t want to turn down a dinner invite from a military friend.
2) Traveling
We’ve pretty much been everywhere. And if we haven’t, we have a friend who has. We have lots of tips about traveling with kids, pets, cross-country, overseas, and we’re happy to share humorous and sometimes disastrous stories over a nice glass of wine (which, we probably brought from Italy).
Oh, and because it’s likely we’ll be moving again, this is your chance to take advantage! Ever wanted to go to Europe? New England? Australia? We love visitors!
3) Household maintenance.
We know how to keep a house running smoothly with organizing and cleaning tips, advice and all kinds of support. We’ve got your back.
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4) Emergencies
Most of us have been through and seen it all. Births, deaths, illness–a lot of it all on our own. We know the struggle. In times of need or celebration, military friends just know how to be there.
5) Friendship
Life is short. We know that better than most. We come in fast and fierce, but we’re a loyal bunch. There’s no luxury of living close to our families, so our friends become the next best thing!
As a military wife for almost 20 years and mother of three, Natalie Walters has faced five deployments, 10 military change of stations and one emergency evacuation out of a Third World country facing civil unrest.
