Meet the Mommy- Mary

Hello fellow military mommies! My name is Mary. My husband, Bryan, is active duty air force. I was on active duty as well until our son, Oscar, was born 7 months ago. Bryan and I met in ROTC at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and were married in February 2010. Our life has been very hectic (and very blessed) ever since! Before we got married, we were stationed at different bases. Bryan was in graduate school at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio (with Julie's husband) and I was stationed at McGuire AFB in New Jersey. Bryan graduated a month after we got married and moved to Washington DC. Three weeks after our wedding I found out that I was being deployed to Iraq. I was there for nearly 6 months but was able to make it home for Christmas and moved to DC to live with Bryan. Three months later, I was pregnant! I transferred from active duty to the reserves through a program called Palace Chase right after Oscar was born. 

Now, I am a stay at home mama and a reservist. The last 7 months have been an absolute whirlwind and a bit of an identity crisis for me- active duty spouse to mom-reservist-dependent. I'm still figuring it all out. Of course, all the mommy stuff is new but i don't think I really prepared myself for how different the reserves would be from active duty. I put on my uniform two days a month- which feels nice sometimes to get some adult time but also helps me realize how fortunate I am to be with Oscar all the time.

I am so excited to be here to share my experience with you as my family enters yet another crazy season. Bryan was accepted to a very competitive training school and will be TDY for 6 months. We have moved out of our apartment in Washington DC and have decided that due to the intense academic requirements of the course, Oscar and I will not join Bryan at his school. We will spend the next 6 months jumping from my in-laws' house, to my mom's house, to my dad's house with a couple of trips back to DC for my reserve duty. Needless to say Oscar is one well-traveled baby!

In addition to the mommy experiences that I will be sharing, I also have 6 years of active duty time as a force support officer (it's also my job in the reserves). We work personnel, services, and protocol so if anyone has any questions or concerns I hope I can help with the answer, or at least the right place to go for the answer. Thanks for having me!