Moving to Washington initially was not the hard, in fact it was my idea before I even started dating my Husband. I had decided to move there to live with a college roommate and quickly became involved in a church there. However, the week my husband reported we found out that he’d be deploying 7 months later. So we got engaged, got married and moved on post in 180 days.
In the midst of planning a wedding, organizing a honeymoon and preparing for deployment I knew I needed some friends who were going to be in the same boat as me, the friends who will also be alone on a Friday night, missing family at holidays and heartbroken over the fact their husbands where across the world. It was then I realized that you don't have time for awkward. Every new encounter with another Military Spouse is like a first date and to top it off you're speed dating. You have 2-5 minutes to decide if this person is worth it. There is no time for casual run ins that turn into coffee dates and may eventually become girls I hangout with every now and then. I needed someone to go have wine with a cry with after I dropped him off at the gym, I needed someone to eat dinner with once or twice a week so it wasn't so lonely at home, I needed someone to celebrate all of the holidays I'd be missing spending time with my family... and I need it NOW! 
I had heard my husband say that there was a wife who was living on post who was about my age, we met awkwardly at a Starbucks and shared life stories. Done, we were friends. She told me at that coffee date that someone was moving in across the street from her and she thought maybe her husband was going to be deployed with our husbands. Yes, he was and there began our friendship. A couple weeks later our husbands left, the lady across the street had a baby two weeks after that and my real life episode of army wives began. 
However I believe my gold star moment in making friends occurred with my next door neighbor. She had a dog, as did I, we had casually ran into each other a couple times and I decided we were going to be friends (now this might put me on some stalker list, but so be it). So I would listen to when she'd walk her dog and I would wait about 2-5 minutes and walk our dog. I mean really it was night and he needed to pee too... right? Well, after many attempts we finally ran into each other, started talking again and found out the her husband and mine where on the same post overseas. BANG... Best friends! A year after my stocker episode I was in the room with her as she went through the final step of her IVF experience.
Now I am across the country for six months, some would say that is nothing, not worth investing in, but I read somewhere about how military wives plant roots wherever they go, so I’m striving to do that for my family. As I throw my son and I into different mommy and me groups and make trips to the playground I hope I connect with a mom or two.
A month and a half into a mommy and me group it happened, a 5 minute speed date in the lobby of Romp N Roll, led to the exchange of numbers, constant texting and eventually a much needed girls day where we shared our life stories as if we’d known each other forever because we only have a few months to become “old friends” because we’ll have to say good-bye and start the search again.
(The women on second from the right its he girl I had coffee with just weeks before our husband deployed and to her right the women who was moving in across the street. Since that first meeting we've added there more babies to the group the ones pictured in this group are all a week apart)
What is the craziest thing you've done to meet or introduce yourself to another military wife?
Share in the comments below!
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