You MIght Be a Military Wife...

There are, no doubt, a million of these lists floating around the internet, but below is my own personal list of experiences that have defined me as a military wife. Without further ado, you might be a military wife if...:

• You can't make it through a rendition of the national anthem. Sing it? Can't even make it to the third line without choking up. Same goes for "America the Beautiful," and "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." Play Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" to watch me dissolve in a pool of tears.
• You know that a 96 is an urban legend.
• Your heart breaks a little each time you have to tell your three-year-old that Daddy is on a "trip."
• There is one side of your bed that is significantly more creaky than the other.
• Similarly, your master bathroom has dual sinks, and one of them has seen a lot more use than the other.
• You know to avoid the base commissary on paid weekends.
• Your relationships with women you've known for 6 months are stronger than with the friends you've known all your life.
• Your closest family member lives on the opposite coast.
• Your address book is written entirely in pencil.
• You can have an entire conversation in acronyms. Ex.: "We did a DITY move instead of using TMO when we PCSd."
• You know that Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veteran's Day are more than just excuses to have a barbecue.
• You recently saw SATC2, and truly couldn't believe it when Carrie was whining about falling into a routine with her husband. Me? I'd give anything to order takeout and watch tv in bed with my husband every night. Two days per week away? Not on your life, sister.
• You read the news feverishly and have your google alerts set to display "Afghanistan," "North Korea," "Iraq," and "Marines."
• You don't turn your phone off. Ever.
• Said phone accompanies you everywhere: the bathroom, the shower, to the kitchen to get a glass of water...
• You consider Westboro Baptists the absolute scum of the earth.
• You welcome your husband home with joy in your heart, but you know that it means that one of your friends is losing hers for awhile.
• You know all the words to the Marine Corps hymn. All three verses.
• You curse when you trip over steel-toed combat boots, but you always straighten them back upright.
• You got married at Christmas, but your wedding colors were red, white, and blue.
• You cheer for a sports team from across the continent.
• You couldn't be prouder to be one.