about to move to first duty station in maryland. & im scared!

Danielle - posted on 04/27/2010

hey mckinsie! im actually here in pax river! i live on base in housing. we just got her in dec and i had my daughter in january! i know it can be stressful but i have found most other navy wives to be helpful and really nice here! there is a mommy group that meets every thursday on base. look into it and come! im here too if you wanna talk!

Christine - posted on 03/23/2010

Hey McKinsie!
Don't stress! My Husband & I just reported to our first duty station (army - Ft Drum, NY) at the begining of the month. I must admit i had the same fears/anxieties that you are going through. Hang in there, and you will get through just fine. I do suggest that if you and your husband have the opportunity to get your movers scheduled BEFORE he leaves AIT that you do!! We lived in washington - about 3.5 hrs from the nearest post prior to NY, and it was aweful getting the movers scheduled & our stuff to us - in fact we still don't have it and we've been here a month! :-(
Don't worry - you are not alone... Take a deep breath, let it out with all your fears and frustrations, and chug along. Oh - and take all advice with a grain of salt. :-) we recieved bad advice and wish that we had the forethought to do that ourselves...
If you need to talk, just send me an e-mail/message! :-)
- Christine

Andrea - posted on 03/22/2010

Don't be scared. My family and I just left pax river in july. I also was born and grow up in southern maryland. I do have to warn you there is nothing down there. You have to drive like an hour or more to go to the mall. I do still know some people down there and others that just left if you need help.

Mckinsie - posted on 03/22/2010

it looks like ft meade is more towards northern maryland but i could be totally wrong and patuxent nas is at the bottom of maryland. im very excited about moving. i've always wanted to get out of tennessee and see the world but i guess maryland we'll have to do until they put us somewhere else :) i would love to go to hawaii but i heard its very expensive. but maryland is pretty close to alot of things like D.C. and new york.

Whitney - posted on 03/22/2010

how far is that from ft. meade? we're navy and going to be stationed there in may :) personally i love the moving. i grew up on the same street since i was born till i was 17 and i love moving and meeting new ppl and seeing new places. and besides we're navy and we get the water which is always nice! u can go to "navyhousingonestop" (google that) and u can check out all the info about any base u could ever go to...it'll have all the numbers, contacts, and anything else u could possibly want to know about the base. we lived in Hawaii for 3 1/2 years (we consider that "Home" haha) then San Diego (we both hated it) and now we're in Pensacola and by May we'll be in MD which we're both really excited about. shoot me any other ?s you have :)

Mckinsie - posted on 03/22/2010

Thank you so much for the helpful advice. My husband is in the Navy so im hoping they offer the same thing as the army does.Im actually very exciting about just getting away from our family and friends so we can focus on our own family.

Mckinsie - posted on 03/22/2010

thank you so much for the advice : ) i now feel like i actually know some things about the military life.. im very excited to make friends within the military but i will make sure to have others on the outside. my husband is actually in the navy so i hope they have the same things like the army does.

Sandra - posted on 03/21/2010

Believe it or not, you're pretty lucky. You will have an abundance of people going through the same thing around you. My husband is in the AGR program. He was in the Army Reserves and when he got back from deployment, he decided to go full time. Rather than go Active Duty he was offered a full-time job within the Army Reserve. We uprooted from most of our family and friends to a completely different state. We're the only family within his new unit with small children. I've found it very difficult to network with other wives. When you live on base (or nearby) there are always others going through the same things as you. The military community is amazing. Find yourself a job on base or choose some volunteer work that you would enjoy. This will help you to meet other wives with similar interests. I also suggest joining your husband's FRG. There you will meet other wives within his unit. This will help greatly if he is ever deployed. Good luck to you!

Christine - posted on 03/21/2010

i agree. the FRG (family readiness group) can be a big help in socializing with other wives and getting to know other people. idk what branch y'all are in, but for Army we usually have an ACS (army community services) building that can give you a lot of helpful information on just about anything from finances to child care, to getting a job, etc etc. good luck.

Corinne - posted on 03/21/2010

i dealt with that when i married my husband over 5 years ago! a month after we were married we had orders to belgium for 3 years! it was rough being SO far from home for the first time but it was also very good for our relationship! we had a chance to do some awesome traveling and really get to know eachother without family and old friends getting in the way! we are back in the states and living near my mother in law and i love it.. especially since hes been deployed!



i met some awesome ppl...some through the frg and also networking through the friends i had made! getting a job (or volunteer) also helps a lot! its VERY important NOT to become a hermit! it jsut causes fights about stupid things and then you start thinking things you shouldnt, etc! imake it a point to try and get out at least once a month and have what my mother in law calls "big people time!" whether its doing errands, movies..etc!



on our base there is an indoor pool at the gyms so i meet up once week with some friends and their babies and we swim then do lunch at the px! it really helps with the stress and its sooo nice to just chat and let the babies have fun while you are!



if you choose to live on base...at least in belgium...once in a while the neighborhood would do a bbq! good chance to get to know your neighbors and everything (course that can also be drama!) just be smart and always keep your wits about you! sometimes the military can be just like high school all over again! its frustrating! thats also why i encourage ppl to have friends outside the military as well! sometimes you just will need to escape the life...even if its just an hour!



its really not as bad as i might be making it out to be! takes a strong person to be a military wife and we all try to stick together! gl and welcome! :)