My Military Life Bucket List

In the past 2.5 years of being a “military couple”, we have gotten to experience some incredible things. Military life is by no means glorious, but there are so many opportunities that some people would never be able to experience. And it’s only the beginning! Here are some of the things we’ve gotten to do/see, and the ones on that are still on my military life bucket list:

|ATTEND A MILITARY GRADUATION OF ANY KIND (CHECK!)|

I was very lucky to be able to see Kyle graduate from BMT in Fort Benning, Georgia. Not only is Fort Benning an incredible post, but the entire ceremony was one I will never forget. Getting to see these soldiers graduate and begin their journeys made me feel extremely proud of Kyle and what he has chosen in life. I highly recommend attending one, whether it’s for a loved one or just a random graduation on post.

|ATTEND A MILITARY/ARMY BALL|

Since I just graduated college in May and have been working full time during all of it, our schedules have never matched up enough for us to attend a military ball. But I have always wanted to. Typically the ball (depending on what base/post you’re on) is around summer/fall, which is when we’re at our busiest, personally. Kyle has about 5 years of service ahead of him, so I’m pretty sure we’ll get the opportunity to go at some point!

 

|ATTEND AN EVENT ON BASE (CHECK!)|

Events on major bases/posts are going on all the time, but given that ours is rather small, we only have a few major events per year. The only events I have attended so far have been more intimate, with just Kyle’s unit and their families. In May of 2014 I was able to attend the Family Day celebration (seen above) which has a repelling demo, helicopter walk-through, and all kinds of fun activities! In some ways, I prefer these types of events because I get to meet and connect with the people Kyle will deploy with. Either way, I’m always excited for each event that comes up.

|ATTEND A PROMOTION CEREMONY|

Unfortunately, I was working when Kyle had his most recent promotion ceremony. But I know that since Kyle has many more years ahead of him, I will have other opportunities at some point. It’s definitely a special moment that I look forward to sharing with him.

|ATTEND AN FRG MEETING|

After this past Christmas and Kyle’s unit party, I vowed that I would reach out and become more involved in the FRG, especially since many of the men and women that are deploying with Kyle have young children. One of the main focuses of our FRG is to ensure that all of the children have everything they need, from toys for Christmas to tutoring with school work. They make a huge difference in Kyle’s unit, and our community as a whole.

|RUN/WALK IN A FUNDRAISER FOR SOLDIERS AND VETERANS|

I’ve ran in a few 5k races, mostly to raise money for breast cancer research. But I’ve always wanted to do some type of race/walk for warriors. Luckily, there are races all over the country being held year-round for this cause.

|A MILITARY HOMECOMING|

I know it’s pretty typical of me to list this, but I can’t help it. As a military girlfriend, someday wife, I will always want to experience this at least once. I did get to reunite with Kyle when he finally returned from MOS school, which was amazing. But when he deploys and returns it will be a very different feeling.

What’s on your military life bucket list? Have you gotten to do any of these?