As far as balancing, I would have to say that we just go with what the military hands us. If DH deploys, has to work late, etc. we handle it the best that we can. I am so proud to be a Navy wife and be a part of the "sisterhood" of military wives. Our non-military friends and family can say that they understand certain situations, but the ones that truly understand are other military spouses.

The hardest time of the day for me is after the kids are in bed and the house is quiet. I find it very hard to sleep and became a very late night owl during our last deployment.

The "act of kindness" that a neighbor gave to me on our last deployment was he washed my car after he had washed his. I was so touched and it really meant a lot.

My DH is not deployed at this time and more than likely will not be for the rest of our time left.

The best thing about military life, I have to say, is meeting new friends and exploring our new duty station, be it in the US or another country.

The worst thing has to be the packing up our belongings every 2-3 years and moving.

The only thing I would say to the war protestors is "You’re welcome."

If either of my children wanted to join the military, I would neither encourage nor discourage. What ever my children would like to do with their lives I will support 100%. I do however pity the first recruiter that calls our house; my husband just finished 3 years of recruiting duty.

I would share my experiences with the friend’s daughter. I have enjoyed being a military wife for the last 17 years and will truly miss it when we retire.