5 Military Spouse Tips for a Better Military Retirement

Military transition or retirement can look different for everyone, we can all use some tips for what to look out for, right?   Five years ago, our family lived a “revolving door” life typical of those assigned to a training center. Our soldier was always coming or going, week after week, late night after late night. […]

Tips for Career Relaunch: Insights from a Military Spouse

relaunch

Article originally published on iRelaunch.com. If you’re getting ready to relaunch your career after an absence or pivot into a new career field, your best source for tips might be a military spouse. As a community, military spouses often have resumes resembling Swiss cheese – big holes over here, small holes over there. Our work […]

Be a Part of the Military Transition Conversation

Transitions can be difficult. As a military spouse for one, two or three decades you’ve certainly lived through more than your fair share of them. And for that, all of us here at USAA would like to tip our caps to you as you embark on what could be the most challenging of the many […]

Prepare Yourself and Your Spouse for Military Retirement

Article originally published on Independent.com For “old school” folks, who like paper calendars, 2023 might bring something new and important – a special date, circled, stared, hearted, or otherwise celebrated on the family calendar. It is the date of our Service Member’s transition or retirement from military service. A date when you stop being an active-duty […]

Rebuilding Your Sanctuary In a New Home

I left my favorite shelves behind when we moved across the country. They were clean, smooth shelves that perfectly fit the space between the two windows in my craft room. They held my growing spider plants, leaving plenty of room for their leaves to cascade down. Below the spider plants sat art supplies, journals, and […]

Military Life Stress: Does the Past Cloud the Present?

women stressed

Occasionally, I’ll come across a quote that stops me. This one by Yung Pueblo did just that: “Ask yourself: Is this how I actually feel or is this my emotional history trying to recreate the past?” Wow, right? How many times have you told yourself that this time is going to be different? You mentally […]

Who Encourages the Seasoned Military Spouses?

At some point, after juggling multiple challenges of military life, relocating your family, re-starting your career, and navigating a lot of time apart from your spouse, you’ve gained invaluable experience and become a seasoned spouse. On the one hand, for some, there’s a badge of honor that comes with being a seasoned spouse. You have […]

I Shuffle for the Caregivers of Wounded Warriors

Last month I ran – well, sort of ran – a virtual 5K.  It was the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) Carry Forward 5K, delivered by CSX. I ran in honor of caregivers, those heroes who care for our wounded servicemen and women. A caregiver’s quiet contributions to our society and our country are too often […]

The Story of Pride & Grit

For years, I’ve wanted to write a book. I didn’t know what the topic would be, but I knew there were few things I enjoyed more than spending the day in front of my computer making the words reflect how I felt. So, maybe I was a writer. Maybe I was a blogger. For sure, […]