Marriage in the Military

Hey All! Ah it feels good to be back writing on the blog. I apologize for being a little MIA recently - there has been a lot going on in our household!

First off, my husband and I just recently celebrated our two year wedding anniversary (woot! woot!) We always like to do a little something special for our anniversary and this time we decided to celebrate with a Caribbean cruise. It was our first time "cruising" and while we initially felt a bit loss and overwhelmed, we quickly got the hang of elbowing our way through the food line. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Labadee, Haiti

Falmouth, Jamaica

Falmouth, Jamaica

In front of a blowhole in Grand Cayman

Mayan ruins in Tulum, Mexico

So since marriage has been on my brain recently, I thought it would be an appropriate topic to talk about on my blog.

No matter how long you've been married or how long you've been apart of the military - marriage, especially when coupled with a military lifestyle, is not easy... the frequent deployments, limited communication, new locations and at times, a nonexistent support system can make things even more complicated. 

I recently was introduced to an article featured on USA Today about an Army Sgt. Maj. in Delta Force, Chris Faris, and his wife Lisa, who opened up about the struggles they've experienced during their 22-year marriage in the military. 

Chris and Lisa have been touring around the U.S. speaking to military families as a broad initiative by Admiral McRaven to deal with mounting emotional strain on the homefront.

Chris and Lisa have been giving a real and honest look inside their marriage and the challenges they've faced along the way. Chris opens up about a time he lost it in front of his family and Lisa talks about how she had already decided years ago that their marriage was over. 

She went on to say how when Chris would come home from deployment, he would put up walls and "the barrier between us grew farther and farther apart." It got to a point where, "the separation was fine, it was when he was home that was the problem." 

It was an epiphany that Chris had in 2008 that began the turnaround in their marriage. The epiphany was triggered when his daughter asked him if he could remember how old she was the last time he was actually present for her birthday. Chris could not remember her age and she responded that it was for her 10th bday. She was 18 when she asked her father that question.

The Faris's said that by no means is their marriage fixed, but the first step in making a turnaround is seeking help and reaching out when their is an issue.

Check out the USA Today story for the full article.

You can also listen to their NPR interview, where Chris and Lisa talk about their marriage and answer calls from listeners.

Hope you find this article as refreshing as I did. Be sure to check back next week as I will be featuring a SUPER AWESOME guest blogger....get excited.

xoxo,

Whit