About Me

Photo Credit: LongBrook Photography

I’m Jennifer!

In 2014, I went from Army brat to Army bride and I’m loving every moment of it!

When I “signed up for this” I thought I knew everything there was to know about being an Army dependent.  Turns out I was really wrong.  I’m still learning along the way, and that’s why I blog.  I’m here to share everything I learn with you.  Because back in 2014 when I googled “Basic Training letters” there was nobody to help me.

 

Here are 30 things you really need to know about me:

  1. I married my college sweetheart who also happened to be my secret high school crush.
  2. I didn’t get my license to drive until 3 days before our wedding. (My husband left for bootcamp 3 weeks later).
  3. I failed the driving test twice before I passed.
  4. I’ve only driven on a highway once.
  5. I’m really bad at Mario Kart racing.
  6. I’ve only dyed my hair once– to grey.
  7. My cousin’s friend’s cousin starred as Superman.  haha no really.  It’s not as made-up as it sounds.
  8. It flooded when I stayed in Venice.  Like the water streets came into the hotels and stores.
  9. I majored in English Literature in a  school so tiny that my graduating class was less than 70 students.
  10. I don’t have a home town.
  11. I’m a pescatarian, though I got in the habit of saying “vegetarian” because it was easier to explain (and I sometimes still slip and say I’m a vegetarian).
  12. I’ve never actually eaten a hamburger before.  (see above).
  13. Someone has asked me if my dad was my brother, if my sister was my daughter, and if my daughters were my sisters.  This was not the same person.
  14. I’ve only ever had short hair once (to my shoulders).  When I was 9 and living in Toronto.
  15. I have arachnophobia in the most serious, clinical sense of the word. (seriously, I couldn’t even google the spelling because I was afraid of what images would pop up).
  16. I studied abroad in Italy and my husband proposed to me in Rome.
  17. I handmade my wedding veil.
  18. I’m a hopeless romantic.
  19. Every time I blog, I have at least one baby in my lap. (I have two and I love them to pieces!)
  20. I’m Catholic.
  21. I drink at least 2 cups of coffee a day but have been known to drink 5 in a day.
  22. Pilates is my go-to method of exercise, though I love walking and dance.
  23. I have 5 sisters and no brothers and we love it that way.  We are all best friends.
  24. I’ve moved 12 times and the longest I’ve ever lived in one spot is 5 years.
  25. I was home schooled from Pre-K thru high school.  (Army brat life)
  26. I rescued someone drowning in a pool when I didn’t know how to swim.
  27. I started my sustainability journey in 2020 and try to live low-waste and non-tox.
  28.  In college, I owned over 30 pairs of slippers.
  29. I stayed in a men’s homeless shelter for a week in the Bronx.
  30. I love my black labrador retriever.  His name is Benson but he responds to Benny, Buddy, BennyBong, Bon-Bon, Bonnie, and Bonnabelle (my personal favorite).

If you’ve made it this far– wow, you’re amazing.  I promise my “real” posts won’t be nearly as random.  I try to stick with mostly military-inspired topics (as that is the why behind my blog) but I often will slip into posting about motherhood and love (since those are the why behind my life).  I hope you’ll stick around.  Introduce yourself to me in the comments and I’ll follow you on social media!  Let’s connect on instagram (@jjheartblog) and pinterest (JJheartBlog) or over email: jjheartblog@gmail.com.  Or, visit my contact page.

 

Photo Credit: Johanna Dye Photography

A quick but important note:  You may notice that I almost exclusively refer to soldiers with a masculine pronoun.  I also tend to only speak from a wife’s perspective.  This is in no way meant to disrespect the females in uniform, or their husbands/parents supporting them from the home front.  I am extremely proud of my female family and friends who serve (and have quite a few who do!!).  I only do this because I want to be as honest as possible when sharing, and I can’t pretend to know what it feels like to be a parent or male spouse or daughter of a mother who served.  I try to phrase things as coming from the experiences of a wife, whose husband serves and whose father served.  I hope you’ll understand why I explain things the way I do, and how my perspective has been shaped by my experiences both past and present.

In addition, I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  I only provide links for products that I personally choose to mention for my own reasons.  My opinions on the items are not influenced by any outside sources.  I link products to make it easier for you to find, or because I love them so much, I want you to have them too.  Thanks for reading!

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