By Jenna Moede

Okay, I know you might not love me after this, but I have to give you the skinny. At some point, you will lose money on your college textbooks.

But, before you throw tomatoes at me, I have some good news too. You can search out the most competitive price on your books.

If you haven't experienced your freshman year yet, you might not know this, but if you have, especially on campus, you have probably figured out that most freshman choose to buy their books at their college bookstore.

I did the same thing. I walked up to the counter, picked up my pre-ordered books and signed a nice slip authorizing some 800 dollars charged to my student account.

I didn't really give it another thought until I went to sell those very same books 16 weeks later. I thought I'd make enough to buy some groceries, gas to drive home for winter break, and maybe a few extra dollars for Christmas presents.

I had a rude awakening when they offered me about $100 for all of the books. I think my jaw may have hit their counter. $100? Several books, they told me, they didn't even want to buy back so I thought I would receive nothing for them.

I learned over the next few years that I didn't have to take what the bookstore offered. I had options on how to squeak out the money on the books I had to buy. I never got back what I paid when selling to a buyback program, but I did find some that paid better than others.

I did a little legwork to figure out just how college bookstores determine their buyback prices and whether or not they try to set the students up for zero extra Christmas money. I feel confident now - they don't do it on purpose.

I talked to a few bookstores and the consensus for book buyback seems simple: supply and demand.

One call helped the most, and the woman on the line told me that first they consider the book edition. She informed me that if a new edition of the book I had used came out before the next semester, the professors would likely switch to that edition and no longer use the one I had purchased.

That's a quick way to lose a lot of money. Second, she told me that if the bookstore already had a lot of copies of the book I needed to sell, they wouldn't offer very much for it.

Last, she let me know that the bookstore typically sets one price for the book. It doesn't matter if the books have writing in them or highlighter or torn pages, they still sell back for the same price.

The bookstores would, however, not buy books that had water damage or so much damage they considered them unreadable.

So by the time I hung up with that bookstore, I knew that I had done it right by finding other places to sell my books during my latter years of college.

First, understand you probably won't make top dollar, but you can eek some value back out.

To sell your books, first do a little research. Search the ISBN online and see what the book sells for currently.

Of course it never hurts to check the college bookstore, but don't pack up shop after that.

I recommend typing the ISBN into a book comparison website. Think of them as the Travelocity of college textbooks.

I found two sites that I liked to do this.

First I tried www.bookscouter.com. I thought it made searching the books and seeing the best offers really easy. It cut out a ton of the legwork.

A similar website, www.bookfinder.com, seemed a lot like the first. I didn't like the landing page as much as the first, but the site offered the same exact prices which I took as a good sign.

While I found the comparison sites more effective and efficient, if you'd rather search individual websites, I have included four that I received consistently high offers from in my research.

I had never seen the first two sites, TextbookRecycling and Buyback101 before, but I discovered them in my search.

They seemed similar. Both clearly laid out the terms and conditions on the website and explained the process for selling textbooks. TextbookRecycling's website referred to payments with checks, and Buyback101 mentioned payments to PayPal.

You can also check out Amazon as another credible buyer. Amazon offers a gift card for the value of the books, but the terms make it seem like a fairly straightforward process. .

Lastly, you can use Chegg as an option. The buyback program seems similar to the first two listed. Again, the website explains the shipping policies and payment terms.  

It seems that most buyback programs provide a free shipping label that you just need to print, and each site typically explains how to package the books.

Overall I found tons, and I do mean tons and tons and tons, of buyback programs out there, but comparing prices on a book comparing website seemed like the best use of my time. 

Remember to check the payout method so you won't run into any surprises no matter what buyback program you use.

Don't just settle for what the bookstore will offer you, and remember, you can always list your books online or sell them to classmates.

By Jenna Moede

Can you believe this!? We have finally covered everything from applying to college to starting you first classes, but we have just a few more topics to chat about.

Prepare these final steps so you can press on into your real and exciting college career.

First, make sure you take the time to submit your transcripts. Likely, your university will not allow you to start classes without doing this.

Sometimes you will have to pay a small fee for transcripts, but you can have them sent to several schools, and they usually arrive at those schools quickly.

Remember that some colleges will want high school and college transcripts if you have some postsecondary education.

High school made it easy to send my transcripts because they sent out a letter with the steps and the website, but after high school you might have to track these items down.

If you know your transcripts exist out there somewhere, but could never begin to find them, try a few phone class or emails. I recently needed a copy of my husband’s high school transcripts. I called his high school and they happily told me the website and all the information I needed. Easy and quick!

When I transferred schools, I needed to send my college transcripts to my new university. If you find yourself in the same boat look on your current university’s website and it should have a place for you to request transcripts.

If you can’t find anything online, call the registrar’s office. They will walk you through the steps.

To avoid potential problems, request your transcripts as soon as possible. Ideally, right after you’ve committed to a school.

Next topic, books. Every university handles books in a unique way but don’t wait on this either. Books may take a while to ship to you, and you will fight an uphill battle if you start classes without them.

I had a class start with the book on backorder, and the first test required me to share a friend’s book. She, luckily, had bought the book off an upperclassman. Needless to say, I’ve experienced more ideal situations.

While studying on campus, I bought all my books at the bookstore. My online university shipped my books with a prepaid return label or offered an e-book.

You can sell your books back after each semester, but don’t expect a huge return. One semester I truly made more money returning cans at the local grocery store. I couldn’t believe it!

Even though some of my books cost a lot and I didn’t sell them back for the same amount I paid, I really couldn’t have made it through college without them. I even kept a couple!

Don’t let the prices intimidate you into thinking you can skate by without them.

Lastly, to all of my Advanced Placement (AP) class takers out there and everyone else who has earned college credits through testing, I didn’t forgot about you!

I had AP credits that I needed to apply to my education too, and I bebopped around online until I figured out what to do. Let me help save you the hassle and time of searching.

First, find out if your university accepts AP credits or whatever type of credits you may have. A quick website search should turn up that information for you.

From there try to locate a place online to submit the scores for review. If you can’t find a spot, contact the admission office. They will supply the necessary information or direct you to a better suited office to help you receive the credits you have earned on those tough high school classes.

So now, congratulations! You have finally finished, but make a big bold note that your university may have additional requirements so still check your email regularly!

Now, after all your hard work applying and registering, you can finally begin. Remember to start off right so you can ace your first semester.

Despite an end to the federal hiring freeze earlier this month, services for military families may remain in limbo, and even suspended.

When the federal government placed a freeze on all federal hiring in late January, the Department of Defense was allowed to hire only new military members to send to individual service boot camps.

Military family facilities such as MWR and on-post daycares were left with staffing shortages. At least eight bases around the world cut some child care services hours as a result. AAFES officials also said they have cut hours and closed some locations.

The freeze was lifted two weeks ago but change will not be swift.

Military officials said the process of hiring an individual, especially for child care positions, normal takes about 120 days. Applicants must undergo thorough background checks and that takes time. The hiring freeze didn’t necessarily cause the shortage, but delayed the process even longer, meaning unfilled positions remained, and still remain in many places

A report from military.com says some branches were able to apply, and receive hiring exemptions. The Army, for example the website reports, had approved 5,083 hiring exemptions for civilian positions in child care centers, fire and emergency services, police, security guards and air traffic control.

And a lift to the hiring freeze does not mean all positions will be filled.  White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney announced a hiring policy change last week.

NPR reported, "this does not mean agencies will be free to hire willy-nilly," Mulvaney said. The director said hiring will be done with a strategic plan. Some agencies will hire more employees and others will lose positions.

Want to know what jobs are open at your base? Visit www.usajobs.gov

By Jenna Moede

Okay, we need to address the elephant in the room. Money!

No one can deny that for a college education, you’ll have to shell out some money or earn some scholarships. Now that you have finished registering for classes, you need to take this on next. 

Usually you will need to complete registration before your financial check-in because the number of credits you take will help determine the final cost for the semester.

Also, before you write that check, search all scholarship avenues.

When I started college, I had no idea that scholarships for military spouses even existed. I didn’t look for opportunities, and I don’t want you to make that mistake too. 

Scour the internet for scholarship opportunities and apply for everything you qualify for. You never know what you’ll earn. 

Also, if you plan to use federal student loans, make sure you complete your FAFSA with ample time.  That will come into play before you begin classes and before your financial check in. 

Don’t forget that you will have to fill the FAFSA out for each school year not each calendar year.  If you start, for example, in the summer of this year, you will have to fill out a FAFSA for the 2016-2017 school year, and then, come August, you will have to fill out another for the 2017-2018 school year.

I actually had friends who didn’t know that and really did miss the deadline. I saw some very unhappy parents because of it.  

Lastly, FAFSA will allow you to select several schools you’d like to send the information to so make sure you select your university when given the option.  Doing it this way will save you time in the long run. 

Now that that part is out of the way, let’s look at financial check-in. At many schools you may have to complete it every semester, but it really doesn’t take too long. 

I didn’t know about financial check-in when I first started online classes because while I was a student on campus I didn’t have to do it. I also didn’t check my email very often which kept me from finding out about it until the very last second. Huge mistake!

I found out about and completed my check-in on the last day I possibly could. I almost missed the deadline, and I would have missed my first online classes too. Not really the way I was looking to start out.

You should find your financial check-in on your school’s online platform and you may even receive an email with a link or directions to access it. I swear I never knew email could actually come in so handy until I finally checked mine!

As you check in, make sure any and all scholarships you have earned show up in the ledger. If you see a mistake, don’t continue with check-in, but reach out to a school representative who can help you straighten it out. 

After everything looks correct, you should see either a balance due, credit owed or a zero balance. You will most likely have the opportunity to deny excess loan amounts or you can choose where to send them. 

Make this decision wisely and remember that if you have a loan credit, have will still most likely have to pay them back, probably with interest. I have seen people treat this refund like free money and had to pay the piper, literally, when the loans came due.

Because of possible issues with scholarships and more, I recommend doing financial check-in as early as you possibly can. It allows excess time to correct any errors.

I had no idea what to do my first time around, but after you get the hang of it, and you will after the first semester, it really doesn’t take that much time or effort. I think you’ll find it pretty painless. 

Once you have completed your financial check-in, you will receive a confirmation and you can start preparing to ace your courses. You will only have a few final steps left before classes really begin.

The online retail giant, Amazon, is hiring 5,000 at-home workers, and have specifically targeted military spouses as the kind of employees they want. Now.

The jobs are part of a larger plan to add 30,000 workers to the company’s ranks. The at-home positions are Virtual Customer Service employees.

In a statement last week, Tom Weiland, Amazon’s vice president for worldwide customer service specifically named military spouses as a group the company is focused on hiring from.

“There are lots of people who want or need a flexible job – whether they’re a military spouse, a college student, or a parent – and we’re happy to empower these talented people no matter where they happen to live,” he said.

This is just the latest growth in what has been a hiring surge for Amazon. In 2011 Amazon had just 56,000 employees. Five years later, Amazon ranks numbered 341,000.

To find out more about the available jobs, visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/locations/virtual-locations?base_query=&loc_query=&job_count=10&result_limit=10&sort=relevant&location%5B%5D=virtual-locations&cache

By Jenna Moede

You applied. You spoke with your academic adviser. You received your degree plan. Now what!?

Now, I hope you feel fired up and ready to take your next steps as a college student.

As I’ve mentioned before, you need to make friends with your degree plan, and I mean best friends. It will guide you through every course, every semester and every year. I think that by the time I graduated, I could have recited mine from memory.

Your degree plan will lay out the whole college shebang for you. Even if you opt to start as undeclared, I still recommend you look at the different degree plans for each major you are considering.

First, you should see the number of credits needed to graduate. Most bachelor’s degrees will require at least 120 credit hours, but that can change depending on your major and school.

I had friend who studied graphic design and needed around 180 credits, but, because of that, the university didn’t permit her or other graphic design students to pursue a minor.

Watch out for this kind of university regulation, as it may change your plans. Hopefully, however, you’ve already ironed any issues out with your adviser.

Your plan should further break down credits into general and core classes.

You should see your generals broken down by subject like humanities, English and more. Those categories are then broken down by class.

Pay close attention to each sub category because it will explain how many credits you need for each general field. From there you can decide what classes interest you and how many you need to complete to fulfill the requirements.

I recommend starting with generals and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone with them. You can’t avoid generals so think of finishing them first as a win-win; you can put them behind you, and you can change your major if you decide to.

I wish I could go back to my first days of college and do it that way. So really think about your path.

You will see your core classes structured the same way as your generals so you can plan ahead. It should also list pre-requisites; however, you’ll find it worth your time to double check the listed prior requirements for each course.

At this point, form a plan. I highlighted the classes I wanted, and I planned a few back up courses as well, just in case my first choices had already filled up.

Now comes the exciting part of registering for your classes. The first time I registered on my own, I felt confident I would make a huge mess of it, but it turns out that beginners really can handle it without too much stress. That worked in my favor for sure!

You’ll want to locate the place in your online platform where it says register for courses. You will pick the semester, and from there you should dive right in.

You will see several ways to search for courses. You will probably see filters for field of study, level, starting date and course number. I always used the last option. It directed me right where I needed to go, and I liked the simplicity.

Now just select your courses and choose a starting date. Once you select your course, hit register, and you will see a list of all the classes you have registered for.

You usually will need to register one class at a time. If for any reason you don’t fit the required eligibility, the platform shouldn’t let you register.

That said, I once signed up for an upper level class on accident, and the system didn’t stop me. Luckily, I realized I hadn’t enrolled in the course I needed, and because I checked my own work, I avoided a huge headache right before classes started.

You shouldn’t find it too hard, but before you go overly register happy and put yourself in too many courses, consider what you want your course load to look like. Most times, six credits a semester means part-time and 12 or more equals full-time.

You need to discover the perfect balance for you between boring and overwhelming. A conservative course load always seems better for the first run out of the gate.

If you feel great after your first semester, you can always add classes next time around.

My first semester of college I completed 18 credits, but I found that I liked the classes and ended up taking 22 my next semester. You will learn what feels right; just give it a little time.

Once you finish registration, double check the dates of the classes and check your emails consistently until the classes start. Your university and professors will utilize email to communicate important class and registration information.

Take it all step by step and make a plan. Attacking college with a plan will help guide you through all the challenges ahead. If you make a mistake, don’t worry. My college road has seen a lot of bumps, but rather than call them mistakes, I prefer to refer to them as experience.

By Jenna Moede

So you have received your acceptance email. Now what?

You should also have received your login and password to access your online classes. So, first things first, login and make sure everything works.

You should now have access to your school email account, your financial aid information, class registration, course path and tons of other resources. 

You should also have the contact information for your adviser. Most of the time you will be assigned to an adviser that has a specialty in your field, and this will really help you.

So you’ve logged in. Do you feel stuck? Overwhelmed? Don’t panic.

Receiving that acceptance letter feels great, but it will take a lot more work to earn your degree. 

Start by talking to your adviser, especially if you feel lost or overwhelmed. Trust me, they really know their stuff. 

I ask some of the most off-the-wall questions that tend to make no sense, and they still get me the exact information I need. 

Never worry about asking too many questions either. Use your adviser to your advantage!

At this point, you might not know what to ask your adviser about so here are some topics to help you get started. 

First, talk about your goals. If you’re unsure if you have chosen the right major, tell your adviser because they can steer you in the right direction.

I talked to mine about graduate school and found out that if I continued the college path I chose on my own, I would have a degree that wouldn’t help me. At all. 

Finding that out really surprised me since I had read and reread the descriptions of the majors. That wake-up call saved me a lot of money and tons of wasted effort.

Save yourself the headache, money and time and just have a quick chat with your adviser about your goal and find out what will get you there.

You might also want to ask your adviser about a certificate or a minor. If you don’t know whether or not a certificate could help you or what minor best fits your dream job, ask your adviser for the skinny.   

Avoid making these types of decisions by yourself because you could end up like I did and feel like you’re just spinning your wheels and not really getting anywhere. 

If I had done this when I started, I might have found my passion for education earlier and not wasted so much time and energy on something I only thought I wanted. 

After you get accepted, you might also have questions about your degree type. 

You may plan on starting with a certificate or associates degree but finding out about how those degree paths work together may help you down the road.

Asking your adviser about the best path and the differences between the degrees will really benefit you.  Plus, you could find out just how they all fit together so you can continue your education further than you thought.

Along those same lines, ask for a course path. Even if you haven’t committed to a degree yet, take a look at the paths for all of the programs that you have considered.

Course paths can help you not only take a look at your general education classes, but also the total number of credits, prerequisites and degree requirements. 

I found myself printing it out, marking it up, and following it to a T. My course path became my complete guide to college and helped me see graduation get closer and closer. Talk about motivation!

Lastly, and really, most importantly, ask about all licensing requirements. I seriously cannot stress this enough for military spouses. 

We all know that we move at the drop of a hat and we probably won’t stay in one area for a long time, so, knowing if your career will require state licenses or tests is crucial. It could also be a game changer for you.

If your job will have license requirements, it seems better to know that from the start rather than learn that after graduation. You may also want to research how you transfer that professional license from state to state.  

Your adviser may not be able to answer state specific questions, but they will help guide you in the right direction and help you contact the organizations that can really help you.

Like I mentioned, I had taken grad school courses towards something I really thought I knew I wanted to do, just to find out that with my undergrad degree in business, I wouldn’t have the right requirements and degrees to even test for a license in my state. 

Needless to say, I’m glad I didn’t pursue it because I was still on school autopilot, but I felt like I had wasted my money just because I didn’t ask up front.

I guess what I’m saying is tell your adviser everything you think has relevance. I now think it is better to ask too many questions than to reach the end of your education and realize you’re not where you need to be.

By Christine Cioppa

A recent report’s introductory line says what every military family member already knows: “The families of military personnel are a resilient group of men, women, and children who endure many hardships for their country.”

What most people don’t know is how those hardships may harm the health of military children and spouses.

Thanks to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), now, we know, at least a little more.

The constant moving, along with the absence of a spouse on deployment, as well as other hardships, may influence wellness, researchers say. Now, though, more information on the extent of the increased risk is known.

In this first-time-ever report, produced by the SAMHSA, experts compared female military spouses (ages 18-49) and children (ages 12 to 17) to women and children from the general population. The report, released in November 2016, uses data from 2015 and involves 910,000 military spouses.

Here’s what researchers found:

Military wives were:

• Less likely (by 3%) than all married women to use marijuana.
• No more likely to use illicit drugs than married women in the general population.
• No more likely than other married women to be receiving substance use treatment.
• No more likely than women in the general population to receive mental health treatment.
• More likely to use alcohol than all married women in the last 30 days (68% versus 54%) and more likely to binge drink (9% more likely) than married women in the general population (however, it is suggested the figures skew higher because of the younger population; more military wives were between 18 to 25).
• More likely to experience any mental illness (29% versus 20%), however, no more likely to have major depressive episodes in the past year than women in the general population.

The report found military children ages 12 to 17 were no more likely than children in the general population to use substances or have mental health issues.

“It is vitally important that we do everything possible to meet the behavioral healthcare needs of people who have sacrificed so much for our nation,” said SAMHSA Principal Deputy Administrator Kana Enomoto, in a statement released by SAMHSA. “This report will help SAMHSA and others in the field offer programs better designed to address issues that affect military wives and children.”

SAMHSA specifically tells Salute to Spouses:

“The report demonstrates SAMHSA’s ongoing commitment to tracking and responding to the behavioral health needs of our nation’s military and veteran families.

“SAMHSA’s Service Members, Veterans and their Families Technical Assistance Center (SMVF TA) has been working to ensure that states and territories have the skills and support they need in creating culturally competent, behavioral health systems ready to address the unique experiences that our military and veteran families face by helping them to develop a behavioral health workforce that is ready to serve them. To date the strategic planning work the agency has been providing to the states has reached 49 states, 4 territories and the District of Columbia, with the final state joining this year. Much of the focus of the technical assistance is on meeting the needs of military and veteran families, addressing substance use and suicide risk.

“SAMHSA, alongside our partners at the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs, have been working in conjunction to share federal resources aimed at reducing barriers to seeking care and increasing access to quality behavioral health services for these families. Together the three agencies offer a one stop location to learn about the resources that support our families.”

Students should also take note of SAMHSA’s report for other reasons. It’s important to know how hardships affect health since being on top of preventing and treating any health issues may make for more productive and successful learning.

Most moms and dads out there know that child care and preschool costs are tax deductible. But, did you know that when you head back to class some of your educational expenses can also lower your tax bill?

For the 2016 tax year there are two tax credits you can take advantage of as you file your taxes:

the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit.

The American Opportunity Credit – Students, parents and third parties who paid the education bill can claim up to $2,500 for adjusted qualified education expenses for each student who qualifies.

This benefit is different than a deduction which reduces the amount of income that may be taxed. A credit, on the other hand, directly reduces the tax itself that you have to pay. However, the allowable credit may be limited by the amount of your income.

To qualify, students must be enrolled in a program that results in a degree or educational credential and must be enrolled at least half-time for at least one academic period that begins during 2016 (or the first 3 months of 2017 if the qualified expenses were paid in 2016).

The credit can be used for tuition, enrollment fees and required course materials and can only be claimed for four years. Finally, the student must not have been convicted of a felony for possessing or distributing a controlled substance.

Lifetime Learning Credit – This credit is different because the tax payer can only claim up to $2,000 in educational expenses per year, however, they can claim this credit as many years as they want.

Also, while the American Opportunity Credit requires students to work towards a recognized degree, the Lifetime Learning Credit can be enrolled in a class that will result in a degree or improve their job skills.

The Lifetime Learning Credit does have income limits in order to claim it: $65,000 or less for individuals and $131,000 for married couples.

IRS rules allows the individual who paid the tuition, and who is then claiming the credit, to only claim one credit for each student, per year. However, if you have multiple students in school, you can claim one credit per each student.

The languager of the two credits can be confusing. To get the most from your tax credits it is always best to call the IRS directly or consult a tax professional. However, the IRS did leave a giant tip on their website, in bold type, for those trying to choose between the two credits.

It states, “If you have the choice, the American opportunity credit will always be greater than the lifetime learning credit.”

For complete details, visit the IRS website at: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch02.html

By Jenna Moede

I’ve learned over time that life doesn’t always turn out the way that I planned. Sometimes, it turns out even better than I could have imagined.

Life married to a man in the military definitely fits the unplanned bill. Even though I always feel surprised by new things, even after doing this for several years, I found a few twists and turns that surprise me more than others.

I learned pretty quickly that my spouse’s work center and the people he met there became like a second family to him.

A lot of the men and women he interacts with daily live similar situations to our own. They may not have family close by, they might need a place to go on holidays, or they might have just moved here. No matter what the story, it seems that they can quickly bond.

I’ve talked a lot about putting down roots in the community and finding friends outside of the military, but the military has some great built-in friends too. I found that I bonded just as quickly with the spouses, fiancés and significant others of those my husband spends his days with.

This brought us a lot of invites to spend time with friends after work hours, and we got to try things we didn’t know about on our own. Maybe we can bond quickly because we know that this duty station will not last forever, and we need good friends every place we go.

I also found that we benefited from all the events those friends attended. We never felt out of place or alone at command-sponsored events once we started taking advantage of them. We always knew people, and we always had a great time learning more about our friends or meeting new ones.

I’ve never seen anything like the military community before and the way this lifestyle creates lasting friendships.

I also felt rattled when I realized that my husband’s job came before literally anything and everything else. I’ve mentioned before that as military spouses, we need to be flexible, but that didn’t come easily for me.

Many military members have rigid schedules with long work days, and even when I thought my husband had time off, I had to learn to expect the unexpected.

My husband often gets recalled on his days home or leaves for several days at the drop of a hat, and just when I think I have his schedule all figured out, it changes.

I’ve learned to go with the flow, but I still felt taken aback the first time my husband got called in and had to cancel big plans. Now I feel better prepared for the curveballs, but life still doesn't always go according to my plan.

After moving to Wyoming and becoming a military spouse, I started to learn about all the resources that I had available to me.

I used to think that they only had resources for the military members, but military spouses have so many options out there too.

Aside from the benefits like medical, housing, the commissary and Base Exchange, spouses can take advantage of the gyms on base, the child development center, the youth center, the libraries and other fantastic amenities.

My husband joined the Air Force and we have an Airman and Family Readiness Center that will help families, airmen or spouses with just about any question that could come up. They even offered a tour of the base when I first moved here.

They can answer questions about budgeting, employment opportunities and family benefits and classes. Our base even offers a parents’ night out where couples can have a free night of child care. I only found out about it through a class I took at the Airman and Family Readiness Center.

When I first moved, I had no idea how much use and knowledge I could take away from that resource.

I also found out that we have key spouses. Each squadron has a different key spouse and each can answer specific questions. Shortly after I moved to Wyoming, the key spouse reached out to me and offered to show me around and invited me to a couple of events.

I met some nice friends, and I learned a lot about the base, the military, and the opportunities available.

Lastly I learned that not everyone loves the military. While many people we met really have enjoyed living life military style, some have really regretted joining.

While it really surprised me at first, I’ve learned to not concern myself too much with what other people think of the military. I feel grateful for the opportunities the military has given my family, and I try to surround myself with people who also have positive outlooks.

That doesn’t mean that everyone I spend time with has a spouse that plans on making a career out of the military, but I had to find out that I feel more optimistic when I surround myself with people and families who can find the bright side of any situation.

Overall I know it can feel overwhelming when trying to figure out the ropes of a military life, but I really think you get out of it what you put into it. Stay positive and realize that you might never fully know everything about the lifestyle. I learn new information, resources and meet new people daily, and I never really know what the next chapter might bring.