In my kitchen there’s a small plaque that says, “Home is Where the Navy Sends You.”  Military Life can be difficult.  It’s not simple to live far from family, operating as a quasi-single parent while your spouse is often deployed.  Seeing that plaque each day reminded me to stay positive and appreciate each new duty station as an opportunity for new experiences.  It is a  message that has sustained me through many deployments and long hours.  It has given me something to look forward to every couple of years for almost 30 years and now that journey has ended here in Hawaii.  But a new one is just beginning........
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        My name is Jennifer and I've been a Navy spouse for the past 30 years.  But as with all things this too must end and my husband and I are beginning the next chapter of our lives here in Hawaii.  I have been a wife and mother, Navy ombudsman friend, teacher and very recently I've even added grandmother to the list.  These are all titles that I have been so proud to hold in my lifetime.  It is my latest decision that I am both excited and terrified to be sharing

 here.  I have decided to once again to become a student.  I never imagined that after all these years I would have any desire to dust off the books and break out the back-pack and once again venture into a classroom not as the mom but as the student.  It is a daunting thing to be middle aged and starting something new but I only have this one life to live and when it is over I want to there to be no doubt that I live it well!