My tribe
So, many of you know we are in Pittsburgh. That is the one in Pennsylvania friends, not Texas. That puts us approximately 1449 miles from my parents, and 1467 miles from Justin's parents. So, we don't exactly have family nearby.
I don't know if I have mentioned it (or ranted about it), but my husband works A LOT and his hours can be crazy! He often works late or has meetings at night, and he spends the night at the hospital several times a month. This life can get a little lonely. And while I am not a single parent, or a military wife (to whom I cannot hold a candle, and with whom I am super impressed) I spend a lot of time alone with my kids. Frankly I spend a lot of time alone, period.
My secret to survival and to maintaining sanity in all of this is my girls. But these girls aren't just my girl friends who I hang out with on occasion, they are my lifeline. They are my emergency back up, my babysitters, my confidants, my support system, and sometimes the only adults I get to speak with in a day. We celebrate holidays, birthdays, and our children's milestones together. These girls are more than just my friends, they are my family. There isn't a way to describe how much they mean to me. They have made my 2 years here in PA livable.
You see my girls all understand my life, it's chaos, loneliness and drama. My girls are also resident wives. We are all thousands of miles away from family. We all agreed lovingly to give up all we knew and those we loved to follow our husbands to the ends of the country for their dreams. We all knew that it meant often being alone and taking care of our kids by ourselves. We all encourage each other that this time and way of life is temporary.
We are more than friends. We are our own tribe. Taking care of each other and each other's children. We will be friends forever. We have seen each other through life changes. When one of us struggles or hurts we share that with each other.
So to you girls, thank you. I love you. I am here for you and will always be.
I don't know if I have mentioned it (or ranted about it), but my husband works A LOT and his hours can be crazy! He often works late or has meetings at night, and he spends the night at the hospital several times a month. This life can get a little lonely. And while I am not a single parent, or a military wife (to whom I cannot hold a candle, and with whom I am super impressed) I spend a lot of time alone with my kids. Frankly I spend a lot of time alone, period.
My secret to survival and to maintaining sanity in all of this is my girls. But these girls aren't just my girl friends who I hang out with on occasion, they are my lifeline. They are my emergency back up, my babysitters, my confidants, my support system, and sometimes the only adults I get to speak with in a day. We celebrate holidays, birthdays, and our children's milestones together. These girls are more than just my friends, they are my family. There isn't a way to describe how much they mean to me. They have made my 2 years here in PA livable.
You see my girls all understand my life, it's chaos, loneliness and drama. My girls are also resident wives. We are all thousands of miles away from family. We all agreed lovingly to give up all we knew and those we loved to follow our husbands to the ends of the country for their dreams. We all knew that it meant often being alone and taking care of our kids by ourselves. We all encourage each other that this time and way of life is temporary.
We are more than friends. We are our own tribe. Taking care of each other and each other's children. We will be friends forever. We have seen each other through life changes. When one of us struggles or hurts we share that with each other.
So to you girls, thank you. I love you. I am here for you and will always be.
posted by Allison at
2:15 PM
5 Comments:
I think you've got the military spouse mentality. Its not your job, but you sign up for the life along with your spouse. You're willing to travel wherever his job takes you, however far away from family it is. You have a great support system filled with friends who become like family and who will be there for you whenever you need a hand. At least that's how I do it!
By
Miranda, at 11:38 PM
Well, I agree with what Miranda said. We have friends from our first assignments - some that live close by and some that are half way around the world. We see some often and some ocasionally and some we only send Christmas cards. Some of them we were stationed with only once and some several times. They are friendships that will last a lifetime. Helen
By
Anonymous, at 8:39 PM
You put me in tears!! I feel like a part of my heart will be ripped out when I leave you ladies! You hit the nail on the head when you said we are more than friends we are family. Sometimes I feel like we are soul sisters. I have been through things with you ladies that I never have and probably never will go through with my own siblings. I will forever thank my Heavenly Father for giving us "The Tribe."
By
The Nielsen Family, at 12:59 PM
Hi Allison - I just discovered your blog (this is Ronni Gregoire, from GATA :) ). I may not be a resident's wife, but my husband works on a tv show and also works insane hours. In fact, I usually don't see him at all during the week. He'll crawl into bed early in the morning and then I might see him before he leaves for work, but for the most part, I am alone, and I totally know how you feel.
Well, I guess not TOTALLY, (I sadly don't have kids yet, but I work from home, so I'm alone most of the day), but still, close enough.
So yeah, I understand. :(
By
The Screenwriter's Wife, at 2:59 PM
Ooo! Tears! I know I don't see you quite as often, but am so happy that I have you girls here to keep me sane! Love you!
By
Shelly, at 4:10 PM
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