Duty Station

California, You Called My Name written by Shelly Osborne   The vast terrain; From desert to forest, Mountain to ocean. You called my name.   Palm trees sway The crash of the ocean waves. Picturesque drives along the PCH. You called my name.   Wildflowers covering the hills. Trails in every direction Offering vantage...

I have a major confession to make. The first spouse social I attended caused me to wrongfully judge all future events no matter where our assignments took us. I have been a military spouse for almost 17 years and...

Teleportation tops the charts for cool magical powers. My kids and I get to experience this magic, usually once or twice a week. The teleportation takes place once we enter the magic portal, that is…the library. When we PCS to...

I never knew how important it was to be able to make where you live, a place that you love until we joined the Navy.  The Navy was never on our radar either--neither my husband nor myself grew up...

The first time I heard of Fort Bliss, Texas, I wasn't entirely convinced that we weren't moving to Mexico. El Paso, Texas, bordering Juárez, Mexico was not on my radar and certainly not on my "wish list" of duty...

With warmer weather and blooming flowers comes the start of PCS season. A PCS, or permanent change of station, can be an eventful, exciting time. But without proper planning it could also be an expensive time.  “The military pays for...

I brought my newborn son home in a snowstorm, or more accurately, just as the blizzard was starting, flakes falling thick and fast as my husband navigated our vehicle at a crawl. Raising a child in hard, cold winters...

Libraries, like so many other institutions, went through difficult times during the covid era. I was just beginning to feel like I was ready to sit through story time on a regular basis with a toddler AND a baby,...

Springtime is historically a time of rebirth and growth. No place is this more true than Japan. Spring brings Sakura, the beautiful cherry blossoms season. They only last a short time when they are again dormant until next year's season...

I saw the sun today. It makes me feel like winter might just be coming to a close. I also feel like that just might be the naivety of a first-time-up-state-New York transplant. For better or worse we've had lake effect snow,...

Ask anyone in the Air Force, what the worst base is/where do you absolutely not want to get stationed. Nine times out of ten you will hear…Minot. I’m here to tell you, we not only survived, but we thrived…and even...

Twentynine Palms is one of those duty stations. The one some would prefer to skip, the one some can't wait to leave and the one some will leave crying. This is our second time stationed here and I'd be...