Mom. Wife. Military Life.

It’s been a minute since I shared a life update. We have been busy.

Over the holidays, my in-laws came to visit. We met them down in Sydney before heading out on an almost two-week cruise to New Zealand.

We walked along pebble beaches, visited the National Aquarium of New Zealand, soaked in geothermal baths, did the All Blacks rugby experience, and explored a rainforest and glow-worm caves.

We were itching for time with family and it was wonderful. Everly won a ship-on-a-stick for her participation in a game, we all got up and sang karaoke, and let me tell ya’, trivia hated to see the Bonds coming. It was perfect weather, a little cool for swimming or sunbathing, but perfect for sweatshirts and shorts.

It was awesome to be on a ship with Christmas around the corner because they did a lot of fun Christmasy things. Carols, decor, and one of the coolest things was that they made it snow in one of the main gathering areas while Christmas music played. We had so much fun.

When we got home, we were able to show everyone around our little beach town. A trip to Kmart and the local grocery also offers a fun little peek into cultural differences. Jason and I were able to sneek away to wine country for one night to just spend a little time together. We went on a wine tour and met the most wonderful people from all over the world. When the tour was over the group of us went on to a bar and had a couple more drinks. We traded Insta to follow along with each other’s journeys. I so enjoy watching their adventures, if even our paths only crossed for a few hours.

We went to the beach on Christmas Eve and then Santa paid us a visit. It was a quieter Christmas, but a blessed one none the less.

A few days later, my in-laws headed back home. We got the house put back together before celebrating New Year’s quietly at home. We are blessed to live up on a hill and had an amazing view of fireworks out in the bay. I bought sparklers for the kids, J, and myself to play with. The neighborhood was buzzing with music, parties, and fireworks. In moments like that, you miss the bustling of family.

A couple weeks into the New year we snuck down to Sydney to take the kids to their first concert, but on the way we stopped at the reptile park. J has been talking about going since we drove up here the first time and the time was now or never.

We actually had a lot of fun. There was a ton of cool things to see, and the weather was nice for it being the middle of summer. We were in a rush to make it down to Sydney for the concert, but we actually could have spent more time there, the animals were really cool. We got in, checked into our hotel, and headed to The Lumineers concert. The Head and The Heart opened for them, and if you know anything about them, they have a tie to the military and some of their music will hit you smack in the feels. The kids had fun, you might not have been able to tell in the moment, but the way they spoke about it after was awesome.

We are now back home with a fairly quiet time ahead. We are going back down to see Bad Bunny at the start of March, my mom comes to visit end of April/ Early May…

…and then we are making another big change in the Bond household this summer.

After many discussions and lots of tears, Jason and I have decided that the babies and I will be heading to Texas this summer for them to get back to in-person school, while he finishes out his tour here. We are going to be shacked up with my parents, and the kids will be going to school in the same district J and I once attended. We have tried every. single. option. out here to help the kids create a community, but you could never imagine how hard it is, even when a culture seems so similar- how hard it can be to adapt. The sports are different, the seasons are different, the school schedules are COMPLETELY different, and the culture is different. Add that to a one-vehicle family in an isolated location, and it turns out the beach doesn’t really solve anything, just provides a prettier environment to cry in. #SadGirlProblems. It feels like failure. I am supposed to be able to keep it together for my family, make everything right, I have done it for his 15-year career, and I should be able to do it now, but I’m tired. Being a full-time student, mom, teacher, friend, and entertainer adds to my own isolation; it’s not a good headspace for anyone. The kids need peers. I need access to the outside world. This lifestyle is fatiguing. I am so proud of us for taking the jump and trying things out here, but we are ready to be home. If you haven’t lived abroad, you have no idea how the mental load can stack up on you, but that’s for another conversation.

It is going to be hard to be apart again, but we both know it is what’s best for our babies. We have spent more time apart, so we know we’ve got this.

For now, we are trying our best to enjoy the time we have left. It is full of school for the babies, and I. J is in training right now while also still managing his other role out here. That is keeping him super busy and will be until the kids and I leave this summer.

I was blessed to be made an Aunt again for the final time. My sister and brother-in-law welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world. He is healthy, and everyone is well. Moments like that make you resentful of the distance and angry that this life has pulled you so far away from precious moments like that. But, in only a few months, we will be back to start making memories together again. If you can hug your sister, do it. Because I would give just about anything to be able to hug mine, don’t take those kinds of things for granted.

That is the life update for now. We have been busy world travelling, but I am ready to cash in my plane tickets for a bit and sit. I know the unrest in the states can make everyone feel angry and uneasy, and that unrest is all around, but I encourage you to look around you and see the things that ARE beautiful, and bask in them. It is a privilege to have a voice, a voice to advocate, but also a voice to simply tell those around you that you love them and appreciate them. You would be amazing how far a simple act like that can travel down the line.

Until we chat again,

xoxoxo