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BESIDE THE UNIFORM Military Spouses
Wow ! Where to begin ?
Life as a Navy spouse hasn ’ t been anything I imagined . On second thought , that ’ s probably because I never imagined this life for myself OR being married to the cross-country star with the funny accent on our high school morning announcements .
Fast-forward about 10 years from our high school days and a lot had changed . Lucky for him , I ’ d become a lot more open-minded by the time we ran into each other in 2014 through a mutual friend . Pretty funny to reflect on how open-minded I thought I was then . It feels like the more I learned about military life the more open-minded I had to become .
It only took about a year for me to stop referring to Anton as an “ Air Force pilot ,” ever since I got that straight it ’ s been pretty smooth sailing for us I ’ d say . In all seriousness , there are some pretty unique challenges as the wife of a Naval Aviator . I remember hearing “ Join the Navy , see the world .” That sounds pretty cool and he has been to lots of cool places . I ’ ve gotten to leave my hometown of sunny South Florida for Norfolk , Virginia , and Meridian , Mississippi . Not really the “ see the world ” I had in mind , but you know what , keeping that open mind has served me well ! It ’ s not seeing the world like taking a vacation , it ’ s going places you never would have picked on a map and staying a while . Allowing you to really get to know a different part the country ’ s culture , people , places , landscapes , climates , etc . And so you see , it ’ s all about perspective . For these immersive experiences , that have pushed me out of my comfort zone and expanded my perspective , I am forever grateful . Being a military spouse definitely gives you a different perspective !
I ’ d say the biggest challenge as a military spouse for me has been trying to navigate my own career . I moved to Virginia to join Anton after finishing my master ’ s degree in sports nutrition . I had big dreams of working with collegiate athletes and becoming a director of performance nutrition
By Kristen Leonardes • Photo submitted
Kristen Leonardes is pictured with her husband , Lt . Commander Anton Leonardes and their English Bulldog , Hamilton . The couple are station at Naval Air Station Meridian where Anton is an T-45C Goshawk instructor training student aviators through Training Squadron 7 .
for a university eventually . I think I ’ ve missed that boat , as there haven ’ t been any colleges near enough who hire registered dietitians on the athletic staff . I stuck with the nutrition field for a while , but it became really difficult for me to have to leave the clientele I worked so hard to get to know and build trusting relationships with . So , like I said before I kept an open mind and pursued different opportunities .
I ’ ve been extremely fortunate to have held some great positions in telehealth , COVID research , and most recently was recruited to be a recruiter . The increase in remote work after the pandemic has proven to be a positive for me as I ’ ve been able to keep jobs that I would have otherwise had to quit when relocating .
A part of me used to feel like becoming a military spouse meant losing a lot of the fiercely independent woman I was and just following my husband around . Boy was I wrong !
The military spouses I ’ ve had the pleasure of meeting along the way are some of the most fierce and independent people I ’ ve ever known ! While we may rarely be able to RSVP to an event in advance and laugh at the thought of being able to make a “ 5-year Plan ,” we get to do something a lot of people don ’ t do enough and that ’ s live more in the present . We know what it ’ s like to have to live without our partner for a while , and can appreciate it that much more when they are around .
While Anton and I look forward to our next move as he gets set up to transition to civilian flying , I ’ ve got to be honest all the choices we have to make for ourselves are a bit overwhelming ! We ’ re thinking we ’ ll try to settle down closer to family and maybe make our beloved English Bulldog , Hamilton , a big brother .
But who knows for sure , if I ’ ve learned anything from the Navy , it ’ s not to count your chickens before they hatch or in other words until you have the signed paperwork . Some may take it a step further and say until the movers actually show up in the driveway . Either way , until then …. I ’ ll keep an open mind !
28 • MERIDIAN LIFE