5 of the Hardest People to Find at Your New Duty Station
This is a sponsored post in collaboration with P&G Start Strong, Stay Strong. All thoughts and opinions are my own! (:
Moving with the military comes with a laundry list of challenges. Where to go, where to live, how to get there.
At each new duty station, I’ve noticed a pattern when it comes to finding new people and things. There are certain services and people that I’m always reluctant to jump at without first hearing a gazillion recommendations. I’m willing to try ALLLL the coffee shops in town, but when it comes down to something like a hair stylist, I need to find a perfect one. THE perfect one.
Friends
Let’s face it. One of the hardest parts of this military life is finding new friends at each duty station. In my opinion, much of what makes a duty station great, is the people you share your experiences there with. A good core group of friends can make even the most dreaded duty station loads of fun. Believe me, I’ve been to Fort Leonard Wood. 😉
Finding these friends can often be a challenge.
Dentist
Judge if you must, but I went an entire three and a half years at our first duty station without a visit to the dentist. I didn’t know who to see and was unsure about how dental benefits worked. Finding a dentist that will be gentle when you’re feeling ultra-vulnerable is no easy feat.
I quickly learned my lesson after we PCSed and I made a dental appointment at our second duty station. My initial 20-minute appointment was followed by two two-hour-long appointments that consisted of deep root cleaning. Coming out of each appointment, feeling like I had been punched in the face, I learned to never do that again.
Babysitter
It’s SO HARD to leave the tiny humans that you created (and your home) in the hands of a stranger. Getting to a new duty station comes with the challenge of finding a trustworthy person who is going to take care of your babies as well as you do. I have a whole laundry list of “musts” for our babysitters.
When we were in Georgia, my mom or sister would hop on a quick flight to come watch the girls when necessary. Those babysitting websites are fine, but I’d prefer first-hand recommendations from friends I also trust.
Dog boarder/groomer
On that note, Caesar is basically my fourth baby. I have a hard time handing him over to just anyone. After a horrible experience here at Knox, I counted on recommendations from John’s coworkers for boarding.
Due to its central location, we’ve used our time here at Fort Knox to travel extensively. Each time we leave, we drop Caesar off at a boarder where he’s treated like a king and comes home smelling fresh and clean.
Hair stylist
I mean, it’s just your physical, semi-permanent appearance, right?!
I have one friend that I trust to cut my hair, and no one else! Heck, I didn’t even venture out to try to find someone to manage my mane until I met this friend.
Hair style is such a huge part of your physical appearance and personal preferences can vary greatly from person to person. Finding the one person or salon that you trust to not leave you looking like Justin Timberlake circa 2000, can be tough. The same can be said for a nail tech.
Start Strong, Stay Strong
While these are just some of the challenges that military spouses face in their new communities, P&G in partnership with Operation Homefront is doing their part to bring our communities together with their recently launched “Start Strong, Stay Strong,” website. This online hub was created for military families to connect with their greatest allies- each other.
Using the website, members are able to discover things to do in the neighborhood, unlock savings, find or offer services, buy or sell items through the marketplace, and discover inspirational stories. Best of all, it’s completely FREE!
I’ve signed up as part of the Ft. Knox community and plan on joining the community for our new duty station as soon as our time is up in Kentucky!
Find and join your community >> HERE << it’s quick, easy, and free to join!