Police Officer’s Wife: The Struggle is Real
I knew the first week he started his job that I didn’t want to be a police officer’s wife. Don’t be mistaken, I am SO PROUD to be a police officer’s wife, and I love that he’s doing what he set out to do, but that first month I cried every single time he left for work.There was a time that you could proudly tell anyone that your husband was a police officer without worry of backlash. It makes me cringe that it isn’t always the case now.
For three and a half years he worked his butt off, sacrificed family time, and studied to make this happen. He not only earned a bachelor’s degree, but he also completed both phases of the Police Academy, volunteered with teens of incarcerated parents, and completed an unpaid internship in that time. I was nothing short of proud that week in May 2017 when he graduated from college, graduated from the Police Academy, and was sworn in as an officer! My heart exploded with pride to be a police officer’s wife! We even celebrated with a trip to Disneyland (California).
What If
In those first weeks that he was an officer we had to consider a “what if” game plan. What if something happened? It made me sick! Just thinking about breaking the “what if” news to her broke my heart in a million pieces, and I knew that despite being proud to be a police officer’s wife, I wasn’t willing to watch the harsh world harden his heart or ever take this man away from our little one.
You must believe me when I say that I’m so confident in his ability to respond to every situation he’s in and make all the right decisions. I realize there are other jobs out there that are more dangerous than his. Shit, we both served in Iraq and Afghanistan! But, considering the current state of backlash and high disregard for some officers of the law – and understandably so – I was, and really still am, fearful of the what-ifs and the choices that others make around him.
I Don’t Want to Be Police Officer’s Wife Anymore
Everyday I work my butt off as a health and fitness coach to help people live more vibrant lives. It is not just to feel good for helping others, though. My big dream is for my husband to no longer have to leave each day and risk his life. I help others because I don’t want to be a police officer’s wife anymore. I’m working because I’m passionate about ending the trend of obesity, but also because I believe that family is EVERYTHING. Days like this one in the backyard pool make me want more family time! Most of all, I work because this girl loves her daddy so much!
Since our trip to Mexico in April, Vanellope always asks if we can go to Mexico. At first she would ask multiple times a day. Everything was about Mexico to her, and it took us a long time to put it all together. Finally we realized that when she talked about Mexico, she wasn’t talking about the place we went. She wasn’t even talking about the adventure we had. She wasn’t even talking about the pool or the food or the people she met. Vanellope was really asking if we could all just spend time together as a family, uninterrupted.
Soon! Very soon, little one, we’ll go to “Mexico” everyday!
We looked for short and easy hikes with excitement along the way, and water is always exciting! With reviews telling us there was plenty of water and little bridges to cross, we suspected a fun family hike. 
As suspected, the bridges were a hit. We stopped a few times to wade into the icy cold stream. Vanellope giggled and squealed with delight. The various trees, leaves, grasses and butterflies also provided entertainment. Overall, this was a fantastic family hike for our first time out, and we’ll be heading out again soon!
