A Thank You Note
It’s hard to believe where life will take you. I’ve always thrived off of change and the unknown. Not to say that both aren’t scary; I am human, just like the next person. When I decided to retire from the military, it was frightening until I said the words aloud. I had thought about it and casually discussed it with my family for a few years leading up to my decision. But it wasn’t until I came downstairs in February of 2021 and told my husband,
“I’m done; tomorrow, I will push the button and apply for retirement.”
I felt the weight on my shoulders lift by about 75%.
They say when you know, you know, and I knew. The retirement process is long, hectic, and confusing. I think purposely set up to terrify you into a predetermined path post-retirement. I’m not one to like being forced into what I call ‘a box’, so naturally, I bucked against this concept. My decision to retire was that I didn’t want to spend any more time putting my personal and professional goals on the back burner. I had served my country for 20 years honorably; I felt as though I had peaked on what growth the service could provide and vice versa, and decided life is too short to not take a leap of faith.
When I would tell people during my last 8 months in the service my plans and dreams, I would get a lot of passive skepticism to downright discouragement. I would tell people that my goal is to get into politics and eventually run for office. I knew I didn’t have the money or name recognition to run for office out the gate. So I would position myself in a second career in a location that would allow me to get my foot in the door. People would either say passively,
“hm, that’s nice, good luck with that,”
or
“Really? That sounds awful. Why don’t you just apply for a GS13 job on a base you want to live at? You could easily get hired and then retire early from that job.”
On October 7th, after receiving my official job offer with my current employer out in Northern Virginia, I walked downstairs and told my husband to start packing. We were heading to Virginia the next day. I am married to a saint, by the way. He puts up with these sharp turns in our plans all the time and does it with a smile on his face.
It all seems like we were living in a hotel in Chantilly so long ago, juggling the kiddos, my onboarding with my employer, and finding a place to live. We found a home in record time; we were out of the hotel in 6 days. I still get weird looks from the people I meet here when they find out we rent a townhome apartment. I don’t mind, though; we love it, and it quickly felt like home, so it’s where we were meant to be. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be active in politics until my retirement was final, which wouldn’t be until December 1st. We had plenty to do getting set up with our furniture (that didn’t arrive until mid-November) and all the other things that come with moving and retiring.
I enjoyed writing when I was a kid. I can remember writing feverishly in my notebooks with the fancy pencils and pens I would get for Christmas and my birthday. I mainly wrote screenplays, short stories, and the occasional terrible poetry (seriously, a modern-day Keats I am not). While I was in the military, I rarely wrote. If I did, it was primarily military-related for speeches or packages. I had been told throughout my career that I should write a book someday and that I was a good writer. I had decided I needed to get my political voice out there, so I created my blog, The Sweet Struggle, after I retired. The title is a nod to my last and only promotion ceremony speech for those who were there.
I started by mainly writing articles related to my military transition, then political commentary, and attending events. The first event I went to was a Moms For Liberty meeting in January. I had seen the founders Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich on TV back when I lived in Oklahoma, and I thought, “Those are my type of people.” So it was the first group I sought out once we got settled. I was apprehensive on the meeting day; I generally don’t relate well to other women. It’s not that I don’t like women; I just don’t know what to say to women sometimes. We lead a very unconventional home life structure, and I’m not interested in traditionally women-centric hobbies. However, I have always been passionate about the terrible state of our education system. As a mother, I am concerned about what type of world we are leaving for our kids.
So I put on my big girl panties and went to the meeting.
I fell in love with the members immediately. I didn’t feel like I was an outsider or weird because I didn’t look like they did or have the same hobbies. They were welcoming, intelligent, passionate, and fabulous women. The meeting was terrific; they had a guest speaker running for the 10th Congressional District seat, Paul Lott.
The next day I wrote a piece for my Substack titled; A Worthy Fight. I talked about this fantastic group of women, and I wrote about the fascinating discussion we had with Paul. Somehow that article reached another candidate, Caleb Max. Out of the blue, I received an email from Caleb asking if I’d be interested in meeting for an article. Of course, being who I am, I jumped at the opportunity and said I would love to! It wasn’t until after all the details were ironed out that I realized, Oh man… I’ve never interviewed anyone in my life, let alone a political candidate! What have I gotten myself into?
I felt a bit out of my depth the day I met Caleb but quickly felt at ease. I came home from the interview feeling electric. My husband could tell from my face that I was discovering something exciting about myself and our new life. I told him,
“I don’t know what it is, but I like this. I like talking to real people who want to make a real difference. And I feel something, I don’t know, exhilarated that they trust me to write about it.”
The next day I published my first Candidate Profile on Caleb Max titled; A Bright Star in Loudoun County.
That article, coupled with attending every Republican event I could fit into my calendar, led to more Candidate Profiles, readers, and subscriptions.
Brandon Michon — A Chat with ‘That Dad’
Hung Cao — A Superhero Among Us
John Henley — Believing in the Future with John Henley
Jeanine Lawson — On Common Sense with Jeanine Lawson
Mike Clancy — A Servant Leader to the Core
Brooke Taylor — A Mind Meant for Today’s Challenges
Recently I had two articles publicly published in a conservative news publication, The Political Insider. It’s not lost on me that the people I have met in this short time led to this fantastic development in my writing career.
My writing career.
Three words that were never originally part of my plan. I didn’t move to Virginia or start my blog to become a freelance journalist/columnist. If I were to impart any new advice to my fellow veterans, keep a broad aperture when you look towards your future. Don’t let anyone say you can’t do something, and don’t let anyone scare you away from trying something new. Sure it might not work out, but what if it does? Or what if, in my case, something wholly wonderful and unexpected happens?
To my Moms For Liberty crew, thank you. You all were the first to make me feel welcome here in Virginia. You are all fantastic, passionate, and a perfect storm of determination and inspiration. We need more tribes like the Loudoun County Moms For Liberty, bringing hope and a voice to parents around the country. I am proud to know you, and I will always find time to do what I can for the mission of M4L.
To the candidates, good luck to all of you. You all inspire me and make me feel hopeful for the country and the Republican Party. Someday perhaps you will see a Candidate Profile on me! You all did not have to give me the time that you graciously did, time you could’ve spent campaigning. I am merely a local writer who was curious about all of you and wanted to do my part to elevate all of your platforms and invigorate the local voters. Your support of this veteran meant a lot to me and spoke volumes about who you are as people.
The reality is that just as in Highlander, come May 21st, there can be only one. One of you will earn the Republican nomination, and the rest will not. So, while I’m sure I don’t have to, I will remind you all, regardless, to not forget why you all stepped up to the plate to begin with. This never was about you; it was about us, the people you wish to serve. The cold hard truth of it is our country is teetering on a precipice. We can’t afford to fight amongst ourselves when so much work must be done.
To the voters and readers out there, whether you are in Virginia’s 10th or somewhere else, whether you are Republican or Democrat–get out and get knowledgeable. We are all too comfortable being passive participants in our communities and our country’s future. We trust in sound bites and let the past drive our emotions and character. We are all better than that, and future generations deserve better. Form your own opinions, learn to reasonably articulate what matters to you and why, know what your local political parties are up to, and get to know your candidates. You can’t complain if you don’t show up. I know who my #1 pick is on May 21st here in Virginia’s 10th. You have many outstanding candidates to choose from; regardless of who that may be, show up and make your choices.
Good luck to all the candidates; thank you again to everyone who has supported me along this journey. I look forward to hopefully writing more articles that make you think, maybe inspire, and hopefully also make you laugh a bit.
