For March, we say hello to spring and to painter/Army-spouse Vanessa Osmon. Mil-spouses are no strangers to change, and that change can sometimes make us reluctant to start new projects, but Vanessa found a way to embrace that change and upheaval and turn it into an artistic project.

I discovered Surface Pattern Design as a major while I was there, and knew that was what I was meant to do… I never imagined myself as a military spouse. I had always dreamt of working as a designer in NYC… I met my now husband at a friend’s wedding while I was working in New York. He knew the groom from the Naval Academy, and I played field hockey with the bride at Syracuse. We were both from NY/NJ area. We hit it off right away and the rest is history!

As writer/Navy Spouse Lynessa Layne shares, life can certainly lead us into unexpected directions, but those strange paths often take us exactly where we need to be.

Oh goodness, no one can truly prepare you for Military life! We’ve been stationed on both coasts, seen things we would’ve normally never gotten a chance to see and shared these experiences with our daughters. The Navy has sent us to Portsmouth, Va, 29 Palms, Ca (this was a greenside stint.), to San Antonio, Tx and now Maryland. To say it’s been a wild ride would be an understatement. In my experience as a military wife, we all know, mental strength is necessary, schedules are constantly changing; everything is the same and yet different, like an odd episode of the Twilight Zone. 

Love is in the air at MilspoFAN. Mil-spouse and romance writer Siera London offers a peek at the allure and escape of a nom de plume, provides intimate craft details for writing romantic literature, and shares secrets to a successful writing process.

The downtimes in creativity after a PCS or during a time of creative-lag can be scary for an artist. Actor / Navy Spouse Bethany Mayo views those times as opportunities to pursue other creative adventures.

Navy spouse Kellie Walsh inspires us with positivity in this month's MilspoFAN interview. Kellie shares how innovative, positive thinking helped her find new ways to continue dancing after a cross-country PCS. Many of us struggle to find our niche in a new location, but things usually end up okay (maybe a little changed from before) with some work and some adaptations.

Navy spouse Andria Williams' novel and stories create communities of freedom and support, and life imitates art in the supportive communities she's built into the Military Spouse Book Review and The Wrath-Bearing Tree. Williams also shares a sneak peek at her latest novel manuscript while being open about some of the sacrifices made when drafting.

Elizabeth is a joy and an inspiration to hang out with. Her enthusiasm and sense of humor are glowing and infectious. Beyond that, she is a talented multi-media artist and designer (and a kick-ass web developer!). I am so happy to have met and befriended her, and have been looking forward to sharing her interview with the MilspoFAN community.

Anna is a dancer, and she is one of those people that embodies every beautiful image that the word invokes- impassioned, twirling, loving, vivid, young of heart, wise of soul. I can’t wait to dance with her again the next time our paths intersect.

Becky Hepinstall Hilliker is an historian, Navy wife, mother of four, and author. Sisters of Shiloh, which she co-wrote with her sister Kathy, is the story of two sisters who disguise themselves as men in order to join the Confederate Army during the Civil War.