One week ago, our Officer Clark graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. The whole family is so proud. I myself, couldn't be a prouder spouse and I glow seeing him in his uniform leaving to do what he loves.
Surprisingly, the 16 weeks of academy flew by but that isn't to say living without my love was easy. Here is how I believe I survived the months while my officer was training.
1. Stay Busy: This is crucial! Don't become lazy because nobody will know if you binge watch Fixer Upper for hours on a Tuesday night. If you had a routine, keep it. If your routine was to come home to meet your man and hang out all night, I would suggest you find an alternative to keep you busy! I took up a great deal of self care during this time period (gym time, cooking dinner, face masks, teeth whiting, etc).
2. Find Time To Talk: Our communication was greatly depleted during the police academy. He rarely had his phone during the day and night classes or studying would keep him occupied in the evening. DeVante always made an effort to text me when he could and made a habit of calling me each night. I swear that call was the best part of my day.
3. Live For The Weekend: The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy allows (rather forces) the new officers to go home on the weekends. During those 16 weeks, the weekends were quality time together. We spent Friday nights cuddling on the couch and the rest of the weekend visiting our favorite spots around town together.
4. Remember Why You Are Here: Your spouse has achieved a great honor, possibly their lifelong dream. That is why you are in this "situation". They want to be better and protect you, your family, and your community. Be proud that they are essentially volunteering to serve their community in a way many people wouldn't. The end goal makes it worth it.
All in all, my 16 weeks went rather quickly. Seeing DeVante graduate and being able to pin his police badge on him made the difficult times and struggles all worth it.
My best friend (a military wife) told me something on graduation day that struck me. She told me "congratulations". I greatly appreciated this because as she explained, as a spouse you will to be serving your community. Yes, in a entirely different way than your officer but you also will make sacrifices due to this career.
Stay proud, hopeful, and faithful.
It is just starting for us; nonetheless we are now a police family.
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