Three years ago, sitting in my apartment writing at 5 AM or 11 PM at night during John’s first deployment, I never would have imagined what Jo, My Gosh! would look like today. Now, as I sit down to write this third yearly round-up of post, I am so excited to see where we’ve come as a community. This year has been insane!
In January and February, you answered a Facebook post of mine to help a high school friend collect handmade Valentines for children at St. Jude’s. Our lovely community sent hundreds and hundreds of handmade cards— it was a landslide of love.
We’ve had wonderful guest bloggers (including male military spouses!) and care package sharers from all walks of life, all over the globe. We’ve laughed over jokes and videos and memes. We’ve shared homecoming photos and advice with each other. Someone from our community even won a Roomba in November. (If you’re not part of our Facebook community, you need to be!) And, there’s a new ebook for military spouses and significant others on the horizon. I can’t wait to share that with you, too!
As I look back this year (and truly, every year), I am so thankful for each one of you. You make our community bright, diverse, and interesting. You help to tell our story better, and you are an important part of that story. Thank you for trusting me, for reading, and for participating. You are always welcome here.
I don’t know what 2016 has in store for us all, but I know it’s going to be more awesome than 2015. And 2015 was baller.
Here are the most popular Jo, My Gosh! military lifestyle posts from 2015. (They’re in order! The most popular post for the year is at the very bottom ala David Letterman’s Top 10 Countdown.)
How to Apologize During Deployment of a Long Distance Relationship
You know that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get in a fight with someone you can’t hug? Apparently it’s not just me. This post had more than a thousand pins and lots of comments.
48 Military Travel Discounts and Free Services
Save some money; bookmark my list of travel discounts and free services you can receive just by being military affiliated.
27 Vintage Photos of Military Couples That Will Melt Your Heart
Need a boost of romantic adrenaline? You’ll want to view these adorable– and sometimes heart-breaking– photos of military couples. (If you’re a fan of World War II, you’re in luck– many of these are from that era!)
Everything You Need for a Brilliant Birthday Care Package
Need to make a birthday care package? There are tons of ideas here that link directly to Pinterest, so you can save until your heart’s content!
The Gigantic List of Movies Perfect for Watching During Deployment
These movies are great any time you want to curl up on the couch… but they’re especially perfect for lonely nights. From laughing to crying to sighing, there’s a suggestion for every mood of deployment.
6 Tips for a Healthy Long Distance Relationship
Being in a long distance relationship is hard, but it can be done. I shared some of the ways John and I kept our LDR healthy and strong during the two years we were apart.
15 Tips for Avoiding Common Care Package Disasters
Don’t put candles next to food… and other tips you probably didn’t know. (I know I didn’t when I started sending care packages.) Avoid the mistakes I made, read this post.
10 Must-Have Apps for Military Spouses
This. Post. Blew. Up. I woke up one morning to thousands of shares of this post– even from one of the wives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Craziness. If you missed this one, you’ve got to check it out.
10 Harry Potter Themed Care Packages
I love that my readers love Harry Potter just as much as I do! (Harry Pottheads, unite!) This post is the second most-popular post from 2015.
102+ “Open When” Letter Topics
Who says that letter writing is dead?! This was, hands-down, the most popular post of the year! I was blown away with the response this post received. It’s been pinned tens of thousands of times and every month, more than 40,000 people view it.
Happy 2016! May you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!