I thought I would surprise my husband with a romantic dinner in tonight. I finished work early (no easy feat!), changed into some cooking clothes and got to work making his favorite Asian meal.

He was to be home at 6:00 on the dot (he is very punctual!) so I made sure to be done at 5:58.

Only 6:00 came and went.

So did 6:15.

And 6:35.

Then he called.

To tell me that he had to haul a disgruntled, drunk guy down to the brig. Followed by the filling out of endless paperwork and waiting for someone in command to show up and sign off on everything.

Can I just tell you I am disappointed? He doesn’t think he will be home for another two hours.

That will make him three hours late to my romantic meal! The one I planned for all day, and hurried through work to accomplish. The very meal that had me cutting raw chicken (a task I despise!) and left me with a finger burn.

The hardest adjustment I’ve experienced being married to a military man is that our life is not always our own. We cannot just pick up and go on vacation. We are too far away from home for my comfort. We don’t have control over the whereabouts of our future.

If work calls, work calls and my husband has to respond. And with his job that happens a lot.

If you find yourself feeling disappointed with your husband’s schedule or with a romantic meal gone awry, know so many other women sympathize. We get you!

We may not be the ones on the battle field, training for deployment or wearing the uniform but we serve this country too. We serve this country with the sacrifice of our expectations, the surrender of the structure of a reliable schedule and occasionally, with the spoiling of a romantic meal.

Ladies, it is a privilege to serve this country alongside you.

Now, who wants to come over and eat this meal with me? I’ve got plenty!

Kristen, a Navy wife, is the editor of Exemplify Online and writes daily at her blog {dancing} in the margins. She is addicted to penguin shaped post-it notes, adores a great scarf, is always on the hunt for a new pair of heels and believes iMacs make the world a better place.