Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!

As a navy wife, I feel like I have to write a post about how frustrating it can be to have so little control over everything military related.  As I've said before, we're in the  middle of moving and buying a house - all while Colin is away on temporary unaccompanied orders in Connecticut.  This pretty much means I'm up to my ears in power of attorney's (POAs) and phone conversations that end in, "well ma'am, as soon as we can get the signed paperwork from your husband we can move forward."  The catch is, he's not available to sign anything!  Luckily, he's only about 3.5 hours away, so driving all the way down there isn't completely out of the question, but I can see how this would be an impossible situation if we were any further apart (say, Charleston to Connecticut).

Me and my sailor (and yes, I was just as exhausted as I looked)

In my opinion, once you're married you should have the freedom to coordinate your moves.  It's inherent in the military that one spouse is going to be spending a lot of time out of reach.  If they expect the other to pick up the slack and get things done, then we should have the privileges to make that possible.  I feel like I shouldn't have to be designated an "agent" for my husband in order to receive our property.  It's all just such a weird system. I couldn't even check into a hotel on base without Colin's orders.  I have a military ID, I jump through the military hoops, I should get the military benefits.

On the flip side, I understand that the privelges that come with marrying someone in the military (including basic things like information on their whereabouts), leads to people making hasty decisions about getting married in the first place.  And this leads to a lot of bad choices when they realize it's not for them.  Then presto! Spouse restrictions are born!

I don't know what the solution is, I just know how frustrating it can be when you're stuck somewhere, unable to make any decisions without signed authorization from your partner. 

Does anyone else have any military frustrations to share?  Feel free to vent in the comments!