“Despite the distance, we find joy in the journey.”

Meet Kaylee. She is married to her Marine, Greg. Kaylee and Greg are high school sweethearts. She was a freshman and he was a senior, yet she stole his heart and they got married as soon as they could once she turned 18. She immediately moved from Indianapolis to Parris Island to join him at his current duty station. They have since moved to San Diego, back to the east coast to Camp Lejeune, and now have new orders sending them across the country yet again.

Throughout their time in the Marine Corps, they have spent much time apart. Kaylee says this is the time that they grow the most—individually and as a married couple. They learned how to communicate better and appreciate one another during their time apart. She puts it best when she says, “Since we have known and been with each other since we were kids, it allowed us to grow separately which was also important so that we could run parallel to each other independently instead of relying on each other for everything.”

She recently completed her BFA in Fine Arts and Printmaking at Eastern Carolina University where she completed her second solo art show. She is gearing up to begin her Masters in Art Therapy at Pratt Institute next year. During the day, she enjoys working at Artworks Studio in Jacksonville teaching art classes and workshops to kids and adults alike! This is her first step into the art therapy world. They serve Marines, students with emotional issues, and just any adult that may want to enjoy learning a new medium.

Her home studio is her happy place, made just her own. When I visited her, she had a couch for their adopted dog, Barkley. He is the “baby” of their home, but oh so sweet and loving. She has her incense burning, large art desk with inspirational quotes scattered all around, calming music playing, and all the art supplies you could imagine just perfectly organized. The walls adorned artwork from previous art shows and passion projects; I felt like I stepped into her beautiful mind when I set foot in her studio.

They have begun the tradition of collecting magnets from all the places they visit nationally and internationally, and they certainly have visited many places amidst their cross-country adventures due to PCSing!

Sometimes as a military spouse, it’s easy to feel like your career and passions can come second to the Marine Corps. In fact, when I first got married and Caleb was told, “If the Marine Corps wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one,” I was a little taken aback. And that is sometimes how it feels! Kaylee serves as an inspiration to us all when it comes to embracing your individual dreams despite the Marine Corps’s best attempts to get in the way.