Launch Party

You know those moments in your life you inherently know you will remember forever?  Last night was one of those nights.

It’s amazing to think that months, years of dreaming of a network for military spouses to mentor, network and learn from one another finally culminated in the launch of the National Military Spouse Network.  I planned the launch of the NMSN to coincide with Military Spouse Appreciation Day because I could not think of a better way of spending it than hosting a party for some of the most amazing spouses out there, give them access to some phenomenal folks and get them to rethink the importance of networking.  Whether it’s because we as military spouses, we so often think of networking in a negative matter or because we just don’t know how to get started we often have a more difficult time getting connected every time we PCS.  With over 80% of people finding their jobs through the hidden job market, networking is a skill we need to cultivate.

Needless to say, the minutes before the launch, I was on pins and needles, unsure of how it would be received.  To say that I was silly to worry for even a moment is a supreme understatement.  Once the “doors opened”, people kept streaming in….people you only read about in the papers, spouses you know because you’ve read their books, listened to their radio show or seen their cartoons in the Stars and Stripes.  It was so overwhelming watching all the connections being made:

In one corner, Julie Negron (the creator of Jenny Spouse cartoons), Krista Wells (the Military Spouse Coach) and Wendy Polig (Founder and host of Navy Wife Radio / Military Life Radio) were hugging and chatting away, elated to finally be meeting in person after knowing each other online for such an extended period of time.

If you let your eyes drift left, you would have seen Rene Campos (from MOAA) holding court with MG Michael Sumrall and his wife, Paula from the National Guard Bureau.  They were chatted with former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Lesley Arsht and the Director of DoDEA, Dr. Shirley Miles.

Everywhere you looked, there were people making connections.

The Blue Star Family reps were chatting with LtCol Jay Updegraf and his wife Becky who had driven down from McGuire AFB for the event, updating them on all the great programs the organization provides for military families.  The Updegrafs were absorbing every word as they were there to learn more about military family resources.

Al Boone, the Military LA for Congressman Sanford Bishop stopped by enjoy the great food and mingle with spouses to learn more about their employment challenges.

There were over fifty people there and everywhere I looked, connections were being made.  Catching snippets of information as I flitted from one group to the other, I learned that invitations were being extended to provide breakout sessions at an upcoming conference, valuable partnerships were being formed for the benefit of military children, spouses were sharing their expertise with one another and businesses cards were being exchanged.  So much for the negative connotation associated with networking.  The feedback we’re receiving from blog posts, tweets, and word of mouth is that everyone is pretty unanimous in believing that this good ole boys’ network for military spouses is long overdue!  Can’t wait for the next networking event.