The Gal Behind The Blog

Welcome to my first blog! First things first my name is Mary Mallory. I was born and raised in San Diego, California and convinced I'd live there forever until I fell in love and married a man in the military. What a great life lesson that sometimes you think you're in control of your life trajectory but the universe has different plans.

I am here to show what life as a 30-something military spouse looks like living abroad in Northern Italy. Hope you enjoy following along as I document the good, the bad, and the ugly. I plan to write about my travels, tips as a somewhat seasoned military spouse, and take you along my day to day life. I wish I had a resource to give me a taste of what I was in store for when I first became a military girlfriend and what to expect at specific assignments.

I'm an introvert who absolutely loves hiking, new cafes, spending time with my pup, and traveling to quaint Italian towns. I'm a big fan of mornings (& morning routines) and sunrises. I am the happiest when spending time outside or walking. I love walking to coffee, the market, honestly anywhere.

I feel like I’m in an in between stage of life where I don’t quite fit in with the mom group and I don’t always fit in with the 20-something gals without kids. I'm in my 30s without a baby which I am okay with and am confident things will work out as they're meant to. I've been really fortunate with incredible friends at each base and value those friendships so much.

I’ve gone from a rebellious teenager testing boundaries thinking I owned the world to struggling with who I am meant to be. I've had to shift my expectations of how I thought my life would be and truly embrace each season of life. I am constantly growing and learning and can't wait to start share my life during these different chapters.

@Pairs Well With Wives

I created a YouTube channel with my friend Sydney in quarantine to show friends and family what we were up to living abroad. The channel has shifted and I’ve taken over the majority of recording and editing because I’ve really enjoyed documenting and creating something. I want to create a resource for the person I was when I first became a significant other to the military life.I wanted someone to show me this life doesn’t have to be scary and that a "bad assignment" isn't a death sentence.

I'm excited to get started on my blogging journey and hope you enjoy following along on my Italian adventure.

XOXO Mary