Military social occasions and ceremonies can be nerve-racking, because they do require at least a basic knowledge of etiquette and protocol, no matter how recently you joined the ranks. A miscue can make everyone around — especially you — uncomfortable. A command of proper etiquette, on the other hand, puts people at ease, and that’s a good thing, says Jane Jollota, whose job as cadet hostess at the U.S. Military Academy includes an annual etiquette briefing for brides-to-be.

A military spouse has signed on for the adventure of a lifetime. She will experience a range of emotions foreign to anything she’s known before. She will sacrifice, and she will cry — she also will laugh and she will rejoice. In the process, she will discover that she has the greatest built-in support system any organization has to offer — other military spouses.

Figuring out at the beginning of the adventure that we’re expected to possess super powers better prepares us for the kryptonite hidden along the road.

When you are new to military life, not knowing what you don’t know can be overwhelming. Equally overwhelming is not knowing where to look when you do know what you don’t know. But new spouses can save themselves by connecting with their military branch’s basic training — for spouses.

Presidential politics and big headlines aside, if you really want to keep up with legislation and debates that directly affect your family, there’s a group of congressmen you want to keep in your sights. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have Armed Services Committees.

What do you do if your dreams in life are in conflict with this military lifestyle you have married into — in other words, in conflict with your spouse’s dream of a military career?