Growing up an only child in a house with two working parents, there were times when Joan Brown felt very lonely.

It's a problem she doesn't have anymore.

Life as an Air Force spouse and the more than 20 moves throughout the world have brought so many friends into the fold that come December Brown has a tendency to get overwhelmed when it comes to sending out Christmas cards.

"I hate the process but I love getting back the letters," she said. "I ended up with the large family I'd always wanted."

Brown, who also ended up finally settling down in Steilacoom, recently released a book of memoirs entitled "Move - And Other Four Letter Words."

The book is a collection of humorous anecdotes based on the many moves and experiences Brown and her husband, Don, encountered over the span of his 33-year Air Force career, three of which were spent at McChord.

"I wanted to tell stories instead of putting together a military spouse how-to book," Brown said.

The stories range from battling a rodent problem while Don was gone on assignment to the constant challenges of raising three children while constantly having to get acclimated and make new friends in a new environment - sometimes as foreign as Guam.

"I just kept going (through the challenges), and there was always something else," Brown said. "You just went on to the next thing. In the end you realize you were learning all along."

One thing is a constant throughout the book - the vital role the local community and other military spouses play when it comes to supporting each other when times are tough.

"There is this family out there for you ... you're always there for one another - that's the key," Brown said.

While Brown struggled early on to embrace her role as a military spouse, as life went on she grew to really love it.

"I'd started to care about the Air Force because the Air Force cared about me," she said.

Brown decided to write the book to give those not associated with the military a glimpse of what spouses go through on a daily basis, while also offering military spouses some inspiration when life throws you a curve.

"It's about your attitude when you're having a hard time with it," she said. "There is light at the end of the tunnel for military wives in hard times."

The book came together over a 22-year span, with Brown tweaking it every step of the way.

"You have to decide what was the most significant moments ... what was most important to me and us as a family," Brown said.

The process also served as a walk down memory lane for Joan and her husband, as Don helped edit the manuscript before they sent it to the publisher.

"It's a nice reflection of a great life," Don said of the finished product.