and I guess to take this a step further, if you job makes you split time between cities, can you have two FHA / VA loans? 

Taking this step!

Having waited several months to really make a first step into the realm of real estate investing, this is this first outward step I have taken. 

That's not entirely different from other cities I suppose, but that hyper-localization can be challenging to get a grip on if you're used to different markets.

When I did this a while ago, it seemed to be about 10 years or so.There is also the benefit of having SOME of your assets in ROTHs in retirement years as there is NO mandatory distribution requirements when you hit 70.5, and you can also use those tax free withdrawls to help do 'balancing' to keep from stepping up into the next tax bracket.Dan Dietz

The first step would find an Investor Friendly Realtor assuming you do not have access, to the MLS.

I give you credit for stepping out like this.

What is step 1 step 2, and so on?

She even quit her full time job to pursue real estate full time, which has become a large challenge for us living on one income, and me being a senior airman.

Once you have learned how to determine if a deal is good or not then I would move to the next step.