You Know You've Been Air Force Too Long When

You have a conversation like this:

Did You Know?

Register for SpouseBUZZ Live - Hampton Roads
Air Force EFMP Program Helps Families
Guide to Getting Academic Credit for Service
Army ACS to Add Volunteer Videos
Changes to DoD ID Cards
AAFES Video Contest
NAVYForMoms
TBI Awareness
"Brothers at War" Documentary Debuts
Are You at Risk for Colorectal Cancer?

More

Brat-ty Sports

I was up at 5:30 am this morning.  A Sunday morning after a rough week, and I can assure you I wanted to stay in bed for HOURS. 

What do you think?

While waiting at the doctor's office I read an article in Family Circle magazine about the fact that society has "changed" regarding parents disciplining (or "correcting") other people's children.  Apparently it is not politically correct to discipline someone else's children. 

What do you think about this?  Or, what do you do when you have another child at your house or on an outing with you?

Logistics of being a working military wife with children....who knew?

Around October I decided it was time for me to head back into the work force, and despite my online persona Army Wife Toddler Mom, I am no longer the Mother of toddlers.  My son is now 7, and my daughter is 5. 

PCSing with DPS

Changes have already come to some locations.  Over time, changes will be rolled out at installations worldwide.  It pays to be knowledgeable and prepared.

Do you know what DPS is?

Wha? Not all Military Dads are The Great Santini? No......

We've often talked about how misconceptions among civilians regarding military life can be both funny and frustrating. This weekend, I found another example, although this time it came from someone who has had 20 years of exposure to military life, she's the mother of a soldier.

My girlfriend called me to say that her mother-in-law had flown in to spend some time with her and the kids after my friend's husband deployed. My friend has a son who is currently sporting one of those hairstyles that boys like these days. I have to say, I must be getting old because every time I see this hairstyle on a guy, I have to suppress the urge to whip out a barrette and pin back the hair hanging in their eyes. I don't mind long hair, I just like to see your eyes. 

It seems the mother-in-law isn't too fond of this style, either. But for a different reason.  

Did You Know?

VA Eases PCS for Military Families
TRICARE Invites Beneficiaries to Logon
Survey Available
Honor Your Military Mom Contest 
Family Scholarship Deadline Approaches 
AAFES Affordable Luxury Catalog Available 

More
 

A Day in the Life

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

And in the military life, we get LOTS of chances for first impressions!  Case in point...

Got Questions? Get Answers.

Army families, here's your "one-stop-shop" for information on your benefits.

The Army's G-1 staff launched a redesigned website that consolidates all Army benefits information in one location. The MyArmyBenefits website has calculators that allow Soldiers to see how much money they can expect to receive upon retirement. The site also lists information on 150 different benefits ranging from child care to education assistance.

Fact sheets are provided on a variety of Family services, recreation programs, Space-A travel, Army Emergency Relief, health care, Spouse employment assistance and many other programs. In addition, there are 54 state and territory fact sheets that break out different benefits for Soldiers who live in each state.

Very comprehensive!

Thanks to Rhonda.

Fit Club, only one day late

Welcome, Fit Clubbers!  I know Vicky, kannie & dolphingrl are in with me - what about the rest of you?

This week has been insane and my exercise & diet have surely shown that.  We've had several doctor's appointments, some Ombudsman issues, a situation with my kids' school, AND I got into a fight with my mother.  I thought the week was summarized pretty well on Wednesday, while I was doing a fitness DVD on my laptop and watching the TV trying to catch Military.com's Vince Patton on CNN.  About 20 minutes into my workout, my oldest daughter said, "Mom, I've downloaded something and now the computer won't work."  That was the end of that particular workout!  I tell you, I think it is a miracle that parents ever get any exercise at all.

I've been trying to figure out ways to make a exercise a family activity but it is really hard for me.  We do try to take family walks.  The girls are a lot slower than I want to walk, so it is better if they scooter while I walk.  My oldest has injured her shoulder so walking is painful for her - thank goodness she is old enough to stay home alone for short periods of time.  Otherwise, I'd be walking laps around my court.  (Don't laugh, I've done it before!)

TDY "Issues"

After going through two deployments, a brief, three-day TDY should be a breeze, right? And emotionally-speaking, of course, it was. My husband has been home from his trip for four days, but from the look of things, you'd think he was just getting ready to leave.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a bit *cough* anal retentive *cough.* The night before I leave for a trip -- any trip -- I clean my house from top to bottom. I hate to come home to tasks. It just feels better to come home to a clean and organized house. The night I get home from a trip, I unpack everything, put the travel bag away and get the laundry started.

Tonight on LIVEWIRE: A Journal for Jordan

Tonight on SBTR's LIVEWIRE, we'll speak with Dana Canedy about her book, A Journal for Jordan.

In 2005, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King began to write what would become a two-hundred-page journal for his son in case he did not make it home from the war in Iraq. Charles King, forty-eight, was killed on October 14, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated under his Humvee on an isolated road near Baghdad. His son, Jordan, was seven months old.

A Journal for Jordan is a mother’s letter to her son–fierce in its honesty–about the father he lost before he could even speak. It is also a father’s advice and prayers for the son he will never know.

An excerpt from the book:

And then there was the journal. Writing it would be a way for
your dad to help guide you through life if he did not make it home
to us. He wanted you to know to pick up the check on a date, to
take plenty of pictures on vacations, to have a strong work ethic,
and to pay your bills on time. He wanted to tell you how to deal
with disappointment, to understand the difference between love
and lust, to remember to get on your knees and pray every day.
Most of all, he wanted you to know how much he loved us.

So, late into the night in Iraq, after he had completed dangerous
and often deadly missions, your dad returned hungry and exhausted
to the relative calm of his room and wrote to you before he
slept. His grammar was not perfect and his handwriting at times
suggested that he was tired or rushed. But he put so much thought
into the beautiful messages he wrote, things like:

Be humble about your accomplishments, work harder
than the man next to you, it is all right for boys to cry.
Sometimes crying can release a lot of pain and stress.
Never be ashamed to cry. It has nothing to do with
your manhood.

Your father mailed the journal to me in July 2006, shortly after
one of his young soldiers was killed in an explosion eerily similar to

the one that would claim his own life. He was so shaken after
pulling the young man’s body, piece by piece, out of a bombed
tank that he sent the journal to me, unfinished. He had more to say,
but that would have to wait until he came home on a two- week
leave to meet you, six weeks before he died.

Dana's blog can be found here.

Our show begins at 8:00 p.m. EST. Click here to listen live. And don't forget to join us in the chat room.

Happenstance and History

It never ceases to amaze me just how much *the little things* can have an affect on your life.  A little over twenty years ago, the happenstance meeting between myself and the guy who had the lab stall next to mine at college didn't seem all that unusual - given that we were at a fairly popular local bar.  In fact, it was a fairly common occurrence.  Except this time, he was out with a couple of buddies.....one of whom was an old high school buddy, now a Lance Corporal of Marines, home on leave after a recent tour in Okinawa. 

And the rest, as they say, is history.....

I Love a Bargain: $349 Off!

Guess whose laptop has been crashing all day? Never a good time for that, but right now is the worst possible time. So, boy was I glad to read this. You will be too if you need a new computer, or are looking to add software to your existing computer. I'm thinking of going with a Mac but sticking with my Microsoft software. I'm told by Mac users it can be done, and I don't really have time to learn new software right now.

Off to save $349..... I like this Military Appreciation stuff!

Chatting Them Up

Air Force Guy often becomes annoyed with the amount of time it takes me to leave certain places of business.  It's not that it takes a long time to conduct business, necessarily (although sometimes it does), it's that I have a real issue with chatting people up.

You see, I chat everyone up.  I talk to the ladies at the Post Office.  I learn great things from the waitstaff at new restaurants.  I even make friends with mechanics (do you know how tough that can be when you see those darn bills for car servicing?  I just got my brakes done and *OUCH*). 

This drives AFG nuts.  What I try to explain to him, however, is that it is a completely necessary survival mechanism.

Did You Know?

AAFES 20K Fuel Contest
10 Tax Savings Tips in April
Army Suicide Prevention Program
DoDEA Suspends Reading Program
FREE Milspouse Webinar on Medical Transcription
Health System Sponsors Contest
National Nutrition Month
NMFA Camp Accepting Applications
TBI Awareness Month

More

February's Challenge: Blissful Bathrooms

The March Challenge was posted last week (and I've already received some photos). Remember that you'll need to participate in all of the challenges from March-December in order to have a shot at winning the grand prize package, which is shaping up to be something, and we're only in the third month of the challenge. The prize package so far includes:

January: A wreath-storage unit, Christmas Card Register and Gift Wrapping Station

February: A $50 gift card to Bed, Bath & Beyond, a $25 gift card to Bath & Body Works and a beautiful, monogrammed cosmetics case

March: An XM Satellite Radio and a box of Car Cleaning Wipes

Can you imagine what the final package is going to look like? Our winner is going to be a very happy lady!

Click here to read the rules.

Lots of blissful bathrooms now, thanks to the February Challenge. Just take a look:

SpouseBUZZ LIVE: Registration is Open

Just a reminder that registration for SpouseBUZZ LIVE Hampton Roads is now open. We're a little less than three weeks away from the big date and we're all anxious to get back on the road and meet more military spouses. We're also looking forward to the Lansdowne concert, which will be part of our Hampton Roads event. 

At each of our events, we've had military spouses caravan from other locations and make a girl's weekend out of it. Hampton Roads is a very manageable drive from Ft. Bragg, Camp Lejeune and the Washington, DC area. If you're located in one of these areas, consider getting some friends together and coming to the event. It'll be a memorable weekend and you may even go home with some great prizes like jewelry, appliances and even gift cards!    

Click here to register. To view our new SpouseBUZZ LIVE page, click here.

Brothers At War

Last night I was lucky enough to live in one of the cities in which the new movie Brothers At War premiered.  My husband and I showed up early and got to witness the red carpet event with director Jake Rademacher, his brothers from the movie, and Gary Sinise.

When I saw the trailer two weeks ago, I groaned.  I feared another Hollywood movie that made soldiers look like dupes and sadists.  But later when I saw that Soldiers' Angels was backing the movie, I told my husband that it had the seal of approval and that we ought to go see it.

I thought it was such a good movie.  It was laugh-out-loud funny in parts, sad in other parts, and above all it was real.  My husband said he could relate to the scenes with the soldiers, the scenes with the Iraqis, and most things in between.  And after the showing, when we had a Q&A session, the director said that if any war stories get told, they're the big battles or the major tragedies.  Instead, he wanted to show regular old soldiers just doing their job, not on the most exciting day, not on the most frightening day, but just on all those days in between.  I think he did a wonderful job, and his family has really opened their life up to America to show what we military families go through year in and year out.

If this movie comes anywhere near you, I recommend going to see it.

Feelin' Funky And Not In A Good Way

Sometimes having the funk is a good thing...as in a Parliament "We need the funk!  Gotta have that funk!" kind of way.  Other times, though, a negative, non-germ related funk envelopes you and you find yourself fighting the funk.

I'm up to my hairline in the funk and I'm asking you for some funk-busting methods.

Fit Club: First Official Post

It's Friday, and I'm here.  Yeah!  It's been a crazy week, yet I've managed to fit some exercise in here and there.  My scale hasn't noticed, and neither have my clothes, but I feel pretty good.  It seems that I've put together a nice variety of workouts that I might just be able to keep up with.

First, I've been walking a few times a week with a friend.  I enjoy walking with others so much more than walking by myself!  

As I mentioned before, I have been doing the Perfect Pushup workout.  I remember when my husband asked for Perfect Pushups for Christmas (2007) and I thought it sounded silly.  Then I watched as he did his push-ups every other day, never more than 8 minutes worth, and his body changed shape.  A lot.  It was amazing.  It was so amazing that when he couldn't fit them in his sea bag and asked me to send them, I just went online and ordered him another set so that I could keep a set as well.  Keep in mind, I have not been able to do pushups in a very long time.  I began doing the workout on my knees and was so proud of myself that I could even do that.  The workouts are fast, uncomplicated, and they seem to work.  I am still doing the workouts on my knees but I can do pushups on my feet now, and it has only been about a month.

I was also able to try the Nikki Fitness video that airforcewife loves so much.  (I finally figured out that I could play it on my computer.)  I want to write more about it, but I think I should do it a few more times first.

I can't wait to hear how you've been doing, and hear your suggestions for different kinds of exercise that work for you.  It's so nice knowing that I'm not doing this alone!

The March Challenge: Spring Cleaning, With a Twist

Yep, I'm late with this. I went out of town unexpectedly a few days ago and I'm now behind on everything I'm supposed to be working on. Oye! I will have the February photos up this weekend, but until then, it's time for the March challenge.

This just might turn out to be the easiest challenge we have all year. And if so, there's no excuse for not having 100 of you participate this month! Remember, if you have a shot a winning, and you haven't participated up until now, you will need to start now and participate in all of the remaining challenges. The rules are here.

A Touching Dedication

I received an email from my FRG this morning and was surprised to find a link to a great song (and video) that is dedicated to, and aptly titled, The Military Wife.  I was even more surprised when I realized it was a song by Soldier Hard, a To The Fallen Records artist that was featured on SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio back in Sept. 2008.   

The song was played during the show, but for those of you that missed it or would like to hear it again, you can listen right now.  There's even a link where you can access a free download of the song.

Enjoy!

DRS: Not My Finest Hour...

Today I was at the post office. The lady at the counter next to me had a lot of business to take care of. The lady in line behind her kept jiggling her keys and loudly sighing, which meant, "Hurry up, chick. You're holding me up." It is frustrating when you're trying to take care of business in a hurry, but hey, the post office is there to serve everyone's needs and you simply have to wait your turn. Finally, little Ms. Impatient decided she couldn't wait another second and made a dramatic exit, which prompted everyone to stare at her, look at each other and shake their heads.

Not sure why, but the episode reminded me of something I did when my husband was deployed. Something I'm not very proud of.

Fit Club, Sea Style

You may remember that Air Force Wife mentioned that I was going to be contributing to Fit Club.  That was several weeks months ago.  Unfortunately, I've been keeping a little busier than I'd like.    But I'm going to get on the ball, starting this week.  I think Air Force Wife usually posted updates on Fridays, but I'm just not that organized.  They're going to have to come whenever they come.  I should probably shoot for Fridays, for some accountability, but I'm not making any promises.

Since He of the Sea deployed a little over a month ago, I've been plotting my plan of attack for being skinny when he comes home.  Well, probably not skinny, but maybe a little less round.  I worked out a plan of non-food rewards at each small milestone  (check out this necklace) and I've rounded up a walking buddy.  I've been doing Perfect Pushups, which amazes me because I thought I would never do a push-up.  I do them on my knees, but the program says that is OK for beginners.  I got a copy of the Nikki Fitness Military Wife Workout but I haven't been able to do it because I've got a guest bedroom's worth of furniture currently residing in front of my TV.  I'm going to have to move that stuff somewhere else because airforcewife says it rocks.  (Plus, moving furniture counts as exercise, right?)

For those of you who have been faithfully exercising while airforcewife has been moving, remodeling and cleaning up behind sick people, Good For You!  For those of you just joining this adventure, Welcome.  I'm not sure where this journey is headed, but I hope you'll come along for the ride.

A Fresh Perspective and a Brand New Series at SpouseBUZZ: In Transition

We have a lot of "significant others" who read SpouseBUZZ. Take a look at this entry, and this one, too. Most recently, we received an email from someone who wanted to know what military life was like.

Last week, I linked to a blogger who is just beginning her journey as a Marine wife. We were curious. What would the transition be like for her? When I married a soldier, there was no such thing as a blog, so I went in wet, not knowing a single thing about military life. Today, there are many resources which can help prepare someone for military life. But does it really prepare one for the reality? Does it help? What perceptions become reality and what myths turn out to be just that - myths? Is it what you thought it would be, or is it more or less than you thought it would be? We're going to get answers to those questions and many, many more as we follow one freshly-wedded Marine wife on her journey into milspousedom.

We're pleased to announce a brand new series here at SpouseBUZZ. It's aptly titled "In Transition," and our newlywed, Loquita, will be the author of this series. Loquita will write about the transition from girlfriend to wife. This will be a fascinating first-hand account of life as a new Marine Wife. We're looking forward to reading about the peaks, the valleys and everything in between through Loquita's eyes.

Loquita is very busy right now as she's merging households, so she'll be writing when time permits.

Loquita - Welcome to SpouseBUZZ!

National Military Family Assn. Government and You E-News

For March 10, 2009

1. Coalition Asks Treasury Secretary to Ease Financial Burden on Military Credit Unions

2. DeCA and AAFES to Continue to Honor CertifiChecks Gift Certificates

3. Scholarships for Computer Literacy Courses

4. VA Announces Pilot Programs to Address Claims Processing

5. Democratic Steering Committee Welcomes Veterans and Military Organizations

6. First Lady Honors Women in the Military and Families

7. Win Free Gasoline!

Back in the Day....

Some of you may remember when something like, oh, say, volunteering, was pretty straightforward. Believe it or not, there was a time when volunteering, organizing a bake sale at the motor pool or a car wash at the gas station, and spending the funds you raised on your unit as you saw fit did not involve a twelve-step process and four hundred miles of red tape. But, as this milspouse reminds us, those were the good old days. Heh...

From the Mailbag: How to Handle the Separation

We receive email like this one from CG, all the time:

Hi. My husband is enlisting with the Army as we speak. He leaves for Basic/A.I.T in May. We have been married 12 years and have 3 young children. With him down in **** right now doing MEPS is hard on me. What can I do to help myself get through him being gone during Basic?

Most of the email asks about how to get through a deployment (more on that later), but here we have a wife who has been married for quite a while and is just starting her journey into military life. On top of the inevitable deployments she will face, she is new to military culture. When I married my husband, he was already in the Army so we didn't take the plunge together, but I would say that CG is off to a good start. The fact that I received this email tells me she has been on the internet looking for places like this one where spouses congregate to share their experiences. Plus, she's asking for suggestions, which is wonderful. I'd definitely tell her to find a virtual community and dive right in.

Anyone have advice for a wife who is just entering the ranks?

This is a perfect time for me to write more about Marc Maxwell, an Army veteran and DoD guidance counselor. Marc is the author of the fabulous book, 365 Days: Surviving Military Separation. This is a daily activity guide for the families of deployed service members, a journal and so much more. I can't recommend this highly enough for those of you who are dealing with a deployment. We spoke with Mark a couple of weeks ago on SBTR and it was an interesting conversation. Marc gave us some valuable information that I was unaware of.

The New Kids on the Block

There are so many good-byes associated with military life. Seems like we're always saying good-bye to someone, doesn't it? Training, Deployment, TDY and PCS moves. Good-bye, Good-bye, Good-bye and Good-bye.

None of the good-byes are easy, but one of the hardest is when it's time for your friends to PCS because you know you may never see them again. It's even harder if they happen to live in your neighborhood and you have to watch the moving truck pack them up and move them out.

What happens when someone new moves in the house where you made so many memories with people you grew to love? 

Dear Nikki

One of the best things I found on my Fitness Journey (which has turned out to be a long and wandering road complete with lots of mud-holes and rest stops along the way) was Nikki Fitness.  I spent a good three months floundering around without much to show for it prior to using Nikki's Military Wife Workout DVD - and then seeing results within a month was what I really needed.

Nikki has also done several SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio shows with us, and she is just full to the brim with advice that has made a huge impact on my workout.  Plus, she's just plain fun to talk to!

But I have a few things I have to get off my chest.

Dear Nikki:

Did You Know?

Reach Out and Read Program
AAFES to Honor CertifiChecks Gift Cards
Army Sponsors Getaway Sweepstakes
Free Tuition in Pennsylvania
Help For Housing Crisis
National Guard Conducts Family Survey
NEX and AT&T Introduce Phone Card
New TV Coming to Exchanges
Scholarship for Military Children

Retirement Waffle

It's been a meal served up in my house for months now, ever since we hit the 20 year mark back in September.  It's sometimes a dinner menu item, but more often - for no apparent reason - a meal we toss about in the mornings and, as a snack, right before bed.....

SpouseBUZZ LIVE in Hampton Roads, VA on April 4

Registration is now open.

We'll kick off the 2009 SpouseBUZZ LIVE tour on April 4 in Hampton Roads, Virginia. We are super-excited to go back to the area. This time, we're pretty sure we'll have better weather!

SpouseBUZZ LIVE Hampton Roads will be a little different than our past events, but in a very good way. For one thing, we'll be featuring a mini-concert. That's right, troop-supporting, USO-touring rockers Lansdowne will be playing for the military spouses of Hampton Roads, and they're pretty psyched about it. The guys are used to performing for our spouses overseas, but this time the tables will be turned. Spouses in attendance will have the opportunity throughout the day to pose for photos with the band, get their autographs and purchase their CDs.

We are charging a nominal fee of $9.99 per person for this event, but don't worry, you're going to get a huge bang for your buck. Each attendee will receive a super-nice tote, which is great on its own, but the bag will be filled with goodies, information and surprises from our sponsors, plus you'll have plenty of room to add additional gifts from the vendor booths, and raffle prizes (except the ones you can't carry, like appliances....).

We have never charged a fee for our events, but we do order food and beverages based on the number of registrations and in the past, we've had more registrations than actual attendees, so this helps us plan more accurately and it allows us to bring additional entertainment to you.

So, for $9.99, you will get a fantastic day of fun and fellowship with other military spouses, a concert, food and beverages, lots of freebies and a chance to win some really incredible raffle prizes.

Registration is now open, click here to register. We'll see you on April 4!

The full program runs from 8:45A - 3:00P and will be held at the following location:

Virginia Beach Holiday Inn Executive Center
5455 Greenwich Road
Virginia Beach, VA  23462

Agenda:

8:45 - 9:15            Registration
9:15 - 9:30            Opening Remarks by Special Guest
9:30 - 10:45          Panel #1: A Humorous Look at the Milspouse Experience  
10:45 - 11:15        Lansdowne Concert
11:15 - 12:00        Break and Vendor Stroll
12:00 - 1:15          Panel #2: Making the Most of the Milspouse Experience
1:15 - 1:30             Raffle Drawing
1:30 - 3:00            Optional break-out session: Virtual Connections, Vendor Stroll    

Deployment Bingo

I've decided that we should play a new game:  deployment bingo!  Take a piece of paper, draw 25 squares, and fill in 25 deployment gremlins:  car breaking down, plumbing leaks, emergency room visits...you know the ones.  Only include things that will someday be funny, not anything that is actually sad or painful.  See how many months it takes you to make a bingo.  Guaranteed to make you happy when you have a gas leak!

I'm taking suggestions for squares.  Put them in the comments!

Those That Came Before

I mentioned earlier that my family is visiting right now.  My father, my mother, and my 93 year old grandmother all flew in from California to see us for two weeks.  We're at the tail end of that whirlwind visit (they leave Sunday) and it's been interesting, to say the least.

First off - my Grandmother was a military spouse during WWII.  We've been talking a lot about her experiences while she has been here, and our visits to the various monuments and museums around the Washington, DC area has been a treasure trove of information (and yes, my 93 year old grandmother actually walked a three mile monument loop and then walked all through the Smithsonian and Udvar Hazy!).

For instance, we were talking about deployments...

I discovered something over the past few days...

I discovered there is NOTHING on TV during the day!  I usually work Mon thru Thurs and have Fridays off.  My Fridays are usually spent running errands, doing laundry, etc.  Not a lot of sit-down time in my life because I am a relentless busy-body who struggles with "down time."  For me, I enjoy down time after the kids are in bed and I veg out in front of the TV.  Then I read a chapter or two from whichever book I am reading and then off to dream land.  I generally have no problem falling asleep or staying asleep at night.

On Sunday my daily routine changed a bit.  I'm usually okay with change, but not when it involves pain.

You Know What's Cool?

As with every other project I've ever done, the cookbook project puts me in touch with really interesting peope (in the very best sense of the word "interesting").  I always consider this aspect to be personally  rewarding.  Now that I think about it, I met Andi under similiar circumstances.

I received an email from this gal yesterday about recipe submissions for the cookbook..                   Meet Delta Whiskey.  She's an Air Force wife, a foodie, a writer and darned good photographer.  She's also a self described "martial arts junkie".  

I have barely scratched the surface of her Barefoot Contessa posts.  I love Ina Garten's recipes and have never made something of hers that I have not loved and adopted as my own.  Delta Whiskey goes through the recipe process with running commentary AND photos of the various stages. 

How cool is that?  Seriously, go check her out!!!

Calling all Cooks

Honor Their Service is putting together a milbloggers' cookbook as a fundraiser to pay for events like our Operation Fresh Air.  Op Fresh Air is a day of fishing, food and fellowship for our wounded/injured servicemembers and their families recovering at Walter Reed/Bethesda at Leesylvania State Park.

Details below the fold.

What's On Your Shelf?

I have family visiting right now - two weeks worth of visit.  We haven't seen my 93 year old grandmother for about two years, so it's a welcome visit, although the normal stresses of doubling the number of people in a house and three adult women in the kitchen apply.

And as usually happens when people visit, our discussion turns to the books that are on the shelves covering at least two walls in every room of my house.  The discussions that arise are markedly different depending upon whether our visitors are military or civilian, and my Grandmother's experience as an Army spouse during WWII was quite a long time ago.

This leads to strange comments like, "Oh!  I see you have two of Iris Chang's books!  She was so marvelous.  It's just awful what happened to her.  And what is this?  You Can Fight Tanks With Bayonets.  That's... interesting. Hm.  And Militant Tricks?  I haven't seen that title.  Very interesting bookshelf."

"Defunct Certificates"

Will this impact you?

And So it Begins...

A girlfriend becomes a wife.

And she's already learning lesson number one - your SSN is about as relevant to the military as a mound of fire ants in India. Heh....

Burning down the house

I have never gotten around to writing the follow up to our "second honeymoon", and it was fairly uneventful, well except for the part where  I put out a fire with my bare hands. 

No Good Choices

Not long after I married my husband, one of those military milestones in which he would be recognized was about to take place. His proud parents were going to fly in to attend the ceremony. A day or two before they were to leave, his mother called to say that her mother had passed away and clearly, they wouldn't be able to come. Not only that, but my husband wouldn't be able to fly home for the funeral. It was a terrible dilemma for my husband because plans were set in stone, and there was no way to delay the ceremony. What was supposed to be a happy occasion turned out to be bittersweet.  

This weekend, we received devastating news. In the span of three hours, we learned of three deaths. Two of the three were people who were like family to both of us. They died on the same day, and we learned they would be buried on the same day, a thousand miles away from one another.

My Heart Hurts

When I wrote the other day about bearing my burden while my husband is at SERE, I had no idea that the scales would tip towards him so quickly.  He has begun his last week of the class, which means he's at the "practical application" point of survival, evasion, resistance, and escape.  And my heart hurts so bad for him because it's been pouring rain.  Just pouring.  And they're forecasting snow for tomorrow.

I know my husband is a tough guy and that he'll figure out how to get through this week, but there is nothing that hurts me more than the thought of him suffering.  I've sat here all weekend in my warm house with my electric blanket, and the sound of the unrelenting rain is just killing me.

It makes me cry to picture him trying to survive outside in this weather.  It is a far heavier burden than anything happening to me.