Just another lovely Navy Life weekend.
Of course the sailor is not home. He is out prepping for a deployment that is coming up soon.
I joke and kid that as soon as he leave its party at my house, but I know that it will not be all smiles and laughs.
I honestly wish he didn't have to go, but if he didn't want to deploy, he should not have joined the Navy.
The main reason I am afraid for him to go right now is that there s turmoil in the world, and I am really afraid we are going to end up in war, and he will be in harms way.
He tells me not to worry, his job is no where near the enemy. When they fire they are so far away, the enemy can't see them and they can't see the enemy. But it is not just him being in harms way that bothers me, it is the whole war thing.
It seems weird for such a peace loving person to be in love with someone who has a job that may involve acts of war. I personally morally disagree with the USA jumping in on other countries problems and putting our boys in harms way for some other countries problems.
The other reason I don't want him to go is simple, I will miss him.
Yes, I know, I should be used to him being gone all the time. He hasn't been home hardly at all in 2012. He's been gone almost the same amount, as he will be gone, it just came in short stretches. But when he can come home for a week here and there, it is a chance for us to spend time together and have fun. I swear, the thing I love about him is his uncanny ability to just randomly make me laugh. We can be having the most serious discussion ever, and he can just say the cutest thing and just crack me up.
I will definitely miss him making me laugh randomly.
I'm trying to make the best of it. I've made plans for his deployment. I have some things related to work that need to be handled. I also have made myself really busy with plenty of scrapbooking events.
I think I am going to be able to keep myself busy, I just still wish it was going to be easier for me to communicate with him. That is the worst part of the deployment. I will only be able to email him and he won't be able to call me very often, only when they hit port. He's not big on writing, so I know he won't get bored and actually like write me letters. I plan to write him though. I plan to overload him with mail. I plan to make sure he knows that I am constantly thinking of him and missing him.
I can live with out him. I will be fine, I can cut the grass, I can trim the hedges. I can keep the house clean.
But I just don't want to. That is the whole point of finding that perfect person to share your life with. You have someone to do all of those things with.
I just know that when he does come home, it will be absolutely wonderful.
We will have those moments again and I will be able to feel safe and just randomly laugh because he makes me feel like a kid again.
Gosh, I miss him so much. I just want to laugh for no reason.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Perfect Storm
For those of us on the East Coast, it has been the perfect storm weekend.
Hurricane Sandy decided to hit the east coast and run into some other systems causing much rain and wind on the east coast.
For my area, the main pain in the rear is the Flooding. Normally the wind causes power outages, so people are stuck in their houses with no power, and they can't leave because their street is flooded.
I got a large amount of flooding in my area, but my personal yard flooded less than when we had Irene last year.
I've lived in Virginia all my life so tropical storms and hurricanes are just another day at the office for me.
I come home and prep to be without power. We already have plenty of food that I can eat with no power. I have a power pack, so I can charge up phones or whatever when the power is out. I keep a pretty good stock of batteries too, so I can listen to the radio when the power goes out.
For those of us who have family members in the Navy, it is the customary practice to send the ships out of harms way. Unless the ship is not in a good enough shape to go, typically they go.
They can't get out of it, so there is no use bitching about it. Yes it sucks, especially when the storm comes up around a time frame when they are already scheduled to go out.
So basically on Friday, The Navy gave him about 4 hours off to handle their business, and then they had to go back to the ship. Of course, I am stuck at work and I can't get off to see him.
He comes to work and brings me flowers and cake. He brought me flowers because he said he was sorry he was going out to sea. He really didn't need to apologize, it is not like he did something on purpose. It is a hurricane!
So I didn't get to see him, just long enough to get my flowers.
I came home from work and make sure that I had what I needed for the storm and I was good. I didn't need to go anywhere Friday.
I decided that since I am so far behind on my scrapbooking, and I had just got 200 pictures printed all from 2010, I was going to stay home all weekend and scrapbook.
I have been doing plenty of workshops in 2012, but most of them I am just so busy working, I just have not had any time to sit down and work on my own albums. So having this weekend at home was a blessing.
Friday night I was able to go through all of my pictures from Medieval Times and then scrpabook four pages. Which was great!
Saturday was my nephew's last baseball game so I went to that and then took my niece and nephew out to lunch after the game. I enjoy being able to do that with them once in awhile. The storm had started moving in, and it had started raining by the time lunch was over.
After lunch, I headed to the grocery store. The local store had picked this weekend to double coupons up to $2, so I decided to go on a couponing trip. I went and did that and got some stuff to stock up. After that, I was done and just decided to come home.
Not even 5 minutes after getting home, a friend called and her and her husband ended up coming over for several hours. It was raining and a little windy, but the worst of the storm wasn't here yet. When they left around 8pm or so, I went next store and hung out with my neighbors for a couple hours.
Sunday, I made up my mind since I did not get any scrapbooking done on Saturday I was going to make up ground!
Which I did. I got about 18 pages done Sunday, I finished Medieval Times completely and I cropped all of the pictures for the next few things.
My employer rarely closes for anything but for some reason they were closed today for the storm since many roads were flooded. So I just decided that since parts of my street were flooded and closed by the city, I was going to just stay home all day and not run any errands at all. I made up my mind that I was going to enjoy the day. I slept in a bit, I did a few things around the house, but I did get some scrapbooking and organizing done.
Well unfortuantely, the home bound scrapbook weekend is over and now I have to go to bed and prep to go back to work tomorrow.
I have no idea if when I will see the sailor. He may come home tomorrow, but with his work schedule, and the fact that I am going out of town Thursday through Sunday. I have no idea what he is doing. It does kind of stink, but I understand it is his job, and I am not mad about it.
So I guess I need to stop blogging and get my act together for work tomorrow.
Hurricane Sandy decided to hit the east coast and run into some other systems causing much rain and wind on the east coast.
For my area, the main pain in the rear is the Flooding. Normally the wind causes power outages, so people are stuck in their houses with no power, and they can't leave because their street is flooded.
I got a large amount of flooding in my area, but my personal yard flooded less than when we had Irene last year.
I've lived in Virginia all my life so tropical storms and hurricanes are just another day at the office for me.
I come home and prep to be without power. We already have plenty of food that I can eat with no power. I have a power pack, so I can charge up phones or whatever when the power is out. I keep a pretty good stock of batteries too, so I can listen to the radio when the power goes out.
For those of us who have family members in the Navy, it is the customary practice to send the ships out of harms way. Unless the ship is not in a good enough shape to go, typically they go.
They can't get out of it, so there is no use bitching about it. Yes it sucks, especially when the storm comes up around a time frame when they are already scheduled to go out.
So basically on Friday, The Navy gave him about 4 hours off to handle their business, and then they had to go back to the ship. Of course, I am stuck at work and I can't get off to see him.
He comes to work and brings me flowers and cake. He brought me flowers because he said he was sorry he was going out to sea. He really didn't need to apologize, it is not like he did something on purpose. It is a hurricane!
So I didn't get to see him, just long enough to get my flowers.
I came home from work and make sure that I had what I needed for the storm and I was good. I didn't need to go anywhere Friday.
I decided that since I am so far behind on my scrapbooking, and I had just got 200 pictures printed all from 2010, I was going to stay home all weekend and scrapbook.
I have been doing plenty of workshops in 2012, but most of them I am just so busy working, I just have not had any time to sit down and work on my own albums. So having this weekend at home was a blessing.
Friday night I was able to go through all of my pictures from Medieval Times and then scrpabook four pages. Which was great!
Saturday was my nephew's last baseball game so I went to that and then took my niece and nephew out to lunch after the game. I enjoy being able to do that with them once in awhile. The storm had started moving in, and it had started raining by the time lunch was over.
After lunch, I headed to the grocery store. The local store had picked this weekend to double coupons up to $2, so I decided to go on a couponing trip. I went and did that and got some stuff to stock up. After that, I was done and just decided to come home.
Not even 5 minutes after getting home, a friend called and her and her husband ended up coming over for several hours. It was raining and a little windy, but the worst of the storm wasn't here yet. When they left around 8pm or so, I went next store and hung out with my neighbors for a couple hours.
Sunday, I made up my mind since I did not get any scrapbooking done on Saturday I was going to make up ground!
Which I did. I got about 18 pages done Sunday, I finished Medieval Times completely and I cropped all of the pictures for the next few things.
My employer rarely closes for anything but for some reason they were closed today for the storm since many roads were flooded. So I just decided that since parts of my street were flooded and closed by the city, I was going to just stay home all day and not run any errands at all. I made up my mind that I was going to enjoy the day. I slept in a bit, I did a few things around the house, but I did get some scrapbooking and organizing done.
Well unfortuantely, the home bound scrapbook weekend is over and now I have to go to bed and prep to go back to work tomorrow.
I have no idea if when I will see the sailor. He may come home tomorrow, but with his work schedule, and the fact that I am going out of town Thursday through Sunday. I have no idea what he is doing. It does kind of stink, but I understand it is his job, and I am not mad about it.
So I guess I need to stop blogging and get my act together for work tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Our Dog
About 2 months ago, our dog started showing signs of her age big time. She would be 12 in November, Chinese Shar Pei's typically do not live past 12. She's been suffering with vision loss for a year, and has been totally blind for at least 6 months.
She got around just fine, she knew where everything was in our house. However, about a good two months ago, she started acting more feeble, acting tired, and acting old.
She no longer wanted to go on walks, she barely ate, no matter what we fed her, and she started having a hard time going in and out of the doggy door. She would have to take a couple steps and get her balance to go out of the door.
Several times from her behavior, I wondered if she was having problems with her hearing. The lawn mower didn't seem to bother her, and she no longer barked at the door bell.
Well, we went away for 2 nights and when we came home, she was having an issue where she was dragging one of her back legs when she walked. She would drag it for a bit and then she would walk fairly normally. We kind of just chalked it up to arthritis. But we started the end of life discussion.
Yesterday, early in the evening she was dragging the leg again, but later in the evening, we noticed that she was trying to walk, but her back 2 legs were not working and she was basically dragging them. She stood up a couple times on her own, but couldn't take more than a step. We could not really determine what it was that started this, but before we went to bed it was clear that she wasn't going to walk normally again.
Apparently the back part of her body lost all feeling. She was peeing on herself because she lost all control of her bladder.
We made the decision that we couldn't wait until we were both available to both be there. We had to do it the next day. So today when I got up this morning, I knew what I had to do.
She seemed ok, that is the weird part. She was up looking around watching me walk around in the morning, but I noticed her back legs were still positioned the same way, she couldn't stand, and she wouldn't move.
I went to work and came home at noon to take her to the vet. I chose an emergency place that would not require and appointment and would do it without questioning me. I came home and changed clothes. She had moved some. She was trying to slide with her 2 front paws, but she just couldn't get very far.
I wrapped her up in a towel, because she had no control of her bladder and I did not want urine all over my car, and then I put her in the back of my SUV.
She was never a "pick me up" kind of dog. But today when I wrapped her up in the towel and picked her up, I felt her really hug into me, as if to say, "Its OK". She knew where she was going, I got to the place and went in and filled out the paperwork before bringing her in. She has never liked other dogs, and since she could not stand, I just left her in my truck while I filled out the paper work. All she could do was lay there so I was afraid of her getting out.
It took a few minutes to fill out the paper work and discuss what I wanted. Then the vet staff went out with me to get her. She was so skinny I had no problems carrying her, but they carried her for me.
They put me in a room and explained what would happen. I of course was crying my eyes out. I got through the paper work with out crying, until the very end.
They took Tyra and put a catheter in her in another room. The doc explained what the procedure is. Then they brought her in to me. They had covered her with a towel from the vet and they let me be with her alone for a few minutes. She knew what was coming. I could tell, she was letting me know she was ready.
I however, was not ready.
The vets came back in and I held her. She kind of looked in the general direction of her leg, like she knew something was going on, then looked back at me, and then fell asleep.
It was quick and I felt the relief from her that it was over.
Why is it that my dog was ready to die, but I was not ready to let her go?
After the vet office, I went to my car and just cried and cried. I went back to work because I really did not want to go home and see an empty bed, or her food bowls.
After work, I came home and took care of getting rid of her bed, blanket, leashes, etc. We have some unopened food that I will donate to a shelter.
She had been there for me, through thick and thin, morning noon and night, whenever I needed her.
I felt so bad for her to loose her ability to walk or move. But I was still not ready to let her go.
I have no idea how I am supposed to sleep tonight. I am used to getting up in the night 2-3 times with her to let her out. I am sure I will hear her scratching at the door.
Of course, today was duty day and I have had to deal with loosing our dog, all by myself. He was not able to leave the ship at all. I have talked to him, so he does know what happened.
I really wish that she could have lasted one more day, I wish that he could have been there to say goodbye. I can't even imagine how he is dealing with her loss, knowing that he wasn't there.
I am going to bed now. Hopefully, her scratching at the door in my mind won't wake me up.
She got around just fine, she knew where everything was in our house. However, about a good two months ago, she started acting more feeble, acting tired, and acting old.
She no longer wanted to go on walks, she barely ate, no matter what we fed her, and she started having a hard time going in and out of the doggy door. She would have to take a couple steps and get her balance to go out of the door.
Several times from her behavior, I wondered if she was having problems with her hearing. The lawn mower didn't seem to bother her, and she no longer barked at the door bell.
Well, we went away for 2 nights and when we came home, she was having an issue where she was dragging one of her back legs when she walked. She would drag it for a bit and then she would walk fairly normally. We kind of just chalked it up to arthritis. But we started the end of life discussion.
Yesterday, early in the evening she was dragging the leg again, but later in the evening, we noticed that she was trying to walk, but her back 2 legs were not working and she was basically dragging them. She stood up a couple times on her own, but couldn't take more than a step. We could not really determine what it was that started this, but before we went to bed it was clear that she wasn't going to walk normally again.
Apparently the back part of her body lost all feeling. She was peeing on herself because she lost all control of her bladder.
We made the decision that we couldn't wait until we were both available to both be there. We had to do it the next day. So today when I got up this morning, I knew what I had to do.
She seemed ok, that is the weird part. She was up looking around watching me walk around in the morning, but I noticed her back legs were still positioned the same way, she couldn't stand, and she wouldn't move.
I went to work and came home at noon to take her to the vet. I chose an emergency place that would not require and appointment and would do it without questioning me. I came home and changed clothes. She had moved some. She was trying to slide with her 2 front paws, but she just couldn't get very far.
I wrapped her up in a towel, because she had no control of her bladder and I did not want urine all over my car, and then I put her in the back of my SUV.
She was never a "pick me up" kind of dog. But today when I wrapped her up in the towel and picked her up, I felt her really hug into me, as if to say, "Its OK". She knew where she was going, I got to the place and went in and filled out the paperwork before bringing her in. She has never liked other dogs, and since she could not stand, I just left her in my truck while I filled out the paper work. All she could do was lay there so I was afraid of her getting out.
It took a few minutes to fill out the paper work and discuss what I wanted. Then the vet staff went out with me to get her. She was so skinny I had no problems carrying her, but they carried her for me.
They put me in a room and explained what would happen. I of course was crying my eyes out. I got through the paper work with out crying, until the very end.
They took Tyra and put a catheter in her in another room. The doc explained what the procedure is. Then they brought her in to me. They had covered her with a towel from the vet and they let me be with her alone for a few minutes. She knew what was coming. I could tell, she was letting me know she was ready.
I however, was not ready.
The vets came back in and I held her. She kind of looked in the general direction of her leg, like she knew something was going on, then looked back at me, and then fell asleep.
It was quick and I felt the relief from her that it was over.
Why is it that my dog was ready to die, but I was not ready to let her go?
After the vet office, I went to my car and just cried and cried. I went back to work because I really did not want to go home and see an empty bed, or her food bowls.
After work, I came home and took care of getting rid of her bed, blanket, leashes, etc. We have some unopened food that I will donate to a shelter.
She had been there for me, through thick and thin, morning noon and night, whenever I needed her.
I felt so bad for her to loose her ability to walk or move. But I was still not ready to let her go.
I have no idea how I am supposed to sleep tonight. I am used to getting up in the night 2-3 times with her to let her out. I am sure I will hear her scratching at the door.
Of course, today was duty day and I have had to deal with loosing our dog, all by myself. He was not able to leave the ship at all. I have talked to him, so he does know what happened.
I really wish that she could have lasted one more day, I wish that he could have been there to say goodbye. I can't even imagine how he is dealing with her loss, knowing that he wasn't there.
I am going to bed now. Hopefully, her scratching at the door in my mind won't wake me up.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Such Is Life
I haven't been updating much because I really feel like I haven't had anything to update about.
My life got increasingly better as I was working out and changing the way that I was eating. However, 6 weeks into it, I have been struck with ridiculous headache pain. It has been constant and chronic.
I haven't been able to do anything that I would normally do. I haven't been able to exercise, bend forward, be in the extreme heat or cold. I haven't been able to do much of anything at all without screaming headache pain.
I have seen my regular doctor, the neurologist and I am working on some other specialists, just waiting for insurance to approve it.
Unfortunately, I have an HMO that approves very little, so the fact that my brain feels like it is going to explode 24/7 is not that big of a deal to them. I worry I may have something that is causing permanent damage, but my insurance doesn't care.
On top of the fact that my brain is exploding, it has been a trying time for my sailor and I. He is under a large amount of stress, his work is crazy. So needless to say, he is not in the best mood all of the time. I try to just realize that it is not that he is mad at me, but just deal with it the best that I can.
We are at a weird point in our relationship. We have been together for over 4 yrs, but we are not at the point where we are talking about marriage or planning a wedding. I think we are at a point to where we need to decide if that is actually what we want or not.
The problem is, that with my head non stop hurting and his job totally stressing him out, we are not remotely in a normal situation. We are not just living our regular life. Things are way different.
I hope that here pretty soon the doctors can get to the bottom of what is causing my head pain and his craziness will slow down for a couple months.
Hopefully then we can get back to what we need to talk about.
For now, we are both just sort of treading water.
My life got increasingly better as I was working out and changing the way that I was eating. However, 6 weeks into it, I have been struck with ridiculous headache pain. It has been constant and chronic.
I haven't been able to do anything that I would normally do. I haven't been able to exercise, bend forward, be in the extreme heat or cold. I haven't been able to do much of anything at all without screaming headache pain.
I have seen my regular doctor, the neurologist and I am working on some other specialists, just waiting for insurance to approve it.
Unfortunately, I have an HMO that approves very little, so the fact that my brain feels like it is going to explode 24/7 is not that big of a deal to them. I worry I may have something that is causing permanent damage, but my insurance doesn't care.
On top of the fact that my brain is exploding, it has been a trying time for my sailor and I. He is under a large amount of stress, his work is crazy. So needless to say, he is not in the best mood all of the time. I try to just realize that it is not that he is mad at me, but just deal with it the best that I can.
We are at a weird point in our relationship. We have been together for over 4 yrs, but we are not at the point where we are talking about marriage or planning a wedding. I think we are at a point to where we need to decide if that is actually what we want or not.
The problem is, that with my head non stop hurting and his job totally stressing him out, we are not remotely in a normal situation. We are not just living our regular life. Things are way different.
I hope that here pretty soon the doctors can get to the bottom of what is causing my head pain and his craziness will slow down for a couple months.
Hopefully then we can get back to what we need to talk about.
For now, we are both just sort of treading water.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Make Yourself Happy With What You Have
There comes many times in Military life when you encounter people who know it all, and know everything about military life and they chastise you for your choices.
Not every marriage or relationship works the same, we do not question this when both parties are civilian, but we do not hesitate to judge when one part of the couple is military.
Make yourself happy with what you have. Whatever works for you in your relationship, let that work. Do not feel like you have to change your life or how you do things just to be like someone else.
This is especially true with finances. Figure out a way to handle the money that makes sense for both of you. If it works, then let it work. The important thing is that everything is being handled.
The hardest thing for me to deal with is the military wives who are different from me, and yet insist on shoving their shit down my throat. I'm not you lady.
The military IS HIS JOB. It does nothing for me. It provides me with nothing but headaches.
My situation is completely different than most and I realize that complete independence is rare. I refuse to be lumped in and meshed with this ideal that I am a military wife and this is my life. Blah Blah Blah.
My life is what I make it. With or without his job.
The military is his job and it has nothing to do with me. It does not change my political opinions, it does not change the person I am, it is just his job.
The day will come when he is no longer in the military and this craziness will be over.
I'm tired of being lumped with a bunch of crazy drama rama mamas who clearly need help.
Not every marriage or relationship works the same, we do not question this when both parties are civilian, but we do not hesitate to judge when one part of the couple is military.
Make yourself happy with what you have. Whatever works for you in your relationship, let that work. Do not feel like you have to change your life or how you do things just to be like someone else.
This is especially true with finances. Figure out a way to handle the money that makes sense for both of you. If it works, then let it work. The important thing is that everything is being handled.
The hardest thing for me to deal with is the military wives who are different from me, and yet insist on shoving their shit down my throat. I'm not you lady.
The military IS HIS JOB. It does nothing for me. It provides me with nothing but headaches.
My situation is completely different than most and I realize that complete independence is rare. I refuse to be lumped in and meshed with this ideal that I am a military wife and this is my life. Blah Blah Blah.
My life is what I make it. With or without his job.
The military is his job and it has nothing to do with me. It does not change my political opinions, it does not change the person I am, it is just his job.
The day will come when he is no longer in the military and this craziness will be over.
I'm tired of being lumped with a bunch of crazy drama rama mamas who clearly need help.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Turn About Is Fair Play
I totally have been out of the loop of blogging here lately. My life has been a literal shit storm in the middle of a tornado. I haven't had time to think about anything funny or witty that sucks or is great about military life, because I have just been too busy living it.
The sailor is on one of those rotations where they are working like crazy to get prepped for inspections. Everything has to be in perfect working, safety condition and pass inspection, so they can deploy.
I am sure there are a handful who want something to break, so they dont have to go, but that is not really how it works. If something breaks, they will bust ass until it gets fixed.
So this means that he is working an extremely unreasonable schedule. He goes in at the same time everyday, but he has no idea what time he is getting off. It could be 4pm, it could be 6pm or it could be 10pm. Apparently they Navy does not give a shit that we have plans.
So the number one thing I have learned by going through other fun times like this is that to not buy any tickets to anything, do not spend any money on anything fun that cannot be refunded. Too many times the Navy has cancelled leave, changed schedules and we are left holding the financial bag because we can't get refunds for whatever we spent money on.
Not only has my life been a shit storm because of his crazy schedule, but weird things have been going on at work and I have had weird odd things that I am working on in the evenings when I am at home. I have a hard time writing documentation at work because I cannot concentrate. So I try to do it when I am not in the office.
This week, something is happening that has not happened in over 4 years, he is at home, all alone for a WHOLE WEEK!
My employer sent me to another state for a week long training class. He took me to airport on Sunday.
Of course the entire time we are walking down the hallway, he is making this "I'm going to cry" puppy face. I've traveled for business before, he has either been out to sea, or it was only 2 days.
He leaves me at home all alone for weeks on end, but this is the first time that the shoe is on the other foot.
He is not a messy person, so if anything the house will be cleaner when I get home than when I left. But I do worry about little details like taking the trash out, and feeding the dog. He hasn't had to worry about that in so long. He just comes home eats and sleeps. Thats about all he has time to do.
Turn about is fair play, I finally got the chance to leave him at home, and he is not liking it. He was missing me before I even got off the airplane.
Many times in this relationship I have gone to the airport and waited patiently to pick him up after his flight, Friday night, Turn about becomes fair play and he gets to wait on me.
Its a small revenge, but I will take it!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Top 10 Lessons Learned
Today's Blog Post is not mine. It was well written by a friend and Army Wife. My friend Lauren has experienced the ups and downs of life with an active duty spouse and reserve spouse, and dealing with our arch nemesis, the Deployment.
This post is dedicated to all of us family members who have to joy of staying home and watching everything fall to shit.
Thanks for the post Lauren!
Since the deployment is officially over I decided to share the top 10 lessons I learned over the last year. Most were expensive and frustrating at the time but are now amusing to look back on and know even though I had plenty of "Army Wife Fail" moments I got through it and came out much stronger on the other end.
1. Your husband typically mows the grass once a week, not once a month. If you wait
This post is dedicated to all of us family members who have to joy of staying home and watching everything fall to shit.
Thanks for the post Lauren!
Since the deployment is officially over I decided to share the top 10 lessons I learned over the last year. Most were expensive and frustrating at the time but are now amusing to look back on and know even though I had plenty of "Army Wife Fail" moments I got through it and came out much stronger on the other end.
1. Your husband typically mows the grass once a week, not once a month. If you wait
a month and run over a pole because you didn’t see it through the jungle of grass, you WILL break your lawn mower.
2. When you break the lawn mower, you ignore the shed in the backyard. Ignoring the shed in the backyard will result in rat infestations that will ruin the shed. Rats are pretty nasty.
3. When your husband tells you to change the air filter in the HVAC unit every 3 months you should ignore him and read the package. Or, you can pay an emergency repair man to tell you you’re supposed to change it once a month when the motor goes out in the middle of the night when it's 100 degrees outside.
4. The Police don’t care if you just talked to your husband that you haven’t talked to in FOREVER and are so excited that you completely forget to watch your speed. Speeding will result in a ticket. VA takes speeding very seriously. Don’t speed in VA.
5. When the Army says your husband will be home for R&R on March 10th you should use the following equation to determine when he will really be home: Date the Army said + 2x + #the Army is full of crap= nobody knows when the hell he will actually be home. Keep calm and drink some rum.
6. It does not matter when your husband leaves or how long he is gone for. As soon as he leaves something major will go wrong. For example, there is a hurricane that you are completely unprepared for on the day he boards a plane for Afghanistan. This means taking down the 10 foot canopy, disassembling the swing, emptying the water barrels, evacuating yourself and the animals and then coming home to throw out all the food in 2 refrigerators and a freezer, and finding someone to repair the fence and water barrels by yourself. By the way, if you choose the cheapest repair guy your fence will end up totally jacked up.
7. It is frowned upon by the DMV to let the registration on your vehicle expire because you totally forgot you had to take care of your husband’s vehicle.
8. Speaking of forgetting your husband's car, if you forget to start said car the battery will die. You will realize the battery is dead on a rainy Saturday when you need that car and will need to jump the car in the rain after googling "will you get shocked if you jump a car in the rain?"
9. A year spent dreaming about the "perfect" reunion where your husband (in uniform) scoops you up, spins you around and kisses you for the first time in months while the photographer captures the perfect photo is laughable. LAUGHABLE! Driving 10 hours (unexpectedly with about 1 hour notice) round-trip to see him for less than 24 hours and pulling in to a dark parking lot in the rain is more like it.
10. Good friends and amazingly supportive family will get you through it all….the days you literally ache from the pain of missing him, when you hate him for leaving you, during the emotional meltdowns, in the moments of anticipation, excitement and frustration waiting for him to return and all the insane times in between. Thank you to all the wonderful people that have been there for me during the last year. You're the only reason I made it through this and stayed semi-sane.
2. When you break the lawn mower, you ignore the shed in the backyard. Ignoring the shed in the backyard will result in rat infestations that will ruin the shed. Rats are pretty nasty.
3. When your husband tells you to change the air filter in the HVAC unit every 3 months you should ignore him and read the package. Or, you can pay an emergency repair man to tell you you’re supposed to change it once a month when the motor goes out in the middle of the night when it's 100 degrees outside.
4. The Police don’t care if you just talked to your husband that you haven’t talked to in FOREVER and are so excited that you completely forget to watch your speed. Speeding will result in a ticket. VA takes speeding very seriously. Don’t speed in VA.
5. When the Army says your husband will be home for R&R on March 10th you should use the following equation to determine when he will really be home: Date the Army said + 2x + #the Army is full of crap= nobody knows when the hell he will actually be home. Keep calm and drink some rum.
6. It does not matter when your husband leaves or how long he is gone for. As soon as he leaves something major will go wrong. For example, there is a hurricane that you are completely unprepared for on the day he boards a plane for Afghanistan. This means taking down the 10 foot canopy, disassembling the swing, emptying the water barrels, evacuating yourself and the animals and then coming home to throw out all the food in 2 refrigerators and a freezer, and finding someone to repair the fence and water barrels by yourself. By the way, if you choose the cheapest repair guy your fence will end up totally jacked up.
7. It is frowned upon by the DMV to let the registration on your vehicle expire because you totally forgot you had to take care of your husband’s vehicle.
8. Speaking of forgetting your husband's car, if you forget to start said car the battery will die. You will realize the battery is dead on a rainy Saturday when you need that car and will need to jump the car in the rain after googling "will you get shocked if you jump a car in the rain?"
9. A year spent dreaming about the "perfect" reunion where your husband (in uniform) scoops you up, spins you around and kisses you for the first time in months while the photographer captures the perfect photo is laughable. LAUGHABLE! Driving 10 hours (unexpectedly with about 1 hour notice) round-trip to see him for less than 24 hours and pulling in to a dark parking lot in the rain is more like it.
10. Good friends and amazingly supportive family will get you through it all….the days you literally ache from the pain of missing him, when you hate him for leaving you, during the emotional meltdowns, in the moments of anticipation, excitement and frustration waiting for him to return and all the insane times in between. Thank you to all the wonderful people that have been there for me during the last year. You're the only reason I made it through this and stayed semi-sane.
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Deployment Blues
Deployments Suck ... Period. End of statement. They are the worst part of any military career. The worst part of the deployment is not what everyone thinks.
Yes, deployments separate our sailors from home, family, their favorite food, their dog, their life, their favorite truck, regular TV, and many many other things, but the separation is NOT the worst part. It is the togetherness.
Whenever underways, cruises, workups, or deployments are scheduled, I thank God out loud that it is NOT ME going on that.
Wives tend to moan and groan, "Oh feel sorry for me, he's gone" ... "He's gone, I am all alone, I have to do everything by myself" ... "He is so lucky, he is visiting foreign countries"
Uh, NO
The hardest part of the deployment is NOT sitting at home and waiting for him, it is not having to deal with the house, the dog and the kids by yourself, the hardest part of the deployment is what HE is going through.
If you work full time, you go to work, you work 8 hours a day, you come home. End of story. Unfortunately, on deployment you are trapped 24/7 with 300 plus assholes you can't stand.
Seriously? Me being at home is supposed to be WORSE than him trapped on the ship? No way.
There is NO WAY that I could handle being stuck at work 24/7 for a WEEK let alone 7 months straight. At the end of an 8 hour day, I HAVE to go home or I am going to seriously hurt myself or someone else.
When they are underway, and when they are in port, there is no such thing as an 8 hour day. They normally work 12-18 hour days. They get very few hours off in which they still have to deal with the people they work with, eat the crappy food on the ship, (if they are lucky enough to not be working during meal time), find time to go workout with the coworkers that annoy them, then go shower and sleep, still surrounded by people they work with.
When they finally pull in to some cool port and they get to take a tour and see someplace new, Guess What? You can't leave the ship by yourself, pick one of the assholes you work with that you are the least likely to choke the shit out of, and take him with you.
Sure, I would love to see all of these foreign countries and wonderful destinations, but there is no way in hell I am going on a field trip with my coworkers.
I complain he is gone, I hate having to deal with the house, the dog, the yard, and all the household stuff by myself, while he is gone, It Sucks.
But what he is going through Sucks 1,000 times more. So I just put on my happy face, watch the clock, and Thank GOD that at 5pm I get to go home and sleep in MY BED, and I do not have to spend 24/7 with coworkers.
I pray every night that he is OK, he gets enough to eat, he gets enough sleep and he gets a few hours off to relax or exercise.
I'm thankful for what I have. I am VERY thankful for him in my life. I love him more and more each day. I'm also very thankful he is a much stronger person than I am.
Yes, deployments separate our sailors from home, family, their favorite food, their dog, their life, their favorite truck, regular TV, and many many other things, but the separation is NOT the worst part. It is the togetherness.
Whenever underways, cruises, workups, or deployments are scheduled, I thank God out loud that it is NOT ME going on that.
Wives tend to moan and groan, "Oh feel sorry for me, he's gone" ... "He's gone, I am all alone, I have to do everything by myself" ... "He is so lucky, he is visiting foreign countries"
Uh, NO
The hardest part of the deployment is NOT sitting at home and waiting for him, it is not having to deal with the house, the dog and the kids by yourself, the hardest part of the deployment is what HE is going through.
If you work full time, you go to work, you work 8 hours a day, you come home. End of story. Unfortunately, on deployment you are trapped 24/7 with 300 plus assholes you can't stand.
Seriously? Me being at home is supposed to be WORSE than him trapped on the ship? No way.
There is NO WAY that I could handle being stuck at work 24/7 for a WEEK let alone 7 months straight. At the end of an 8 hour day, I HAVE to go home or I am going to seriously hurt myself or someone else.
When they are underway, and when they are in port, there is no such thing as an 8 hour day. They normally work 12-18 hour days. They get very few hours off in which they still have to deal with the people they work with, eat the crappy food on the ship, (if they are lucky enough to not be working during meal time), find time to go workout with the coworkers that annoy them, then go shower and sleep, still surrounded by people they work with.
When they finally pull in to some cool port and they get to take a tour and see someplace new, Guess What? You can't leave the ship by yourself, pick one of the assholes you work with that you are the least likely to choke the shit out of, and take him with you.
Sure, I would love to see all of these foreign countries and wonderful destinations, but there is no way in hell I am going on a field trip with my coworkers.
I complain he is gone, I hate having to deal with the house, the dog, the yard, and all the household stuff by myself, while he is gone, It Sucks.
But what he is going through Sucks 1,000 times more. So I just put on my happy face, watch the clock, and Thank GOD that at 5pm I get to go home and sleep in MY BED, and I do not have to spend 24/7 with coworkers.
I pray every night that he is OK, he gets enough to eat, he gets enough sleep and he gets a few hours off to relax or exercise.
I'm thankful for what I have. I am VERY thankful for him in my life. I love him more and more each day. I'm also very thankful he is a much stronger person than I am.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Preparing your Electronics for Upcoming Deployment
No one really likes to think about an upcoming deployment. When a deployment is looming on the schedule, it means lots of extra work for the crew. Getting a ship ready for a deployment is an enormous amount of work. Sometimes as the family who stays home, we tend to think that we have the worst end being at home, but the extended hours and extended work really do take a toll on our sailors.
While all of these wonderful things are going on 6-12 months prior to a deployment, we often forget little things that we can do ahead of time, and everything gets made "last minute".
I'm going to write a few tips about things dealing with your personal electronics that can be done ahead of time.
- Cell Service. Who doesn't have a cell phone today? Well most are not just a phone, but are also a smart phone. Typically, before when the sailor left he would just turn in his phone or suspend his line, now carriers are making things more reasonable.
- Contact the carrier and find out about international cards or international as needed service. It may or may not work with your budget.
- Some carriers will sell or allow cards to be purchased that will allow the phone to work internationally.
- Cell Phones aren't just phones! Since most phones are smart phones, you have the options to add contacts, calendars, music, photos, etc to the phone. Even if you have cut off service to the phone, it will still work as a MP3 player, calendar and some will get Wifi. Use the time before he leaves to beef up these features. Go through the contacts and make sure you not only have everyone's phone number, but address as well. Mom would love a post card or 2 while you are gone. Use the phone as your personal calendar and electronic contacts. Make sure important dates like birthdays and anniversaries are all in the calendar so there is no excuse to forget.
- Don't forget Wifi! Most newer phones have the ability to work on Wifi for places that a cell signal is not available. If your current phone doesn't have this, look for it if you upgrade. Wifi on the phone means that even with no service, the phone could be used for email if it is on Wifi. Install an app like SKYPE and you can make calls when on Wifi. Granted, not every one, or every job has access to Wifi, so some will not have a benefit from this at all.
-Make sure for any electronics that he will be take with him, you have the item registered with the manufacturer and you have the serial number recorded. Especially things like MP3 players, and tablets. Hopefully, nothing becomes lost or stolen while he is gone. But if you have recorded the serial numbers, it will make it easier to report. Take pictures of everything as well.
It is always easy to say, oh nothing will happen.
But trust me, electronics are lost and stolen everyday Be Prepared!
While all of these wonderful things are going on 6-12 months prior to a deployment, we often forget little things that we can do ahead of time, and everything gets made "last minute".
I'm going to write a few tips about things dealing with your personal electronics that can be done ahead of time.
- Cell Service. Who doesn't have a cell phone today? Well most are not just a phone, but are also a smart phone. Typically, before when the sailor left he would just turn in his phone or suspend his line, now carriers are making things more reasonable.
- Contact the carrier and find out about international cards or international as needed service. It may or may not work with your budget.
- Some carriers will sell or allow cards to be purchased that will allow the phone to work internationally.
- Cell Phones aren't just phones! Since most phones are smart phones, you have the options to add contacts, calendars, music, photos, etc to the phone. Even if you have cut off service to the phone, it will still work as a MP3 player, calendar and some will get Wifi. Use the time before he leaves to beef up these features. Go through the contacts and make sure you not only have everyone's phone number, but address as well. Mom would love a post card or 2 while you are gone. Use the phone as your personal calendar and electronic contacts. Make sure important dates like birthdays and anniversaries are all in the calendar so there is no excuse to forget.
- Don't forget Wifi! Most newer phones have the ability to work on Wifi for places that a cell signal is not available. If your current phone doesn't have this, look for it if you upgrade. Wifi on the phone means that even with no service, the phone could be used for email if it is on Wifi. Install an app like SKYPE and you can make calls when on Wifi. Granted, not every one, or every job has access to Wifi, so some will not have a benefit from this at all.
-Make sure for any electronics that he will be take with him, you have the item registered with the manufacturer and you have the serial number recorded. Especially things like MP3 players, and tablets. Hopefully, nothing becomes lost or stolen while he is gone. But if you have recorded the serial numbers, it will make it easier to report. Take pictures of everything as well.
It is always easy to say, oh nothing will happen.
But trust me, electronics are lost and stolen everyday Be Prepared!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Veterans Day Challenge
As if dealing with 3 chronic pain diseases, a full time job, a part time job, and trying to have a life isn't enough going on, I've taken on a ridiculous challenge.
I decided that I was going to make Veterans Day cards for those Veterans in the hospital here at Portsmouth Naval and the VA Hospital in Hampton.
At first I was thinking I would make about 100, but it has grown to my goal of 1,111. Veterans Day is 11-11.
I've started the first few steps. I've let most of the people around me know what is going on and I am trying to recruit as much help as possible. The biggest part of the project is what I am working on now which is pretty much cutting out all of the individual cards, and the decorations for the cards.
So now I am in phase one, which is cutting out the pieces and the cards. This weekend while my wonderful sailor is in NYC for fleet week, having a wonderful time, I will be covered in glue, ink, and paper cuts while I work on making cards.
I decided that I was going to make Veterans Day cards for those Veterans in the hospital here at Portsmouth Naval and the VA Hospital in Hampton.
At first I was thinking I would make about 100, but it has grown to my goal of 1,111. Veterans Day is 11-11.
I've started the first few steps. I've let most of the people around me know what is going on and I am trying to recruit as much help as possible. The biggest part of the project is what I am working on now which is pretty much cutting out all of the individual cards, and the decorations for the cards.
So now I am in phase one, which is cutting out the pieces and the cards. This weekend while my wonderful sailor is in NYC for fleet week, having a wonderful time, I will be covered in glue, ink, and paper cuts while I work on making cards.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Cuts and Promotions
Normally, I try to avoid politics and the non-stop yapping of Military Wives with a passion. I've learned that those who have the most to say are usually the quiet ones. Those who only want to inflate themselves, and their service member are usually the ones who do all the talking.
I try to be funny, and be real. Life sucks, PERIOD Whether you are military, civilian, single parent, no kids, Jewish, Christian, whatever. Unless you are rolling around in money like the Romney's, your life sucks, and feel free to bitch about it.
What I wanted to write about today was the venom. Most know, the E4-E6 promotion lists from March are due out this time of year. Normally the NAC releases them right around Memorial Day weekend. The quotas for the advancement are released and then normally a total number of those who will advance is released, then FINALLY the actual results are released and those who will promote are notified.
Well me being the nosey person that I am, I can't wait for him to just call me and say yes or not. I like reading the lists and seeing if there is anyone on there that I know, so I have been following the posts from the NAC and the Navy Times to see if I can figure out when the results will be released.
Yesterday, I ran into a situation that I was un-prepared for. When the overall number of how many E4-E6 was released, several Navy Wives completely went off and lost it. Their husbands were cut by the ERB and claim that their husband losing his job is what caused so many promotions.
Well I do not agree at all.
Honestly, it is clear to me that those complaining have never really had a real job at a real company and have no clue what it is like to really have a job. People loose their jobs EVERYDAY. They should be extremely thankful that the Navy does give them a severance package and they have notice to begin looking for other work. It could have been a scenario like many others have faced where you go in to work one day and it just gets announced that hey we are closing this office, so pack your desk.
If other employers are allowed to re-organize and determine where they need to make staff cuts in order to maintain a profit margin, I do not understand why its suddenly evil that the military does it.
Yes I understand, you sign a contract for a specific period of time, make financial commitments based on that contract and level of guaranteed income. I completely understand the concept that if they shoe was on the other foot, the Navy would not let YOU break your contract. So why do they get to?
What I do not understand is those who are all upset, all in arms, and all pissed off, Saying that the promotions came on the backs of the ERB.
The Navy is promoting 29,000 which is a high number. But I honestly think that if the promotions were related to the ERB there would BE LESS.
The Navy shoots itself in the foot repeatedly by allowing rates to get overmanned. Basically they have certain rates that require MANY E4 and below but require very very few E5 and above. They Navy banks on those E4 and below never making the Navy a career or a long term commitment. They assume they will do their 4, get their GI Bill and get out. Then when the younger ones decide that it isn't so bad after all compared to the job market in the real world, they decide to stay a bit longer, and longer and then the next thing you know, the Navy is overmanned with mid career people in certain rates.
I understand it sucks and the Navy should see the problem coming and basically that is what the PTS is for. But it doesn't always work that way.
Anyway, I understand the ERB. I just do not understand Navy Wives flipping out, calling those NOT cut by ERB nasty names and saying that it is THEIR FAULT their husband got cut.
If when anyone I am related to gets promoted, It will be a long over due, well deserved promotion.
It will NOT be because someone else got cut on the ERB.
I try to be funny, and be real. Life sucks, PERIOD Whether you are military, civilian, single parent, no kids, Jewish, Christian, whatever. Unless you are rolling around in money like the Romney's, your life sucks, and feel free to bitch about it.
What I wanted to write about today was the venom. Most know, the E4-E6 promotion lists from March are due out this time of year. Normally the NAC releases them right around Memorial Day weekend. The quotas for the advancement are released and then normally a total number of those who will advance is released, then FINALLY the actual results are released and those who will promote are notified.
Well me being the nosey person that I am, I can't wait for him to just call me and say yes or not. I like reading the lists and seeing if there is anyone on there that I know, so I have been following the posts from the NAC and the Navy Times to see if I can figure out when the results will be released.
Yesterday, I ran into a situation that I was un-prepared for. When the overall number of how many E4-E6 was released, several Navy Wives completely went off and lost it. Their husbands were cut by the ERB and claim that their husband losing his job is what caused so many promotions.
Well I do not agree at all.
Honestly, it is clear to me that those complaining have never really had a real job at a real company and have no clue what it is like to really have a job. People loose their jobs EVERYDAY. They should be extremely thankful that the Navy does give them a severance package and they have notice to begin looking for other work. It could have been a scenario like many others have faced where you go in to work one day and it just gets announced that hey we are closing this office, so pack your desk.
If other employers are allowed to re-organize and determine where they need to make staff cuts in order to maintain a profit margin, I do not understand why its suddenly evil that the military does it.
Yes I understand, you sign a contract for a specific period of time, make financial commitments based on that contract and level of guaranteed income. I completely understand the concept that if they shoe was on the other foot, the Navy would not let YOU break your contract. So why do they get to?
What I do not understand is those who are all upset, all in arms, and all pissed off, Saying that the promotions came on the backs of the ERB.
The Navy is promoting 29,000 which is a high number. But I honestly think that if the promotions were related to the ERB there would BE LESS.
The Navy shoots itself in the foot repeatedly by allowing rates to get overmanned. Basically they have certain rates that require MANY E4 and below but require very very few E5 and above. They Navy banks on those E4 and below never making the Navy a career or a long term commitment. They assume they will do their 4, get their GI Bill and get out. Then when the younger ones decide that it isn't so bad after all compared to the job market in the real world, they decide to stay a bit longer, and longer and then the next thing you know, the Navy is overmanned with mid career people in certain rates.
I understand it sucks and the Navy should see the problem coming and basically that is what the PTS is for. But it doesn't always work that way.
Anyway, I understand the ERB. I just do not understand Navy Wives flipping out, calling those NOT cut by ERB nasty names and saying that it is THEIR FAULT their husband got cut.
If when anyone I am related to gets promoted, It will be a long over due, well deserved promotion.
It will NOT be because someone else got cut on the ERB.
How to Simulate Life in the Navy
How to Simulate Life in the Navy
1. Buy a dumpster, paint it gray and live in it for 6 months straight.
2. Run all of the piping and wires inside your house on the outside of the
walls.
3. Pump 10 inches of nasty, crappy water into your basement, then pump it
out, clean up, and paint the basement "deck gray."
4. Every couple of weeks, dress up in your best clothes and go the
scummiest part of town, find the most run down, trashy bar you can, pay
$10 per beer until you're hammered, then walk home in the freezing cold.
5. Perform a weekly disassembly and inspection of your lawnmower.
6. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays turn your water temperature up to
200 degrees, then on Tuesday and Thursday turn it down to 10 degrees. On
Saturdays, and Sundays declare to your entire family that they used too
much water during the week, so all showering is secured.
7. Raise your bed to within 6 inches of the ceiling.
8. Have your next door neighbor come over each day at 5am, and blow a
whistle so loud that Helen Keller could hear it and shout "Reveille,
Reveille, all hands heave out and trice up".
9. Have your mother-in-law write down everything she's going to do the
following day, then have her make you stand in the back yard at 6am and
read it to you.
10. Eat the raunchiest Mexican food you can find for three days straight,
then lock yourself out of the bathroom for 12 hours, and hang a sign
On the door that reads "Secured-contact OA division at X-3053."
11. Submit a request form to your father-in-law, asking if it's OK for you
to leave your house before 3pm.
12. Invite 200 of your not-so-closest friends to come over, then board up
all the windows and doors to your house for 6 months. After the 6
months is up, take down the boards, wave at your friends and family
through the front window of your home...you can't leave until the next
day you have duty.
13. Shower with above-mentioned friends.
14. Make your family qualify to operate all the appliances in your home
(i.e., Dishwasher operator, blender technician, etc).
15. Walk around your car for 4 hours checking the tire pressure every 15
minutes.
16. Sit in your car and let it run for 4 hours before going anywhere. This
is to ensure your engine is properly "lighted off."
17. Empty all the garbage bins in your house, and sweep your driveway 3
times a day, whether they need it or not. (Now sweepers, start your
brooms, clean sweep down fore and aft, empty all trashcans over the
fantail)
18. Repaint your entire house once a month.
19. Cook all of your food blindfolded, groping for any spice and seasoning
you can get your hands on.
20. Use eighteen scoops of budget coffee grounds per pot, and allow each
pot to sit 5 hours before drinking.
21. Have your neighbor collect all your mail for a month, read your
magazines, and randomly lose every 5th item.
22. Spend $20,000 on a satellite system for your TV, but only watch CNN
and the Weather Channel.
23. Avoid watching TV with the exception of movies which are played in the
middle of the night. Have the family vote on which movie to watch
and then show a different one.
24. Have your 5-year-old cousin give you a haircut with goat shears.
25. Sew back pockets to the front of your pants.
26. Spend 2 weeks in the red-light districts of Europe, and call it "world
travel."
27. Attempt to spend 5 years working at McDonalds, and NOT get promoted.
28. Ensure that any promotions you do get are from stepping on the dead
bodies of your coworkers.
29. Needle gun the aluminum siding on your house after your neighbors have
gone to bed.
30. When your children are in bed, run into their room with a megaphone,
and shout at the top of your lungs that your home is under attack, and
order them to man their battle stations. ("General quarters, general
quarters, all hands man your battle stations")
31. Make your family menu a week ahead of time and do so without checking
the pantry and refrigerator.
32. Post a menu on the refrigerator door informing your family that you
are having steak for dinner. Then make them wait in line for at least an
hour, when they finally get to the kitchen, tell them that you are out of
steak, but you have dried ham or hot dogs. Repeat daily until they don't
pay attention to the menu any more so they just ask for hot dogs.
33. When baking a cake, prop up one side of the pan while it is in the
oven. Spread icing on real thick to level it off.
34. In the middle of January, place a podium at the end of your driveway.
Have you family stand watches at the podium, rotating at 4-hour intervals.
35. Lock yourself and your family in your house for 6 weeks. Then tell
them that at the end of the 6th week you're going to take them to
Disneyland for "weekend liberty." When the end of the 6th week rolls
around, inform them that Disneyland has been canceled due to the fact that
they need to get ready for Engineering-certification, and that it will be
another week before they can leave the house.
36. In your grim, gray dumpster (refer to #1), with 200 of your
not-so-closest friend (cite par. 12) regardless of gender, suffer through
PMS!
37. Sleep on the shelf in your closet. Replace the closet door with a
curtain. Have you wife whip open the curtain about 3 hours after you
go to sleep. She should then shine a flashlight in your eyes and mumble
"Sorry, wrong rack."
38. Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of your
bathtub, move the shower head to chest level. When you take showers, make
sure you shut off the water while you soap down.
39. When there is a thunderstorm in your area, find a wobbly rocking chair
and rock as hard as you can until you become nauseous. have a supply of
stale crackers in your shirt pocket.
40. Put lube oil in your humidifier and set it on high.
41. For ex-engineering types: leave the lawn mower running in your living
room eight hours a day.
42. Have the paperboy give you a haircut.
43. Once a week, blow compressed air up your chimney, making sure the wind
carries the soot onto your neighbors house. Ignore his complaints.
44. Every other month buy green or red marine primer and put it in a paint
sprayer. Spray it over the roof of your house onto your neighbors
car. Ignore his complaints.
45. Lock wire the lug nuts on your car.
46. Buy a trash compactor, but use it only once a week. Store the garbage
on the other side of your bathtub.
47. Get up every night around midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich on stale bread.
48. Set your alarm clock to go off at random during the night, jump up and
get dressed as fast as you can making sure you button up the top
button on your shirt, stuff you pants into your socks. Run out into the
backyard and uncoil the garden hose.
49. Once a month, take every major appliance apart and put them back
together again.
50. Install a fluorescent lamp under the coffee table and then get under
it and read books.
51. Raise the thresholds and lower the top sills of your front and back
doors so that you either trip or bang your head every time you pass
through one of them.
52. Every so often, throw the cat in the pool and shout "Man overboard,
starboard side" Then run into the house and sweep all the pots and
dishes off the counter. Yell at the wife and kids for not having the
kitchen "stowed for sea."
53. Put on the headphones from your stereo set, but don't plug them in.
Hang a paper cup around your neck with string. Go stand in front of your
stove. Say ... to no one in particular "Stove manned and ready" Stand
there for three or four hours. And say again to no one in particular
"stove secured." Roll up your headphones and paper cup and place them in a
box.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Fun on Duty Day
Sometimes being stuck at home alone on Duty Day can really stink. Yes it is nice to have a day to yourself to do what you want, but some times having to handle things that require another person on duty day is pretty annoying.
So instead of being upset that it is duty day, I suggest to have some fun with it. Here are some ways to make duty day fun.
-- You don't have to shave your legs! It is always good to prevent a blood letting.
-- The kids will love having pop tarts for dinner!
-- You will discover this thing called "the remote". This item is normally captured and held on to all night.
-- Once you discover "the remote" you will find that despite what he tells you, it WILL find chic flicks, OWN, Lifetime, ION, and TLC. Amazing, but there will be NO men's shows on tv on duty night.
-- Inform your children that they have all been granted "leave". Insist they all go outside. Lock the front door. Inform them they are not allowed back in until their "leave period" is up.
-- Lay in the middle of the bed and make a snow angel with the covers. This is the one night where you will not be clinging to the edge.
-- Seize the opportunity to something Girl like. Maybe enjoy a pedicure or just a night free of farting.
-- Do all of the things your husband is completely confused by. Like changing the toilet paper roll or starting the dishwasher. Or you can just leave it for him to ignore yet another day.
Duty days can stink, but the best part of Duty Day is that it is ONLY ONE DAY and they will be home the next day.
It could be worse, it could be deployment ....
So instead of being upset that it is duty day, I suggest to have some fun with it. Here are some ways to make duty day fun.
-- You don't have to shave your legs! It is always good to prevent a blood letting.
-- The kids will love having pop tarts for dinner!
-- You will discover this thing called "the remote". This item is normally captured and held on to all night.
-- Once you discover "the remote" you will find that despite what he tells you, it WILL find chic flicks, OWN, Lifetime, ION, and TLC. Amazing, but there will be NO men's shows on tv on duty night.
-- Inform your children that they have all been granted "leave". Insist they all go outside. Lock the front door. Inform them they are not allowed back in until their "leave period" is up.
-- Lay in the middle of the bed and make a snow angel with the covers. This is the one night where you will not be clinging to the edge.
-- Seize the opportunity to something Girl like. Maybe enjoy a pedicure or just a night free of farting.
-- Do all of the things your husband is completely confused by. Like changing the toilet paper roll or starting the dishwasher. Or you can just leave it for him to ignore yet another day.
Duty days can stink, but the best part of Duty Day is that it is ONLY ONE DAY and they will be home the next day.
ZIP IT!
Family Members:
I know that you are ridiculously proud of your service member and I would love to shout it from the rooftops what he does, where he works, and how awesome he is.
But Don't.
Unfortunately, there are crazy people in this world.
If someone contacts you online, be skeptical. Even if they seem to know credible information about people, places and events, be skeptical.
Online life is a major part of every day and every one in 2012. We see a profile of a person and assume everything is the truth. It may be, but then again, it may not be.
I am the type that always hesitates to give out information or say certain things just because I assume everyone is a terrorist. Probably the wrong thing to assume, but I do.
Recently, I had a scenario where someone who has no knowledge of me or G contact me and claim to be some position associated with the ship. If she was or she wasn't, that is not the point. The point is, she could have been contacting a terrorist. She doesn't know me, doesn't know anything about me. But yet, she presented herself as someone associated with the ship. She got my name from another wife, who I was very suspicious of. She randomly contacts me and I do not refer to the ship with its real name, I use the nick name. When I referred to the nick name, she didn't know what I was talking about. So that put me on red alert. The nick name is on the ship's website and painted on the wall of their mess deck. So clearly she has never been on the website, and never been on the mess deck.
I just did not really appreciate the person who supposedly was connected with the ship contacting me. I never say what ship G is on, I never say certain things because of security reasons. Luckily this person was talking to a real person, but what if she presented herself as a ship's rep and then she was talking to a terrorist?
My advice, always err on the side of caution. No matter what, act like you do not know anything. You don't know when, where, how of anything that is going on.
Don't give anyone that you do not know any information at all.
It is MUCH better to piss off someone's Wife or Mom for not giving out enough information than to risk the safety of ONE single serviceman!
I know that you are ridiculously proud of your service member and I would love to shout it from the rooftops what he does, where he works, and how awesome he is.
But Don't.
Unfortunately, there are crazy people in this world.
If someone contacts you online, be skeptical. Even if they seem to know credible information about people, places and events, be skeptical.
Online life is a major part of every day and every one in 2012. We see a profile of a person and assume everything is the truth. It may be, but then again, it may not be.
I am the type that always hesitates to give out information or say certain things just because I assume everyone is a terrorist. Probably the wrong thing to assume, but I do.
Recently, I had a scenario where someone who has no knowledge of me or G contact me and claim to be some position associated with the ship. If she was or she wasn't, that is not the point. The point is, she could have been contacting a terrorist. She doesn't know me, doesn't know anything about me. But yet, she presented herself as someone associated with the ship. She got my name from another wife, who I was very suspicious of. She randomly contacts me and I do not refer to the ship with its real name, I use the nick name. When I referred to the nick name, she didn't know what I was talking about. So that put me on red alert. The nick name is on the ship's website and painted on the wall of their mess deck. So clearly she has never been on the website, and never been on the mess deck.
I just did not really appreciate the person who supposedly was connected with the ship contacting me. I never say what ship G is on, I never say certain things because of security reasons. Luckily this person was talking to a real person, but what if she presented herself as a ship's rep and then she was talking to a terrorist?
My advice, always err on the side of caution. No matter what, act like you do not know anything. You don't know when, where, how of anything that is going on.
Don't give anyone that you do not know any information at all.
It is MUCH better to piss off someone's Wife or Mom for not giving out enough information than to risk the safety of ONE single serviceman!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Write away your deployment
We all hate it when the deployment dates are looming near on a calendar, but it is a fact that military life cannot change. There will be times when duty comes first and the family back home faces a long deployment.
With technology today, they can jump on a computer and send a quick email back home, copy it to wife, mom, aunt and grandma and BOOM the entire family knows that I am OK and I need more Gatorade packets.
Somehow the art of honest letter writing has been lost. To me, even for quick trips or training schools, I have not hesitated to send letters and cards. The most important thing for me is for my sailor to have a visual reminder of how much I love him and how much I am thinking about him.
I write the occasional letter, but mostly I just send the cards from the dollar store. Yes, I admit, I send him cheap cards. There are several reasons, one being you don't really know if he will get it ever or not. Why spend money on expensive cards when the odds are he wont get it any time soon. The second reason is the cheaper they are, the more I can send!
When he was up in Great Lakes for C School, I got him to send me the address there where I could send him mail. He got a letter and a card I sent to him but there were 3 cards that he never got. I just chalked it up to the lovely mail service. After C School, he went on a deployment. When he returned home after the deployment, about a month later, he gets my cards. The training center in Great Lakes had refused the mail. So they forwarded them to a ship he was on more than 4 yrs ago. The Haleyburton gets them and is like what the heck? By some miracle, someone, somewhere was able to look up his name and then forward the mail to his current ship. It took at least 6 months for him to get those cards! But he got them.
Even though we had that whole issue on the Great Lake Adventure, I continue to send him stuff when he is gone for a long time.
I will hand make him cards every once in awhile, but usually I just get an 8 pack of blank note cards from the good old dollar store and send those.
They are small and I can carry them with me whenever. I pre-address and pre-stamp them and keep at least one in my purse all of the time. If I am out somewhere and something happens and I want to tell him about it, I just write it down in the notecard and drop it in the mail.
Sure, by the time he gets the card, I have already told him either over the phone or via email. But I just like feeling like I am telling him right then.
It makes me feel better. I need more things in my life to make me feel better as far as that is concerned. I am always worried about his personal safety, even though he tells me not to worry. I am always worried about him getting enough to eat and getting enough sleep. I love him, what can I say?
I worry about him when he is home and I worry about him when he is deployed. He has a very scary job and I am just always afraid something will happen.
Believe it or not, He saves EVERYTHING I send him! He has a drawer in the bedroom with all of my cards and letters I have ever sent him. Occasionally I will open it and glance through. Its funny to see what I wrote 4 years ago when we had first just started dating. I need to dig up my stuff and compare it. You would see that in the beginning he was head over heels for me and I was trying to take it slow. 4 years later, everything has changed but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Our love grows stronger all the time.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the letters?
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