My buddy over at Wife of a Sailor has concocted a new meme called the MilSpouse Friday Fill-In.  She’ll ask us some questions, we’ll dash off some answers, and then we add the link to our post to her blog via Mr. Linky.  Fun, right?

Observant readers might notice that today is Tuesday, not Friday.  My husband and I were out of town this weekend, riding roller coasters (not the metaphorical ones on which another of my blogging buddies so eloquently expounds) and visiting family, so my online time suffered.  Please pardon my tardiness.

How did you and your spouse/significant other meet?

I was sixteen years old, a high school junior, and he was a senior.  We got to know each other during our school’s production of Romeo and Juliet.  He was a Capulet, I was a Montague.  We fought onstage and everything.  After the show closed, we continued flirting for a few months until he finally asked me to his senior prom.  He was more nervous about asking me to the dance than he was about proposing marriage a little over four and a half years later.

What is the best thing about being a MilSpouse?

Figures--the first picture of myself I post on the blog and I'm in oversized flight gear and a too-small helmet.

I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people, servicemembers and spouses both, and do some pretty cool things.  For instance, the highlight of my time in Kingsville, Texas was getting to don all of my husband’s flight gear (which is pretty heavy, mind you) and strap into the back of a T-45A Goshawk for a “Taxi FAM.”  There was an instructor in the front telling me what to do, but I got to steer the jet around on the ground.  Flying the simulator was equally fun, even though my husband’s class adviser made me go first.  I’m proud of myself for not crashing the darn thing; not all the other wives could claim the same.

What is the hardest thing about being a MilSpouse?

The thing that makes me wail and gnash my teeth the most is abdicating control over basic decisions like where to live, how long to live there, and what to do on a day-to-day basis.  It rankles that the Navy decides for us things that would, under other circumstances, be matters for discussion and mutual agreement between my husband and myself.  Separations are difficult, too, but they fall under the umbrella of that lack of basic control: my husband doesn’t have a choice about where he goes and when he has to go there.  It’s tough not having input.

What is your favorite dish?

Like a lot of people, I’m sure I’d give different answers to this question over the course of even one day.  Some recurring favorites of mine include sushi, rib-eye steak, and my decadent macaroni and goat cheese.

If you could change one thing in this world, what would it be?

I suspect many problems both major and minor would be alleviated if human nature made it easier for us to realize that there is more than one approach to almost anything, and that while my way might be best for me, it’s not necessarily the best for every other person on the planet.  Your religion might be great for you, but mine works swimmingly for me.  I like cats, you prefer dogs.  Except in cases where one person’s or group’s pursuit of happiness is harming others, I think it would be just dandy if we could break the assumption that different is another word for wrong.