Wordless Wednesday Found its “Sole” Mate
Year: 2011
MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #29
Since most if the country has had nasty weather, what has your weather been like this week?
It’s been all over the place: rain, sun, wind, highs in the 30s, highs in the 70s… you name it (no snow here, though). Usually it’s March that can’t make up its mind; I guess late January and early February wanted to get in on the indecisive action.
What is/are your best money saving tip(s)?
If you need it, buy it. If you want it, think about it for a while before you buy it.
Aside from that, one of the best ways to save money is not to take up flying. All it takes is airspeed and money…
What was your favorite vehicle you’ve ever owned?
I have fond memories of my bike when I was a kid. It represented freedom of the neighborhood in the form of a purple frame and two wheels. The day I learned how to use the gears to make it easier to go up hills was a good one, but the best days were the ones in summertime that began with me coasting down the hill to the bottom of our street, skidding to a stop in my friend’s driveway, and running to the door with my helmet still on to see if she could come out and play.
What is a question you’d like to see asked in a future fill-in?
Imagine a block of time has opened up in your busy day for you to take a class in anything you like. What subject would you choose?
Fill in the blank: You might be a MilSpouse if….
…you still find colorful little moving tags on various pieces of furniture even though it’s been two years since you PCSed. Bonus points if there are multiple tags stuck atop one another.
Are you a military spouse/fiancée/fiancé/girlfriend/boyfriend? Hie thee to ENS Wifey’s blog, snag the questions, and add yourself to the Mr. Linky for this week’s MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!
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Halfway to Spring
As Rabbi Rachel Barenblat notes over at Velveteen Rabbi, today marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. In many parts of the country, people are looking outside at heaps of new snow and despairing that winter is only half over, but in my neck of the woods, it’s hovering around 70°. It rained earlier, and it’s still cloudy and breezy and full of the smells of damp earth, further emphasizing the illusion that the season took ol’ Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of an early spring seriously.
I’m not quite buying it — especially with tomorrow’s predicted high a good thirty degrees cooler — but it does my winterized outlook good to get a small taste of the coming warmth as the planet’s axis tilts back towards the sun. Walking across the street to meet the neighbors’ new baby and bring the family a loaf of fresh-baked beer bread did not necessitate bundling up in a heavy coat. I decided to walk to Dunkie’s for a coffee and doughnut and to the store to pick up a few things, and I was actually a bit too warm by the time I made it back to my doorstep. How novel!
I could actually start to believe that things like this…
…are in our not-too-distant future.
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Supplies Party
In the days before Sampson* departed for this deployment, I was at a bit of a loss as to what I was supposed to do to get myself ready. Oh, we had already taken care of the concrete stuff: my military ID was renewed, the base stickers on my car were updated, we had our powers of attorney and all that good stuff. Sampson was busy at work right up until the day he left, so I had a lot of time on my hands at home with the departure date hanging over my head and not a lot of substance I could do to prepare myself.
One thing I did find to do was make a phone call to the United States Postal Service and request a military care package kit. I hate talking on the phone with strangers, so it took some mental wherewithal to get myself psyched up for waiting on hold until I reached a person, but I am very glad I did. The request was easy to make, and the kind lady with whom I spoke assured me the assortment of boxes and other shipping supplies would arrive in a couple weeks.
It felt good to do something — even a small something — to make me feel I was in control of at least one aspect of the upcoming deployment. I might not have known much, but darn it, I knew for sure how I was going to deal with putting packages together for my husband! Bonus, I got to look forward to the arrival of the kit on my doorstep, which got me looking past the looming goodbye.
Vera is ready to assist, if by "assist" we mean "hinder in any way possible, up to and including getting cat hair stuck on every bit of tape."
It really is a comprehensive kit: assorted Priority Mail flat-rate boxes, address labels, customs forms, the little plastic sleeves for said customs forms, and even a little roll of Priority Mail tape to tie everything together. Everything arrived on my doorstep, neatly wrapped and at no cost to me. Of course, I will still need to pay postage to actually mail the packages, which is no doubt a big part of why the USPS is so happy to give us the kits gratis.
If you are a family member or friend of someone in the military, call up 1-800-610-8734 and ask for the Military Care Kit. All you have to do afterward is dream up wonderful things with which to fill those boxes before you mail them off to make your servicemember’s day.
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* Sampson: I finally bestowed upon my husband a bloggish alias, so I need not awkwardly refer to him as “my husband” every time I mention the guy.
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BUZZing With Anticipation
Well, the announcement has been made and my first post published, so I suppose it’s time to let you all know about the exciting project on which I have embarked.
I am a newly-minted SpouseBUZZ contributor! I have been a reader of this “virtual destination where spouses click, connect and share their experiences” since its early days, when I was engaged to my handsome Student Naval Aviator and looking for anything and everything to get me up to speed on the unfamiliar milspouse terrain ahead. Being able to read posts by authors from all walks of military life opened my eyes to the nigh-infinite variety of the military spouse experience. I credit SpouseBUZZ with giving me a wider perspective through its small slices of life married to each branch of the service and in every conceivable combination of Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve.
And now I get to share my perspective on All Things Milspouse from the vantage point of a gal whose husband wears fireproof pajamas to work. I’m humbled and excited, not to mention a wee bit nervous. With the opportunity to have a discussion with a smart, involved community like that of SpouseBUZZ comes the possibility of making a complete ass of myself in front of those same smart, involved people, if I’m not careful. Luckily for me, it’s also a warm and welcoming group of readers, and I can’t wait to get to know them better.
Please stop by and visit, and do let me know what you think of my first post, in which I admit to the whole world that I was a total doofus when it came to navigating certain interactions with a fellow military sweetheart. Fun stuff, right?
To the Nth 