MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #50

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Though I missed last week’s fill-in fun (I think my husband finally being home was a good excuse), I can’t pass up the chance to celebrate the MilSpouse Friday Fill-In’s big five-oh. Before you started, LTJG Wifey, did you ever think your weekly questions would take off like they have? Congratulations on reaching this Internet meme milestone!

Do you eat raw cookie dough?

I sure do. Getting to eat the dough/lick the batter is pretty much the reason I bake from scratch.

When you get online for the first time of the day… what site do you immediately head to?

My morning simply hasn’t begun until I’ve rolled over to my Gmail inbox to see what damage was done to it overnight.

What was your favorite pet as a child and why?

I loved my Clancy-cat. He was the chillest animal I have ever met; when my family decided to adopt a cat after our dog passed away, we knew Clancy was the one because he was the only cat in the shelter not to cringe when my then-three-year-old brother ran up to the cage and gave a big, “HI, CAT!” He lived to a ripe old feline age, but I still miss him.

If you had a snail that could magically grant wishes, what would you name it?

“Whiskey,” short for “Damn, I’d Better Cut Back on the Whiskey.”

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

Couldn’t tell you — I always bite the silly things.

Are you a military spouse/fiancée/fiancé/girlfriend/boyfriend? Hie thee to LTJG Wifey’s blog, snag the questions, and add yourself to the Mr. Linky for this week’s MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!

I Pick… That One!

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About a week and a half ago, I decided that the house had been feeling a little empty for the past six months. I decided that I would head over to the squadron and see if some handsome pilot wanted to come home with me.

Homecoming COD

Moreover, I decided that I'd pick one getting off this very airplane, which had just completed a very impressive flyover of the hangar.

Out of all the folks in flightsuits there, I think I picked a good one to liven up the house again. Vera and Val even like him! Well, they like all the stuff he brought home to sniff and sleep upon, which is pretty much the same thing as fondness for cats.

Sampson is home, and all feels a little more right with my world. As he went back to work just a couple days after making his triumphant return, we’re still waiting on our summer vacation/homecoming honeymoon leave. There are still some (read: all) details to work out, but we are hoping to escape to a cabin in the mountains to enjoy some cooler temperatures and some time to ourselves. When we’re close to base, it’s all too easy for the squadron to call up with some crisis or other that requires Sampson’s immediate attention. Such is the homeguard life, I suppose.

We have several exciting new ventures planned closer to home, too, and I’m excited to share them with you all even as I share the experiences with the love of my life, my best friend in the whole world, and the guy who — luckily for him! — just happened to look best in his flightsuit on the day I decided I simply wasn’t going home without a pilot.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #48

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Before I get started with the fill-in fun, I would like to thank the people who have expressed their concern for my grandparents and their various surgical adventures in the past couple of weeks. Your kind words mean so much to me. It is always difficult to be far away from family when stuff like that is going on, but your positive thoughts gave me a huge boost in the midst of the worry. Thank you so much.

The latest news is that my grandmother is out of the hospital and in what they call a “medical resort” to continue her recovery until she’s healed enough to go back to her own apartment. My grandfather’s surgery was also successful in removing the tumor, and the best news is that the doctors don’t think he’ll need to undergo chemotherapy after all. We’re all very relieved to have the surgical hurdles behind us so that my grandparents can focus on healing and getting on with life.

Does your Significant Other read your blog?  Why is this a good or a bad thing? submitted by Mrs. Alana’s Miscellany

You betcha — he’s my biggest fan. Sometimes he even writes for my blog.

What is one item in your house that holds the most sentimental value and why? submitted by The Albrecht Squad

I’m awfully fond of my books. Some of them are very old friends indeed.

When it comes to water fun in the summer do you prefer the beach, the pool, a lake, or the sprinklers? submitted by The Turvo Times

I love the beach, though I haven’t actually gone swimming in the ocean in far too long. That’s pretty ridiculous, considering we live a stone’s throw from Virginia Beach (amongst other local seaside spots). I guess it’s easy to put off a trip to the beach when you feel like you could go “any time.” I noticed the same phenomenon growing up near DC — we didn’t go downtown to see the sights very often unless we had guests visiting from out of town.

What is the one special thing that you do for yourself to get you through the first week of a deployment/separation? submitted by A Creed and a Psalm

One of the first things I did was arrange the Netflix queue to suit myself. Childhood favorites (such as the entire first season of “Ghostwriter”) delivered to my door? Yes, please!

What is your biggest guilty pleasure website? submitted by Christine’s Little Blog

Lately I’ve been giggling an awful lot at Damn You Autocorrect. My dear, sweet mother actually introduced me to this particular hive of unintentional Internet naughtiness when I was visiting my family. She was over on the sofa, surfing away on her laptop, when suddenly she burst into a fit of red-faced, eyes-squeezed-shut, pounding-the-couch-cushion hilarity. She was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. When I asked her what was so funny, she tried to tell me, but every time she started to read, she would dissolve into another fit of giggles. I finally had to come look over her shoulder to see what was up, and DYAC has been in my “Need a Laugh” rotation ever since.

Are you a military spouse/fiancée/fiancé/girlfriend/boyfriend? Hie thee to LTJG Wifey’s blog, snag the questions, and add yourself to the Mr. Linky for this week’s MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!

Health Update

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Grandmother: Out of the ICU! That’s good news, as the environment was taking a mental toll on her. Moving to a regular hospital room might be a baby step on the recovery from a triple bypass, but it’s one in the right direction.

Grandfather: Rehydrated, home from the hospital and resting until he’s readmitted for Wednesday’s surgery. They will be removing the tumor, along with about eight inches of the surrounding colon. It is definitely cancer, but we won’t know what stage it is in until they get in there and assess the lymph nodes. We’re all praying that this surgery is sufficient and that he doesn’t have to undergo chemotherapy.

Me: I have a cold. Big whoop, right? I feel pretty puny, and the timing is not at all convenient, but a sore throat is of no consequence in the grand scheme of things. I can even see a positive side, such as the truly bizarre dreams I tend to have when I’m not sleeping well. In one, I was drinking a pepper-infused beer that, lo and behold, made my dream-self’s throat hurt. In another, I was knitting a mermaid costume so I could be launched into the sky to save my friends by beating a video game. Interpret that.

So, that’s what’s going on. If you need me, I’ll be on the couch trying to determine if 9:30 in the morning is too early for a medicinal hot toddy.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #47

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Happy July, everyone! Boy, was I ever happy to flip the calendar page this morning. Here’s hoping July holds much happier things in store than the end of June did.

Have you (spouse) ever considered joining the military and what do you think of dual military couples? submitted by Project Army Wife

I’ve thought about it in the past. Had I attended my hometown high school instead of a magnet school, I might have gotten involved with NJROTC and perhaps pursued ROTC in college. More recently, I went so far as to research all the medical waivers I would need in order even to be considered. One of them would require me to have surgery, wait at least six months to make sure I was fully healed with no deleterious effects, and then attempt to get the waiver approved. There are one or two other issues that might also require waivers, so I would not be a fabulous candidate for a commission on the physical side, at least.

CAP Command PatchIt’s all right, though: I’m happy to keep my service on the civilian side with Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary. Volunteering with CAP gives me the opportunity to do good things for the community while remaining flexible enough to roll with the punches of Sampson’s military obligations. Plus, I look dead sexy in a flight suit.

Dual military couples have my respect and admiration; theirs is a difficult path, especially when both husband and wife are Active Duty. My personal speculation would be that such a marriage would be easier if at least one spouse planned to get out of the military (or at least go Reserve) shortly after the initial commitment. Two people who wanted to stay Active Duty for the full twenty years would almost certainly wind up geographically separated for the majority of those decades, even when they aren’t deployed. I’m sure determined people could make it work, but I know it wouldn’t be for us.

What is your idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon? submitted by A Few of My Favorite Things

Snuggly Kittens

I think Vera and Valentine have the right idea.

What do you usually do for the 4th of July holiday? submitted by Anchor’s Away

I give voice to my patriotism and joy in the United States of America by indulging in socially acceptable pyromania. Delicious grilled food is a bonus.

If they could make an Olympic event JUST for you that you know you’d medal in, what would it be? submitted by Pants are Confusing

Impressing Retired Folks with my Rapid Competence in New Electronic Devices. I’d be a shoo-in, never mind the Russian judge.

What have you been doing to get yourself bathing suit ready for the summer? submitted by Not Just an Army Wife

Not a thing. I bought my first new bathing suit in years last summer and, what with one thing and another, never wound up wearing it. I tried it on this spring and found it still fit as nicely as I remembered, so I reckon I’m good to go if I actually make it to the beach this summer.

Are you a military spouse/fiancée/fiancé/girlfriend/boyfriend? Hie thee to LTJG Wifey’s blog, snag the questions, and add yourself to the Mr. Linky for this week’s MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!