MilSpouse Fill-In!

I'm totally lazy today. You can check out the whole deal here at Wife of a Sailor

1.What is your spouse’s best feature?
His pale blue eyes. Eyes so blue that the sky itself can barely compare. Of course, those pale blue eyes are flawed in that they flake pigment. And I guess that can lead to glaucoma. Nice, huh?


2.Mild, Medium or Hot sauce?
None, thank you. I would like some mild pico-de-gallo though. Or some guacamole from Chipolte.

3.What is the worst uniform you had to wear for a job?
The worst "uniform" I've ever been forced to wear wasn't even really a uniform. It was just a sexist requirement that all women were required to wear a skirt. I bought the longest skirts I could find, and all in the material sweat pants are made out of. It was a ridiculous excuse for a uniform that was more so that he could look at the ladies legs.

4.You have invisible powers… where is the first place you would go?
Hmm... I really don't know. I think it changes based on the day. At this point in time, I'd probably visit the summer camp my son used to go to and see what goes on when parents aren't around and see how well the kids are actually being supervised.

5.What’s left on your “to do” list for this summer?
Sort through every.single.thing.we.own. To find out what is coming with us across the Pacific to Vacation Wonderland, and what is getting shipped to my parents house. And a ton of stuff to do for my bible study group that will begin again in September. And move. *sigh*. Move.

MilSpouse Fill in #5

Wife of a Sailor's MilSpouse Fill in continues this week! I'm a little late -- as usual, but oh well. It was a rainy day yesterday and we spent all of our money at Target. So I was tired.

1.Besides the horizontal mambo, what do you miss most when your spouse is deployed? I miss our evenings. The first few nights are the worst. When he's gone and you're alone and the kids are in bed, and it's a little too quiet. After the first few nights, I enjoy it just a little bit. But then I settle into being lonely again. He hasn't been gone since we've had kids (at least not long enough to really miss him too much) other than when Little Monster was born, and I lived with my parents. So I know the next time around I'll miss having him around to play with the kids. It's wonderful how much time he spends with them.

2. What do you miss least? Cleaning up after him. Not that he's any messier than anyone else that lives in this house, but I hate cleaning period. So, yeah.

3. You only get three crayons to finish your picture… which three do you choose and why? I pick Red, Yellow and Blue. They are the primary colors, and you can, if you're patient, create almost any other color with them. Without those colors, things would just be shades of grey.

4. If you could have your own fragrance, what would it be called? I kind of do. Only it's my mom's sort of. My mom scent's her own goats milk soap, and she makes one that's called Sea Moss, but it's seriously a clean, yummy, smell that I love. It's earthy without being too dirty, and pretty without being too perfume-y.

5. If the shoes make the man (or woman), what do your shoes say about you right now? This one is funny, because if you go to my profile, it's one of the random questions you could pick to sum yourself up, and it's the one I picked. If I had my way, I would never wear shoes. I am a simple girl, and love the feeling of walking around barefoot (as long as my kitchen floor is reasonably clean). I walk barefoot on the beach, in the grass and anywhere I can get away with it. I was barefoot at our wedding (even though that wasn't the day we got married) under my fancy dress. I walked down the aisle of the church barefoot. Hmm. I wonder if that's blasphemous? Jesus was barefoot a lot too, right?

MilSpouse Fill-In!

Oh how I love Fridays now. I never have to worry about what I'm going to write. Wife of a Sailor hosts such a good party!

This week's Questions and answers!

What food reminds you of your spouse? Stuffed Crust Pepperoni and Mushroom pizza. It's a pizza that he loves, that I wouldn't normally order, but always do when he's around.

Who would you rather sit next to in a cross-country plane ride: an irritating non-stop talker, or a quiet stare-er? Hmm.. What if I am the talker? Okay, maybe I'm not so bad. I don't generally talk non-stop. But I gave birth to a talker, so would it be wrong to hope I get sat next to a grandma who loves talking to little boys with superhero verbal dysentery? That's what I'd like. And then I'd like for Butterball to take a nap. And I can read a book. That would be amazing. I am betting it won't be so grand when we fly to vacation paradise in a few months.

What are your best tips on how to save money? Stay. Home. As in, don't leave the house for any reason at all. If I leave the house, I'm spending money somewhere. Going to pick up the kid? Starbucks is on the way? There went $5 (or more). Stopping at Target to pick up diapers? There went the cash for the diapers. And several things out of the dollar bins at the front. And probably a pair of shoes. And that thing we've been meaning to get but kept forgetting about. And maybe another guitar so we can play dueling guitars on Rock Band.

What is your favorite summer memory? I realize this is totally lame, but my favorite summer memory is just plain ol' summer. We are making some great memories this year. Our last little trip was a great time, even (or maybe especially) when you consider how it nearly didn't happen. Little Monster loved riding his bike. Taking the kids to the pool this summer has been a heap of fun. But I sincerely loved spending every weekend camping with my family at the water ski lakes we visited. Each water ski tournament/weekend was a visit with friends that were so close they were like extended family. But I was also married in the middle of summer. And the guys tried to douse my husband with a water cooler like you do the winning coach. But he's tall. And they weren't, so they missed. And got his great-aunt instead. She was in her eighties. And we thought that they might have killed her. But they didn't and it turned out to be great fun instead. Summer really, sincerely is filled with so many memories that I can't pick out just one. Maybe that's why I love summer so much. Give me heat and sunshine, and I can make a good memory out of it!

Do you believe in ghosts? Yes. And no. It's complicated and it's not. I'm not sure I want to go into it here. Or now, so I won't. But yes. And no.

MilSpouse Fill In Friday!

I missed last week's with all the hubbub of getting ready to go on our trip to Maine.

I'll do both weeks this week to make up!

This weeks Questions are:

1.What is your favorite household chore? I love cooking. I want to make sweet treats for my family nonstop. Pies, cookies, cakes, whatever you want, I like to make it. I love watching every one's faces light up when I've made something they really enjoy. It doesn't matter what I'm making -- even if it's just chopping up grapes and strawberries for babies. I just want to make something that tastes good.

2.What is your favorite childhood memory? I don't have one specific memory, really. I have memories! My childhood was wonderful, but the best experiences, by far, that I can remember are spending every weekend camping at the lake and water skiing with my family. We really did camp every weekend. The first couple of times we camped in a tent on cots, and that gradually moved to an old RV, and eventually to a newer one. But going to our "chocolate milk" (it was a mud-bottom) lake and spending hours upon hours in the water playing and running around was the best a kid could ask for.

3. What is your most embarrassing moment? I haven't had it yet. Seriously. Or maybe I've blocked it out of my memory. Or maybe I've been embarrassed so many times that I just can't pick one. Probably a combination of all of them. There was the time I left my lunch in my closet as a kid and it grew into something, well, gross, and my mom decided to tell EVERYONE about it. For the rest of my life. Or that time that I decided to skip class in high school and call myself in. I sound just like my mom on the phone -- foolproof, right? Yeah, except it doesn't work when you call the wrong school. And then your mom tells EVERYONE about it. For the rest of my life. But it's okay. I don't have anything truly embarrassing, not like my husband!

4. What uniform of your husband's is your favorite? Well, if you're talking about military uniforms, probably the dress blues. I kind of like the polyester khaki's too, but they've been pretty much phased out. The dress blues look distinguished and oh-so delicious. If you're talking about the rest of the time, I'd probably say that it is a white under-shirt and jeans with a brown belt. Kind of like the Brawny guy without the flannel shirt. He knows that too, and uses it as a secret weapon.

5. What canceled TV show do I miss the most? Oh man. So many TV shows have come and gone. There was this show called Hidden Hills that was pretty good. But it didn't last long. Friends ranks right up there, but my TRUE honest to goodness favorite was Gilmore Girls. I seriously wanted them to follow that family forever. I wanted to see Rory's children and find out who she married. I wanted to see Loralie have more kids and watch her Inn flourish. I miss Sookie's craziness and even Kirk's odd antics. Heck, sometimes I even miss that stinky, crotchety town manager Taylor. I loved hating him because he really wasn't evil, just obnoxious, irritating and very annoying.

And now for the questions from last week:

1. Tell us about your dream job. One you wouldn't mind doing even without pay. Well, I do lots of things without pay that I enjoy. I enjoy doing the web stuff for the PWOC groups that I've been involved in. But, the best job I've ever had was being a preschool teacher. I want to do that when I grow up. But I want to run the preschool my way, the way that Little Monster's preschool was run.

2. What is your most prized possession (kids and pets don't count!). My most prized material possession is a tie between my laptop, my iPhone and my camera. I can't live without my fantastic Digital Rebel camera. It takes the best pictures without me trying. I can't live without my iPhone because it is the compact way that I keep in touch with my friends and family. I can access Facebook, play Angry Birds and Words with Friends on it. But I can't live without my laptop either. It lets me edit all of those wonderful photos, and sometimes it's nice to be able to view flash websites or just plain websites in full size. It's easier to do some of the things I like to do on the Internet on my laptop. Plus, all of my pictures are on my laptop. It's easy to say the three things are always near each other, easily accessible (even to toddlers, sometimes), and would be ushered out of the house in a fire. Right after the kids. Probably before the dog, but not because I wouldn't try to get him out first, but because the dog would run into the fire in order to get warm. He's weird like that.

3. What was your favorite duty stations and why? As of right now, I don't really have a favorite. We have been stationed in Newport, RI (twice), Norfolk, VA, Bahrain, and Monterey, CA. Each has it's own pluses and minuses. I miss being in a house that I own (Virginia), I love being in New England and all of the people here. Bahrain was fantastic, even though we didn't live there with Daddy, and even though it was the hottest place I've ever experienced, and I'm sure when people described the heat of hell it's because they had visited there. California, though will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the place where I found PWOC. I had more friends in California than is fair. I belonged and felt like one of the 'cool kids.' It is where my daughter was born, and where I felt the most connected. However, I could not stand the politics and did not like that I needed a translator or proficiency in another language to order a pizza.

4. What is your least favorite household chore. Hands down, it's laundry. I hate waiting for it to wash, and dry. I hate that you have to sort it out and fold it immediately or it wrinkles. I hate that the second you finish, you have to start over again.

5. What one piece of advice would you give to a teenager today (not specifically a MilTeen)? Have manners -- don't be one of the cool kids. That's a big order, I know. It includes being honest, kind, fair, and treating others decently, especially the little guy that's always being teased. The movies depicting the "cool" bullies and dorky dorks, they aren't real life. Those dorks are the ones that are going to make it in life. And those "cool" kids who "rule the school" with their stupid rules and mean tricks -- they are going to be despised and hated later in life. Being cool only teaches you how to be a jerk and get away with it. No one likes the jerks. Real life, is a lot like high school, except those dorks, geeks and jerks don't have any quality of life because no one REALLY likes them. They don't have real relationships with real people. Be a dork. It's okay. Someday you'll be grateful you got decent grades and learned how to be nice to people.

Milspouse Fill in #1

So, I stumbled upon a new blog today, Wife of a Sailor. One that I think might be okay to read every now and then. Plus, I like to support the other families that are doing the same stuff we do. Her blog is a bit more "navy wife" than mine, but then, We've been on shore duty for a looooooong time! If you have a chance, check it out. Each weeks, she's doing a fill in. So, I figure I'll go with it. At least I'll have something to write every Friday. And I'd have something to write on Tuesdays (PrompTuesdays), too if I wasn't so lazy.

This weeks questions are:

1. How did you and your spouse meet?

2. What is the best thing about being a Mil Spouse?

3. What is the hardest thing about being a Mil Spouse?

4. What is your favorite dish?

5. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Here goes nothing! (sorry for those of you in a reader. I know. I'm messing up all over the place this week!)

1. Daddy and I met several times. The first time we met was at a wedding. He purchased a drink or several for me. It was sweet. But then he confused me with someone else. And I tried to stalk him and make him come bowling with us. But he claimed he was too drunk to go bowling. I know. I didn't know that was possible either. But he swears he was, so my friend and I stalked him and his purple truck all over his apartment complex. It took a few more months, some coaxing from friends, a few more beers, and he asked me to the Navy Ball. Of course, that wasn't without the preliminary "do we hate each other" blind date. Or the "omygoshhehasagirlfiendisitreallytrueitcan'tbe!" date to Monster's Ink where all of his friends and sister sat three rows behind us. I guess no one believed he had the guts to ask a girl out? It reminds us of this song:

2. The best thing about being a Mil Spouse is really a whole bunch of things mixed up into one. I love getting to see different areas of the country and meet all kinds of new people. Making new friends has become one of the best parts recently since I found PWOC . I get excited when we move and I can find another chapter and jump in. It makes you feel like you really belong where you're at, even if you're only there for a short while.

3. The hardest thing about being a Mil Spouse is the separation from friends and family. Hands down. Husbands leave for deployments, friends leave for new orders, WE leave for new orders. We've left our families. It's hard to make a new friend that you love and adore, and get close with them and then have to leave them after just a short time. It's extremely hard when you get to a new place, and you haven't found a place to fit in yet, and you don't have any friends. We don't have lives where we make friends who live down the street, and then you're friends with them for life. Your friends are only going to live down the street for a while, and one of you is bound to leave. You don't always have the option of calling up a friend or family member to come over on short notice to come hang out, because sometimes 'coming over' requires plane tickets, days of travel or it's just impossible. When our husbands are gone, things are hard, because we are missing our helpmate. Everything changes when people you want and love can't be near you.

4. My favorite dish. This is so mean. It changes! I've been trying to work out and eat right! What I'd really like to eat right now is some fried zucchini. And not the healthy kind. The kind where you use a whole stick of butter a ton of garlic and just cook the heck out of it. Until the butter is all caramelized and the garlic is one with the squash. mmmmm.

5. For some reason I just got a picture of myself in a ball gown, trying out for "Mrs. DOD spouse." If you're a Mil Spouse, you know all about those surveys they are always harassing you to fill out about the quality of your life. Mix that up with a little Beauty Pageant, and you'd have some ENTERTAINMENT!! ha ha. Okay. I digress. One thing I'd really like to change about the world -- I'd really REALLY like it if people were better about using good manners and sharing. I figure if everyone was polite and shared more, the worlds problems would melt away. If people were to give a little more and take a little less, then -- well, maybe a lot of our husbands would be out of a job! Seriously though. A very good friend once told me that if Saddam's and Adolf's mommies had taught them proper manners (especially how to share) the world would be a very different place right now.

See you next week! And don't forget to visit her blog to let her know you're going to join in the fun if you do!