Military Wife Meme

I found this blog hopping the other day. I thought it made good filler.

How did you and your spouse meet?
We met in 1995 after being set up by my ex-sister-in-law. She and the Mister used to work together.

How old were you when you two met?
We were both 17.

How long have you been together?
We officially started dating April of 1995. We'll be celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary in May.

Where are you and your spouse originally from?
We're both from Ohio. Not the same town though.

How did you feel about him joining the military?
At first I was against it. I didn't like the thought of him going off for 13 weeks for very tough training. We had a 14 month old at the time. It was tough. Eventually, I came around. Looking back, it was the best choice for us.

Where did your spouse go to Basic Training?
Parris Island, SC

Has your spouse ever been deployed?
Yeah. He's been to Japan and Afghanistan.

Ever been to his promotion ceremony?
Umm. I'm trying to think. I've been to several ceremonies over the years but I honestly can't remember if one of them was for a promotion.

How long have you been a military wife?
This September, it will be 15 years. Geez.

Did you marry him before or after he joined?
Before.

How did your husband propose?
He simply asked and I said yes.

Where did you get married?
The courthouse in Marion, Ohio.

How old were you two when you got married?
We were both 18. Young'uns.

Did he wear his uniform on your wedding day?
He wasn't a Marine yet, so no. We probably wouldn't have done the whole military wedding anyway.

Where are you and your spouse currently stationed?
MCAS Miramar in San Diego, CA.

Do you live on base?
We live in military housing but it's not on base. We've actually never lived on any base.

How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation?
Well, if we're going to count boot camp, we would have been married for two years by that time. If we're going to go by his first deployment, that would be after six years of marriage. He's been gone for so many different types of training over 15 years that I can't remember it all.

What is your favorite base so far?
My all time favorite base is MCB Camp Lejeune. It is the epitome of a Marine Corps base in my opinion. One time, I was driving along and all the sudden I start hearing explosions and I'm trying not to freak out. Then I see a sign for the grenade practice area, lol. We've only been stationed at two different bases over the years:  Miramar and Cherry Point. I liked them both for different reasons.

Does your spouse look good in his uniform?
Lol. Yes. I feel fortunate to be married to a man in uniform.

Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life?
No. Just because we maybe experience more things or different things or live more places doesn't mean that military life is more advanced. I think the mere fact that the military is steeped in tradition and are usually the very last group of people to give up antiquated ideals makes us behind the times if anything. Military life may be tougher in some regards, that's for sure.

Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent?
I liked them a lot better 15 years ago before the DoD started whittling away at them. But yes, I like shopping at the commissary and being able to buy discounted tickets on base. I like going to Sea World once a year for free. I like having free movers. Tricare is, sadly, better than most other health insurance. It's better than my sister's who is a nurse. Explain that one. I suppose base housing is a benefit but I have a love/hate relationship with housing. So, yes.

Do you have a lot of military wife friends?
Not so much anymore. I have one neighbor that I'm friendly with but we're not confidants. Most of my friends are former military spouses. I have 2 or 3 military wives that I call friends. I don't get out much anymore, lol.

What is the hardest part of being a military wife?
Boy! This answer sure has changed a lot over the years. Recruiting duty would be at the top of the list by and far. That's only three years though. For the entire 15, being taken for granted as a built in babysitter is probably what I'm most resentful about.

Do you own any military wife stuff?
What's this supposed to mean? I don't have any stickers on my car. The only t-shirts I have are leftovers from recruiting duty and I consider them my "grubby day" t-shirts. I do have my Marine Corps jacket and sweatpants that I bought at Parris Island when the Mister graduated. The jacket still looks like new even though it survived three extremely harsh Vermont winters. The sweatpants have seen better days, lol. I have a D-ring keychain. OH! And I have a sign on my front door that says, "Home is where the Marine Corps Sends Us". I think that probably counts as "military wife stuff".

Do you support your spouse as a member of the military?
This is a dumb question. Then again, I know plenty of wives who have threatened divorce if their husbands reenlist. So, yes. I support my husband. I go where the Marine Corps sends him and do my best to overlook all the other bullshit.

On Being Me

I’ve been in a mood lately. Or to be more accurate, I’ve been moody. What?!?! ME!! Moody?!?! Never! I know. It’s a shocker. I need therapy or something, I’m sure. Anyway, today I am focusing on the positive. Barring any unforeseen punishments, we are taking the kids to a Kinston Indians game tonight. We’re having some spectacular weather and it will be a perfect evening for a game. I’m really looking forward to going as a family this time, lol. For your reading pleasure, I’m going to list some other things that I enjoy. I’ve done something like this before, I know, but my tagging system is, well, not a system and I can’t find my other post, lol. So, if there are any repeats, you can rest assured that it’s something that I really  like.

1. I really love getting into a freshly made bed at night. Crisp, clean, lovely smelling sheets are a perfect prelude to a good night’s sleep.
2. Coming home to a clean house after being away for a few days.
3. Hannah when she sleeps in my lap. Or as much in my lap as a 60 pound dog can be. She’s such a cuddler that I think she’s a lap dog trapped in a larger dog’s body.
4. Bailey when she smiles. She’s four years old and it still makes me giggle every time she does it.
5. A hug from my youngest daughter. She gives the best hugs out of anybody I’ve ever known my entire life. You can tell she means to give love and comfort with her tiny arms.
6. When I look at my oldest daughter and I’m suddenly struck with how beautiful she is and getting a glimpse of the young woman she’s becoming. Every once in a while, I’ll glance at her and see that woman on her face. It’s amazing.
7. Watching my husband watch TV or read. I don’t know what it is about it, but I just like watching him concentrate on something, lol.
8. In the early, humid, morning, right after the sun has risen, I love the scent in the air. That smell that is fresh and a bit crisp because the day is still chilly but you can tell it’s going to be a scorcher. I love that. It reminds me of my dad.
9. My desk after it’s been clean and organized.
10. The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She is so funny. I laugh throughout the entire show and it just makes me feel good. Her Move It, Move It game makes me laugh until I’m crying. It’s a must DVR show.
11. This one is shallow, but having money in the bank. When we’re broke and I’m worrying about finances, I have migraines and insomnia. Sleeping at night and getting through the week without emptying a bottle of Excedrin is a good thing.
12. Relaxing with a glass of my favorite wine and an episode of a favorite show. I actually have “Wine” shows, lol. Weeds, Californication, Dexter, The Secret Diary of a Call Girl, are a few of the shows that a glass of wine is the perfect accompaniment.
13. Listening to the rain at night. I like to leave the windows open, turn off the lights, and light candles while it’s raining at night.
14. Playing the radio LOUD in my car. We have a rockin’ stereo in the Scion and it' is so much fun cruising around with it bumpin’. No. I’m not 17 years old, heheh.

That’s it for now. I have laundry waiting for me. Not a favorite thing of mine, heheh. But I’m wearing my last clean pair of underwear so it’s a must do.

Have a great and awesome weekend.

Us

I found this meme while I was surfing blogs yesterday. Since my anniversary is coming up, I thought I’d fill it out.

1. How long have you been together?

We started dating in April of 1995 and got married in May of 1996. So, we’ve been together for 13 years and married for almost 12.

2. Who pursued whom?

We were set up so I really don’t think either of us did any pursuing. However, he knew about me before I knew about him and I found out years later that he cruised the mall where I was working to see what I looked like before we met, lol.

3. Do you wear any type of wedding/commitment ring?

I have a wedding ring and engagement ring that I wore prior to moving to N.C. but with the heat and humidity down here, my hands swell and then my rings don’t fit. I haven’t decided if I want to size them or not yet. The Mister doesn’t wear his ring because 1.)He’s not allowed to at work and 2.)Because he wore it to work, got his hand caught in a tow bar, nearly lost his finger, and smashed his ring. We took it to a jeweler to be reshaped, but it was never the same. They had to pry the ring off his finger with pliers.

4. What was the hardest thing about learning to live together?

We sort of fell into living together and I don’t remember much of an adjustment period. We were practically inseparable before we moved in together anyway.

5. Who takes longer to get ready in the morning?

It’s usually a tossup. Being a Marine, you would think he would take fast showers, but he doesn’t. I can do my hair, makeup, get dressed, and be out the door in 20 minutes. Sometimes, he takes a 20 minute shower, lol.

6. Do you usually eat breakfast together?

Nope. He gets up for work at 5:15 am and is out the door by 6. I get up at 6:40 with the kids. Also, both of us usually skip breakfast anyway.

7. Do you ever share clothes?

Yeah, t-shirts. We used to fight over my LL Bean t-shirt, heheh.

8. Who does most of the cooking?

Me. He pitches in sometimes, but I do majority of the cooking. He grills because I refuse to though.

9. Who usually takes out the trash?

The oldest child. It’s one of her weekly chores.

10. If you have pets who usually does litter box or poop patrol?

The lawnmower usually does the yard poop patrol. The oldest child cleans out the guinea pig cage because he’s her pet. I will clean out the rat cage when the time comes because it’s my pet.

11. Which one of you is more likely to answer the phone when it rings?

We only have cell phones. He answers his phone and I answer my phone. However, he sometimes gets calls on my phone from his Marines because my number is listed at work but I usually just pass along messages.

12. Who's in charge of the remote if you're watching TV together?

He denies this, but he is. Usually if I’m watching something he doesn’t like, he’ll go watch TV in our bedroom or go on his computer. I, on the other hand, will suffer through the non-stop sports that he watches so that we can have some couch time together.

13. Who usually drives when you go out together?

He does because he constantly criticizes my driving and that drives me nuts. I have never had a speeding ticket or caused a car accident whereas he’s had about 5 speeding tickets (that’s not even counting the countless warnings he got while we lived in VT) and caused three car accidents that I can think of. Who do you think is the worse driver? Honestly though, I think it's a control thing. Even when we take long car trips like from N.C. to Ohio or VT to Ohio I drive the first leg and when we stop for gas, he drives the entire rest of the way. Then, when we get where we're going, he tells everyone I made him drive the whole way, lol.

14. Which one of you takes care of spiders and bugs that get into the house?

Whoever is there at the time.

15. Facing the bed, who sleeps on which side?

I sleep on the right side. We switch occasionally though. When we moved into this house, I started out on the left side.

16. Who usually checks the (postal) mailbox?

Usually me because I’m home but he’ll check occasionally.

17. If something breaks or goes wrong in the house, which one of you is more likely to either fix it or call someone to fix it?

Me. I call the repair guy. The Mister probably has no idea who our repair dude even is.

18. Who is generally the neater of you?

We could both use more practice at the housekeeping thing, but I’m neater than he is. You’re unlikely to find my dirty clothes in the living room but him….

19. Who handles the checkbook/pays the bills?

That would definitely be me. The week I spent in California was a nightmare bill-wise. Jennifer will attest to that. And, one of my credit cards didn’t get paid at all because I thought he had paid it but he didn’t. If I ever take a trip by myself again, I’m going to have to figure out how to get the bills paid long distance. If I ever die, he’s going to be in a world of hurt.

20. What was your last fight/disagreement about?

Who should have bought the milk, lmao. Wednesday, I went to the base to meet the Mister for lunch. While I was there, he mentioned that we needed milk. I was like, “Can’t you just pick it up at the commissary on your way home from work?” He was like, “Or you can pick it up while you’re here.” I laughed and said nah and thought that he would get it. He gets home, asks me if I bought milk, I say no, and he had a hissy. I honestly thought that he was going to pick it up and he thought that I was. So, I grabbed the Scion keys, my iPod, jacked up the stereo, and went to the store my damn self and paid more for milk out in town when it would have been cheaper at the commissary. But, oh well. We rarely fight about anything that’s actually important.

21. When you slow dance together, who leads?

Ha! We don’t dance let alone slow dance.

22. What do you love the most about your other half?

He may annoy me at times, but he’s the most decent person that I know. He does favors for people who don’t deserve it. He also supports me being a sahm and going to school to get my degree. Actually, if he hadn’t filled out my application without telling me he was doing it, I probably wouldn’t even be going right now because I was too afraid to start.