MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #39

1. Have you and your spouse agreed to live in separate locations (a geographical bachelor tour) knowing that the short-term inconvenience would have long-term benefits for your family? How did it work for you? submitted by When Good People Get Together
I said no at first, then realized we actually had. Sort of. I was still in college when we sneakily got married, so he was three hours down the interstate. But we weren't living together prior to that, since he was away at basic/tech school/etc so it wasn't a big change from what we were already doing.

2. What is your favorite thing about being a MilSpouse? submitted by Sarah Ruth Today
The potential for awesome travel/living abroad. I want to go to fun places.

3. If you could still have your spouse and your family, but take the military life out of it...would you? submitted by Trust, Love, Believe, Bake
I haven't really experienced enough of the military life to say one way or another. It hasn't had any kind of drastic, life-changing effects on our lives yet. Get back to me in a few months when I'm across the country.

4. What have your homecoming experiences been like after a year long tour of separation? submitted by Army Soldier, Army Wife
Erm, not entirely applicable. When he came back from the 4 month deployment, I was exhausted from the will-he-be-here-or-won't-he run around - over the course of 3 days, I was told a different eta every few hours (and I had to prepare since I was picking him up at BWI - nearly 4 hours from home). After spending the day in DC with a friend, the husband called around 10 pm and said he'd be at BWI in 2 hours. A little while after I started driving to the airport, he called back and said he wouldn't be in until the next morning, so I tried to turn around to go back to my friend's house, took a wrong exit and was lost in downtown DC for an hour. By the time I was able to get back in touch with my friend and have her try to lead me back to her apartment, I got another call - he would be arriving that night after all. I got to BWI and neither the arrival signs nor any of the few people working (it was well after midnight by this point) had any idea where to point me. After another hour and a half of trying to nap/wandering around an empty airport, I suddenly saw a mass of camo at the far end of the corridor. How the hell was I supposed to pick him out?! He made it easy and found me first (only about 3 people were leaving from there, the rest were flying out again the next morning). We didn't get out of the airport until around 3:30, and at that point, he decided he just wanted to go home instead of doing the logical thing and getting a hotel, so we got home after the sun came up and immediately passed out since we'd both been up for over 24 hours at that point. Probably the least romantical reunite ever.

5. If you have a child(ren) why did you choose their name(s)? If not, why would you name your child something? submitted by Tiara's and ACU's
We have no younglings, but have unofficially agreed on Anja for a girl. I like the German-ness, as it would go well with the husband's last name. With me being saddled with the same name as 10% of the other girls born in the 80's, I will not go near anything on the "most popular" lists - I once worked with 5 other Ashleys...it got confusing/annoying. And we don't want to go for the other extreme of making up/horribly misspelling a "regular" name, as the in-law's left a letter off of the end of the husband's name to make it "unique" but that just ended up making people misspell/mispronounce his name his whole life. I'm going to make an educated guess and say that we will probably agree upon not insane sounding sci-fi related names.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #38

1. How many pets do you have? And what type? submitted by Life and Times of a Displaced Jersey Girl
One polydactyl kitteh, Sicily. Though she was born in the mountains of Virginia, we like to imagine that she is at least partially a Norwegian Forest Cat. Her tail isn't as huge, but she has the wooly undercoat and massive head, chest and leg fluff (especially in the winter). We hope to bless her with a canine sibling after we reach the west coast.

Norwegian Forest Cat

Sicily

2. What are your favorite projects to do while hubby is away? submitted by my-inspired-nest

Is road tripping/concert going considered a project? Cause that's what I do. I am also more motivated to go to the gym while he's away.

3. What are the must-haves in your deployment care packages? submitted by Christine's Little Blog
Peter Pan Honey Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter. And Jim Melton's Beef Jerky.

4. If you could star in any TV show, which would it be? submitted by Just A Girl
Does being a contestant on Jeopardy! count as "starring" in a show?

5. What was the biggest hurdle that you faced during your significant other's first deployment? submitted by The Pavlik Perspective
The time lag via Skype. Our conversation would start out all well and good, but then it would get to the point where we couldn't hear what the other person was saying until 45 sec-1 min after it was said. It got a little frustrating. Oh the horror, right?

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #37

1. With PCS moves happening every few years, do you take the time to paint and decorate your home? submitted by Life as Mrs. JPT
We've lived in two apartments in two years here (we didn't find out how ghetto the first one was until we had already signed the lease). We've had stuff on the walls in both places, but I wouldn't call it decorated. Since we should be in Washington for 3-4 years, I think I'll go for it and try to make wherever we live seem homier. I'd love to have some color on the walls. And maybe actually get a dining room table that isn't a folding card table...

2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be? submitted by Standing By Him
Oh my, can I just pick pieces of different TV houses? I dig Carrie Bradshaw's closet on SATC. The Greystone's house on Caprica was pretty tricked out, but most of the awesome stuff in it (um, robot butler? yes, please!) doesn't exist in this universe. I really love the exterior of Cam and Mitchell's house and the living room/kitchen of the Dunphy house on Modern Family. And the guys on The Big Bang Theory have the best geeked out decor. So if we can just mash these all together, I'll be happy.

3. What inspired you to start your blog? submitted by Pink Combat Boots
One, I figured it was a way to keep a few friends updated on the impending cross country move. And two, I wanted to fill out Friday Fill-ins :)

4. What is the weirdest thing you've ever seen on base? submitted by Adventures in Life
I've thought long and hard about this and I honestly cannot come up with anything. I'm sure I've seen a weird thing or two on base, but none of them stuck to my brain.

5. Which historical figure (politician, writer, artist, scientist, actor, etc...) would you like to have dinner with? submitted by Army of Two
I'll go for the obvious here and say Jesus. I'd like to see what he really looked like (cause you know he wasn't blonde haired and blue eyed) and what he'd have to say about things going on these days (particularly some of the hateful things done in his name).

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #36

1. What romance movie scene reminds you of your spouse and the LOVE you share? submitted by Simply Sunshine and Daisy's
Really? Okay, I'm going with the Ikea scene from (500) Days of Summer, uh, because we both really like Ikea.

2. If you were allowed to deploy with your husband to a war zone would you and why? submitted by I & J
Dear sweet baby Jesus, no thank you. Luckily, the husband's job doesn't actually go directly into war zones. But if it did, it would be bad enough for one of us to be there, much less both of us. I would think that it would be distracting to the service member to have to worry about their family's safety in such a volatile place. I would definitely prefer to stay behind in relative safety. Besides, someone has to take care of the cat.

3. Have you ever done anything (intentionally, or unintentionally) to embarrass your spouse in front of his military cohorts? submitted by Marrying the Navy
Yeah, but it wasn't anything too dreadful. So the husband started playing Magic (you know, the geeky card game) at lunch with some guys in the lab. Then he started trying to get me to play at home. At first I refused. I mean, I'm a nerd, but am I THAT nerdy? But he finally convinced me and I beat him, nay, destroyed him like ten times. About a week later, I stopped by the lab to ask the husband some random question on the way home from the gym. It was lunch time and he and the other guys were in the midst of their card game, so I shamed him by letting everyone know that I totally owned him at his own game.

4. What is your most irrational fear? submitted by Eights on the Move
I am terrified of birds pooping on me. It has happened twice in my life, once while playing in my front yard as a kid, and again about three years ago. The husband, the bff and I were downtown on an unseasonably warm spring day, looking for a place with outdoor dining. As we waited to cross the street,  I suddenly felt something on my arm. It was bird poop. I started screaming. Of course none of us had tissues or paper or anything, so the husband took off his sock for me to wipe the grossness off. Isn't he chivalrous? We ended up eating lunch indoors. Now whenever we see a flock of seagulls, the husband narrates how they are out looking for me to poop on again. The worst is at the park where you have to cross this long bridge to get to the trails and there is always a family or two feeding the birds. It is always a walk of terror.

5. If you could only live in one kind of climate for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? submitted by Many Waters
After a week of gloom, cold and rain, I'm craving a nice stretch 70-something-degrees sunny days. I just don't even want to leave the house when it's cold and gross outside, so nice weather makes me more productive as well.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #35

1. What is your must have gadget? submitted by Flying High With My Flyboy
While I do love my MacBook, if I had to choose just one gadget, I'd go with my iPhone 4. Although the touchscreen keyboard and I still don't get along that well, it is a constant source of entertainment/keeps me connected to everything. I am an addict. Although, if the husband lets me play with his new (older version) iPad anytime soon, this answer may change.

2. How does you adulthood compare to what you imagined it would be like when you were a little kid? submitted by L to the Third
Honestly, I don't remember much about what I thought adulthood would be like. I do remember picking out wedding and bridesmaid dresses from my grandma's JCPenney catalog when I was a little kid, then I grew up and went off and eloped sans dresses and attendants. I'm pretty sure I never imagined that I'd marry a military man.  I also remember thinking that if people weren't married with children by, like, age 24 they were WAY too old. That part definitely changed.

3. What is your favorite chocolate recipe? submitted by Our First Deployment
A. I'm not terribly into chocolate (crazy, right?)
B. I'm not much of a cook.
But I do like to "make" Pillsbury Simply...Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are made with real ingredients (aka no "corn sugar") and always turn out perfectly.

4. How do you deal with military life when it gets to be too much or too hard? submitted by Combat Boots And Pointe Shoes
I have no answer because I don't think I've been faced with that yet. I'm pretty lucky in that the most bothersome things about the husband's job and/or my experience with military life in general (thus far) are rather trivial and petty in comparison to the stuff other spouses have to deal with (aka loooong deployments, pseudo-single-parenthood, etc).

5. What piece of advice would you give a new military spouse facing their first deployment? submitted by The Albrecht Squad
Once again, stay busy! Don't count the days. Have a pet to keep you company. Go do something fun. Drink lots of wine.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #34

1. What are some of your ideas for staying connected with family...you know, those people we moved thousands of miles away from? submitted by Live it. Love it (or not). Write About It.
Well, I started this little blog here to stay in touch with a few close friends. I don't think that I'm going to out it to the family. There is always Facebook and I'm teaching the parents how to use Skype before we move.

2. What's the most romantic gift you have GIVEN? submitted by Painting My Canvas
I'm not really a romantic gift giver. It's just not our style. I give the husband awesomely nerdtastic gifts though. Examples:

3. Would you encourage your child, if they came to you and wanted to join the military? submitted by Perfectly Imperfect
Hmmm, well I won't be faced with this possible scenario for at least another twenty years or so, but I'd like to think I'd support their chosen career path (you know, unless they wanted to be a stripper or reality show whore or something). Besides, growing up in a military household, I would think that they'd have a better idea than most as to what they were getting into.

4. What is your least favorite bill to pay and why? submitted by A Little of This, A Little of That
Now that the credit cards are paid off, I am responsible for only one bill: the dreaded student loan payment(s). They are paid ahead and one should be done in under six months, but the other one...well, it'll be around for a long, long time. Even though I pay it every month (sometimes twice), it seems like the remaining balance just doesn't shrink enough. Every time it goes down another $1000 is a small victory, but it's still WAYYY too high for my liking. At least I have a fancy piece of paper hanging on my wall to show for it, right? : /

5. What is the proudest moment you've had as a military spouse? submitted by Our Okinawa Life
The husband seems to win awards nearly every quarter and got Airman of the Year for his wing last year, so there are ample moments to be proud of him.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #33

1. During military separations (whether short or long) how do you keep yourself positive and motivated? submitted by Married/Single Parent
This probably sounds too simplistic, but by keeping busy. While the husband was at boot camp/tech school, I was in college full-time, bartending/waiting tables 4-6 days a week, and had lots of friends around to keep me occupied. During his lone 4 month deployment, I worked quite a bit and took trips to see friends/family/awesome bands every couple of weeks. I always had something going on/something happening in the near future to look forward to, so I wasn't only focused on how long it was until he was coming back.

2. What is your favorite concert you have ever been to? submitted by Young but Not (Completely) Dumb
Oh dear, this is a toughie. For much of my young adult life, I was a concert junkie. The first five concerts I went to involved huge amounts of luck/friends helping me pull off a massive cover up so my mom wouldn't find out I was in another city at a "sinful rock concert." I once saw the same band three days in a row in three different cities. I've driven to both Atlanta and Nashville (from Virginia) for a show, then turned around and driven directly back (not recommended). Then there was the time an ice storm turned what should have been a 45 minute drive to a show into a terrifying and slippery two hour drive with poor visibility, but we didn't turn back. In short, I frequently made very bad decisions in order to see really great concerts.
But back to the question. I can't choose just one, as there have been so many epic adventures. My third Tori Amos show (February 2003, Charlotte) was pretty cool, we had killer seats and I swear she made eye contact with me (I was literally leaning against the stage) during the encore when she played my then-favorite song. Radiohead at Bonnaroo (June 2006, Manchester) was once described as the best three hours of my life. I'm not sure if I'd still say that, but I will say that it was a masterpiece. The Flaming Lips at The Echo Project (October 2007, Atlanta) was fantastical. From the second row you're in the center of the confetti storm and Wayne Coyne's giant inflatable ball that he walks over the crowd in rolled directly over me. The Foo Fighters at Virgin Festival (August 2008, Baltimore) was awesome because they're the husband's favorite band and we had a nice view of Dave Grohl. The husband hardly ever goes to shows, so it was nice to go to a concert we equally enjoyed together. And last, but certainly not least, The Flavor Savers at Bonnaroo (June 2010, Manchester). There is just something about watching four grown mustachioed men in matching fluorescent pants singing 90s dance hits whilst busting out some smokin hot moves.

3. What do you miss most about your "hometown"? submitted by A Florida Girl and Her Soldier
My actual hometown is kind of craptastic, but I do miss being able to see my soulmate (and her new baby) on a regular basis. I miss so much about my adopted hometown (aka college town) though...my wonderful group of friends, my school, my favorite little indie restaurants, my super-winning trivia team, the walkability of where I lived.

4. If you could run in any race, which charity would you choose to support? submitted by Wookie and Co.
Either the Alzheimer's Foundation for America (for my Grandma) or the National Childhood Cancer Foundation (because kids with cancer are heartbreaking)

5. You find out Willy Wonka is your father, what 3 course meal do you INSIST he create in that stick of gum? submitted by A{muse}ing Mommy on a Pink Park Bench
Mmmm, because I miss Xenia Kebab Grille so terribly much, I would like their falafel, the Athena traditional Greek gyro, and baklava. Who wouldn't want chickpea and lamb flavored gum? Yum!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #32

1. Do you or your {spouse} ever wish your {spouse} was in a different branch of the military? submitted by The Turner Family
I think we are both pleased with the Air Force. He likes his job and I like that the only place he can deploy to with his job is not in harm's way. It's a win-win.

2. What duty station(s) are on your "No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied" list and why? submitted by Every Branch
I touched on this one last week. I dread being sent to BFE. Europe? Sounds awesome. Japan and Korea, while not at the top of my list, would at least be something completely different. Anywhere on the East Coast is not too bad because the family/friends would be a drivable distance away. Montana/Idaho/Dakotas? Sounds like torture to me. But I'd still go.

3. If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why? submitted by Three Krakens
23 was a good year. My life got on track that year. I went back to school, stopped being ridiculous (for the most part), got to travel, was surrounded by really good friends, and started dating the husband. Plus, I had a hot little body back then, sigh. [edited to add: Also, my 23rd birthday was EPIC. Pictures from that night will never cease to be embarrassing.]

4. If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be? submitted by the C.W.
I'll go with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It's sweet, but not saccharine, with a hint of savory and a delightful crunch. Plus, everyone in our household likes it (yes, including the cat - she stalks people while they're eating it and dives in to drink the milk from the bowl when you're done).

5. What is your morning beverage of choice and why? submitted by NH Girl Displaced
Other than the rare occasion when I just NEED orange juice in the morning, I typically stick with water. It is the perfect thirst quencher for that super parched just woke up feeling. I save my Starbucks fix for early afternoon.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #31

1. Aside from no deployments, what is one thing you would want to make the MilSpouse life "perfect"? submitted by Oh How Delightful
Two things come to mind. The less logical/realistic one is removing all bases that are in the middle of nowhere. I never want to live farther than 20 minutes from a Target (I'll make an exception for overseas bases). Being stationed in BFE is probably my worst nightmare. On a more realistic note, given the awful and unhelpful doctor's appointment I went to this week, I'd love to have more choice and easier access to the doctor of one's choice in a military healthcare setting. It made me miss going to off base doctors when I had to explain several times to my friends that if they want to change doctors, they just have to make sure their insurance is accepted and pick up the phone, while I, on the other hand, have to fill out seven pages of paperwork to change my doctor and then wait several weeks for a new appointment.

2. Just how many peppers did Peter Piper pick? submitted by Married into Army
That would be a peck, or a quarter-bushel. According to this guy, who has way too much time on his hands, Peter would have picked 456 peppers if he picked peperoncini, which is my pepper of choice.

3. If you could have any career in the world with nothing holding you back, what would you do? submitted by It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
This is probably pretty lame, but the only thing I've really wanted to be in recent memory is a librarian. I'm sure there are way more awesome/difference making choices, but I'm sticking with it.

4. Do you have a service oriented tattoo and if so what is it. If you don't what would you get? submitted by The Squid's Accomplice
I have a single tattoo. It's a good old fashioned "I'm-18-and-I-can-do-what-I-want" tribal tramp-stamp. The only other tattoo I've ever considered is a pirate ship on my back, as I've seen several amaze-balls versions of that idea. I'll qualify that as loosely service related since the Navy fights pirates.

5. 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? submitted by To The Nth
Ooooh, there are so many options. I want to learn German because it sounds kind of scary. And I sometimes do exceptionally nerdy things, like looking up what awesome history classes JMU is currently offering, despite knowing I can't take them. Plus, I'd like to start taking library science grad school courses. But I'm going to scrap the academics and go with a knitting class. My pregnant soulmate has tried to teach me before and we got as far as me making a chain(?) but my fingers are not very dexterous with those needles.

(My First) MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #30

Whoa, do you have any idea how hard I worked trying to figure out how to get that image inserted and aligned?!?! This html business and my brain are not friends. (ed. note - I only later noticed the "insert image" button Blogger provides.)

1. What is your favorite MilSpouse blog?
I've just gotten into reading MilSpouse blogs. I've just recently caught up on L to the third (Virginia-based history nerds, unite!), Just Another Snarky Navy Wife, who has a delightfully filthy mouth, and the The Unlikely Wife Adventures!

2. What are your favorite perks about your s/o being deployed?
Freedom to pick up and take my much loved random road trips. The husband has only been deployed once, it was short and it was to a "safe" place. I didn't have to spend my time worrying, which was great. So I spent my summer making numerous trips to my hometown and my college town, having adventures in Kentucky, going to Bonnaroo, aka the happiest place on Earth, and throwing a joint birthday party with my bff. All in all, a pretty great summer, minus the whole missing the husband part. Oh, the joys of having no children and a menial job!

3. How long did you date your significant other before getting engaged? Married?
We started working together in August of 2004 (and I apparently stole his job). For several years I referred to him as "creepy." Luckily, I eventually realized that it wasn't really creepiness, just nerdy eccentricity.  I remember buying him shots after insisting he come out with me and some of our co-workers in May 2006, after learning that his 21st birthday was the previous week and he hadn't appropriately celebrated yet. By early 2007, he was inviting himself and a bottle of wine over  to my apartment after work nearly every night to watch movies or play Guitar Hero or help me study for Econ exams, and he would sometimes fall asleep on the couch. My then-roommate/bff said something to the effect of, "You know one day he's just going to come over and never leave, right?" Yeah, she was right. We don't have an official date, but we started dating in late-February-ish. He left for basic training in October and proposed on the eve of New Years Eve. We sneakily got married in August 2008, but we lived 3 hours apart until May 2009 when I graduated and was able to move. So we're basically newlyweds, right?

4. What do you think your significant other would do if he wasn't in the military?
Something computer-y and calibration-y.

5. If you could talk to the Secretary of the Air Force what is one suggestion you would like to bring to their attention in order to improve the lives of military families?
If you are going to offer education assistance money to MilSpouses, make it accessible to all of us. I had only just heard of MyCAA from another MilSpouse and was thinking, "Ooooh, potential free grad school monies!?," when the program disappeared and then reappeared in a re-vamped, totally not useful to me way. Just because I have a bachelor's degree doesn't mean I'm necessarily finished with school, and the fact that it is now only applicable to associates and certificates is kind of a joke.