military life

WE HAVE A POOL!!!

..For a week anyway, before it closes for the fall. I haven’t had access to a pool in years (even my apartment complex in Arlington didn’t have one.) It was nice to kick back and soak up some sun after a long day of unpacking and cleaning. The water was glorious, if not heavily chlorinated (I’m so used to sea salt!!)

Now I just need to find some friends. This neighborhood is very quiet, which is in sharp contrast to the military base experience of my youth. I did, however, find myself in the direct path of a massive ARMY of women, strollers, and small screaming children the other day. It was like a stampede, and mildly terrifying…

It seems I’m the only DependaCheetah for miles.

On this day two years ago, I welcomed Chuck home from his first #deployment to #Afghanistan. Today, it’s extra special to so recently have him back from his second 😊#tbt #throwbackthursday #usmc #milso #military #freedomisntfree #homecoming

HE’S HOME!! Sadly, these were the only 2 shots I got (I insisted on one without sunglasses), so you’ll just have to take my word for it that homecoming was as happy and romantic as you’d imagine!

2 deployments and 2 work-ups in less than 3 years… I am so ready for our break 🙂

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Chuck gets home in a little over 48 hours!!! I can’t believe it’s *almost* here! It’s going to be so strange, taking him to a house he’s never seen before, and that’s been all mine. I’m also curious to see how Miss Bean reacts – she has only recently gotten comfortable taking over his spot in the bed!

I did finally unpack his clothes and found space for them in the closet (kinda.) I went to the grocery store and got some of the things I know he likes most – bacon, mozzarella cheese, ground beef, Italian sausage… My grocery bill has effectively doubled…

Our August is going to be very busy as we prepare for guests and moving out – plus I’ll still be working. But I am grateful for a long weekend where it’ll just be the two of us to readjust to life together and catch up beyond the idle chit chat of our e-mail convos.

But first, I need to finish up all my remaining Sex and the City episodes… FAST!!

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One thing that’s weird about my Military Life 2.0 (with 1.0 being my childhood as a military brat) is that neighbors are not friendly. I didn’t know my neighbors in my last neighborhood, and I don’t know them in my new one, either.

This is strange to me, because when someone was new in the neighborhood growing up, people always made the effort to say hi, introduce themselves, and bring delicious homemade baked goods to welcome you. My attempts to befriend new neighbors in the last neighborhood were essentially met with “thanks, but no thanks”, and in this neighborhood, I have yet to be acknowledged at all!

Of course, they probably all think I’m a witch or something. Young woman living alone who hangs out with her cat out in the driveway on random balmy evenings. Only seen at night. And now feeding mysterious black cats that are showing up in my yard at odd hours.

I’m pretty excited about that by the way! I love black cats.

Hmmm… maybe I am a witch.

Chuck sent me pictures of kittens in Afghanistan the other day! So cute 🙂 I love seeing soldiers with kittens. And what’s up with the Afghan doing the supermodel pose in the Louis Vuitton tee shirt? Too funny! Even I don’t own LV.

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3 Things to Never Say to a Military Wife (Please)

One thing I’ve learned about being a military wife is that people will say all sorts of things with the honest intention of helping me feel better… but somehow it misses the mark. I’ve narrowed it down to the Annoying Top 3:

1) “I could never do it! I’m so impressed you can stay faithful.”

This cheapens my relationship (and yours) to sex. If you truly loved him enough, you could definitely do it. I swear I’m not weird or crazy. 🙂

2) “You knew what you were getting into when you married him.”

There’s got to be a better way to tell me you don’t want to hear me share what I’m going through or about the surprises I encounter… which I thought friendships were for, but whatever, I get the picture.

3) “You’re already at X months? Wow, it’s going by SO quickly!”

This one is particularly awkward for me to hear, and ironically it’s also the most well-intentioned – so I don’t get hard feelings. Seriously though… I’m glad my husband being away/in danger/out of touch has gone quickly for you…but unless I say it first, I wouldn’t go there.

Again, all these things are never meant in a bad way, but having received each in quite a few variations, it just makes me shut up and shuffle away to my corner, feeling stupid. I guess it’s one of those things that people don’t quite “get” unless they’re going through it.

And it’s something I should remember too, when friends share with me. We all experience our own little battles, that’s for sure.