Sometimes.....

Sometimes being a military spouse, straight up BITES!*

And, yes, I had an idea of what I was getting into when he signed away our lives. We had been married for two years when Sweet Husband felt called to join the military.
Sweet husband signed on the line, and two weeks later we said goodbye for the first time. He went through eights weeks of basic training, followed by twenty-four weeks of specialized training, before we were able to live together again.
Over the years, we've spent almost as much time living apart as we have living together. One might think that saying "goodbye" that often has left me hardened, that Sweet Husband's comings and goings are nothing more than turn-of-the-mill events.

One would be wrong.

Sweet Husband is adored. Everyday, when he walks through the front door, he's greeted by squeals and cheers. Occasionally the paparazzi is also on the scene to document such goings on. Everyday that Sweet Husband gets to come home. Our household rejoices. So when he gets orders to leave for weeks at a time. It is devastating.

Sometimes dealing with the craziness and politics of a unit leaves you feeling emotionally bruised and battered.

Combine the two together, and it's no wonder military installations have liquor stores.






*Yes, it bites. It does not suck. Think about it. Biting is ALWAYS bad. Sucking is not.

A Christmas Box to Far Away

Sweet husband requested sheets and a pillow for Christmas.

How could I say to "no" to such a simple request? So the boys and I went shopping. We started with sheets. Alex found a set of High School Musical sheets.
"Mama, don't you think papa would like these sheets?"
I bit back a smile. I could almost picture Sweet husband's face opening a package f High School Musical sheets.
"Those are nice sheets. But papa really wants cotton sheets and those aren't cotton." Sweet husband could thank me later.
Alex put the sheets back. "Oh. How about these? Are they cotton?" he held up a package of Tinkerbell sheets.
"Not enough. Papa likes all cotton sheets."
"Oh here's Mickey Mouse! ....And some princesses..."
"Oh these one's are good." I held up a set of cream colored jersey sheets.
Alex looked at me expectantly "There's nothing on them..." he said hesitantly "Are you sure they're cotton?"


Then came the pillow. Alex tested each of them, before settling on a sweetly stripped damask pillow. Then his eyes fell on a solid red rectangle of fluff.
"Mama," he said reverently "it's a red pillow"
"Mmm-hmm," I grunted as I pushed aside a mountain of pillows in from me.
"What does the tag say?" he whispered.
I glanced over absently "It says "Allergy relief"."
Alex's eyes lit up. "Mama, I have allergies."
I raised an eyebrow "That's right."
Alex smiled sweetly, a halo appeared above his head and doves began singing.
"Mama, may I have a red allergy relief pillow?"




Now sheets and a pillow sound harmless enough. Wrap them up, throw them in a box and ship them out, right? Ha! I laugh at the idea of something so simple. First I had to wash the items, and of course, once laundered they grew bigger and puffier. Armed with a few bags, some packaging tape, the vacuum cleaner, and my own personal cheering/crying section (named Spain, for any of you who might be wondering), I attacked the fluffy pile of bedding. I spent more time than I care to admit (hours) folding, refolding, twisting, turning- essentially creating bedding origami. All so I could close the box enough to tape it closed. 25 yards of tape later, I had a box that slightly rocked when touched and was completely waterproof.

Muwhahahahahahahaha!