Welcome to the Army, Ma'am!

"Welcome to the Army, Ma'am!" If you have ever heard these words, you were probably really excited the first time. You may have heard these shortly after you were married and were so happy to have finally married your man in uniform that you did not stop to contemplate these words. Let me tell you what that person REALLY meant when they welcomed you to the Army.

1. Welcome to living with an ID for the rest of your Army life. Without your ID card you can't go shopping, go to the library, or leave/enter post among other things.

2. Welcome to lonely days and lonely nights. When duty calls your husband to go it also calls you to stay and hold the homefront.

3. Welcome to a life of tradition. While many of these do not necessarily hold the same place they once did, tradition still plays a vital role in normal Army life.

4. Welcome to unpredicability. You will no longer know when exactly your husband will be home for dinner, or how long you will live in your house or where you will go next.

5. Welcome to dirty laundry the likes of which you probably have never seen. There is nothing to describe clothes that have been through field training exercises. Just wash them, I promise they will be okay.

6. Welcome to the commissary system. Grocery shopping will never be the same.

7. Welcome to the realization that you don't know the number of the days of a person's life. The sound of "Taps" on the wind at night is a constant reminder that someday you may be hearing it in a much more painful setting.

8. Welcome to a sisterhood. The women around you are facing those same lonely nights, doing the same FTX laundry and probably miss home just as much as you do. They will become like sisters, just give it time.

9. Welcome to a community. Living in an Army community can be amazing. Often people will go above and beyond in just those little things that will make you smile. Perhaps it will be a car graciously waiting for you to cross the road, an elderly gentleman who helps you in the commissary or just a kind hello from a stranger.

10.  Welcome to a chance to succeed. The Army has its frustrations to be sure but I have found so many resources and people who are there to help you succeed. I have been so blessed with so many military wives who have been open, honest and helpful as I transition to this new life. They go out of their way to try and help us newbies succeed.

11. Welcome to being married to a VERY handsome man. There is nothing like a man in uniform. It never gets old. Not only do they just make your man so handsome that your toes curl, but it is the symbol of the warriors of old living on in the men of today.

12. Welcome to cherishing every moment and every day. When you know that your time with your husband will be cut short when duty calls, you cherish every single moment. And when you cherish every moment, you find great delight in the smallest of things.

Welcome to the Army, Ma'am! 

Bursts of Sunshine

God is so faithful to send me bursts of sunshine when I most need them. Typically when Wil leaves I transition to "singlehood" over a period of a couple of days. Today was a just the burst of sunshine I needed during transitions.

Today was "Free Market" day. It is like a free garage sale. I had never been to the Main Post Chapel (where it was being held) but it didn't look too hard to find. Technically it wasn't but I went through several wrong turns before I actually got there. While I didn't find anything I had a lovely chat with one of the women I met at a recent coffee. Burst of sunshine #1. I finally went to the thrift store here. While I again didn't find anything I was glad I went.

Are you sitting down? I am about to say something shocking. Sit down...really. The commissary was the highlight of my day. Yes, this was shocking to me as well. I went in and while there were definitely a steady stream of people but it wasn't crazy. I was shopping for produce and at one point had to wait for an older gentleman to tear off his "produce bag." When I went to tear off my own he handed me his and asked how many more I needed. It was such a lovely gesture. Burst of sunshine #2. Raspberry lemonade is one of those beverages that is a special treat. It was priced quite nicely. Burst of sunshine #3. The final burst of sunshine was just a pleasant short conversation with another customer who was in line.

It may not seem like much but it was. Today I felt like a part of my community. I enjoyed my community. That was pretty cool.

Armadillos in Missouri

Some days carry surprises....like finding out that armadillos live in Missouri. Yes, you did hear me correctly. Armadillos live in Missouri (you know, those creatures that look like possums decked out in body armour). My surprises happened yesterday.

I really try to go shopping in the mornings or around lunch time. It just works. Tuesday mornings are the weekly sweet spot. No graduations, no weekend craziness, no major surprises in general.....um yeah....about that....I drove off base on Tuesday morning and everything seemed normal until I got to the gate area. There was a line to get into base that stretched back out onto the road for a little ways. I have never seen this but thought that there may have been an accident or some other incident that caused the back up. No worries, I would just take time at Walmart and everything should be better when I got back.....nope....

While at Walmart I got a hint of the surprises that would come. In the process of shopping I was reminded that I had ventured out on the first of the month (AKA Pay Day). You just don't go out unless necessary on the first or the fifteenth. I thought that just maybe I saw a rush of people trying to go to the commissary. Oh, if it had only been that easy.

A normal ride home takes 7-10 minutes absolutely tops. That is if you hit every light and it is super long. It took my about 90 minutes to get in the gate. The line was much longer when I drove up and it continued to lengthen as we sat there. What caused the back up? Annual exercises. This means that the base practices security procedures at our different alert levels. I may not have appreciated 90 minutes in a long line but I so appreciate that our security is taken seriously to the point that those in charges are willing to hear the complaints to accomplish those goals.

Now, you may be wondering what in the world do armadillos have to do with annual exercises? For weeks I have been seeing these bloated creatures along the highway but couldn't quite figure out what they were. Driving very very slowly allows one time to figure those things out. I was shocked to see that the little bloated creature was indeed an armadillo. I have to confess, I thought they lived (only) in a totally different part of the country.....like Texas or the like. I have been proved wrong. :)