Yup.
It’s true.
At six in the morning you hear a recording of trumpets playing reveille every day during the week.
This is just one of the many things you encounter if you live on a military base.
I know many of my readers are not military so I decided to do a post on what it’s like living on a military base.
As I mentioned before, at six in the morning the trumpets go off. You’ll want to kill the trumpets. Or maybe I just want to kill the trumpets.
If the trumpets don’t wake you up, the jets will. Sometimes they buzz your entire house to the point where you think “earthquake?” Or, you start to panic that it’s going to crash right into your home. I thought this once while in Wyoming and braced myself against the wall.
Not that standing against the wall would help.
At the grocery store (or commissary, as it’s referred to on the base) your items are bagged and wheeled out to your car for you.
You need to tip the baggers though. Otherwise they get cranky.
It’s sort of awkward standing there as someone else puts your groceries into your trunk. I always want to help. I tried once and got my hand slapped. So I’m assuming I’m not supposed to help.
Before you do most things on the base, you’ll need to show your ID card. If you don’t do this, people automatically assume you’re a terrorist.
I’m kidding.
(And your ID picture is rarely attractive. It’s sort of like your driver’s license photo. Unless you actually look nice in yours, in which case, I hate you.)
But really, they stare at you until you show it. You can’t buy a thing without flashing your card. It especially stinks when they do random ID checks when you walk into a store and said ID is at the very bottom of your purse. Then you’re digging through all your receipts and coupons and the person sighs and shifts their weight from one leg to the other all dramatic like.
There’s a store called a BX (base exchange) and it’s like a mini (MINI) Target. Everything is tax free.
This is just a small snippet of what military living is like. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
But for now, I better make sure I have my ID ready to go.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thongs and Lederhosen
It bothered me.
I couldn’t seem to get totally comfortable.
“How can people wear these all the time?” I grumbled.
I was talking about a thong, people.
Why did I have a thong on?
Because I was going on a date with my husband. I finally found a babysitter through sittercity.com and I wanted to look nice. It’s not every day we get to go out without the kids.
Thongs suck though.
Still, I was able to focus on Tom. We decided on an authentic German restaurant. People walked around in Lederhosen. LEDERHOSEN! I loved it.
I even had wine. I’m not a wine person but I do enjoy German sweet wines.
I ended up getting this:
It was veal strips. Amazing. And I was able to enjoy it as soon as it arrived at the table. I didn’t have to worry about cutting up the children’s food. Or getting them ketchup. Or napkins. Or taking them to the bathroom. (Natalie thinks it’s funny to announce she has to pee right when our food arrives.)
I even concentrated on eating neatly. I have a bad habit of getting some sort of food item on my lap every time I eat. This time I cut my veal neatly, popped a tiny piece in my mouth and chewed in what I hoped was a demure manner.
We had the waitress take a picture of us:
I look silly because of the thong. I was like, “This thong is awful…oh, the camera is pointed at me.”
We even ordered dessert even though we were stuffed. But they were fried apples. Who can turn down fried apples?
I can’t.
Tom even fed me a bite—only his bite is like five times the size of mine so I nearly choked on it.
That wouldn’t have been attractive if he had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on our date.
And then the people in Lederhosen would have to help.
And what if my dress accidentally flipped up and everyone saw my uncomfortable thong?
Oh, the horror.
It was a fantastic night though.
I doubt I’ll ever wear a thong again.
People will just have to deal with my panty lines.
I couldn’t seem to get totally comfortable.
“How can people wear these all the time?” I grumbled.
I was talking about a thong, people.
Why did I have a thong on?
Because I was going on a date with my husband. I finally found a babysitter through sittercity.com and I wanted to look nice. It’s not every day we get to go out without the kids.
Thongs suck though.
Still, I was able to focus on Tom. We decided on an authentic German restaurant. People walked around in Lederhosen. LEDERHOSEN! I loved it.
I even had wine. I’m not a wine person but I do enjoy German sweet wines.
I ended up getting this:
It was veal strips. Amazing. And I was able to enjoy it as soon as it arrived at the table. I didn’t have to worry about cutting up the children’s food. Or getting them ketchup. Or napkins. Or taking them to the bathroom. (Natalie thinks it’s funny to announce she has to pee right when our food arrives.)
I even concentrated on eating neatly. I have a bad habit of getting some sort of food item on my lap every time I eat. This time I cut my veal neatly, popped a tiny piece in my mouth and chewed in what I hoped was a demure manner.
We had the waitress take a picture of us:
I look silly because of the thong. I was like, “This thong is awful…oh, the camera is pointed at me.”
We even ordered dessert even though we were stuffed. But they were fried apples. Who can turn down fried apples?
I can’t.
Tom even fed me a bite—only his bite is like five times the size of mine so I nearly choked on it.
That wouldn’t have been attractive if he had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on our date.
And then the people in Lederhosen would have to help.
And what if my dress accidentally flipped up and everyone saw my uncomfortable thong?
Oh, the horror.
It was a fantastic night though.
I doubt I’ll ever wear a thong again.
People will just have to deal with my panty lines.
Wednesday Hodge Podge for Sept 7th
1. What is one piece of advice you would give a 'just-turning' 21 year old adult?
Make God your best friend. Talk to Him daily and often. Don't make ANY decisions without discussing them with him first. He won't let you down.
2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere) what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?
The is a gimme. I love the anticipation of the leaves changing color. There are a ton of hardwoods between me and my job and I love the drive....especially in the fall. I can't wait to fire up the fire pit and make s'mores and enjoy the warmth and comfort. I love fall and cannot wait to go to the mtns. for Fall Break!
3. What sound lulls you to sleep?
Any kind of white noise. I love the sound of a fan or small motor running the best....but I can go to sleep with any kind of white noise.
4. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency 'kit' and/or disaster plan in place?
Right after 9/11 my answer would have been a strong yes....but here we are 10 years later and I have used the canned foods as contributions to countless food drives and the water, well it went to school with me last year and I drank it. I do keep flashlights and candles on the ready for power outages. I know where to go in case of a tornado. When there is a hurricane or ice storm I make sure our cars have gas, there is bread and food that can be eaten without power in the house. I need to become fully prepared again.
5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it?
I still write life stories, I still do scripture stories, I still do stories about my family, I have added this Wednesday Hodge Podge and love doing it, I also am reviewing books now and have added book reviews. Usually they are few and far between because reading is something I don't get to do too often.....but lately they are more frequent. I have discovered ebooks on my IPad and don't have to wait 7-10 days for books to arrive. I am involved in Project 365 which is a year long photo journalism challenge. I have yet to miss a day and it is improving my photography skills and my eye for things. I am coming up on my 1000 post and can't wait. I am going to do a giveaway of some sort....so check back in with me in October!
6. What's something you've recently learned to do on the computer?
Teacher Evaluations used to be called PEPE's in Alabama. Now we do Educate Alabama and you have to do a series of things on the computer. There is a self-assessment, a PLP (Professional Learning Plan) and then if it is your year for a full evaluation you will have the principals remarks....if not...then you can actually go in and add your own proof of the pudding. That is really neat because on some day when you do something really cool you can go in and brag on yourself. I love this!
7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.
I am a writer. I can use some words....but since the first of the year when I began Project 365 I am discovering that some pictures speak volumes without a single word being written.
Sure I could write a story about WHY this man is crying....but the tear and the look in his eye are worth a thousand words. Don't you think?
8. Insert your own random thought here. Sunrise or Sunset....which is your favorite.
I love sunrise because it is a new beginning. I think sunsets are sad because they mark the end of something. I have experienced neither in the past couple of days, thanks to TS Lee, and am feeling out of sorts right now. I am not complaining....we needed the rain....but it was gray when I left yesterday for work....that same gray all day....and gray when I got home last night. Sigh! I wouldn't mind a rainbow thrown in for good measure. Happy Wednesday to you all!
8. Insert your own random thought here. Sunrise or Sunset....which is your favorite.
I love sunrise because it is a new beginning. I think sunsets are sad because they mark the end of something. I have experienced neither in the past couple of days, thanks to TS Lee, and am feeling out of sorts right now. I am not complaining....we needed the rain....but it was gray when I left yesterday for work....that same gray all day....and gray when I got home last night. Sigh! I wouldn't mind a rainbow thrown in for good measure. Happy Wednesday to you all!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Saving Grace
About the Book: The characters, Rose, Naomi, Mary Lucille, and Gayle: after forming the Prayer Tree circle, find they have started to drift apart. Each is so very consumed in her own life. Naomi misses her friends. She misses the connection they had as a group. With the help of her new husband, Naomi comes up with a plan to bring them all back together. It seems like each year, New Bethany has the Splendor Belle Gala. This cotillion like, time-honored tradition, began as the way young ladies were introduced into society. Now it was basically a fundraiser for the holiday season. One of the town legends is that the elderly Grace Grayson-Wiley was stood up on the night of her ball, over 50 years ago. Hard times, having hit one of the town's most prominent families, "the family's entire future rested squarely and irrefutably on the shoulders of the petite eighteen-year-old Grace. She had to go the Belle Gala to meet and mingle, with hope to win the marriageable intentions of the only kind of man that could save her family from their predicament." After a brief and unsuccessful marriage, the widowed Grace returned home, and now sits on her porch each year in the gown she had worn that fateful night, waiting for the date that never came. Naomi’s idea for a "project" to bring her circle of friends back together, is to bring some life back to Grace- if she doesn't shoot them first.
About the Author: Annie Jones is a beloved, bestselling author who's written more than 19 titles for houses including Multnomah and Waterbrook. She is currently writing for Steeple Hill Café and Love Inspired. Her awards include a Virginia RWA Holt Medallion, for which she was a finalist an unprecedented four times, and an Affaire De Coeur award for Best Inspirational Fiction. THE PRAYER TREE and SAVING GRACE (Multnomah) were on Ingram's "most requested books in America" lists. The Houston Chronicle named Annie best Christian fiction author of 1999 for a series of romantic comedies she wrote for Waterbrook. She also writes as Luanne Jones, and her novel published under that name, THE DIXIE BELLE'S GUIDE TO LOVE (2002), was chosen by the Literary Guild, a rare occurrence for a mass market book, and voted one of the top 5 romances of 2002 by Library Journal, which praised it as "Written with sass and style and brimming with endearingly eccentric yet wonderfully memorable characters, this is an unabashed delight." Annie lives with her husband and two children.
My Thoughts: This book was a delight and such an easy fun read. Each character felt like your best friend and before you knew it you were a part of the Prayer Tree Group. This book would be a definite recommendation from me, especially if you are a fan of Southern fiction. Saving Grace is heartwarming, fun, and a must own. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrookmultnomah Publishing Co. as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!
I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your diary. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either.
----------------------
To know Natalie will be excited that they are making a Tangled sequel.
To love all the unhealthy Labor Day food even though some dude was on The Today Show saying, “Don’t eat potato salad. Or bratwurst.”
To love yard sales. Especially when I find cheap books.
To think Rachel from Big Brother is much more likeable without Brendan around.
To not like olives but love olive oil.
To love the mashed potatoes from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
To be shocked that it was actually CHILLY in Oklahoma yesterday morning.
To need to find some cute boots for the winter. I usually always wear my Sketchers everywhere but I feel I need to branch out a little.
To be tempted to get a Sleep Number bed. Tom has been wanting one for awhile and I’m curious.
To hope the McLinky works. It's my first time trying it so bear with me. Does it work?
----------------------
To know Natalie will be excited that they are making a Tangled sequel.
To love all the unhealthy Labor Day food even though some dude was on The Today Show saying, “Don’t eat potato salad. Or bratwurst.”
To love yard sales. Especially when I find cheap books.
To think Rachel from Big Brother is much more likeable without Brendan around.
To not like olives but love olive oil.
To love the mashed potatoes from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
To be shocked that it was actually CHILLY in Oklahoma yesterday morning.
To need to find some cute boots for the winter. I usually always wear my Sketchers everywhere but I feel I need to branch out a little.
To be tempted to get a Sleep Number bed. Tom has been wanting one for awhile and I’m curious.
To hope the McLinky works. It's my first time trying it so bear with me. Does it work?
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labor Day Salute
Today is Labor Day. To me as a child it was the official end of the summer. As a teacher it is the last holiday from school now before Veteran's Day in November. I have always loved this holiday...I grew up in a union household. My dad was a member of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) so when I was a child it meant the annual Labor Day Sasser cookout. My dad would get up early in the morning and cook ribs, pork chops, hamburgers, and hotdogs while my mom would be inside preparing potato salad, slaw, baked beans, and banana pudding. My mom made the best banana pudding in the whole world. She would top it with merengue and the merengue would be so perfectly browned there would even be a small tear drop on it. I could not wait to dig into it. Family and friends would begin gathering around 1 and we would eat at 4. By 7 everyone was gone and the house was clean again. Tomorrow would be the first day of school...when I was younger. As I grew older it still meant a massive bbq and school would be the next day....but it was not the first day anymore. My school system starts in late July, no later than mid August. This weekend was not much different. Amanda's kids were here and we had the big chicken bbq on Saturday. It was fun visiting with everyone. Ramona and her family came from Panama City(missing out on Lee), David and Suzanna came from Louisville, KY and we don't see them as much....so playing with all the babies was fun. But this morning I wondered just how many people know exactly what Labor Day is and why we celebrate it. We all know that Labor Day is the first Monday in September but did you know that it was a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers? The day is actually supposed to be a tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The sad part is look where we are now. Unemployment is high, plants are closed and sitting idle, America is in debt. I don't think this was the American Dream.....and who fouled it up? No one know who really proposed the holiday. Some say that Peter J. McGuire, the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor was the first one to suggest it. Others say it was Matthew Maguire a machinist who founded it. What is certain is that someone proposed it and it came to be on Tuesday, September 5th, 1882 in New York City. A year later on September 5th, 1883 the second annual holiday was celebrated. In 1884 the holiday was moved to the first Monday and dubbed the workingman's holiday. Government recognition began as municipal ordinances passed from 1885 to 1886. It was not until 1894 that Congress passed a law making the first Monday of September a legal holiday. You know the vital force of labor has added materially to the high standard of living we experience. The group Alabama puts their salute in a song called 40 Hour Week and if you take time to listen to the song you will see just how important the blue collar and hardworking Americans are to who we are as a nation. So, on this 2011 Labor Day I want to salute all the people in America who work for a living: to the firefighters, steel mill workers, auto workers, pipe fitters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, masons, painters, mail carriers, teachers, preachers, waitresses, cooks, policemen, SAHM's, EMT's, nurses, janitors, and the list goes on forever....Thank you for all you do...today and everyday! I learned something from my father once....it pays to know who makes your life easier....so know your janitors name....mine is Gene and believe me....if it weren't for him I would be lost. He gives me a pleasant environment to work in. I also know the school secretary....she keeps our school running smoothly. It is not just one person who makes a business run like a fine oiled machine....it is a series of people. Thank again to you all! Happy Labor Day!
So It's Labor Day
Happy Labor Day!
We couldn’t decide what we wanted to grill so we have hamburgers, bratwurst, and hot links.
I ought to get some potato salad, too.
OH and some sort of dessert.
What are you having on Labor Day?
(And are you planning on wearing white after Labor Day?)
(I am.)
We couldn’t decide what we wanted to grill so we have hamburgers, bratwurst, and hot links.
I ought to get some potato salad, too.
OH and some sort of dessert.
What are you having on Labor Day?
(And are you planning on wearing white after Labor Day?)
(I am.)
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