The Life of a Military Wife

A friend sent this to me today...

A Military Spouse




Lots of moving... Moving... Moving... ... ... ... Moving far from home... Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course. Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house; Moving curtains that won't fit; Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours. Moving away from friends; Moving toward new friends; Moving her most imp...ortant luggage: her trunk full of memories.



Often waiting... Waiting... Waiting... Waiting for housing. Waiting for orders. Waiting for deployments. Waiting for phone calls. Waiting for reunions. Waiting for the new curtains to arrive. Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!



They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better: She is fiercely In-Dependent.



She can balance a check book; Handle the yard work; Fix a noisy toilet; Bury the family pet...



She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts. She can file the taxes; Sell a house; Buy a car; Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.



She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. She reinvents her career with every PCS; Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south. And learns to call them all 'home'. She MAKES them all home.



Military Wives are somewhat hasty... They leap into: Decorating, Leadership, Volunteering, Career alternatives, Churches, And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people. Their roots are short but flexible. They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.



Military Wives quickly learn to value each other: They connect over coffee, Rely on the spouse network, Accept offers of friendship and favors. Record addresses in pencil...



Military Wives have a common bond: The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a 'JOB' He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit... He's on-call for his country 24/7. But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town! His language is foreign TDY PCS OPR SOS ACC BDU ACU BAR CIB TAD EPR And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his. She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.



A Military Wife has her moments: She wants to wring his neck; Dye his uniform pink; Refuse to move to Siberia; But she pulls herself together. Give her a few days, A travel brochure, A long hot bath, A pledge to the flag, A wedding picture, And she goes. She packs. She moves. She follows.



Why? What for? How come? You may think it is because she has lost her mind. But actually it is because she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man, Who puts duty first, Who longs to deploy, Who salutes the flag, And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband, She will remain his military wife. And would have it no other way.



--Author Unknown

Travis Treasure

We have been here for a little under one year and still haven't been able to explore very much because of our vigorous schedules with school and work. Luckily, I heard about a fabulous find called Larry's Produce. We live near Suisun Valley, in the delta between Sacramento and San Francisco which lends itself to incredible food at insanely low prices. Today we decided to check out Larry's and we LOVED it. It reminds me of Lombardi's but it does all in season fruits and vegetables all year long as well as pumpkins and Christmas trees during the holidays. All of the fruit and vegetables are incredible and I love how Larry's is a large contributor of the SLO (sustainable, local, organic) movement.

The final tally or our trip is:

12 ears of corn, one head of broccoli, 2 red/2 yellow/ 2 green peppers, 1 head cellery, 1 lb grapes, 1 English cucumber, 2 lb carrots, 1 lb red potatoes, 6 yellow onions, 1 ginger root, 1 large red onion, 1 large white onion, 8 shallots, 1 head cilantro, 2 heads flat leaf italian parsley, 2 lg head romaine lettuce, 6 baskets ( half flat) strawberries, 1 bunch green onions, 2 cantaloupes, 4 roma tomatoes, 4 white peaches and 4 lemons for... $28.50!!!!!

I will never shop at the grocery store for produce as long as we live here EVER AGAIN!

Proud to be an American?

While we were living in DC we were constantly harassed by civillians for being military. It was not wise to speak of conservative opinions in Georgetown proper and there was no way you would ever be allowed to switch lanes with McCain Palin on your bumper sticker. Arlington was constanty being picketed and protested in front of because there is never a shortage of crazies and it was all so aggressive. I hoped that when we moved here things would slow down and people would be a little bit more receptive. For the most part it is much better. We live near two fairly supportive military towns and more businesses than usual will offer a military dicount which is nice. But recently I have become irked with people's ungrateful attitudes. I will never understand why people bring their children to stand outside our base, which is visible to our elementary schools, and picket and protest the troops. It really bothers me. I mean, does it make you feel validated or accomplished, have you won anything screaming to a child that their mommy and daddy deserve to die, or that their sacrifices are futile? Honestly, does it do any good to cause disruption and traffic jams outside our gates? Because at the end of the day, we're not going anywhere. History has shown that we're the last group of people to back down, the arrogant American troop, and the silent ranks of their family members. But that's alright because this is America, and it's your constiutional right to be an ignorant jag-off.

Also, when the holidays come around people become temporarily patriotic, it is so insulting. If you really support the troops then donate your money or your time to your local base. Write letters to the USO or send carepackages over seas. There are so many ways for people to get involved without causing terrible disruption to their own family. Even though the people that get the donations and packages are disrupted like clockwork every 2-4 years.

As long as the majority of America's patriotism and gratitude to the American military family begins and ends on a bumper sticker, quite frankly, we're not interested.





Mr. and Mrs. SSGT Sylvester. HUA!

Travis AFB "America's First Choice"

So, finally I am able to get back to keeping this thing more up to date. This is our new house on Travis AFB. We love it. People usually wait up to one year for a house on base but because of Nic's job he is titled, "mission essential" so we didn't have to wait at all, and the only house they had available was a 3 bedroom 2 bath with a bonus room, poor us. :) Thank god because we only qualified for a 2 bedroom and that would have been tricky. It's a typical California home, great room for the dining room and living room, open floor plan and all on one story, for which I am eternally gratefull for laundry purposes.


While we were living at Bolling Nic didn't want to really settle because we were always being told that we were moving soon. Well soon for the Air Force was two year and we barely unpacked just before we moved here so I was determined to move in and plant roots hard and fast and actually live in this house. This is a picture of our living room. Nic has painted in the past but I have never done anything like it. Picking the color was paralyzingly difficult in the beginning but eventually I noticed a pillow in my living room that I love and based the colors off of the pillow. We are not completely finished but this is our first attempt at painting and personalizing this home as a family.

As you can tell it's a nice change of pace from the blindingly white walls we had previously.

This is our patio furniture. Another fabulous thing about being back on the west coast is the weather. Up here it's not nearly as hot as LA and not humid at all like DC so we actually spend a lot of time outside, which we LOVE! This is the first set we've ever bought and we use it all the time. Nic just has to remember to spray for spiders so we're not eaten alive.

We are really loving it here. Travis is perfect fit for us right now. Nic loves his job, it's super fast pace and deals with life or death situations daily so he enjoys the challenges and the adrenaline rushes, it's so perfect for him. I am currently working towards achieving my bachelor's degree in baking and pastry arts from the Arts Institute of California Sacramento. It is very challenging but I am enjoying it very much.

I won't wait another 8 months to make a post. :)

Work with me here KitchenAid....

For the longest time I have been having difficulty baking cakes. They have been coming out a little tough and much thinner than a normal cake. Nana suspects that my oven isn't properly calibrated and I deduced that I was using the wrong attachment on my kitchenaid mixer. I had a friend come over for dinner last night and I made green chicken enchiladas and a mocha cappucino cake. I canged the attachment on the mixer and took the cake out a little early and taaadaaa!!! a masterpiece was born. Seriously it is kind of incredible! I made everything from scratch, including the frosting. It was so much fun to make but the real satisfaction is in the taste. But I have to say I'm pretty proud of the presentation as well.


I'm happy to say that with just a few adjustments the cake frustrations have come to an end!
* The picture is crooked because it was taken backwards on my laptop because I didn't have time to run downstairs and get my nice camera*

Kingsley Zissou, mommy loves you...

So, now that I am done with work and nana is back home I have been able to start a routine again. I have been able to get back to walking every day. It is so very hot here that there isn't really a good time to schedule it so basically I get up in the morning and see if the weather is tolerable and I feel the concrete and make sure it's not too hot for the pads on their little paws and if the conditions are ideal then we suit up and start our loop around the waterfront.

This is a picture of Kingsley Zissou pouting... like always.
Penny is spry and always ready for anything. It is a complete production getting them ready for a walk. Once I grab the harnesses she lets me put hers on without a fight, I swear she's the little angel. (well, when it comes to this) Kinglsey however, starts jumping up and down and basically screaming. He looks at me and then bounces on the window as if to say, "COME ON!!!! LET'S GO MOMMY!!!!" And then the fight to put his harness on begins. He flails himself on the floor and rolls around so that I can't really get a grip on him and then once the harness is on it's time to lock them together with the coupler. This again is incredibly easy with her, he runs all around the house frantically like he's afraid I'm not actually going to take him out. He bangs on the door as a reminder that I am supposed to go outside.
We finally got out and the weather was wonderful, for DC that is, and then he began to become exhausted. He has much more hair than most dogs and he gets very hot easily. Poor Penny has to be the little leader out there and drag him along the last stretch. This is hysterical to watch because they are literally fighting with each other. He is whining and she gives him a look like, "come on! we're almost there you big baby!" (funny fact is he outweighs her by 8 pounds... at least) We finally come through the door and this is what he does. She is still running around the house, ready for anything and the little one who was so eager to go for the walk is well..... a little tuckered out to say the least.

He always sprawls out in the most dramatic way on either the hard wood floor, the kitchen, or a vent if he can find one that's open. He cracks me up! He is a complete and total handful and as Nic says, "Kingsley Zissou, you are your mother's son." and fittingly Kinglsey responds with an indignant sneeze in Nic's direction. :) I can't believe that this October they are going to be two years old!

Farewell Texas with Academic Excellence

Today Nic graduates phase one and he does so with Academic Excellence. He will be graduating second in his class and kicked butt the entire way!
He graduates today and begins his drive to Florida this afternoon.
I am so proud of him and I can't wait to see him. He comes home this weekend for four days to pick up his orders, extend his contract with the military and out process from Bolling AFB. I am so happy for him.
He begins his clinical work in Florida at the end of the month.
Apparently, this is where the real fun will happen like delivering babies, and working on patients. All I have to say is, I hope Eglin and their sick are ready for a Sylvester Cowell tandem. :)
Love you babe!