Life is Not Like Army Wives

Before we moved to base and on base housing I figured things would be similar to how Army Wives portrays it. After we moved into our house and settled, I can say with certainty that its not as happy as you would think.

After almost six months in our house I still don't know my neighbors. I have met our Family Readiness Officer (FRO) only once and she's our second one in the time we've moved. I was really expecting more of the spouses community you see on tv. I have met a few women from our unit. Most of the ones I've met get on my nerves. Two asked me when we are going to have a baby. I said not during this enlistment. We want to enjoy young married life and being able to travel. Another said if I'm a nanny then I obviously have baby fever and just need to get it over with. It's almost like being in high school again with the cliques and drama.

I've learned that here you are truly looked at as dependent on your spouse. Some of these women have never even paid a bill without the hubby doing it for them. I feel like my marriage is more of a partnership I love my hubby but I know if he deploys or goes on a trip I can stand on my own feet and not breakdown. People have told me young married military don't understand what it's like to be an adult because the military will take care of them like parents. For us it doesn't hold true but for so many of the young couples I met I can see why people have told me this. It makes me thankful that we lived together in the civilian world first. I feel like we have grown up more because of it.

Weekend in Washington DC

DC is famous for the cherry trees that blossom in early spring. When we moved here 5 months ago and went to some of the museums for the first time we notice many books devoted to these trees. Last weekend kicked off the Cherry Blossom Festival. Although we didn't go to the museums for the presentations on the trees, we did walk around the national mall and White House looking at how spring has kind of arrived. Some of the trees were in bloom but it was nothin like all the pictures show. We did have fun just walking around DC in the semi warm weather.

After leaving the national mall we decided to hit the Navy Yard to look around. Both of us love the show NCIS so why not look around their base. Thanks to our decals and ids we got through the gate and found out there's really not much there. It's mostly a lot of brick buildings. Huh. Also we did not find the NCIS building. :(

Our last stop was 8th and I and marine barracks. It's the "home" of the Marine Corps in the way that it has the commandants house and the band and silent drill team. You can't enter the premises but there's tons of cute shops all over right there. We found a dog bakery and a cute little cupcake bakery. It was a pretty successful day in my opinion.

Ch Ch Changes

Last week while I was getting ready for work I got a text from the hubs saying "I think I just got new orders". My heart dropped because we have only been in Virginia since September and I love it here. About half an hour later he called me and I asked if I was ready to go home to California. Because we have orders for San Diego this summer. I cried because I thought we were guaranteed 2 years at a duty station. I have friends when he's on trips, a job I love and I'm enrolled to start back to college. Not to mention I love our big townhouse on base! But it's the Marine Corps and this happens. So now I am researching housing, looking at schools, jobs and areas around our new home. Trying to prepare now for the deployment we will face soon as we are leaving our non-deployable unit for one that does deploy. At least I grew up an hour north of base so I know the area a little. And one of my best friends from high school is stationed at our new home with her husband.

I'm trying to be excited about this new adventure. But I'm so loving where we are now it's difficult. I know once we are out there I will be ecstatic. But until then I will be soaking up all the DC area has to offer. And when we get there I can always drown my sorrows in In-N-Out, Del Taco, Carl's Junior and real Mexican food. Yummy!!!

Monday Musings.

This weekend was pretty uneventful. Friday I got off work and came home to a house full of Marines. It's always interesting when the single guys are here, raiding my fridge and pantry. I think the Corps should give married couples extra money to feed their single Marine "children". I've noticed most married couples have one or two. :-) After our boys left we did date night and got dinner.

Saturday we woke up with every intention of going to DC to see the cherry blossoms in bloom. But when we woke up it was raining, not really good for walking around outside. So instead we cleaned and hit up Chick Fil A for lunch. The blossoms will still be in bloom next week so hopefully the weather is better.

Sunday was all about laundry, the hubs weekly haircut and a Costco trip. It rained again yesterday and I kept thinking where's spring? Well this morning I woke up to 2 inches of snow. So I'm calling BS on the groundhog. We've now had enough snow to plow two times in March. I'm thinking we got 6 weeks more writer. At least we seem to up in Northern Virginia.

Spring seems like a mythical creature on days like today.

Lets Try This Again...

I may be the worst blog author. I read blogs on a daily basis yet I can't seem to remember to write my own. Whoopsie.

Since I last wrote we; moved to Quantico Virginia, then moved a second time into our house on base about a month after moving the first time, survived Hurricane Sandy with only downed trees, lots of rain and a day without power, attended our first Marine Corps Birthday ball which was a blast!, hosted thanksgiving with my dad, his girlfriend and my little brother, had our first Christmas with our Corps family, I started a job as a nanny to two girls, got a flat tire in my new car and had to replace both front tires, and survived two visits from the hubs parents. That's a lot going on over the last several months.

I want to remember everything we are doing here at our first duty station. Mostly cooking a lot and doing brew tours. Two weeks ago we went to a brewery in Dc called Port City which was a lot of fun. Except they give you way to much beer in a sample and have no food. Not the best idea when I'm such a light weight. I was more than slightly buzzed when we left but thankfully they had a food truck outside and T drove. Hopefully the weather is nice enough this weekend that we can see the cherry blossoms blooming. It's supposed to rain but I'm hoping it holds off since hubs has to work next weekend.

Lets hope this time I can stick with it. I downloaded blogger to my phone. That should help!

Happy Friday!