Well, it's our last night in Montgomery. I have to admit, I never thought I'd become so attached to a place so foreign to me. I'm from Iowa. What do I know about the South?! Did I become attached to the place or the people...probably a combination of both.
We headed to Maxwell for an exciting new job - SOS squadron commander. Yikes! Yeah, that was scary. Were we really old enough to be squadron commander/spouse? I'm nowhere near being one of those spouses better known as "the hostess with the mostest". Was I ready to be the one that other spouses called if they needed something?
For some reason I've always been more interested in the "job" portion of my husband's assignment rather than the "spouse" portion. I used to be able to tell you how many fire extinguishers there are on a C-130 and where they are located...I used to be able to chum a chart...I knew all the Ft. Bragg drop zones and the difference between CDS and HE. I never had a huge desire to sit around with other spouses and drink coffee or make small talk.
However, the spouses I met here at Maxwell were something different. Most of them were...for lack of a better term, "non-expecting". I don't know if that's really a word or not, but it's what fits. They didn't expect me to be "all that". They weren't wearing white gloves to anything...thank God! They were just regular spouses who were doing their best to support their Airman. I found that to be true of most of the spouses I ran into at Maxwell, not just those in our squadron/school...like our AF friends from TKD and our neighbors here on base. It was relaxing and refreshing to just be friends...not being outcast or avoided because my husband's job title was squadron commander.
It's going to sound like I'm switching gears here, but I need to take an aside...
The one thing I've learned in my 19+ years of AF life is that it's easier to NOT say goodbye to people. I don't mean the "our paths will cross again" type of goodbye...I'm talking about the "go to dinner/hugs/pictures/etc" type of goodbye. This our 9th PCS. There was a time when we made it a point to make sure to find everyone and say a "proper" goodbye. They were nice, but they were so painful. Somewhere along the line, we missed saying goodbye to someone and it felt a little bit easier. You're talking to a person, knowing in the back of your mind that it will probably be the last time you see or talk to them, but you don't mention it and you go on about your business as if you'll see them again tomorrow. It sounds so cold in black and white, but it works so much better for me.
So, for those of you that may not have gotten a "proper" goodbye from me, please don't take it personally. I'm being slightly selfish. Thanks for understanding.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
PCS Stories - Move #1
With our impending move fast approaching, I have been reminiscing about some of our past moves. Each move has particular memories for me. Some are the moving process itself, some are the people or the places. Every PCS has it's own story. We are entering the "older-than-most-everyone-else-in-the-Air-Force" crowd, so some of the things I mention have long since passed and will probably be totally foreign to many. Here goes.....
Move #1 - Ames, IA to Sacramento, CA (Mather AFB)...aka A big wad of cash, some sandwiches, and a dancing airman.
Mather AFB was an early BRAC victim. It was a great base! Fabulous location for new lieutenants (and their families) - 2 hours from the Sierras, 2 hours from San Francisco. Gas was cheap and you had nothing but time and money. Alas, this is not the big memory for me.
The first memory was going to Offutt AFB (Omaha, NE) to get our travel advance! By travel advance, I mean PCS money! There was no government travel card back then - thank God! We drove 3 hours to pick up cold, hard cash....I think it was about $2000 worth! As poor, just-graduated college students, we were going to move cheap and save a bunch of that cash.
I think the AF gave us 5-7 days to get from IA to CA. We divided up the drive and figured out where we would spend each night. (Remember those little books that the hotel chains used to put out that listed every hotel by state. We had all the books and checked all the prices!) The first night, we officially spent at Nort's parents' house in Kansas City; 2nd night - Denver (probably a Comfort Inn); 3rd night - Grand Junction, CO (Motel 6 - Yes, Motel 6); 4th night - Salt Lake City, UT (some "nice" hotel in the city that probably cost $75/night - that was our "fancy" hotel night); 5th night - make it to Mather AFB, CA.
We were going to save even more money by making some sandwiches to eat along the way instead of restaurants all the time. While in KC, we made about 4 hoagie-length sandwiches that we Saran-wrapped and stuck in the cooler with some chips and sodas (or "pop" as we called it back then). I remember stopping at a rest area near Hays, KS to eat lunch. It was windy! After 2 days of eating sandwiches, we threw the rest out and ate some fast food from then on. Oh, the other good travel story was the day we drove from Denver to Grand Junction. It was June. When we left KS it was pretty warm. Not quite that warm at the Continental Divide! We were in shorts and there was snow on the ground and it was freezing up there! We took some quick pictures and moved on.
The other memory from that move was our arrival at Mather. Driving up to an AF base gate back then was slightly intimidating. The gate guards all wore blues and white gloves. I remember one particular guard...I called him "Mr. Happy" because he was always smiling and waving and snapping a smart salute. Ah, those were the days...A smiling, happy gate guard. This guy used to have a routine, dare I call it a dance, for waving the cars through. He would wave his arms, spin around, blow his whistle, the whole nine yards. It was awesome!
Back then all of our belongings fit into that little part of the moving van that fits over the "5th wheel" area - I'm not a trucker, I don't know what it's officially called - but you know what I'm talking about. We took a minimal amount of stuff in our VW Golf - it had to make over the Rocky Mountains for crying out loud!!
So, some 18 months later, we'd load up the Golf again and head for AZ...but that's another blog post. Stay tuned.
Move #1 - Ames, IA to Sacramento, CA (Mather AFB)...aka A big wad of cash, some sandwiches, and a dancing airman.
Mather AFB was an early BRAC victim. It was a great base! Fabulous location for new lieutenants (and their families) - 2 hours from the Sierras, 2 hours from San Francisco. Gas was cheap and you had nothing but time and money. Alas, this is not the big memory for me.
The first memory was going to Offutt AFB (Omaha, NE) to get our travel advance! By travel advance, I mean PCS money! There was no government travel card back then - thank God! We drove 3 hours to pick up cold, hard cash....I think it was about $2000 worth! As poor, just-graduated college students, we were going to move cheap and save a bunch of that cash.
I think the AF gave us 5-7 days to get from IA to CA. We divided up the drive and figured out where we would spend each night. (Remember those little books that the hotel chains used to put out that listed every hotel by state. We had all the books and checked all the prices!) The first night, we officially spent at Nort's parents' house in Kansas City; 2nd night - Denver (probably a Comfort Inn); 3rd night - Grand Junction, CO (Motel 6 - Yes, Motel 6); 4th night - Salt Lake City, UT (some "nice" hotel in the city that probably cost $75/night - that was our "fancy" hotel night); 5th night - make it to Mather AFB, CA.
We were going to save even more money by making some sandwiches to eat along the way instead of restaurants all the time. While in KC, we made about 4 hoagie-length sandwiches that we Saran-wrapped and stuck in the cooler with some chips and sodas (or "pop" as we called it back then). I remember stopping at a rest area near Hays, KS to eat lunch. It was windy! After 2 days of eating sandwiches, we threw the rest out and ate some fast food from then on. Oh, the other good travel story was the day we drove from Denver to Grand Junction. It was June. When we left KS it was pretty warm. Not quite that warm at the Continental Divide! We were in shorts and there was snow on the ground and it was freezing up there! We took some quick pictures and moved on.
(Ok, we're old, but this picture does pre-date our time there!)
The other memory from that move was our arrival at Mather. Driving up to an AF base gate back then was slightly intimidating. The gate guards all wore blues and white gloves. I remember one particular guard...I called him "Mr. Happy" because he was always smiling and waving and snapping a smart salute. Ah, those were the days...A smiling, happy gate guard. This guy used to have a routine, dare I call it a dance, for waving the cars through. He would wave his arms, spin around, blow his whistle, the whole nine yards. It was awesome!
Back then all of our belongings fit into that little part of the moving van that fits over the "5th wheel" area - I'm not a trucker, I don't know what it's officially called - but you know what I'm talking about. We took a minimal amount of stuff in our VW Golf - it had to make over the Rocky Mountains for crying out loud!!
So, some 18 months later, we'd load up the Golf again and head for AZ...but that's another blog post. Stay tuned.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Anti-Smoking Commercial
As a mom, I'm appalled at this commercial. This little boy is not old enough to understand that his mother has not actually left him at this busy train station. I understand the point behind the ad...I understand that CPS was on-scene. I don't have to like it.
I think any mom I know would agree with me that this boy's tears are REAL - he is NOT acting. It brings me to tears!
I think any mom I know would agree with me that this boy's tears are REAL - he is NOT acting. It brings me to tears!
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Monday, March 30, 2009
I Love Our Neighborhood
Rain or shine, the 'gang' of elementary school boys in our neighborhood are out and about doing what little boys do. I'm going to miss it when we leave...
It was so refreshing to see 5 or 6 little boys (with an average of age of about 8.5) sitting in the middle of the driveway eating popsicles yesterday afternoon. (I only wish I'd gotten a picture of it!)
It was refreshing to hear them playing outside. Times have changed, but the games young boys play outside are still the same...cowboys and indians/cops and robbers/star wars/army men...pretty much anything with a hat or helmet and some sort of weapon (toy weapons, of course).
It is refreshing to hear my 8 year old say that he's really going to miss CD when we move. He hasn't been old enough to really experience a military move yet - leaving friends, memories, etc. - I'm dreading the summer months!
It's refreshing to be able to send my 8 year old out the back door and that all he has to do is walk across the neighbor's back yard, cross the street and he's at the school.
It's refreshing to know that when the National Anthem plays at 1700, all the little guys line up, stand at attention and put their hand over their heart...for 2 minutes! A sight to behold. (I need a picture of that too!)
It was refreshing to see my 8 year old hop out of his dinner chair last night, willing to go help a friend look for his Nerf gun, even though he was already "in" for the night. "Where was the last place you had it?" he asked his friend. (He talked him through it as if he'd heard the speech somewhere before! Hmmm...wonder where!)
It is refreshing to see the boys meet up on the way to school in the morning and run across the backyard together. It is equally enjoyable to hear them on their way home in the afternoon.
It is refreshing to have neighbor kids who are respectful and understand that homework or scouts or sports practice or dinner/lunch or even running errands w/Mom takes precedence before being able to play.
I shall enjoy all these things while I can. I hope my boys remember these times and these people! I know I will.
It was so refreshing to see 5 or 6 little boys (with an average of age of about 8.5) sitting in the middle of the driveway eating popsicles yesterday afternoon. (I only wish I'd gotten a picture of it!)
It was refreshing to hear them playing outside. Times have changed, but the games young boys play outside are still the same...cowboys and indians/cops and robbers/star wars/army men...pretty much anything with a hat or helmet and some sort of weapon (toy weapons, of course).
It is refreshing to hear my 8 year old say that he's really going to miss CD when we move. He hasn't been old enough to really experience a military move yet - leaving friends, memories, etc. - I'm dreading the summer months!
It's refreshing to be able to send my 8 year old out the back door and that all he has to do is walk across the neighbor's back yard, cross the street and he's at the school.
It's refreshing to know that when the National Anthem plays at 1700, all the little guys line up, stand at attention and put their hand over their heart...for 2 minutes! A sight to behold. (I need a picture of that too!)
It was refreshing to see my 8 year old hop out of his dinner chair last night, willing to go help a friend look for his Nerf gun, even though he was already "in" for the night. "Where was the last place you had it?" he asked his friend. (He talked him through it as if he'd heard the speech somewhere before! Hmmm...wonder where!)
It is refreshing to see the boys meet up on the way to school in the morning and run across the backyard together. It is equally enjoyable to hear them on their way home in the afternoon.
It is refreshing to have neighbor kids who are respectful and understand that homework or scouts or sports practice or dinner/lunch or even running errands w/Mom takes precedence before being able to play.
I shall enjoy all these things while I can. I hope my boys remember these times and these people! I know I will.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Things Change
I'm not opposed to change, but sometimes I don't like it. Even though there's a move in our near future, that's not the change that's currently on my mind. Lately I've been thinking about how the Air Force, as a way of life, has changed.
Ok, I understand...I'm "old". Old people don't like change! I've been a part of "the greatest Air Force the world has ever known" (to quote a friend) for 19 years. I've seen lots of uniform changes...leadership changes...draw-downs...I've seen airplanes move from active use to the "boneyard" in Tucson...gate guards that used to wear white gloves and had a flair about waving/saluting you through the gate...I could go on and on.
But the topic for me right now is how the AF used to be "a way of life", but now it seems to be more of just a "JOB". (Ok, let the arrows fly...)
I'm not exactly sure when it started happening. When we started out, EVERYONE lived on base. It was the place to be...and, it was affordable. The condition of your home didn't seem to matter as much. Schools didn't seems to be an issue then; we had plenty of senior leaders with older children living on base. We all (all ranks) went to the O'Club on Friday night. (People actually got babysitters and went to the club.) We stuck together...probably because we only had each other. (That hasn't changed...AF people, for the most part, are separated from family.) We used to hang out with people from our squadron(s)/unit. We did stuff together...and enjoyed it!
Somewhere along the line, most of that changed. It seems that more people live off-base now. You can get a way nicer house (compared to base housing) for your BAH. No one goes to the club anymore. (Part of that falls on the clubs - I'll be the first to say, they're not what they used to be.) Nobody wants to hang out with the people they work with.
Let me say this...there is a time in everyone's life/career when they need to step back. They need to take some time for family or themselves or whatever. You can't be involved every month of every assignment. I've been there a couple of times.
But, having said that, it seems like the AF is now just a job, like any other. People drive to the base, do their 8 hours, and drive home. God forbid if there's some sort of "function" or "social" that they have to attend. I understand that people have a life outside of the AF. I know there are school events, sports, church, clubs, etc. We do our fair share of those things too. I'm not saying you have to be best buds with everyone from work, but why is there so much non-participation? There seems to be no desire to make new friendships or to pass along experiences anymore. Are people just more anti-social nowdays? Do they not want to share themselves because they're only going to be there a short time? I'm confused by all of this. I guess it all boils down to individual priorities.
I have some thoughts on spouse programs too, but I think I'll save those for another post.
I can only imagine what the "old folks" at the commissary think about how the AF has changed! Of course, they're not in the daily grind anymore, but I'm sure they still feel it. I look forward to keeping in touch with old friends, going to squadron reunions and running into those old friends at new assignments. I can't wait to be one of those "old" people sharing stories of the good old days!
Ok, I understand...I'm "old". Old people don't like change! I've been a part of "the greatest Air Force the world has ever known" (to quote a friend) for 19 years. I've seen lots of uniform changes...leadership changes...draw-downs...I've seen airplanes move from active use to the "boneyard" in Tucson...gate guards that used to wear white gloves and had a flair about waving/saluting you through the gate...I could go on and on.
But the topic for me right now is how the AF used to be "a way of life", but now it seems to be more of just a "JOB". (Ok, let the arrows fly...)
I'm not exactly sure when it started happening. When we started out, EVERYONE lived on base. It was the place to be...and, it was affordable. The condition of your home didn't seem to matter as much. Schools didn't seems to be an issue then; we had plenty of senior leaders with older children living on base. We all (all ranks) went to the O'Club on Friday night. (People actually got babysitters and went to the club.) We stuck together...probably because we only had each other. (That hasn't changed...AF people, for the most part, are separated from family.) We used to hang out with people from our squadron(s)/unit. We did stuff together...and enjoyed it!
Somewhere along the line, most of that changed. It seems that more people live off-base now. You can get a way nicer house (compared to base housing) for your BAH. No one goes to the club anymore. (Part of that falls on the clubs - I'll be the first to say, they're not what they used to be.) Nobody wants to hang out with the people they work with.
Let me say this...there is a time in everyone's life/career when they need to step back. They need to take some time for family or themselves or whatever. You can't be involved every month of every assignment. I've been there a couple of times.
But, having said that, it seems like the AF is now just a job, like any other. People drive to the base, do their 8 hours, and drive home. God forbid if there's some sort of "function" or "social" that they have to attend. I understand that people have a life outside of the AF. I know there are school events, sports, church, clubs, etc. We do our fair share of those things too. I'm not saying you have to be best buds with everyone from work, but why is there so much non-participation? There seems to be no desire to make new friendships or to pass along experiences anymore. Are people just more anti-social nowdays? Do they not want to share themselves because they're only going to be there a short time? I'm confused by all of this. I guess it all boils down to individual priorities.
I have some thoughts on spouse programs too, but I think I'll save those for another post.
I can only imagine what the "old folks" at the commissary think about how the AF has changed! Of course, they're not in the daily grind anymore, but I'm sure they still feel it. I look forward to keeping in touch with old friends, going to squadron reunions and running into those old friends at new assignments. I can't wait to be one of those "old" people sharing stories of the good old days!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Grammar
When I logged in to update my blog, I wasn't sure what I was going to write about. But then, I read a couple of updates from my friends, along with comments from their friends. Something jumped out at me. It was proper grammar.
I must admit, I'm not a grammar goddess by any means. I forget whether the quotations go inside or outside the punctuation. I can write a mean run-on sentence. Semi-colons...let's not even go there. Oh, and lately, I've become a huge fan of the ellipse. (That's those 3 periods together - ...) All too often, I begin a sentence with a conjunction, which I believe is a no-no. (And, But and Or - they'll get you pretty far...)
The thing that really bothers me most is when people use the wrong word. For example:
Those are the biggies that come to mind. Then vs. Than is one of my favorites - mainly because my husband has a major problem with this one. (I'd love to be able to blame it on the MS, but I don't think that's the problem!)
Then - refers to time.
Than - refers to a comparison
Your - belongs to you
You're - contraction of you are
To - not sure what to call/describe this one, but it's different than...
Too - also
There - a place
Their - belongs to them
Its - belongs to it
It's - contraction of it is
I guess I should thank my 10th grade English teacher. I apparently learned something. While I'm here, I'll point out another trick he taught us: How to pick the appropriate verb to go with a compound subject. For example:
Me and Heidi are going to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Me are going"; you would say, "I am going."
Heidi and I are going to a scout meeting. RIGHT! Drop one of the parts of the subject and make sure the verb agrees.
Let's switch it up...
Heidi went with Karl and I to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Heidi went with I to a scout meeting" you would say, "Heidi went with me to a scout meeting." Again, make sure subject/verb agrees.
Heidi went with Karl and me to a scout meeting. RIGHT!
Ok, so now that I've opened myself up for incredible scrutiny, I'm going to stop. I apologize in advance to any English teachers/majors/writing professionals (Greg!) who could spend the rest of their existance analyzing and editing my blog posts!
I must admit, I'm not a grammar goddess by any means. I forget whether the quotations go inside or outside the punctuation. I can write a mean run-on sentence. Semi-colons...let's not even go there. Oh, and lately, I've become a huge fan of the ellipse. (That's those 3 periods together - ...) All too often, I begin a sentence with a conjunction, which I believe is a no-no. (And, But and Or - they'll get you pretty far...)
The thing that really bothers me most is when people use the wrong word. For example:
Then vs. Than
Your vs. You're
To vs. Too
There vs. Their
Its vs. It's
Your vs. You're
To vs. Too
There vs. Their
Its vs. It's
Those are the biggies that come to mind. Then vs. Than is one of my favorites - mainly because my husband has a major problem with this one. (I'd love to be able to blame it on the MS, but I don't think that's the problem!)
Then - refers to time.
Than - refers to a comparison
Your - belongs to you
You're - contraction of you are
To - not sure what to call/describe this one, but it's different than...
Too - also
There - a place
Their - belongs to them
Its - belongs to it
It's - contraction of it is
I guess I should thank my 10th grade English teacher. I apparently learned something. While I'm here, I'll point out another trick he taught us: How to pick the appropriate verb to go with a compound subject. For example:
Me and Heidi are going to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Me are going"; you would say, "I am going."
Heidi and I are going to a scout meeting. RIGHT! Drop one of the parts of the subject and make sure the verb agrees.
Let's switch it up...
Heidi went with Karl and I to a scout meeting. WRONG! You wouldn't say "Heidi went with I to a scout meeting" you would say, "Heidi went with me to a scout meeting." Again, make sure subject/verb agrees.
Heidi went with Karl and me to a scout meeting. RIGHT!
Ok, so now that I've opened myself up for incredible scrutiny, I'm going to stop. I apologize in advance to any English teachers/majors/writing professionals (Greg!) who could spend the rest of their existance analyzing and editing my blog posts!
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