Friday, June 20, 2008

You Know You're a Navy Wife If...

I have spent quite some time venting in my head the past couple days about why the military life is less then ideal. Here's my attempt at relieving some of the pressure brought on by our military life...
Adapted from another military wife's blog:

You Know You're a Navy Wife If....

...you can unpack a house and have everything in place 48 hours after your belongings are delivered.
...you have something that resembles non-skid somewhere in your house.
...your husband's work and dress clothes cost more than yours do.
....you've changed more oil and mowed more lawns than your husband because he's never there to do it himself.
....your children say "aye aye" or "roger that" instead of "ok."
....you only write in pencil because EVERYTHING is subject to change.
....you need a translator to talk to your civilian friends, because they have no idea what DFAS, LSRB, NEX, OHA, PSD, PCS, and duty mean.
....you have a larger selection of curtains than Wal-Mart does.
....you can remember where you kept the Scotch tape in your last house, but unfortunately, not in this one.
....you mark time in duty stations, not years.
....you refer to friends not only by name but by the state that they live in.
....you know that "back home" doesn't mean at the house you live in now.
....you know that a 2 month separation IS short, no matter what your civilian friends say.
....you ALWAYS know when payday is and get ticked off if there are more than 2 weekends during that pay period.
....you've spent at least 3 years in Norfolk or San Diego.
....you know better than to go to the NEX or commissary between 11:30 and 1:30 unless it's a life or death emergency.
....you show your military ID to the greeter at Wal-Mart.
....you know that any reference to "sand" or a "box" has nothing to do with your kid's backyard toys.
....you find yourself explaining your husband's LES to him.
....you don't have to think about what time 21:30 is.
.... you know that a bosun's pipe isn't actually a pipe.
....no matter how hard you try, you still can't understand a word they say over the 1MC.
....you start ripping open MREs and looking for the M&Ms when you run out of Halloween candy.
....you know to respect his detailer... no matter how much you secretly hate him.
....you can't remember the last time you saw a doctor who wasn't wearing khaki.
....the local dry cleaner knows you by your first name.
....it only cost you $25 to have a child.
....you find that a large number of your clothes and household items are dark blue or light blue, even though you never planned it that way.
....you pick apart uniforms on TV and in the movies, even though you used to yell at your husband for doing the same thing.
....you know to leave Jodi well enough alone.
....you've learned to sleep through the sounds of planes, helicopters, foghorns and jets.
....you can hate military life but be terrified to leave it all in the same breath.
....you defend your lifestyle no matter how bad things get because you know there's no other life for you!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is hard enough being a Navy mom. I can only imagine how hard it is being a Navy wife. I am so proud of you and all that you do.

Anonymous said...

I just found this today and i have to say it made me laugh because it is so true!! The smiling and laughing was just what i needed tonight while my hubby is out to sea so thank you!!

Amberlea said...

I love this! I was laughing so hard because in the beginning, I would yell at my sailor for using military jargon in conversation with our civvie friends & family and now (that we are in norfolk ;) ) that I have been a Navy wife for some time, I find myself being stared at blankly when I go "back home" to visit, and try to talk to someone about life here. Hehe