Dh and I both worked at the same Navy medical clinic (me - Lab, him - Acute Care). We were both in the large group of single young 20 somethings that were stationed there at the time, so we would all go to the beach and stuff together. I always admired him because he was the one they would go to to stitch up or put casts on the scared kids. We even had to call him down to the lab sometimes to draw blood on the kids who were freaking out. He always calmed them down and got the job done. I was telling my friend one day that I just couldn't believe that all of the girls were not going after this guy - why is he still single? He cooks, he sews, his apartment is always immaculate, and he is super hot! And she just looked at me like I was an idiot - "Why don't YOU go out with him if you think he's so great?" :blink: We moved in together and were engaged less than one month later! :D

1358.18 - and that's a perfect distance for us :D

What does he fly?? Because I am pretty sure mine flies the coolest aircraft in the whole wide world.... what if they are the same one? :D

1. He is often misunderstood or taken as arrogant by his superiors because he is extremely smart (book and common sense), very confident, and is always looking for ways to make things better, safer, more efficient at work (some people seem to be threatened by a person like this). 2. He would do anything for his friends or family. 3. He has been drawing up plans for an underground hobbit house for years and is intent on building one for us when we finally settle somewhere. 4. He is a closet inventer (closet - because as a naive young man, he sent some designs to Teva and they ended up actually using the designs and then sending him a nice letter thanking him for the ideas):glare: 5. He could sew and cook better than most SAHMs before he was 19. He still makes all of Dcs Halloween costumes. And, he can fix/build anything - thus the Mrs.MacGyver.... :D 6. He has gotten the highest score every time on the Navy and Army physical readiness tests since he enlisted over 18 years ago, yet he never runs or works out. (I guess it is genetic - - - another :glare:) 7. He went to BUD/s - Navy SEAL training, was doing fine, and even broke the obstacle course record but dropped out after DS10 (who was 3 at the time) cried to him on the phone that he wanted Daddy to come home. :001_wub: 8. He waits until the kids are asleep at night and then sneaks into the kitchen to eat ice cream. 9. He is one of the best wrestlers I have ever seen. 10. He has had many encounters with "spirits" while working at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor and many other places (once with a Native American in the forest behind our house). - - I know not everyone believes in this kind of thing...but I believe him;)

Going on the wishlist!:lol:

Loving this thread!! 1. I am two classes away from finally finishing my BA in English - cramming these last two in before baby #5 comes! 2. I have been wanting dreadlocks for years, but never had the guts to start them. I have had braids like this and loved them - so this weekend I am going to put fake dreadlocks in to see if I like them (because I am still chicken). :D 3. I got my first tattoo this year, and as soon as the new baby is finished nursing, I am planning on getting a full sleeve. 4. Dh and I are sports fanatics and both played at a high level in our respective sports, but we are holding our kids out from organized sports until they hit middle school age for many reasons - one is so that they don't destroy their bodies early on like we did. 5. The first concert I ever attended was WARRANT... my favorite concert was Depeche Mode .... the concert I want to see the most is Tori Amos 6. In middle school, I had blue streaks in my hair and I wore a black trench coat. 7. I seriously looked into joining the FBI or the CIA after college, but joined the Navy instead. 8. I am the only person in my family who enlisted in the military - everyone else was an officer, and I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about it for a long time because of all of the passive-agressive comments about it from my family. 9. My mother still believes that Dh will leave me someday or at least have an affair and/or abuse me in some way even though we are madly in love and he has never been anything but an angel to me and the kids. It is just her irrational fears and overall craziness that permeates every part of her self-destructive life. 10. This is the first house we have lived in for more than 2 1/2 years, and we just found out that we will probably be transferring again next summer. I am going to miss this place very much - even the long winters!!

We are on the cold side of zone 5, and the prior owner of this house planted all of our walnut trees - they are thriving... I would love to try pecan or almond up here. I had no idea they would grow! Let us know what you find out:D

We will be afterschoolling DD12 this year. She is entering into 7th grade at the local public school after being HSed, and I am trying to figure out what level her classes are so that we can go through and try to fill in some of the gaps. I know that French will probably be a big one as the school goes dreadfully slow with foreign languages. Plus, we will probably continue on with Latin, Life of Fred, and reading some good literature (I have been perusing the summer reading list for the incoming 7th graders, and it is really quite appalling).

Yeah, learned that one the second I got married - with my mom, though... Apparently it is also insulting to marry someone whose mother is skinnier, more youthful, and has a pool....:glare:

:grouphug: That is a wonderful thing to see from your hubby. Dh's Grandmother is going through the same thing, and he is an angel with her. It is so lovely to see the nurturing side of a man!:001_wub:

Dh's family is from Ohio, and there are always "bars" at large functions. MIL makes "pumpkin bars" every fall for Dh thinking they are his favorite (he hates them and tells her so every year...), but I love them. Never had anything like that growing up in Texas.

Dh and I are lucky on the towel/clothes folding and toothpaste tube etiquette since we both went through Navy Boot Camp before we were married and we both managed to retain our boot camp/OCD issues with how things should be folded, etc. My sister-in-law refuses to touch my bil's laundry (she was never military and he was - and he still irons his underwear and undershirts/puts military creases in his button-down shirts, etc. :glare: we aren't that bad. lol...). I am lucky that my Dh is willing to try any and all Southern food, and that he likes most of it. But I still can't stand that his family refuses to call a vacuum a vacuum - - I'm sorry, but it is NOT a "sweeper!" I have almost gotten this out of Dh's vocabulary:D

Yeah, you are the only other person I've met who has even read these... well, my mom reads all kinds of stuff like this, and when I go home, she lets me raid her bookshelves. You might like Michener's stuff and Jean M. Auel - some find all of the detail dry, but I like a good, detailed, well-researched historical fiction any day! Happy reading!!:001_smile:

Since I had to put on a sweatshirt to take the dogs out this morning and some of my trees are already losing their leaves... I am starting to feel the fall itch! I do think that even though we are still hitting the low 80s every once in a while, we have definitely made the turn towards fall up here. I don't know what it is, but something in the air has changed and I feel like we need to start getting ready for Halloween and then winter. Can't wait!:D

:grouphug: Congrats!!!!!!!

Yum! Just tried those on Friday... DD had a sleepover, and after everyone "tried them," I ended up only getting 2! :glare: And I'm the pregnant one!!!

Yes, as with anything screen-related (like these boards...), it can be addicting. We have time controls for the kids and Dh only plays *with* the kids unless he is deployed or something. And, with the Xbox, as others have noted, you can get with the Kinect which gives you Wii-like games that are super fun to play. Our little guys love the Kinect, and the older kids love those dance games (they are drenched in sweat by the end)... The Wii has Wii fit, etc, but the Xbox Kinect has workout games, too. It is a win-win for us!

Yes! This is true... AND some of the worst mouths are the pre-teen/teen boys playing on there... Dh and friends don't even turn on the sound unless they are networked together rather than being online. The language really turns nasty when all of us wives get on there to try for fun... we are terrible, but it is quite a hilarious scene! :D

Based on the ages of your boys and the type of games they like, I would would say that the Xbox would be the one for sure... I don't even know if you can play those strategy games online with the Wii anyway. Around here, the Wii gets used mostly by the little ones, mom, and sister. The boys all stick to the Xbox... Dh and his buddies play Call of Duty type of games while deployed and everyone prefers the xbox even though the PS3 (as far as I am concerned) is pretty much the same deal as far as those games go + with the PS3, you don't have to pay extra for online gaming (not sure if this has changed...). With the Xbox, you have to pay extra for the online service, however you can still play multiplayer (usually up to 4 at a time) for most games. As far as the tv goes, I am not sure. You are just going to have to make sure it has the correct hookups - I can't remember about the Xbox, but the PS3 needs an HDMI or equivalent, and the Wii we just have the Yellow, white, red plug ins... wow - I am definitely not a techie!

- People just aren't using the post office as much anymore. I see FedEx, UPS, etc. drive by my house almost daily, so for packages, there is quite a bit of competition. The internet and email has almost eliminated envelope mail (letters, bill paying...). Now, I live in a rural area, so maybe things are a bit different around here. But, our PO has made drastic cuts, yet they are still delivering the mail 6 days a week and my mail always gets where it needs to go. My mail carrier makes a point to know everyone on her route. She smiles and calls my kids and dogs by name. She asks about Dh when he is deployed. She brings my dogs treats, and if I don't have the postage for something, she will cover it and let me pay later. The very small PO that services my area does not even bat an eyelash at all of the odd requests we make for shipping packages overseas or even for having to process and deliver 70-100 pound equipment boxes for the military guys that live around here. I know there are crappy POs around, and things get lost from time to time, but I agree with the pp who noted that they are expected to run as a private company yet are hamstrung on many things by the government. Perhaps if they were left alone, they could handle things better. I am thankful for their services and would be fine with losing a day or two of delivery if that helps them stay afloat. I just hope they don't start cutting things too drastically and laying off more of the really great people who do work there.

Fiction I have read over and over... Fantasy: The Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey Spy Novels: John LeCarre's Smiley's People, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and The Honourable Schoolboy, and almost all of his British Cold War stuff. Historical Fiction: Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear's People of the... Silence, Owl, Raven, etc. (Native American) Bernard Cornwell (anything he writes) Rosemary Sutcliff (I love all of her books - DD and I fight over them all the time). James A. Michener - Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, etc.

This is us too. I am actually glad we have to have the conversation so often, and I am glad we have to keep everything up to date... wills, POA, plans if something happens to me while he is deployed, etc. We have lost way too many friends in both this and the last deployment, and I am so amazed at how strong and resilient these wives have been. Yes, emotionally, they are wrecks, but all of the hard conversations and the planning has allowed them to keep their lives together and move on in whatever way they need to for the sake of the children left behind. I can't imagine how hard it would be if they had not taken the time to plan it all out. Even if finances are really tough, it seems like it is best to at least have the conversation and try to put some sort of plan in place...

I don't know if this will help but... We used the Pre-Alg book 1/2 of last year and will be in it part of this year as well.. I originally bought it for DD 12 - she whipped through the first half or so of the book because it was mainly review (she had done Singapore 5A,5B, Life of Fred Fractions, Decimals and Percents, and the first Pre-Alg w/Biology book before we started). I guess I am using it for her as a review before moving on to the next LofF book which seems a little more challenging...). She did two lessons a day but skipped the practice problems and quite a few of the review problems. (Each lesson throws in review problems all the way back to lesson one, so if they are mastered for a week or so, we just move on and then the kid will see them again on the test. Does that make sense?) DS10 is going through the book now, one lesson at a time - 4 days a week and then LofF Fract/Dec&% on Fridays. He picks up math very easily but makes silly mistakes, so we are going slowly - if he misses too many, we stop and review - but like I said, he is usually missing silly things like addition... (He did Singapore 4A, 4B and most of 5A before starting). So, my thoughts are that like everything else, it just depends on the kid... there is a great deal of review in this book - so it will be up to you how much your kid needs/can handle per day.

As someone who is 10 1/2 months into deployment ... I have to say "Amen sister!!" That's why those Passion Parties are so popular on military bases..:D

Yes, he was a long-haired Golden, but we trimmed up his neck and made sure the prongs were properly situated and the collar tight enough. Plus, yes we trained him for almost two weeks, walking the line on the leash, watching him, correcting him, etc. He would still do it. Sometimes he would just stand over the line for a while and then back away, sometimes he would go ahead and cross over. And it was always at the same spots. He never crossed over to go roaming around the neighborhood or to chase critters. It was only to get to the kids who were playing in another part of the property. So, yeah, I think your point about dogs with impulse control problems or who are not so smart sometimes have issues with the fences. This dog would rather pay the consequences for what he wanted rather than just stay within the boundaries like my other "smarter" dogs. :001_smile: