So today I was out doing errands and at one register, my total ended up being $6.72. I handed the cashier a $20 bill, two pennies and four nickles (I was cleaning out my change purse!). She counted the change and then counted it a second time and then looked at me and said, “the change was 76 cents.” I paused for a second and then said (very nicely), “Yeah, I know… this way I’ll get two quarters back.”  She looked at me skeptically and then typed it into her computer and then just handed me my change back.  I shudder to think how much I would have confused her if I would have given her $22.22, expecting $15.50 back. *sigh* I learned to count change properly–including counting the change back to someone starting with the price of the purchase and going up to the amount given to me–when I was eight. EIGHT!

I sure hope that our future children aren’t allowed to use calculators in school until they learn how to do the calculations behind the math themselves. My mom didn’t let us type any papers on the computer (we didn’t get one until 6th grade anyway) until we learned how to type properly…  as in “asdf jkl;” typing. I plan to do the same thing with our kids.

Oh how much I appreciate the things my parents made us do. Sometimes I thought they were too “old-fashioned” but I am so appreciative of it now.

P.S.
Thanks for the comments on MilSpouse Friday Fill-In. I think I’m just going to do it on the first Friday of the month (thus making it MilSpouse FIRST Friday Fill-In). This will give me some more time to write on my blog. It seems as though every time I have a post to write, it’s either on Thursdays or Fridays when I have to get the MFF posts ready. However, I don’t want to abandon MFF completely, so I think this is a good compromise.

This past year has been a tumultuous year of ups and downs. But I’ll admit, it was mostly downs. I’m ready to see what 2012 brings and am really looking forward to the year!  Here’s a recap of the year for the Wuzzy Household:

No, I'm not that short, he's just super tall. I'm 5'5".

January saw the return of Huzzy on New Year’s Day and my first dependent’s cruise. At this point, we had been married for nearly two years but only spent 14 weeks together… and not all of it at once!  In fact, we’d only spent seven weeks together at one time.

February was the month we were supposed to move into our new house, but delays with our banks started and were really frustrating us.

March gave us just a hint of what was to come… our nearly 12 year old Greyhound, Chase, had to be sent to the Rainbow Bridge after what we can only guess was cancer of some sort… most likely throat. But it was the traumatizing injury that happened while he was at the vet’s that took him sooner than expected.

April was the worst month in the Wuzzy household. The second week of the month, Huzzy’s dad had a massive heart attack and never regained consciousness. Huzzy was able to fly cross country in time to make it to the hospital in order to be there with his brother while they made the heartbreaking decision to take their dad off life support. He was gone for the rest of the month. The same day we got the call about his dad, we moved into our first home purchased together. That bright point was hard to see at the time but we recognize it now and cherish our home.  Because of his loss, Huzzy was unable to go on his boat’s spring/summer deployment (though he was supposed to pick it up part way through but due to the boat’s change in schedule, that never happened). My cat our family got in 7th grade died (at my mom’s house). It was his time, but it was still sad.

Chase just six months before he died.

May was spent pretty much alone as Huzzy was gone for all but a few days of it taking care of his dad’s estate. We realized our former landlords were not going to give us our deposit money back nor even acknowledge that we existed. I also learned I was probably going to need surgery on my shoulder. It was this month that I also was promoted to LTjg and we started fostering kittens for the local humane society.

June started and ended crappy but the middle was a pretty good because my mom came to visit and Huzzy was here for my birthday for the first time in our marriage. Of course, he made it with only 10 minutes to spare, but technically, he made it. Before either of them got here, one of our first foster kittens ended up biting me down to the bone in my finger (it was a feral kitten I was taming) and I had to go to the ER. Good news? That kitten is now a fantastically friendly kitten who apparently got a great home! Right after that, my mom had to put our childhood dog down. She had cancer. And the end of June saw yet more death… my cat, Sadie, that my mom was keeping at her house and that I was going to bring home in 2012 died.

July was probably one of the best months of the year, even though it started off with the death of someone who was like a grandfather to me. I finally, after 16 months, got a job. I also spent my two weeks AT on the USS Nimitz, which, even though it was in drydock, was fantastic. Huzzy and I spent Independence Day together, which was only our second holiday together as a married couple.

Kissy and Skully, mid-fight, leaning against Lulu on our bed.

August started out with court mediation with our former landlords. That didn’t bring any resolution so a court date in front of a judge was set but the earliest one was five months away. The month also brought news that I was definitely having shoulder surgery and ended with bringing our third set of foster kittens home… these ones just 10 days old (with momma). We ended up keeping two of them and naming them Kissy and Skully.

September was fun because my brother came out to visit. I hadn’t seen him in nearly two years and he had never been west of the Mississippi.

October saw me transferred to a new Navy Reserve unit… one that I’m really excited about working with for the next three years. It also was the month I had my shoulder surgery. Huzzy also left to go on a short patrol (not with his crew) to get some qualifications done.

November was the month I met my new unit… but two days before that, I was laid off from my job. Huzzy also came back juuust in time for us to spend our first Thanksgiving together in one place since we were married. We spent it with friends and some Single Sailors from his command.

December also brought two more deaths… someone that was like a grandmother to me (yes, the wife of man who died in July) and my great-aunt, whom I had met only once. But it bought us yet another holiday together… Christmas. It was nice to spend it together and not be alone. However, he has 24hr duty from 8 a.m. New Year’s Eve through 8 a.m. New Year’s Day, so we’ll have to wait until our fourth NYE married before we have a chance of ringing in the New Year together… if he doesn’t have duty then! We also found out our landlords filed for bankruptcy, so the court has canceled our court date and we will probably never get our money back. A$$hats.

So while we’ve had some great times this year… it has been overshadowed by way too much death. I’m so ready for 2012 and hope it brings happiness, healing (both physical and emotional) and LIFE.

Today, I’m giving my blog over to Suzanne All Because Two People Fell In Love for Riding the Roller Coaster’s Holiday Blog swap! You can find my own post over on Married to a Sailor’s blog!

According to her blog, Suzanne says, “I am very laid back and usually go with the flow. I am very laid back and easy to get along with. I am married to the love of my life. My husband, Tim and I got married July 17, 2008! I honestly didn’t know what happiness was until I met him. I am living in Northern Virginia with my husband, daughter, son and pooches.”  She has some really great resources over at her blog, so go check it out!

And without further ado… here is Suzanne’s post:

Do You Believe?

As we are approaching Christmas, I thought this fit perfectly. So that famous man and his reindeer whom make their appearance yearly, do you believe?

Of course I know where the presents come from, but I’ve got to share a story from my childhood. Well two of them really.

Do you believe in Reindeer? I do. Of course we know that reindeer truly exist within North America amongst other areas.

Now what about those famous Reindeer that travel with Santa to deliver presents to all the good little girls and boys:

• Dasher
• Dancer
• Prancer
• Vixen
• Comet
• Cupid
• Donder (or Donner)
• Blitzen

Oh wait, you can’t forget Rudolph (you know w/ the bright red nose)!

This brings me back to my story. One would think red nosed reindeers don’t exist, well I have to think otherwise. When I was younger my father and I were traveling a back road where we used to live and it was only a fenced in area where you 90% of the time would always see deer. Sure enough as we were driving by, there were deer. Next thing you know, neither of us said anything to one another but did look at each other in a way of saying: Did you see that? We turned around to go get a picture of what we just saw, but it was gone.

So you ask, what did we see?

Yes, we saw a red-nosed reindeer. I only wish I had proof. So many people think I’m crazy I’m sure – you do too, right?

Another childhood experience was on Christmas Eve one evening. My Maw-Maw and Pop-Pop stayed the evening with us to wake with us on Christmas morning. I miss those days so much and only wish I could have one more day with them. Everyone had already gone to bed, well I ended up waking up and coming out in the living room where my Pop-Pop was sleeping and I guess I woke him. Needless to say, he told me that I had better get to bed or Santa Clause wasn’t going to come. Next thing you know, I look out the front window at the house and I see the silhouette of:

Yup, you got it…Santa and his reindeer sitting in our front yard. I recall running back to my room faster than I’ve ever ran before.

Still to this day, I question myself… Perhaps Santa is real!

Do you have a childhood story and/or story that relates to the holidays? If so, please share it – I’d love to hear them!

Go check out more blog swappers over at Riding the Roller Coaster!

]]> http://wifeofasailor.com/2011/12/14/holiday-blog-swap/feed/ 7 Wifey MilspouseHolidayBlogSwap2011 Raindeer Rudolf Sleigh http://wifeofasailor.com/2011/12/08/its-a-scent-sational-party/ http://wifeofasailor.com/2011/12/08/its-a-scent-sational-party/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:40:04 +0000 Wife of a Sailor http://wifeofasailor.com/?p=2000 ]]> Nothing is more memorable than a smell.  One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town. 
~Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses 

Note: You now have until sometime in January to enter!!

Have you heard of Scentsy? I’m sure most of you have. If you haven’t, you are truly missing out.

Scentsy is a flameless candle that comes in a bajillion scents (I’ve counted… there are exactly a bajillion). The reason I got hooked on Scentsy is because there is no flame and if one of our bumbling animals tips it over, it’s won’t burn them (won’t burn kids, either, but we don’t have any).

Also? I’m have a bit of ADD when it comes to scents. I like to burn different ones on different days, depending on my mood. And it’s hard to do that with candles because they are so bulky.

Anyway, to make a long post much shorter, I’m having a basket party over at Mommy Taco’s place through December 31st! You can purchase it all the way up through the 19th and still get it in time for Christmas! It’s a perfect gift for anyone still on your list. Even the guys. Huzzy takes a travel tin with him underway. He loves it.

Bonus? I’m going to do a giveaway for anyone who reads my blog and purchases from the party. I’m not sure what yet (I’m still unemployed), but at the VERY least, I’ll buy you a  trio scents of your choice. However, if my party is as big of a success as the last one, I’ll do a MUCH BIGGER giveaway. So if you purchase from the party, leave a comment here and I’ll put you in for the drawing =)

Double bonus? You can figure out my first name since Mommy Taco used my real name =P

**Note: The giveaway is from me, not MommyTaco or Scentsy. I will purchase the items and give them away myself.

Oh man oh man, oh man! You have no idea how excited I am about this. I looove Christmas.

I have always loved Secret Santa. I love the slyly learning about the person you are getting a gift for and finding things about them and finding that absolutely perfect gift that just screams them.

So, this year I’m going to be hosting the very first (that I know of) MilSpouse Secret Santa (yes, fiancees and girlfriends can sign up as well!). I can’t wait to see what everyone gets for each other. This is going to be something that I will match on my end so no one will know who each other has.  I’m going to start matching after the first week and if we get more people signing up after that, then I’ll do subsequent matches but they will not go past Saturday, November 12th (and it is subject to close before then).

I hope you all are excited about this. I really want everyone to have fun with this.

However, because I’ve been a part of several online Secret Santas and we did the MilSpouse Secret Santa last year, I know that rules must be set… but I know all you lovely spouses won’t need them because you are so incredibly awesome. But this way, we are all playing by the same rules.

1. The first rule is to HAVE F UN.
2. The gift is to be a $20 gift. This does not mean you have to SPEND $20 just because you got an awesome deal. Or, if you are one of those crafty people who I envy, if what you make is worth $20… that is just fine! If you spend more than $20, that’s fine, just know that others will be getting you a $20 gift. Oh, and if you do decide to go over…  let’s not get too carried away.
3. The $20 does not include shipping. Shipping is extra. We have several MilSpouses who live overseas, so if you are willing to ship overseas (though I believe most of them have APOs), please let me know on the signup form.
4. If you don’t get “as good of a gift” as you’d like, please don’t complain or be snarky because this is not what the holiday season is about. If you don’t receive a gift at all, please let me know ASAP.
5. If you are matched with someone and find out later you are not able to participate for any reason, please let me know ASAP.
6. In order for the gifts to arrive on time, OCONUS gifts will need to be sent by Saturday, December 10th via Priority Mail (you don’t have to ship Priority if you send this earlier), except for those places beginning with a zip code of 093, which will need to be sent by Saturday, December 3rd.
7. Reveal who you are when you send the gift… or afterward. While this is a Secret Santa until gift time, I’d love for you to know who your awesome match is.
8. Please thank your Secret Santa for your gift. Please. Either via mail, e-mail or by a post on your blog. I know you all won’t forget to do this because you all are so awesome!
9. Also, please email me when you have shipped your item. That way, I know you’re done! wifeofasailor(at)gmail(dot)com

Tips

1. Don’t be afraid to post anonymously on your recipients blog asking questions. Or have a friend do it. Or sign up for a free mail account and email your recipient questions. Or, as a last resort, feel free to ask me to email them a question for you.  Be creative, be fun. For my Secret Santas, I usually create an “evil elf” who asks questions in rhyme. Lots of questions so the person has no idea what I’m even trying to ask about.
2. Be creative. Find something that they love. Send something from your home state or where you currently live.
3. Send cards to your recipient as the days get closer… hint (or don’t!) at what an awesome gift they are about to receive. Everyone loves to get something in the mail!
4. Pleaaaaase show off what you got on your blog… I’m going to live vicariously through all of you.

Good gosh. Are we really just a few weeks away from October? How did that happen?

Well, it’s almost that time of year when I started last year’s MilSpouse Secret Santa. After finishing it, I swore I’d never do it again. I had too many complaints–some legitimate but none that I could control–about xx didn’t get me $20 worth of stuff and xx never sent me a package and xx never thanked me for my gift. Of course, I had many many more people who loved it, but there were enough complaints to ruin it for ME. And I wasn’t even participating. Although. Sespi over at And You  Never Did Think sent me a gift when she realized I didn’t participate. She didn’t need to, but she did brighten my day  If you don’t read her, you should. She’s good people. And I heart her blog.

Anyway, I’m far enough away from from the complaining that I would put on my big girl panties and try it one more time. If it turns out the same way this year, I’m done and someone else can do it.

So what would you like the rules to be this year? I’m looking for comments from everyone, but ESPECIALLY those who participated last year.

Recently I was asked if I wanted to join the Spouse Buzz team of bloggers. My immediate reaction was, “Heck YES!” But then I decided it would be best to learn more about what would be expected of me.  And after finding that out, my answer was “DOUBLE HECK YES!”

So, today was my first post over there. It talks about a new update in my life here. If you don’t know about the site, it’s an awesome resource for ALL military spouses. Please check it out!

I posted this as a response on another blog to the question, “What are you feeling?” in response to the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Here is my short response. It continues to sum up my feelings today.

What I’m feeling…

Hope and trepidation.

Hope that this will unite our country as bin Laden’s heinous actions did 10 years ago. Hope that this will continue to move us in the right direction in our fight against Al-Qaeda.

Trepidation because I fear the potential backlash but I also fear that America will decide our work there is done… when it is clearly not. Trepidation because there are more Al -Qaeda members out there who wish to do our country harm and we have a lot more work to do. We will continue to need the support of the American public.

(please feel free to use this!)

I love learning more about my fellow MilSpouse bloggers. So I created a weekly meme. Each week, I’ll post a list of questions on Thursday (so you can have your blog ready on Friday). Come back here on Friday (like today!) and enter your blog post into Mr. Linky below so others know who else participated and we can all visit other blogs. Please leave a comment too! And please feel free to use the button above!

This week’s questions are:

1. How many pets do you have? And what type? submitted by Life and Times of a Displaced Jersey Girl 

Lulu enjoying the summer

Well, we only have two dogs because we had to put down our third last month. We have Lulu, who is an almost five-year-old blue fawn Greyhound, and Skah, who is a 3 year old deaf Great Pyrenees. They are hilarious and I love them so much. Even though Skah tends to be pretty high-maintenance medically.

2. What are your favorite projects to do while hubby is away? submitted by my-inspired-nest
Pretty much all I have time for is cleaning up our house and either unpacking, or packing. LOL, this is our fourth deployment coming up and it’s still one of those two. Luckily, this should be the last time for a LONG time that I’ll be unpacking.

3. What are the must-haves in your deployment care packages?  submitted by Christine’s Little Blog
The first one is energy drinks. I also like to put cake-in-a-jar. But we don’t generally get deployment care packages that we can send so it’s more for the halfway box. You can check out the contents of my last one here.

4. If you could star in any TV show, which would it be? submitted by Just a Girl 

Skah guarding his land

I’d want to be the star of Secret Millionaire. Because, well, I’d be a millionaire and enough of one to be able to share my wealth with others! That is a double bonus. I love helping people.

5. What was the biggest hurdle that you faced during your/your significant other’s first deployment? submitted by The Pavlik Perspective
I think my biggest hurdle was living in Michigan while he had been living in Washington (10 months by the time I left) so we already had so few moments together. And then I wasn’t around anyone who “understood” what it was like to have a spouse deployed. I was also stressing about selling our house and finally moving to Washington. That was tough. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Please don’t forget to add your blog link to Mr. Linky below by clicking on it. But also if you are not participating in MilSpouse Friday Fill-In this week, please do not put your link on there… I will remove it. It is unfair to others who do participate.