Category Archives: Marriage
Good Ol’ 2009
An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
~Bill Vaughan
2009 was a year that had its ups and downs. It was the year I said goodbye to my husband (for eight months of the year) and it was the year I went through my first deployment as a Navy wife. It was a year of injury and a year of being in constant financial worry. But it was also the year I got engaged. And the year I married my fantastic husband. And the year I became a Navy Reserve officer. So I have mixed feelings about 2009. But, in all, I’d say it was a pretty good year. No one close to me died. I consider that a very good year.
2009 is also the end of a decade. Or so most seem to think. I’m not sure about you, but I count 1, 2, 3, … 9, 10. So wouldn’t that make 2010 the end of the decade? We had this discussion back in 2000 when the class of 2001 argued that THEY were the first class of the new millennium. No matter, I’ll follow like a sheep and recount my first decade in the new millennium too.
2000- This year saw me graduate from high school, become a camp counselor at a YMCA camp, take off on an international trip to the Dominican Republic with two friends and start college on the other side of the state.
Sadie with her teddy bear
2001- I got my first animal as an adult, my calico cat Sadie and become an RA at my college. 9-11 also happened and that’s when I first realized that the U.S. is not invincible.
2002- Honestly, I can’t really remember much of this year. I know that I was working full-time (two jobs) plus going to school full time. One of the jobs was as an animal demonstrator at a zoo… yeah, I got to play with the snakes, birds, opossum, and more!
2003- I turned 21 (which really isn’t a huge deal) and graduated from college after being there for just over three years.
2004- This year saw me get my first real-world job (and subsequently move an hour south of the college), become financially independent and adopt my second cat, Jake.
Skiing in Colorado
2005- This was a rough year for me. The worst in my life. In February, after a week of my dad being close to death in the hospital, making a miraculous recovery and being sent home by flabbergasted doctors, I found my dad dead outside from a heart attack. It was a very dark year. My mom, grandma and I spent Father’s Day in Colorado with my cousin to help avoid the holiday. I started a new job (which is where I work now) and used the money I received from my dad’s estate to put a down payment on my house.
2006- I can’t remember much about this year, either. I do know that for the first anniversary of my dad’s death, I headed by myself to Colorado to see my cousin again. We had a great time. I adopted my first dog, Chase the Greyhound. Four months later, I agreed to foster two Greyhound puppies and three months after that, I officially adopted Lulu (one of the puppies).
Chase and Lulu
2007- While recovering from a tonsillectomy, I met Huzzy, who I had been talking to online off and on for a few months (have I ever told you the story of how we met? If not, it’s funny).
2008- Continued to date Huzzy, he moved in and he got a fuzzy Great Pyrenees puppy called Skah. I also decided that I wanted to put together a package to try and receive a commission as a Navy Reserve Public Affairs Officer.
and that leaves us with 2009….
January: I found out I was recommended for commissioning by the Navy board that looked at my officer package.
First Navy function with Huzzy
February: Huzzy proposed to me on Friday, February 13. Yes, Friday the 13th. I think that makes Friday the 13th a lucky day from now on, instead of an ominous one. Right? Also, started planning the wedding… we only had five weeks to plan.
March: Huzzy and I were married on March 21st. The first day of Spring. For our “honeymoon” (which was really 3 days of house-hunting leave for you MilSpouse) we flew to Washington state. It was my first time visiting the gorgeous land that will eventually become my home.
April: Huzzy checked out of his recruiting command and started his 40+ days of leave. The movers came and packed up our entire house except what we figured we’d need to get by for a few months. How wrong that assumption would end up being.
May: Huzzy left to PCS to Washington. We had been married for seven weeks at the time. I slept on couch cushions surrounded by our three dogs and two cats. I started living with about 7 changes of clothes, one pot, one pan and one baking dish. It was this month that I also received my official letter that I was going to be commissioned.
Skah at 6 weeks
June: Raised my hand and swore to defend the Constitution of the United States and signed my life over to the military for eight years. Well, kinda, since I’m in the Reserves, but they have rights to me for eight years! Oh, and my mom brought me a twin mattress so I didn’t have to sleep on the couch cushions anymore. I continue to sleep on that on the floor. I started working a second job to make ends meet.
July: Stepped on a carpet staple on my second toe on my right foot and thought nothing of it. It didn’t even bleed. This started four months of hell. Flew to Washington to drill for the first time and to see Huzzy for the first time in weeks.
August: Spent two glorious weeks of vacation (with a drill weekend thrown in!) with Huzzy. We went whitewater rafting, too… a first for both of us. We thought this would be the last time we’d see each other before deployment. Toe was still injured and a pain–literally–to walk on. The Navy realized they screwed up Huzzy’s paycheck six months prior and decided to rectify it… by taking ALL of his pay for the entire month of September. Not fun.
March 21, 2009
September: Stopped working the second job because I couldn’t do another 57 day stretch where I got only 3 days off.
October: Drilled for the first time with my new (and current) unit. Surprisingly was able to see Huzzy one more time before he went on deployment. Finally got the toe taken care of. Apparently, my skin decided to go crazy and make extra scar tissue (from the pin-prick that never bled!). Had the extra scar tissue removed ala “cookie-cutter” method. Huge hole left. Nice scar now.
November: Went active duty for one week where I traveled to Rhode Island for the first time. Was immersed in deployment. Spent Thanksgiving without Huzzy. Didn’t get to talk to him for the last half of the month.
December: Spent Christmas without Huzzy and didn’t hear his voice for nearly the entire month. Spent New Year’s with a friend at a local hockey game… but was in bed before midnight!
The Only Constant is Change
We are never prepared for what we expect.
~James A. Michener, Caravans
I never really explained all the frustration of this post. When I saw Huzzy and spent two weeks with him back in August, we both 
knew that we would most likely not see one another again until he returned from deployment. Of course, we also knew that there was a small chance that I could see him again when I came out in October to go to my drill weekend. Knowing our luck, we were pretty sure it would be next year before we saw one another again.
So it came as a huge kick in the teeth when we found out that pretty much at the exact time I was scheduled to land in Seattle for my drill weekend was pretty much the exact time he was scheduled to fly off to meet the boat that is forward deployed in an area which I can’t talk about due to OPSEC. I mean, I know we planned on not seeing each other again, but to find out that we’d miss each other by less than a few hours was horrible.
So we quickly made some calculations and decided that we were going to spend the extra money to change my plane tickets and head out there early so we could see each other one last time. I decided to leave a few days in between just in case the date was upped again.
In the end, it didn’t matter because his leave date was changed again… until quite a bit later than the original date. So he was still there when I finished my drill weekend and we were able to spend several fantastic days together.
The few days where I thought Huzzy and I would be missing each other by mere minutes was the most frustrating thing I’ve experienced in my life, but it ended up to be some absolutely perfect few days with him. Actually, because they were unexpected days, we just savored them and they were that much sweeter.
Freak-Out Wednesday
Now that it’s all over, what did you really do yesterday that’s worth mentioning?
~Coleman Cox
Yesterday, I freaked out. Why? Because I was driving to the other side of the state (yes, a 5 hour round trip!) to go to
One day I want to see these... just not now!
my follow-up appointment for this blasted toe.
And while I was driving, I was thinking of all the things I needed to accomplish (as ya do!). My mind fell on “I need to pick up my birth control prescription by Sunday.” You see, back in August, my *uh-hem* womanly time fell during one of the two weeks I was supposed to be spending with Huzzy. Not only that, but it was during the time that we were going whitewater rafting and camping. In woods that have bears. Who like… dead things. Kinda like… oh never mind, you get it.
Anyway, I decided that instead of taking the dummy pills, I’d just start on my next pack so I’d skip that lovely time all together. I figured when Huzzy was gone on the submarine that I’d just get back on the regular schedule and with him not around, we wouldn’t have to worry about any… ooopies. So that’s what I was doing this time around.
As I was driving and remembering to pick up my prescription, I realized it had been a while since I’d been off the BC (which I had to do to get back on my normal routine of my “week” starting on Sunday). Then I started thinking… Oh. My. God. It’s been many days since I took that last pill. Um, something should have happened by now. And it hasn’t. And I’m usually bemoaning the fact that it comes early.
Now, Huzzy and I want children for sure. It’s just that right now, with us only having been together for 9 weeks out of our now 7 month marriage… well, we kinda want to spend some time together. Not to mention the fact that I may not have a job yet when our house sells so we will be reaaaally strapped for money. And we just can’t do that right now.
So as soon as I figured that out, I remembered that it would have been my dad’s 62nd birthday that day. Hmm. Then the next billboard sign was for a birthing center and featured a big smiling baby with “Happy Birth Day” on it. Hmm.
Then I turned on the radio to distract myself and what comes on? Carrie Underwood’s All American Girl, the song I love to use to tease my husband with because he wants boys and I want at least one girl (he’s terrified to have a girl). The song lyrics include, “Since the day they got married/He’d been praying for a little baby boy/…..But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket/All those big dreams changed.”
And since I’m big on “signs” I was really starting to freak out. Then I thought back to the other day when I smelled something that the firefighters didn’t. Um, isn’t a sign of pregnancy an enhanced sense of smell?
I kept trying to tell myself that I wasn’t pregnant. I didn’t feel differently. I wasn’t throwing up. And that I was on birth control. So it shouldn’t happen, right? So after I came home from the doctor’s appointment, I stopped at the store to pick up a test… a digital one so I couldn’t imagine a faint line or anything… and brought it home to use this morning (’cause I know that’s when the hormones are concentrated).
Of course, by the time I got home, I was starting to notice some signs of Aunt Flo visiting. And by this morning, I was pretty sure she was definitely going to show up. I watch the “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant” series too much to be completely sure of myself, so I took the test this morning. Whew. No unplanned joy on the way. I want kids eventually, but it’s just not the best time–for us or for potential babies–right now.
So yeah, I feel better. And better yet, the doctor said that since I’m 2 weeks post-removal of the growth on my toe, it now only has a “slim” chance of returning. Yay!!!
I’m just going to ignore the sore throat that is starting…
And now the backswing…
Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.
~Will Rogers
Oh my. The pendulum has swung the other way. You guys are gonna love this story… especially you Milspouses.
Details next week!
Six Months and Still Feel Like a Newlywed
It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.
~Rita Rudner
Six months ago today, Huzzy and I said our vows to one another. Six months ago today, I pledged to take my husband for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health… and through deployment and shore duty, even if we have to do recruiting again. Yup, we wrote our own vows and made the Navy part of them!
Actually, these were my vows:
I, Wifey*, take you Huzzy*, to be my husband,
to have and to hold you from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer, or for poorer,
in sickness and in health
through deployment or shore duty…
even if you have to do recruiting again.
I promise to love and care for you
I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving.
But most of all, I promise to always be faithful
and to be a true and loyal friend to you.
I love you.
*names changed to protect the not-so-innocent
Huzzy’s vows were pretty much the same except he promised to “through something something something… even if you make me salute you.” (ya know, ’cause I was about to become an officer and he’s enlisted). The “something something something” bothers me because I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. And Huzzy is having a hard time too because he forgot his vows and just winged it. And when I saw that he didn’t read his vows (I had an index card with me), I winged mine, too. So these might not be the exact words, but they are pretty close.
Yeah, we are dorks and made the Navy part of our vows. But hey, the 
Navy brought us together… kinda. Have I ever mentioned we met online? If not, let me know and I’ll tell you the whole funny story. But anyway, had the Navy not tricked him into becoming a recruiter, he wouldn’t have been in Michigan and we wouldn’t have met online. That and the Navy is going to be a big part of our lives for a minimum of the next 10 years (Huzzy’s career) and very likely the next 30 (my Navy career).
So it’s been six months and if feels like we are still newlyweds. Oh wait… that might have something to do with the fact that we’ve only been together for nine weeks of those six months. Ha! Oh well, like many people have told me, we can celebrate two one-year anniversaries… next March (he’ll be on land for it… praise God and everything Holy!) and when we have actually been together–living together–for 52 weeks. Not sure how long that will take, but by my calculations, it will probably be around the 3 1/2 year mark of our marriage. I should track this so we can celebrate that!
Anyway, Happy Six Month Anniversary to my fantastically loving, sexy Sailor!
