Project 52 (16)

Week 16: Perspective

It's ALL about perspective

While Superman's Away...

Superman is city hopping this week. He's got a slew of job interviews, which is great! But it also means that I'm on my own this week. When Superman gets back, I have planned an exquisite dinner featuring Halibut with Salsa Verde.

But tonight? Well, let's just say that when Superman's away, all hell breaks loose.

I'm retreating to boxed and frozen foods. Mmmm, processed foods....  takes me back to the old  (for now) deployment and TDY days. 

And yes, that's Gatto on the kitchen counter. A Super household no-no, but Superman's not here to lay down the law!

Did I mention that he hasn't even been gone for 24 hours yet?

I'm totally going to pay for all of this when Superman drags my tush to Crossfit this week.

Project 52 (15)

Week 15: Soft

Me: Boo, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say, "Soft"

Superman: Cookies!

Me: What? Why?

Superman: Because soft cookies are amazing.

History Buff

If you've married a man in the military, chances are you've married a future history professor. Lately we've been taking alot of American history trips -- like our latest weekend getaway to Philadelphia.

I was there to attend a professional conference. Superman on the other hand found it to be the perfect opportunity to brush up on his history trivia. We checked out the Liberty Bell, city hall (where the constitution and decleration were signed) and the nation's oldest tavern.

But the best part -- we met my parents half way!

What Would Happen...?

The following conversation just ensued:

Superman: What would happen if our internet just happened to disconnect for one week...

*my eyes widen in shock*

Superman: And what would happen if we got rid of the Outlook, got rid of the blogging, got rid of this whole computer for a whole week...

Me: Listen kid. Don't speak such blasphemy in this house. We are in Manhattan, not Misoula, mister.

Superman: And we confiscated the crackberry, and the bigger crackberry.

Me: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Stop tallkkinngg!!!

This sinful conversation was followed immediately by an MMA-style brawl on our living room floor. Not alot of things in this household require a leg lock, mount, and front ball kick to the face. But tell this Apple girl to disconnect from the world? You had it comin.

Project 52 (14)

Week 14: Envy

Don't be jealous of Gatto's new water fountain. Yeah, Gatto's pretty much the cat's meow.

Potty Mouth

Superman looks innocent.

But he's got a vice that I never quite knew until after we started living together...

He has a potty mouth. No, not those 4 letter words that we all know. But these crazy phrases that have some pretty crazy meanings that I had no idea existed until this week. According to Superman everyone knows these words and what they mean. Some people even use these words on a regular basis.

Blame it on the Army, blame it on where he grew up, but in these few weeks I've gotten a rude awakening on what people know. Here he is saying things I never even knew had words to describe them.

Sorry folks. I would just bury myself in the depth of guilt if I repeated these terrible words. But it's just crazy! 

So maybe I've grown up in a very sheltered environment that these words have never crossed my path. But I've gotta admit, after hearing a few of these phrases, I'm happy about it.

We've been trying to break him of the habit because if he uses it around Gatto the cat, he's definitely going to use it around the nonexistent kiddos.

How do we turn Superman's mouth around???

J-Hubs

There's a stereotype (not completely unfounded) that Army wives are well... married to the military. Their lives completely revolve around the Army and their purpose is support -- support the hubs, the cause, the brats, the home.

Well, that's not all that untrue. But for some of us, including myself, we've got a life of our own. We don't live on base, our life is not just Army all the time (I thank goodness!!.. sometimes.) We take on the additional role of balancing Army and civilian life.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love supporting Superman through all of his successes. And I absolutely love Army life. On those days, Superman calls me the Ah-mee Wife.

Homes for Our Troops Benefit Gala 

But there are some days where my career and life take the front seat. And Superman takes the supporting role. Like this past weekend when I accepted a professional journalism award at a dinner in DC.

My award dinner!



And judging by the proud look in his eyes, and the fact that he makes me smile at him a few times during the night so he can check my teeth before I took the stage, I'd say he doesn't mind taking the supporting role so much.  

And on those days, Superman coined himself as J-Hubs [get it? As in journalism hubs].

I'm happy we're not all Civilian and not all Army. Ya gotta give a little and take a little once in a while to get the best of both worlds.  

Washington D.C.

Harper's Ferry, WV - February 2011

Today we're heading back to Washington D.C.! Tonight, we'll be attending a shmancy banquet and I'll be accepting my first professional journalism award.

This will be our second trip to D.C. this year.  Honestly, what more can I do to get Superman's wheels turning about moving to D.C.? Don't make me win another award, kid.

While I have us finding reasons to get our bums to the capital, he keeps finding reasons to get us back to the only town he's ever really lived. Ah, sometimes I wish there was a magic ambitious adventure potion I could get running through his veins.

Alone

Some "together" days I feel more alone than "TDY" days. Even though Superman is not deployed, I'm beginning to feel that he was more present in my life while he was gone for training or on a deployment, than he is when he is here.

I find myself pretty much on my own most of the time. Our time together is more about checklists and tiptoeing around eachother. And every conversation is about being somewhere other than here -- a new job somewhere else, an event that is happening somewhere else.

Earlier in my career, I moved a lot and had crazy rotating shifts that left me exhausted and a few times turned to medical emergencies. After that, I developed maladjustment anxiety and it took me a few years to get myself rooted again and reassure myself that the rug isn't going to be swept up from under me.

Part of that anxiety is coming back since I'm in a place where Superman is always drumming up to leave. It's hard to find calm when there's a storm of hypotheticals raging.

But at the beginning and end of each day, I have to remind myself that whatever is raging in the mind of the other half... when Superman's always looking to get out of town and escape from somewhere other with us...

I am here. now. Present at this moment. Grounded in my work and life and school. That I don't have to worry about instability because things are stable here. My thoughts and my actions are one. There is no where else I would rather be than taking in this second, now.

I don't have to worry about skipping town, or where I'm going to live, which bed I'll lay in or couch I'll plop on at the end of the day, or what's going to happen from one day to the next. I'm not thinking about any other job or life than what I have here, now.

That's freedom to me, now. And Manhattan is home to me, now.

And when Superman gets the itch to go, I let him go. After all, you can't make someone be where he doesn't want to be.

Heard this song and it totally got my wheels turning last night...

The Married Bachelor

Superman and I are just about the most unmarried married couple I know. We've been married for 6 months now, and it wasn't until this past weekend that we actually started to live together.

It's been quite the adjustment.

I mean, this was the scene last week when I went to Superman's place of residence to help him move out so we could cohabitate.

Yes. That's his Army issued shirt that is serving as a pillowcase. We had clean pillowcases in the linen closet, mind you. But modern day warriors don't open linen closets. So I guess a real pillowcase is out of the question.

This looks like a scene straight from a foreign Army barracks. But it's not. It's a home in suburbia U.S.of A. 

Yes. That's an MRE on our kitchen counter. A coveted beef ravioli one to be exact. We can afford perishable foods, folks. But I guess modern day warriors only consume decade-long freeze dried goodies. So I guess going grocery shopping is out of the question.



And yes, that's his ROTC issued sleeping bag that became his new curtain. Trust me, we can afford blinds. But I guess for modern day warriors, Bed, Bath, and Beyond is out of the question.

Well, at least those "curtains" match the "house decor."

This whole marriage thing is really going to get interesting...

My First Bloggy Award!

A few days ago I happen to be passed along this bloggy award by the amazing FallonElla:

Wow! I am totally humbled! Especially since Mrs. FallonElla herself is such a great blogger (not to mention she's absolutely gorgeous!!)

"I love Apple Days, Army Nights, because she writes well, is honest, and I'm always drawn to her blog," she wrote.

Lady, you just made a Manhattanite blush. And that's a pretty rare occurrence, since there's a lot we see on these streets.

But of course the award does come with a few rules. I will need to share 7 random things about myself and pass along to other blogger(s).  So here's all you never really wanted to know about me...

1. I'm quad-lingual.

2. I skipped fifth grade so I'm quite a bit younger than most of my peers. In fact, I'm the youngest person in my department at work.

3. I have a new found obsession with country music. This should come as a shock to many as I lived with a country music lover for 2 years and really could not get into it. In fact, it was the bane of my living existence. But now I'm all about the dow-see-dow. (Ok let's not go that far. Just SOME country music. I won't let it get out of hand people).

4. One of my biggest "celebrity" crushes happens to be someone who works at the New York Times. That should give you a huge indication of how geeky I really am.

5. I recently realized that not a lot of people live the life they've dreamed of since they were 8 years old. I thought it was a given that if you love something and you work for it, and you never give up, you'll get there. Now I know that I'm one of the blessed few.

6. I travel, a lot. And I don't want to stop until I've touched every grain of dirt  and water drop on this earth.

7. Never in a million years did I ever think I would marry Superman. When I met Superman I specifically remember telling two of my closest friends, "Surely this guy can't be serious." I never even knew a man in the military until I met Superman. But that story is for a whole 'nother day... ;)


I'm passing this award along to my best friend Darcy's blog "Darcy's Excellent Adventure" Darcy left home and friends behind for a year to join AmeriCorps. The fact that she's living in the Midwest and leading a team of folks to do a whole year of community services says so much about her heart! I miss her but I am proud of everything she is doing!

Project 52 (13)

Week 13: Shine

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

Quarter Century!

One of the greatest blessings of my birthday this year was having Superman here with me.

Remember, he was supposed to be gone this past Tuesday. So it was great to see that the bugger was around yesterday!

This is the first birthday -- besides turning 21 -- that Superman was actually around! Each year he sent flowers to my work, but this year he hand delivered them! It was an amazing surprise that he remembered the fun flower tradition, and that he pulled me away from work for a while.

Later that evening we met up with a few of my good friends who drove all the way from the bean to the apple for a chill birthday dinner.

The great thing about the Apple is that there's no excuse not to visit... the city's fab. the people in the city are fab...

Oh yeah -- bee tee dubs. Even though Superman didn't deploy, I still got that haircut.

While I was blessed to have spent my birthday with those I love, there were also a few that I've spent every adult birthday with that couldn't be here this year. Like my best friend, Darcy -- but I did get some bloggy love from her, so check it out here!

Oh, and those pictures in her post.... I could tell you that's not me... but I love ya too much to lie to ya. Just return the favor and don't judge.